POTS AND PANS CITY BLOG

What better way to warm up your loved ones on a cold winter day or when they are sick in bed than with a hot bowl of chicken noodle soup!  This tasty recipe will warm their hearts as well as their stomachs.

• 2 chicken breasts, cubed
• 3 large carrots, peeled and sliced
• 2 parsnips, peeled and sliced
• 1 onion, finely sliced
• 1 stalk celery, sliced
• 1 TBSP. oil
• 6 cups water
• 4 packets chicken bouillon
• Salt & pepper
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 tsp. dried sage
• 1 ½ cups fine egg noodles

In a large stock pot, heat oil and brown chicken cubes.  Add water. Bring to a boil and skim liquid of fat.

Reduce heat and all remaining ingredients, except egg noodles.

Simmer, covered for approximately 2-3 hours.  Add egg noodles and cook for another 15 minutes.

Serve hot.

Goose is another option for your main meat dish when preparing a traditional Christmas dinner.  When buying a fresh goose, ensure that it is plump with smooth skin free of blemishes and pinfeathers.  A 10-11 lb. goose will serve about 8 people.  If you wish to serve a larger group of people, it is advisable to buy 2 geese. 

Cooking a goose is not the same as cooking a turkey, because goose contains a great deal of fat just below the thick skin.  You should remove the grease from the pan occasionally when cooking a goose (instead of basting it as you would a turkey). 

Here are a few tips when cooking a goose:

1. Pull out any loose pads of fat
2. Use a needle to pierce the skin and the fatty layer of the goose, without going through to the lean meat. (This helps to drain the grease.)
3. Pour boiling water over the goose just before placing it in the oven.  Then halfway through the cooking time, remove the goose from the pan and pour boiling water over it again. This helps to melt the fat and make the skin crisp.
4. Drain the grease or use a turkey-baster to remove the grease from the pan for the first 1 ½ hours of cooking.

Christmas Goose

Ingredients:

• 1 10-11 lb. goose
• 1 lemon cut in half
• Salt and pepper
• 2 oranges, quartered
• Boiling water
• 1 cup orange marmalade
• 2 TBSP. orange liqueur
• 1 tsp. soy sauce
• ½ tsp. ground ginger
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1 TBSP. corn starch
• ¼ cup cold water

Remove the loose fat and giblets from the goose.  Cut off the neck and wing tips (these can be used to stock, if desired).  Wipe the goose with a damp cloth and dry thoroughly.  Rub the goose inside and out with the half lemon, squeezing the juice over all of it.  Sprinkle the cavity with salt and pepper.  Place the orange quarters and remaining lemon inside the goose. Prick the goose all over with a needle to allow the fat to escape while cooking.  Tie up the wings and legs close to the body and skewer the neck skin to the body.

Place the goose breast side down on a rack in a roasting pan.  Pour about 2 cups of boiling water over the goose.  Roast in a 400° F oven for 30 minutes.  Reduce heat to 325° F and cook for 1 more hour.  Pour off grease from the pan.  Turn goose over and prick again with the needle.  Pour 2 cups more of boiling water over the goose.  Return to oven and roast for another hour.

Mix together marmalade, liqueur, soy sauce and ginger.  Brush over goose.  Return to the oven and roast for another 30-60 minutes, until juices run clear when thigh is pierced.  Remove from oven and transfer to a cutting board.  Cover with tin foil and let stand for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, skim all the fat from the pan and add the orange juice.  Bring to a boil, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.  Dissolve corn starch in cold water and stir into the pan.  Whisk constantly while cooking until slightly thickened.  Season with salt and pepper.  Serve the sauce in a gravy boat on the side.

Turkey seems to be part of every Christmas and Thanksgiving holiday meal. This recipe makes turkey the start of the meal—and the star. This is a hearty, tasty Italian take on turkey soup. The soup can be made ahead of time and frozen, but just be sure you don’t add the pasta until you reheat it. You can buy turkey drumsticks or turkey breast separately to add the meat to this dish, or you can use leftover turkey from the main meal.

Ingredients:

• 2 TBSP. vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 TBSP. garlic powder
• ¾ cup cooked ham
• 2 cups cooked turkey, chopped
• 4 medium carrots, chopped
• 1 zucchini, diced
• 4 cups chicken or turkey stock
• 1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes (including juice)
• 2 cups shredded cabbage
• 1 14 oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup chopped green beans
• 1/3 cup macaroni or other small pasts
• Salt and pepper
• Parmesan cheese

Heat the oil in a large saucepot. Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes until softened. Add ham, carrots, celery and zucchini and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 more minutes. Add stock and tomatoes (plus juice). Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer. Cook covered for 30 minutes. Add the cabbage, turkey, and both beans. Season with salt and pepper. Continue cooking for 30 minutes more or until vegetables are almost tender. Add the pasta and cook for 10 minutes. Spoon the hot soup into bowls and sprinkle each serving with a little Parmesan cheese.

A traditional Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner typically includes a roast turkey, but if you are not prepared for the big roasted bird then perhaps this option of a Turkey and Cranberry Pie is a better choice for you. This entrée still has the turkey and cranberry combination that the conventional meal includes, but it has a bit of a twist to it in that the turkey is in the pie. This is also a great make-ahead turkey dish that allows you to make your main course in advance.

Turkey and Cranberry Pie Recipe Ingredients:

• 1 lb. pork sausage meat
• 1 lb. lean ground turkey
• 1 TBSP. sage
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 1 tsp. basil
• Generous amount of salt and pepper
• Finely grated rind of 2 oranges
• 2 tsp. grated fresh ginger or ½ tsp. ground ginger
• 1 lb. turkey breast, thinly sliced
• 1 cup fresh cranberries (or 1 can cranberry sauce)

Pastry:

• 4 cups flour
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2/3 cup shortening or lard

Glaze:

• 1 egg beaten with a small amount of milk
• 1 ¼ cups aspic jelly, made per package directions

Preheat oven to 350° F. Put a large baking sheet in the oven to preheat.

Combine the sausage and ground turkey in a large bowl. Add the spices, salt and pepper, the orange rind and the ginger. Mix together well with your hands or a wooden spoon.

For the pastry, in a large bowl add the flour and salt and mix together with a fork. In a small saucepan, heat the shortening or lard with the milk and water. When just beginning to boil, remove from heat and cool slightly. With a wooden spoon, quickly stir the liquid into the flour. Stir until a very stiff dough is formed. Transfer the dough to a working area and knead until smooth. Cut off about a third of the dough for the top of the pie. Wrap this piece in plastic wrap and keep it in a warm place.

On a floured surface, roll out the large piece of dough with a rolling pin. Place the dough in a well-greased 8” springform cake pan, pressing the dough up the sides. Work the dough while it is still warm or it will start to crack and break.

Place the thin slices of turkey meat between two pieces of plastic wrap and flatten with a rolling pin or the bottom of a pot until it is about 1/8” thick.

Spoon half of the sausage/ground turkey mixture into the base of the dough layered pan, pressing it into the edges. Cover this mixture with half of the turkey slices, then with the fresh cranberries (or cranberry sauce). Place the remaining turkey slices over the cranberries, then top with the remaining ground meat mixture.

Roll out the rest of the dough and cover the filling. Trim away any excess and make decorative cut-outs to place on top of the pie with any extra dough. Seal the edges of the pie with the beaten egg. Make a steam hole in the centre of the pie. Brush the remaining egg/milk mixture over the top of the pie.

Bake the pie in the oven on top of the heated baking pan for 2 hours. (Hint: Cover the top of the pie with tin foil if it starts to get too brown before baking is finished.) Place the baked pie on a wire rack to cool.

When pie is cool, make the aspic jelly according to package directions and use a funnel to funnel it into the pie. Let the pie set overnight before unmolding.

There are so many types of stuffing you can use in your Thanksgiving or Christmas turkey, most of which use the giblets as a base. Here is a recipe for chestnut stuffing for those who don’t like traditional turkey stuffing. Sweet and delicious with a slight nutty flavor!

Ingredients:

• 3 TBSP. butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 can water chestnuts
• ¼ lb. fresh chestnuts
• 1 cup fresh bread crumbs
• 3 TBSP. orange juice
• ¼ tsp. nutmeg
• ½ tsp. sugar
• Salt and pepper

To prepare chestnuts: Arrange fresh chestnuts on a baking sheet. With a sharp knife, cut a slit in the top of each chestnut. Bake chestnuts in a hot 425° oven for about 8 minutes, until they are a little browned. Remove from oven. Cool for a few minutes until you can handle them without burning your fingers. Remove the shell from each chestnut. Chop the chestnut meat into a rough chop. Set aside to cool.

Drain the can of water chestnuts (reserve a little of the liquid) and put them into a blender. Blend until smooth (you may need to add a little of the liquid from the can to help the puree process).

Heat the butter in a medium-small pot and sauté the onion for about 3 minutes until translucent. Remove the pot from the heat and mix in the chestnut puree, breadcrumbs, orange juice, nutmeg and sugar. Season with salt and pepper. Let cool.

Add the cut-up chestnuts to the puree/bread crumb mixture and stir together. Stuff the neck end of the turkey with the chestnut stuffing before baking.

Many people believe the white meat of the turkey is the best tasting part of the bird.  If it is cooked just right, it can be succulent, juicy and very tasty.  Below are the instructions for cooking a turkey breast (when you don’t want to cook a whole turkey).

Ingredients:

• Turkey breast
• ¼ cup butter, softened, plus extra for rubbing on the skin
• Salt & pepper
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 TBSP. dried sage
• 1 tsp. dried basil

In a small bowl, add the herbs and cream together with the ¼ cup of softened butter.  Gently loosen the skin on the turkey breast with a wooden spoon (try to leave the edges of the skin attached to the breast).  Insert the herb mixture under the skin.  Pat down the skin to spread the butter mixture evenly over the entire breast. 
With your fingers, rub more softened butter over the skin of the breast.  Season with salt and pepper.
Wrap the whole breast in aluminum foil and seal the edges tightly.  Place in a roasting pan. Place in the oven and bake at 350°.  The baking guidelines suggest 20 minutes per pound, or until an internal meat thermometer temperature reaches 160°.
When done, open the foil wrappings carefully to avoid burning yourself with the escaping steam.

Roast Duck provides a rich, full flavoured dark meat that is a favourite with food connoisseurs. Roasting a whole duck in the manner below ensures a tasty, crispy skin and the meat inside is sweet and succulent.  The flavour of the orange from inside gently permeates through the meat and is accented by the orange-marmalade glaze.  Why not try serving this delicious bird in place of your traditional holiday turkey?

Ingredients:

• ½ orange, cut in chunks
• ½ lemon, cut in chunks
• 1 duck
• salt & pepper
• garlic powder
• basil

Prick duck all over with a kitchen fork.  Fill duck cavity with orange and lemon chunks.  Season outside of duck with spices.

Place duck on rack in large roasting pan.  Cover and bake at 350? for 2 hours, basting twice with pan drippings.

Prepare Glaze:

• 3 TBSP. orange marmalade
• 1 TBSP. hot pan drippings
• Mix together in small cup.

After duck has been cooking for 2 hours, spread ½ of the glaze over duck.  Return to oven for 15 more minutes.  Spread remaining glaze over duck and return to oven, uncovered to brown.  (About 10 minutes.)  Remove duck from oven and let sit (covered) for 10 minutes for juices to reabsorb.

Serve duck with Sauce for Roast Duck

Sauce For Roast Duck

• 1 small onion, finely diced
• ½ stalk celery, finely diced
• grated rind of ½ orange
• grated rind of ½ lemon
• 1 TBSP. butter
• ½ cup water
• 2 pkg. chicken OXO
• 2 TBSP. marmalade
• 1 TBSP. brown sugar

Sauté onion and celery in butter in small pot.  Add all other ingredients above.  Bring to a boil, and then simmer for 20 minutes.

Add:
1 TBSP. cornstarch mixed with ½ cup water. 
1/3 cup sliced mushrooms

Simmer together for 10 minutes, until mushrooms are cooked.

Just before serving, add 2 TBSP. Grand Marnier. 

Serve sauce hot over roast duck.