Thanksgiving
Well, I am a happy man. I am now listening to music again. One amp fixed and the one that looks like Baghdad, is fixable. That is good. Now only my air conditioner, but its fall so all is ok. Seems even lightning strikes can be endured...maybe I can go into a church again.
Like everyone else. I'd like to give my advice on Thanksgiving dinner. Really, I can cook and I have endured so much awful turkey and frozen corn that I think that I can be of help.
Start with the turkey.....me I avoided my own advice as I went to Farmer Jack after last Thanksgiving and bought several birds at 22 cents a pound, but if possible get a fresh, free range bird. The stories you hear about Amish turkeys are all true. They are simply amazing and worth every cent. We lack Amish here, but one Harold Wagner sells free range organic birds. They tend to be large so I can't even think about one. Get a strudel there too and wine as he is the man behind Wagner Estates and he makes superb Ice Wine from fruit and a great cider...I won't recommend the white because I want some more (it won my Sauvignon Blanc battle).
Now, once you have the bird of choice, brine it. This really makes a difference. There is a chemical reaction which occurs and makes the bird way juicier. I use cinnamon and cloves and sugar and salt and peppercorns and whatever else I feel like in mine. This 24 hr bath just will make things much much better.
No.2 ..bag the oven and do it one of three ways...I) smoked II) turned on a spit or III) deep fried. All these methods require a rub so either make one or buy one. I am currently using Butt Rub which Allen Park Pete smuggled in from Alabama, but I also swear by the Cajun Rub from Rafal's in Eastern Market.
Smoking takes a while but is worth it. I would and plan to, but that means it will be twenty below zero Sunday (it always is when I try to smoke a turkey) so I have a backup ... the spit. Turning meat is the old way to do it and is a good use for children. They can turn the spit all day which makes them feel oh so important to the meal. Mine, alas, is electric, so Miles has the day off. This takes time, ~ 3-4 hrs but is wonderful. The flavour is great and it really self bastes. The only downside is the lack of crispy skin. I don't mind so this is my usual method.
Deep frying is fun, tasty and really really dangerous. Remember that our ancestors poured boiling oil over invaders and 20 + liters of boiling oil is an accident waiting to happen. DO NOT do this in the house, near the house or around pets and small children. The oily steam, not to mention potential fire makes indoor cooking verboten, but I also have safety issues with the propane rigs sold for outside use. We do it on a wood fire so we limit danger. It's fun, very fast and best..tasty. This would be my method of choice if I didn't have a dog.
Now the wine. Doing the meat my way allows a veritable cornucopia of wine choices. I keep reading on how hard it is to match wine to turkey. Spice it up and that goes away. Trust me it is almost impossible to overpower a deep fried turkey with any white wine. A spicy bird.. then get yourself a Gewürztraminer, wee bit less go for a Riesling or a nice Chardonnay. I would forgo a really good oaked one (Muscedere comes to mind) and stick to an unoaked one. Remember that Aunty likes her Mad Dog 20-20 so don't waste the good stuff on her.....just keep it in the kitchen. If adventurous I would try a Pinot Noir like Sprucewood's which is nice and light and won't overpower the bird. I just question serving a Sauvignon Blanc as it may overpower.
So my choice in descending order is: Gewürztraminer, Riesling, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. We make good ones of all and they would certainly suit the job. One other suggestion would be my old favourite; Vinho Verde which I find likes turkey and is so cheap, you can serve it in volume without crying, but it isn't locally produced.
Now sides. Of course I will be serving frozen corn (not). But take a run in the county Saturday and see what you can turn up. Brussels Sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potatoes and oodles of squash abound. And don't forget the lowly pumpkin, magical things can be made from them. I beg you to try to keep the food local as our ancestors did. This is Thanksgiving to the harvest here, not California. I just think that there is so much good here that we should try to do a 20 mile meal.
Bon Appetite.
