Big family dinner made easy.

Now that the holidays are here, we have to work quickly to make things easier for us. You have first to determine what kind of party are you hosting: is it a dinner for the whole family, family and friends children included, or is it a gathering of friends, all grown ups, with drinks and all the works?

Yesterday I hosted a big family dinner, everybody was invited, with children of all ages. This kind of gathering does not allow you to have drinks and hors d'oeuvres or elaborate dishes. You need to have everything ready when the hungry hordes arrive from the cold. Remember, the day started for them very early, when they opened their presents, fought a little bit about them to determine who got the best present, tried on the new clothes that Santa brought them, maybe had a little bite to eat, then headed out to come to your house. So you better be ready to feed them quickly. I started on Friday night: I got the ingredients out of the freezer, and made my to do list. Saturday morning I started early: I cleaned the house and got the big serving dishes out. After lunch I started cooking for the big day. I had in mind a menu that would please children and grown ups alike: lasagna, chicken osso buco and beef tenderloin with vegetables. For dessert I thought of something very easy that will surely please everybody: mixed berries and two kinds of ice cream.

EASY LASAGNA

            

                                              

The first time I made lasagna was two weeks after I got married. It was the first time we had invited friends to our house, and my husband asked me what I was going to serve. I gave him some options I thought about, and added "maybe I'll make a lasagna". He seemed a bit reluctant, but he asked "Did you ever make it before?". "No, I said, but it's no problem." The next day, I was up early and went directly to the kitchen. He came to check on me several times, he seemed a bit nervous around noon and was courageous enough to ask "Are you sure that this is how lasagna is made?" Later he came in to ask:"Are you sure you don't want me to call for a pizza or something?" I didn't understand what was this all about, until our guests left the house: he was worried because he thought that the career woman he married was not capable of cooking something elaborate, let alone prepare a complete dinner with lasagna! Needless to say the lasagna was a big success, and maybe this is what brought us here!

The key to make it an easy dish is to be organized: get all your ingredients ready and set a working station to have a smooth operation. Also, I usually make a big pot of sauce, and I keep the leftover to use later on. The ingredients may vary depending on the size of your baking dish: I use a regular Pyrex rectangular dish; it fits 3 lasagna strips side by side, so it's perfect for the job. You'll need:

3 lb lean ground beef

1/2 of a 48 oz tub of ricotta cheese

Ground Parmigiano

Shredded Mozzarella

1 egg

1 (28 oz) can of crushed tomatoes

1 (6 oz) can tomato paste

3 tbsp frozen onion/garlic mixture

2 tsp dried oregano, crushed

Salt and pepper

First prepare the sauce: brown the ground meat with the onion/garlic mixture and salt and pepper. Cook until all the liquid rendered from the meat is absorbed. Add the crushed tomatoes and the can of tomato paste. Rinse both cans by filling them halfway with water and add it to the sauce. Stir and let it cook on medium high heat, until the sauce is not very liquid. Add 1 tsp of oregano and stir until done. Remove from the heat.

In a medium bowl mix the ricotta cheese with the egg and 1 tsp oregano. Set aside. In the mean time, cook the lasagna according to package directions. I prefer the curly strips. They are predictable and easy to handle with no surprises, unlike the "no-cook" sheets, who can balloon in your baking dish and go overboard. Drain the pasta, cool with cold running water and drain. Arrange the lasagna strips on a tray and get ready. With a big spoon line the baking dish with a couple of spoonfuls of sauce. Arrange 3 strips of lasagna, cover with sauce and sprinkle with about a handful of grated Parmigiano. Add 3 strips of lasagna, cover with half of the ricotta mix and sprinkle with some mozzarella or Parmigiano. Add another layer of pasta, cover with sauce and cheese, followed by another layer covered with ricotta, then another layer of pasta and top with sauce and mozzarella. You're done. How easy was that? You may prepare the lasagna a day ahead, refrigerate it and bake it the day of the party in a 375 degree oven until the top is golden brown and bubbly. Let it rest for at least 20 minutes before serving or it will be running and you'll not be able to have neat squares.
TIP: You can follow the same recipe to make a vegetable lasagna: just substitute the ground meat with finely chopped white and cremini mushrooms (don't use fancy mushrooms, they may change the taste), brown them with the onion/garlic mixture and add the sauce just as you did with the ground meat. Assemble the lasagna according to the same recipe.

ROAST BEEF WITH VEGETABLES

                                                        

I thought I had a whole beef tenderloin, but to my surprise it turned out to be a whole eye round. I was a bit disappointed, because this meant a change of plans, and it worried me because as I told you before I have not yet mastered the art of cooking this cut of meat as good as I remember it from my grandma or school. So, let's go to plan B: I have to make this work. But how? "What would grandma do?" I asked myself. Well, she didn't always have an oven, and she used to cook everything on the stove. Maybe this will work. I'll make a combination of the old and the new. I marinated the beef overnight in the fridge and cooked it halfway on the stove and finsihed cooking it in the oven. You'll need:

1 whole eye round ( about 3 to 4 lb)

2 tbsp frozen onion/garlic mixture

salt and pepper

1 tbsp oil (vegetable or canola)

Beef stock or water

Rub the beef with the onion/garlic mixture and salt and pepper. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight. The next day, put the tbsp oil in a rectangular pan that goes from stove to oven. Brown the meat on all sides, about 4 minutes per side. Add about 1 cup of beef stock and bring to a boil over high heat. Turn the meat on another side and let it cook for about 5 minutes more. Cover it again with foil and transfer it to a 375 degree oven. Let it cook, covered, for about 20 minutes for medium. If you prefer it well done (as we do), remove the cover and let it cook for 10 more minutes or until the thermometer reaches 170 degrees. Remove the meat from the pan and keep it covered with the foil until it's time to slice it. You can use the sauce in the pan as is, or if you want to make it fancy, slice some mushrooms, sautee them with a finely sliced scallion or two in a drop of butter or oil. When the mushrooms are done, add the sauce and stir. Serve on the side.

I thought of serving roasted vegetables on the side, mainly because I had the oven on, so it will be easier to put everything in, the roast, the lasagna and the veggies. But because we had children coming, I thought that roasted veggies was a bit "grown up" for them, so I opted for sauteed vegetables. It is so easy and it only takes minutes to prepare. You'll need:

Baby red potatoes

2 to 3 zucchini, depending on the size

Baby carrots

Chopped parsley

Thinly sliced scallions, white parts and a little green, about 4

1 tbsp oil (olive, canola or vegetable)

Salt and pepper and/or 2 tsp granules of chicken or vegetable stock

Boiling water

The quantities depend on how many people you are serving. Peel a strip in the middle of each potato and boil them in salted water. Drain and let cool. In the mean time cut the baby carrots lenghtwise in 2. Cut the zucchini also lenghtwise in 2, then in 1 inch cubes. If the zucchini are big, you may slice them in 3 lenghtwise or even 4. The idea is to have the pieces of vegetables almost the same size. In a large nonstick skillet, heat half tbsp oil, add some sliced scallions and stir until translucent. Add the carrots and stir. Let cook over high heat. Add salt and pepper and granules, stir, then add some boiling water. Keep cooking until the carrots are tender. Add some chopped parsley, stir and remove from heat when all the liquid is completely absorbed. Transfer the carrots to the serving dish. In the same skillet add the potatoes, sprinkle with some granules and stir. Don't add any liquid (or oil), the potatoes are already cooked, you just need to caramelize them a little bit. Sprinkle some chopped parsley, stir again and you're done. Transfer to the serving dish. Add the remaining oil to the skillet and cook the zucchini the same way as the carrots. It will need less liquid and time. Don't worry if some of the pieces are caramelized, it will give the zucchini more flavor. Arrange the veggies with the sliced roast and serve.

Turkey Day, the final chapter.

We have to complete our Thanksgiving menu. We made the turkey, rice, one vegetable dish, and now the rest of the menu.

EGYPTIAN MOUSSAKA

                                                

Egyptian because in the area, the Mediterranean area, there is also a Greek moussaka, which is not very different from the Egyptian moussaka, you only have to top it with a layer of bechamel sauce. So mine is the basic recipe. Also I make the traditional dish, where you fry the eggplant slices. Today some people say it's lighter to roast the eggplant instead of frying it. I simply refuse this tweak. Why? I don't do it often, so when I cook it, I prefer to stick to the original recipe. The only thing you have to do is to really follow the traditional way, meaning you have to let drain the eggplant so it would not absorb the oil while frying it. I'll tell you how.

One note before we start: I usually make a big pot of sauce, I use some of it for the moussaka and the leftover to top a pasta dish, days later. So, I brown 3 to 4 lb of ground beef with 2 or 3 tbsp onion/garlic mixture, plus salt and pepper. When it's browned, no fat added, I add 1 (28oz)can of crushed tomatoes, plus 1 (14oz) tomato sauce, stir and let it cook til I get a good thick sauce. For the moussaka you'll need:

3 large eggplants

Prepared sauce

Kosher salt

Vegetable oil for frying

Pine nuts, raw

The night before you need to serve the moussaka, peel the eggplants and slice them in 1/2 inch (1centimeter, or about the thickness of your index) slices crosswise. You'll have round slices of eggplant. Keep them together in order and sprinkle some salt on one slice, cover with the following slice, then another one that you'll sprinkle with salt. This means you'll salt every other slice. Make sure that you don't add too much salt or too little. Arrange the slices in the original form of the eggplant in a large colander that will hold the 3 eggplants without crowding. Keep a plate under the colander because the eggplant will start rendering its liquid as soon as you salt it. Repeat with the other 2 eggplants. Put the colander in the clean kitchen sink, cover it with a pot cover smaller than the rim of the colander and press firmly. Put some heavy cans over the cover to weight it down. This will help the eggplant render all the liquid. Keep it that way overnight.

The next day heat the oil in a large skillet. Put a paper towel on the closest counter to the stove top, arrange some slices of eggplant over it, cover with another paper towel, press as much as you can to dry the slices. Fry the slices in oil. In a baking dish use a large spoon to spread some meat sauce on the bottom. Turn the eggplant slices frying in the oil once to get a golden brown color. Remove them when they are done to a platter lined with paper towels to absorb excess oil. Add more dried slices to the frying pan. While they cook on one side, arrange the ones you have already in the baking dish slightly overlapping. I usually go around the dish (I prefer an oval one to better accommodate the shape of the slices), then fill the middle. Spoon some sauce to form a layer over the eggplant slices. Sprinkle some pine nuts. Not too much, they help cut the acidity of the eggplant. Some people like to sprinkle some sugar to get the same effect. I don't. Draining the eggplant my way will drastically cut the acidity and you'll not need any added sugar. Repeat the layers and top with some more sauce. Bake in a 375 degrees oven for about 40 minutes.

TIP: You can make a vegetarian moussaka by skipping the ground meat. Just cook some onion/garlic mixture in a drop of oil until translucent, season with salt and pepper, add the crushed tomatoes, stir and let cook to get the sauce. Use as above with the eggplant.

BABA GHANNOUGH

                                                  

This is a delicious salad made essentially of eggplant and tahini. It is very easy and almost doesn't need a recipe. I usually eyeball it depending on the size of the eggplant I am using, and add the spices according to my taste. So I am giving you guidelines, you can adjust the seasoning according to your own taste. You'll need:

1 large eggplant

1 and 1/2 cup tahini (sold in Mideastern grocery stores)

2 tbsp vinegar

1 and 1/2 to 2 tsp ground cumin

1tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp garlic powder (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

Chopped parsley or any other herb for garnish (today I used cilantro)

Use a heat diffuser to cook the eggplant on the stove. It's a metallic round plate in two layers with holes and a wooden handle. Place it on the stove over medium high heat and put the eggplant hole on it. Let it roast on one side. You'll notice that some of its liquid will flow out of the eggplant. Don't worry. When one side is done, turn the eggplant on another side. Then turn again on another side and so on until the whole eggplant is done. It will collapse, but this means that it is done. Turn off the heat and let it cool until you can handle it. Carefully remove the skin from the top of the eggplant uncovering the flesh. Use a spoon to scoop up all the flesh of the eggplant and transfer to a bowl. Try to also scoop all the liquid that you can. Work the eggplant with a fork to break it up and get a homogeneous mass, not mushy. Add the tahini to the eggplant. Please note that tahini usually sticks to the bottom of the jar, it also separates from the oil in it. So before measuring the tahini stir it with a fork and try to get to the bottom to reach the part sticking to it as much as you can. Pour the tahini over the eggplant. Add the vinegar and stir to incorporate. You'll notice a change in the consistency of the tahini, keep stirring and maybe add 1 tbsp of water to help dissolve the tahini. When you have a good mixture (the consistency of a rather liquid mashed potatoes) add the spices and mix. Adjust the seasoning. Sprinkle with chopped herbs before serving. If you don't have some herbs on hand, sprinkle some cumin on the top. Baba ghannough can also be served as a dip with some toasted pita triangles.
NOTE: Some people pronounce it Baba Gannoush, it's the same dish, the difference in pronunciation comes from different dialects.

EASY MEAT ROAST

                                                

This is the easiest meat roast you can make. It can work with any cut of meat, beef or veal. All you have to do is sprinkle some onion/garlic mixture over the meat plus some salt and pepper (I use Adobo seasoning). Rub the mixture over the meat, cover with aluminum foil and keep refrigerated overnight. The next day, preheat the oven to 375 degrees, cook the meat, still covered, for 1 hour. Uncover and cook for 30 minutes more. Turn the meat on the other side and let cook some 30 minutes more. We like our meat well done, so if you want it medium or rare, shorten the cooking time. When done, remove the meat from the oven, cover with foil, and let it rest before slicing. Arrange the slices on a serving platter.

TIP: Use the drippings in the baking dish to make a gravy or sauce to serve on the side. Just add some water or stock to it, about 3 tbsp not more, just enough to deglaze the pan. Stir the sauce over medium heat until some of the liquid evaporates and you get a smooth sauce. Pour it in a small bowl and serve it with the meat.

Turkey Day, Part II.

Now that we have the turkey under control, we have to figure out what to serve with it. If you are looking for something new, something out of the ordinary and the same old side dishes, you came to the right place. I am serving a completely different dinner, one with an Oriental twist. We need a couple of vegetable dishes, a rice dish and some salads. And since we don't eat ham, I am serving a meat dish, a very simple one that doesn't require any effort.  Getting the house ready for family and friends is effort enough. So, let's start cooking.

RICE WITH NUTS

This is a traditional recipe in our family. I remember my grandma spending what seemed to be hours literally frying the rice in butter. When I was old enough to help in the kitchen, by the age of eight, I was allowed to do the stirring of the rice. They would let me stand on the kitchen stool, to be able to reach the pot properly, hand me the big spoon and ask me to keep stirring until the rice would turn brown. It was a tedious job, and my arm would hurt for days afterwards. Of course the reward was the delicious rice that was served with "all the works": toasted nuts and sometimes raisins, sauteed chicken livers and gizzards. Since I started cooking I don't add raisins, my sister doesn't like them, and I usually stick to serving it only with nuts. Of course I figured out how to make it with less fat: for 4 cups of rice, I only use 1 tbsp butter and another tbsp oil. As usual I add something else to compensate for the fat I am taking out of the recipe: spices.

For the nuts I use almonds and pine nuts. If you want to use sliced or slivered almonds you can do that, but I always think that these almonds are not fresh enough, maybe they tend to stay for a long time on the shelf of the store, so I use raw almonds and prepare them myself. I also make more than the dish needs because by the time we sit for dinner everybody has already munched on some of the nuts. For this reason and to keep the nuts as fresh as possible, toast them just before you're plating the rice.

This is my secret recipe that I am sharing with you. You'll need:

4 cups of rice (I use long grain)                                        2 cups raw almonds

2 tbsp onion/garlic frozen mixture                                     1 cup pine nuts

1 tbsp each butter and oil (I use canola)

1/2 tsp each cinnamon and ground clove

1/8 tsp paprika

A pinch of nutmeg

Water or stock according to rice package directions

Salt to taste

Rinse the rice several times. In a nonstick pot melt the butter and oil, add the onion/garlic mixture and cook until it is completely caramelized stirring from time to time to make sure that it cooks evenly. Don't be afraid if it turns dark, that's what we want, the darker the better. This will give the rice its beautiful color. Add all the spices, stir, then add the rice. Stir for a couple of minutes to make sure that the rice is evenly coated and it is becoming brown. Add the liquid, stir, add salt and stir to combine everything and make sure that there are no small lumps of caramelized onions sitting here or there in the pot. Cover and let cook as you usually do.

In a large nonstick skillet pour 1 inch of water, add the almonds and cook over medium high heat. You'll notice that the skin of the almonds will shrivel, that's when the almonds are done. Drain the liquid and you can rinse them with cold water or let them cool until you can handle them. Remove the skin by twisting the almond between your fingertips. When all the almonds are done, use a sharp but small knife to slice them along the line separating the two lobes of the almond. Some of them will separate easily, some will need the knife.

In a nonstick skillet heat one drop of oil and add the almonds. Stir frequently until they are toasted and you'll notice that they will have a nice glaze. Remove the almonds to a dish, the toast the pine nuts in the same skillet without adding any oil to it. Stir and make sure that you don't burn them. Pine nuts brown quickly.

When the rice is done, transfer it to the serving dish and top with the nuts.

DELICIOUS BRUSSELS SPROUTS

                                                 

Why delicious? Well I have to confess that I didn't like Brussels sprouts. The first time I had them, it was in the cafeteria of our office building, and they were horrible. They probably let them cook to death until all the sulfur came out and made them stinky and grey. Then four years ago I was in a meeting held at an exclusive hotel, and the chef was standing at the main buffet table serving beef Wellington (the best I had so far). He offered me some Brussels sprouts. I told him that I didn't like them. Many of  the people around me approved. But he insisted, so I didn't want to disappoint him and took some. Of course I kept them politely on the side of my dish. Just before I finished my delicious beef, I thought :"Why not try the Brussels sprouts?" TADAA it was something out of this world: they were creamy, melted in my mouth and not smelly at all. I ran back to ask the chef for the recipe, but he was gone. To tell you the truth, I didn't think of them again, until a couple of months ago when we went to a Lebanese restaurant in Brooklyn: they served delicious caramelized Brussels sprouts with the appetizers. I asked my friend who knew the owner if we can get the recipe, but couldn't get it. I didn't think of it twice. But when I was shopping for our Thanksgiving dinner, I saw some fresh goregeous Brussels sprouts. I said to myself: " So what, let's have some". And we did. They were delicious. I warned my guests that this was the first time for me to cook them. They ate them all.

You'll need:

2 lb Brussels sprouts,  trimmed and halved lengthwise

3 tbsp olive oil (I use extra light)

2 tbsp water

1 heaping tsp granules (chicken or vegetable)

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp toasted pine nuts (I had them already for the rice)

Salt and pepper

In a large nonstick skillet heat 2 tbsp oil on medium high. Arrange half of the sprouts cut sides down. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and let cook until the cut side is browned. Push the sprouts to the sides of the skillet, and add the remaining in the center of the skillet, also cut sides down. When they are browned, toss everything together, sprinkle with the granules and drizzle with the remaining tbsp of oil. Toss again, cover and let cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Uncover, you'll see that the sprouts have a beautiful vibrant green color, drizzle with the water, stir and cover again for a couple of minutes. Uncover the skillet, toss the sprouts with the lemon juice and stir on high heat to make sure that there is no more liquid in the skillet. Adjust the seasoning while stirring to combine. While caramelized, the sprouts should be tender when pierced with a fork. Transfer to the serving dish and sprinkle with the toasted pine nuts.

Are you ready for Turkey Day?

Thanksgiving is coming this Thursday. Are you ready for the big day? Have you already bought your turkey? What? Not yet? What are you waiting for? Maybe you still need some practical advise, or to be exact, you need someone to help you with the flow of advise that we are bombarded with these days. Everybody is telling us what kind of bird to buy, what to do with it, how to cook it, how to serve it, how to carve it, and the side dishes. You can't open a paper or turn on the TV without finding a lot of information that could be useful, but that also needs to be sorted out to be really useful and practical. I can understand your dilemma, I went through all this years ago, until I came up with my own formula for the perfect Thanksgiving dinner. You may not know that back in Egypt all turkeys are really free range and naturally fed, so they used to boil them half way before roasting them, in order to make sure that they are fully cooked and tender. My sister used to joke about that, and say that these poor birds have to fight for their food, and grow muscles, not like the lazy turkeys here, who are spoiled and don't have to be tough to get through life! Anyway, you hear a lot of advise about how important it is to get a free range turkey, never frozen, all natural, not farm bread. But do we really know for sure what does this all mean? Do we know what are the standards for this "natural" bird and if  they are really applied? Years ago I read that someone decided to do the right thing and get a free range turkey. She said it took her forever to cook it, and she had to serve everything else reheated and soggy, after waiting so long for her turkey to be ready. This is why I decided from day one to take matters into my own hands and proceed by trial and error. Year after year, I tried all brands of turkey, with almost the same marinade, tweaking it a little bit as I got along, adjusting this, adding that, to get the best consistent result. You'll be surprised to know that I learned from this experience that the bird itself doesn't make any difference: it's how you cook it that matters. Trust me: if you get a fancy or expensive turkey, or a Butterball, or a Shady Brook or a store brand turkey, they are all almost the same. What to do with it is what matters most. Although I have to admit, to be 100% honest with you, that the Shady Brook turkey always comes out a little more juicy than all others.

Now that we decided what kind of bird we are getting, let's talk about size. They say that 14 lb is the best size for a turkey, any bigger than that will take longer to cook and thus may become dry, especially the breast. I actually do fine with up to 20 lb turkey. If you need more, get 2 birds or, better yet a boneless breast. Consider about 1/2 lb per person.

Thaw the turkey in its original packaging on the lower shelf of your fridge. The official rule is 1 day for every 4 lb, but I usually do it in 2 days, then continue thawing by immersing the bird, still in its original packaging in cold water and changing it every 2 to 3 hours.

Brine: some people advise us to brine the bird to tenderize it and make it juicer. It means that you soak the turkey in salted water overnight to give it more flavor. I actually don't do that. But if you want to try it, go ahead, but make sure that this process should be done by Tuesday, because Wednesday night the turkey must be fully defrosted and marinating in the refrigerator.

To get organized, determine your menu, then make a detailed list of what you need to do to prepare the menu, and determine the time or the schedule for every procedure. When you're done with one item, cross it out. You'll have a clear idea of what is left to do, and you'll have a sense of accomplishment. Example:

MENU: Turkey                                Turkey: Defrost Monday, Tuesday

             Rice with nuts                                   Marinate, Wednesday pm

             Moussaka                                        Cook, Thursday @ 11 am

             Green beans                         Rice: Prepare nuts, Wednesday, pm

             Salad                                            Make rice, Thursday, noon

                                                                 Toast nuts, before serving

                                                         Moussaka: Prepare eggplant, Tuesday pm

                                                         Fry eggplant, brown meat, make sauce, assemble dish,Wed. pm

And so on. Some dishes can be prepared ahead, the day before and you can finish cooking them on Thursday, like the moussaka, you can assemble the dish beforehand and put it in the oven 40 or 45 minutes before serving.

Useful tip: Always set your table in the evening before the big day. This way you will not need to be running around, when your guests arrive, with dishes and glasses. You should be relaxed waiting for them and enjoying their company.

As I said, I do not brine the turkey, I prefer to completely defrost it and let it marinate overnight in the refrigerator. So, here is what you should do, you'll need:

1 turkey

3 tbsp onion/garlic frozen mixture

1 tbsp butter, softened

2 tsp celery salt

1 tsp each oregano and thyme

A pinch of cardamom

1 whole orange

Lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste

A note before we start: I actually use Adobo seasoning instead of salt and pepper, it has a mix of spices that gives a little extra something to your food. You may be tempted to use poultry seasoning, don't. I tried it once, and it turned out to be overwhelming, so I opted for some of its ingredients, mainly dried oregano and thyme. Crush them before you use them.

Remove the giblets and the neck from the cavity of the turkey, rinse it with running cold water, and pat it dry. I usually cut some of the skin of the neck, then push the skin up with my hand to loosen it. In a small dish, mix the onion/garlic mixture with all the spices and 1 to 2 tsp Adobo and 2 tbsp lemon juice. Sprinkle about 3 tbsp Adobo into the cavity of the turkey and spread it around with your hand. Take some of the marinade with your fingers and spread it over the breast, under the skin, and make sure it is evenly distributed without any lumps. Spread some of the marinade over the legs and the wings, and try to rub it all over the bird. Spread the remaining marinade inside the bird. Wash the orange, cut the stem and the bottom, and make some slits in it without cutting it completely, and put it in the cavity of the turkey while squeezing slightly to release some of its juices. Close the cavity by tucking the legs into the opening. Tuck the wings under the bird and as a final touch, rub a sprinkle of Adobo all over the turkey. Put the turkey on a rack in the roasting pan, cover with aluminum foil and let marinate in the fridge overnight. The next day, at 11:00 preheat the oven to 375 degrees, rub the tbsp of butter over the breast of the turkey and some on the legs. Cook the turkey, covered, for 1 hour, then remove the cover and continue cooking until done (for about 3 to 3 1/2 hours depending on the weight). If your bird has a thermometer, that's fine, wait until it pops up, if not, after the allotted time, check the turkey by poking the leg with a knife: if the liquid runs clear, it's done. Remove the turkey from the pan and let it rest covered with the foil for 30 minutes before carving it.
A final tip: use a knife you know, one you use frequently and know perfectly how to handle, to carve the turkey. Leave the one you got as a wedding gift for serving, if you want to have an elegant presentation.

I'll post pictures when I cook my turkey. I just wanted to help before the big day.

                                        

                                                 

A little help for my friend.

My friend Lana is hosting a Thanksgiving dinner for the first time, and she has some vegetarian friends coming to her party. She asked me if I had any suggestions. In fact I was just thinking about that, since I have also invited a couple of vegetarian friends and I don't want them to feel left out. I'll be serving turkey of course and some kind of meat dish.. Meat is big in our family, you may have noticed! So I was thinking of a new way to prepare vegetables: I don't want to have a "side dish" type of vegetables, I need to offer something that my guests will feel equal to a turkey, if this is even possible. We need a main dish, an elaborate main dish, made of vegetables, something that says that the hostess took the trouble to cook something special for those guests, just as she did with the turkey. That was the key word: I need to make something within the same idea of the turkey. So, it should be something cooked in the oven, maybe while the turkey is cooking. What about a vegetable pot pie? It's vegetables, in a baking dish, with a nice pie crust. What a nice idea.

VEGETABLE POT PIE

Today we're are doing something a little unorthodox: I didn't cook the dish yet, but what I'm writing now is the blueprint for what I'll be serving next week. I'll post the picture later, maybe with more helpful tips. The main idea is to assemble a nice vegetarian dish, but as usual I don't want it to be heavy, or complicated. First we'll have to chose our veggies. I'll proceed by elimination: no broccoli. If they are overcooked they become soggy and they tend to give their flavor to whatever else is around them. The same goes for Brussels sprouts and cabbage. So, let's opt for safer veggies: potatoes, cauliflower, peas and carrots, beans, zucchini and maybe some pearl onions. Oh, and mushrooms, but let's keep it simple, white button mushrooms, no browns or special flavors. You'll need:

Assorted vegetables as indicated above: 1/2 bag frozen peas and carrots, frozen pearl onions and cut green beans, 1 or 2 zucchini, 1/2 head cauliflower, 2 to 3 small potatoes, mushrooms and/or some corn.

1 tbsp oil

1 or 2 tbsp frozen onion/garlic mixture or some thinly sliced scallions

Salt and pepper

1 pie crust or puff pastry sheet

2 tsp curry powder and/or garam masala

1 to 2 cups of grated Parmigiano

2 cups of skim milk (or regular milk if you like)

3 tbsp flour

Cut the cauliflower into bite size pieces, boil them half way in hot salted water. Boil the potatoes too and cut them in bite size. In a nonstick skillet heat the oil, cook the onion/garlic or the scallions until translucent, then add the mushrooms. Stir until they are almost done, adding some salt and pepper, then add the green beans, followed by the zucchini also cut in quarters. Don't let them cook completely. You may add the peas and carrots, the pearl onions and the corn at the end. Pour everything in a baking disk. In the same skillet, cook the milk where you'd have already dissolved the flour. Stir frequently until you get a beshamel sauce. Now you have the choice: either you go Italian, i.e. you add the cheese, or Indian, i.e. you add the curry powder to your sauce. Pour the sauce over the veggies. Mix. Cover the dish with the pie crust, or puff pastry, and with your knife make 2 or 3 slits on top to vent it. You may also brush the pastry with a beaten egg. Bake until the crust is golden brown.

Meat Day: the prequel and the sequel.

I have to give you the whole picture: we went to the butcher's on Friday, and since this is one of my husband's favorite stores, we came back with much more than we actually needed. Before I got married, I've never went to the butcher, maybe a couple of times when I was 5 or 6 years old with my mom or uncle, and that was it. I never needed to go. Actually, I have to confess that I never touched raw meat before. The only thing I could cook was the fish for my cats, and I insisted on doing it myself to make sure that it was done the way they liked it. But when I started cooking for real, I had to overcome my fears and deal with raw meat. I started of course with the meat department at the supermarket. I discovered that the plastic covered foam trays that I got even from the fanciest supermarkets did not offer me the same quality I was used to. So I decided to go looking for a good butcher. I found a nice Italian butcher on 9th Avenue in New York. He was so helpful and so patient with me. I had to ask all kinds of questions, and was really happy that I could have a conversation with a real person, not just someone who would tell me if the store had the cut I needed. In fact this is how I learned that how you plan to cook the meat determines the cut. I discovered that the butcher offers cuts that you'll never find in a supermarket, and he can prepare it for you the way you like it. Of course, the new butcher I went to after my first friend closed his store, has a different idea about how to trim the meat. He likes it a bit fattier than I do, so after days of arguing in vain with him, I decided to let him trim it his way, then after watching him carefully doing it several times, I'd go home and give it another trim. Now everybody's happy. Also I learned a lot from my butcher: I can tell him my general idea about the meal and the number of persons I'm serving and he would offer advice about how to cook the cut I chose or suggest something else. And it always works. Also I'm used to the concept of using the whole animal nose to tail, so I'm always sure that I can find what I need at the butcher's. You can imagine how happy I was when I found that veal from the butcher is not that sad beige undetermined piece of meat you get at the supermarket, but a beautiful rosy succulent cut that definitely came from a well fed, well treated animal. Remember when I told you before to buy your liver slices from the butcher? Yes they are not plasticky and tasteless like the ones sitting in the display case at the supermarket. So, we were buying veal, and ended up with 3 lb of veal liver, 2 lb of chicken sausage, a rabbit  and a duck.

SAUTEED VEAL LIVER

                                          

My husband insisted that we cook it the same day, as a prequel to the big meat day. So I went immediately to the kitchen and prepared it in minutes. I had asked the butcher to slice it rather thin, but the slices came a little less than a 1/2 inch thick. No problem, I said to myself, it might take a little longer to cook. But to my surprise it didn't. You'll need:

2 lb of veal liver sliced

2 tbsp onion/garlic frozen mixture

1 tbsp butter sliced in thin squares

2 to 3 tsp lemon juice (more to taste)

Salt and pepper

Wash the liver slices carefully, making sure that you remove any blood clots they may have in. Place the liver in a bowl, add the onion mixture, salt and pepper and mix to coat. Add the lemon juice and let marinate for a while, about 20 minutes, while you prepare a salad or some rice. Arrange the slices in a nonstick skillet large enough to hold all the slices in one layer and start cooking on medium high heat. They will render their juices, let it cook until all the liquid is absorbed, then turn the slices on the other side. Let them brown. When all the liquid is absorbed, spread the thin slices of butter over the skillet and wait for them to melt. Add some water to the skillet, and move the slices with your wooden spoon to release the browned bits from the bottom and the sides of the skillet to form a sauce. When it comes to boil, lower the heat and let simmer on low until the liquid is almost all absorbed. Your liver dish is ready. Serve it with some rice, with its sauce, and a salad.

CHICKEN SAUSAGE

                                             

Another delicious thing I got from the butcher was some chicken sausage. I've seen it before in his display case, but every time I tried to buy it, we had so many other priorities that I had to pass. This time I said this is it, we're getting the sausage. My husband was not very enthusiastic about it, you know, for him ground meat is not meat. We got it anyway, and I asked the butcher how should I cook it. I came home very excited, but had to keep it for after the Eid: you cannot cook chicken, let alone sausage, during Eidul-Adha!
You don't need a recipe: just cook the sausage in a nonstick skillet without adding anything to it, no butter, no oil, nothing. The only advise I can give is the following: my biggest skillet was very crowded when I put all the sausage in it (we had 2 lb). So I let it cook for a few minutes, then took it out of the skillet and cut it in about 6 inch pieces. Why did I do that? I figured that I should not cut it while it was still raw, it might spill out its contents. But now that it is half cooked, it can hold its shape and filling. Now, brown the sausage in the skillet, turning the pieces to make sure that they are browned on all sides. The butcher told me to add some water or red wine. I opted for water this time in order to know exactly how it tastes without any addition. So, add some water (just enough to deglaze the pan) and let it cook until all the liquid is absorbed. You're done. How easy was that?
I served it with some mushrooms that I quartered and cooked in the same skillet without adding anything to it, just adjust the seasoning at the end if need be.
That's it, tomorrow we're having a salad!

It's the meat Holy Day!

This Sunday was the first day of Eidul-Adha, the Day of Sacrifice, when all Muslims celebrate the sacrifice by Abraham of his first born, who was replaced by a ram. This is why Muslims all over the world bring sheep, cows and other animals to be sacrificed in this holy day. In our family the tradition is that the cook used to take the animal to his home one month before that day and feed him properly, since I had imposed a no-kill policy in our house: any animal that would come in will be kept alive with my cats, dogs and/or birds. So on the first day of Eid I would be kept in my room with my pets of course, until everything was done. I was only allowed in the kitchen when my aunts were already busy cooking our brunch, and my grandma had already packaged all the meat that would be distributed to the poor. So it is a meat day. Brunch consisted mainly of all meats from the "support system" as my friend Lana likes to call it: liver, kidneys, hearts, brains etc. Then lunch, served late, about 4 pm, would consist of other cuts of meat and two special Egyptian dishes: Fatta and Molokheya. The first is a combination of bread and rice and the second is our famous green soup. This year, I wanted to make something different, maybe a lasagna or something. It was an uproar in the family: "WHAT? Eidul-Adha without Fatta, are you crazy?" So fatta it is. I should be glad they gave me some kind of flexibility in the choice of the meat that I would serve!

PS: the pictures today were taken by the children, happy to help with the blog!

VEAL NECK IN CLEAR STOCK

It's the easiest way to have delicious veal stock. I bought 3 large pieces of veal neck and asked the butcher to cut each in 3 pieces. Some of the pieces came without bones, so I reserved them to add to the shoulder I was going to roast. The remaining pieces all with the bone in went into a big 8qt pot, full of water and I started to cook them over high heat. Let the pot boil for a while until all the dark bubbles and foam stop coming up. Remove from heat, discard the water, rinse the meat, clean the pot and fill it again with water and return the meat to it. Bring to a boil over high heat. Then add 1 medium onion, whole, 2 tsp ground cardamom, 3 to 4 crystals of mastic and 1 tbsp celery salt. Of course you'll have to add salt and pepper. Cover and let simmer until the meat is tender. Remove it to a serving dish and keep it warm. Use the stock for the other dishes. Just make sure that you fish out the onion and all its parts that will be floating in the stock.

EGYPTIAN FATTA

                                            

Why I say Egyptian? Because many countries in the region have their own version of this dish, they add to it other ingredients like yogurt, chicken pieces etc. This is the basic recipe, tweaked of course to make it lighter and tastier. Yes, because you'll be surprised that although I make a very mean fatta, I don't eat it, and always keep some rice for myself on the side! It is basically toasted pita bread, seasoned with garlic and vinegar, covered with a layer of rice. Some like to fry the bread in butter to toast it. You can imagine how heavy it would be, so this is the first step I avoid. They also cook the garlic in butter or ghee, I prefer 1 tbsp of oil. I think it all adds up: a piece of butter here and there, it adds up. You'll need:

6 pocket less pita bread (white or whole wheat as you like)

3 to 4 garlic cloves, depending on the size

1 tbsp dried coriander

2 to 3 tbsp vinegar

1/2 can tomato sauce

Cooked white rice

1 to 2 cups of stock (prepared earlier)

Salt and pepper

1 tbsp Canola oil

With a clean kitchen scissors, cut the bread in strips then in 1 inch squares. Spread them on a baking sheet and toast them in a 375 degree oven til golden brown and crispy. Don't add any butter or oil. Your house will be filled with a delicious aroma from the toasted bread. Remove and let sit at room temperature to harden the bread squares. Transfer the bread to a 2 or 3 inch deep serving dish. The squares should be in 2 layers not more. Get the stock to a boil, and ladle some of it over the bread. Cover the dish to allow it to  absorb the liquid. Wait 2 minutes and toss the bread squares to make sure that they have absorbed the liquid. Add some more boiling stock and toss. Cover and let stand. The bread should absorb the liquid, but not to the point where it becomes mushy. Cover and let stand. Crush the garlic (or finely grate it, the idea is not to have big chunks of it) into a small nonstick skillet, add coriander, salt and pepper and 1 tbsp of canola oil. Cook the garlic mixture over medium heat until it browns, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and toss with the vinegar. It will bubble, so pour it over the bread, toss and cover it again. In the same skillet, keep some of the garlic mixture, and add to it the tomato sauce. Stir and briefly cook over medium heat while you finish the dish. Now, remove the cover, stir the bread to make sure that the garlic mixture is evenly distributed and start covering the whole dish with cooked rice. Make sure that you don't leave pieces of bread uncovered. I usually try to make it a ratio of 1 bread to 1 and 1/2 rice. Pour the sauce over the rice and spread it to cover most of the dish. Serve immediately. This whole process (starting from the moment you put the bread in the serving dish takes about 8 minutes or so).

EGYPTIAN GREEN SOUP (MOLOKHEYA)

                                         

It's the traditional Egyptian dish par excellence. When you say Egyptian food, you mean Molokheya. It's a plant, probably from the mint family (?), that grows up to 3 feet tall. I've seen it grow in the wild in East Africa, in Tanzania, but nowhere else. Back in the day it was a hassle to prepare molokheya: you cut the stems, pick the leaves, rinse them several times, then spread them on a large platter to dry. Then you had to spend a very long time mincing them using the half moon shaped knife with 2 handles going back and forth until the leaves were reduced to almost a pulp. Every kitchen in Egypt had to have this large platter and that special knife. Now I buy it already minced and frozen in 1 lb packages. If you never had molokheya before, you may find its consistency a bit uncommon: when it's cooked, the soup has some viscosity in its texture. But not the kind that would spook you. We grew up eating it, so we never noticed that. And it's very beneficial to your system. You'll need:

1 package (1 lb) of frozen minced molokheya (at Middle Eastern grocery stores, it can be spelled differently depending on the brand, but it's easily recognizable: it comes in a square flat package)

2 or more cups stock

2 to 3 garlic cloves

1 tbsp ground coriander

1 tbsp canola oil

Salt and pepper

The traditional recipe wants you to cook the molokheya in the stock, brown the garlic and coriander in a separate skillet, then toss them into the boiling molokheya. But one day I was cooking with my sister and we were feeling lazy. We didn't want to have to a lot of dishes to clean afterwords, so we decided to skip the skillet part,  and cook the garlic directly in the same pot. It came out perfect, much better than the traditional way, probably because we cooked the molokheya with the garlic mixture all the way. So here is what you have to do: grate or crush the garlic over a 3 qt pot, add the coriander and salt and pepper. Add 1 tbsp of oil and cook until it browns. Add the molokheya, still frozen, and add 3 ladles of boiling stock. Stir to defrost the molokheya and you may add another ladle or two of stock. It should not be very soupy or too thick. Reduce the heat and keep stirring until it's all defrosted and boils lightly. Remove from heat and serve. The process will take about 7 to 10 minutes depending on how many packages you are making (I made 3).

VEAL SHOULDER

                                                    

This is the piece de resistance: I asked the butcher for a part of a leg of veal and he thought I was crazy. He said it will be too big, so he offered me a whole veal shoulder with the bone in. He cut it  in slices, but not all the way to keep it in one piece. It was about 10 pounds.Of course my husband objected vehemently, since as usual he tends to eat "with his eyes" first. I reassured him, that with the extra veal neck pieces we'll be fine.

It may seem like a lot of work, but it's very easy. You'll need:

1 whole veal shoulder

3 tbsp frozen onion/garlic mixture

4 to 5 bay leaves

1 tbsp each celery salt and oregano

2 tsp herbes de Provence

1/2 tbsp curry powder

2 tbsp plain yogurt

Salt and pepper

Remove the visible fat from the meat and rub it with the onion/garlic mixture, plus salt and pepper. Mix the other spices and add them to the meat. Add the yogurt and rub everything on the meat, to make sure that it is all covered with the marinade. Cover and let marinate from 2 hours to overnight in the fridge. Cook in a 375 degrees oven covered for 2 hours. Remove the cover and continue cooking for another hour. It will be well browned on one side, turn the meat on the other side and continue cooking for 45 minutes. If the meat is tender and you feel that it would come easily off the bone turn it again, turn off the oven and keep it there until you need to serve it, but not more than 30 minutes. Remove the meat to a serving platter. Don't discard the sauce in the pan, you can use it later as a base for stock, cook with it, or make into gravy.

NOTE: Don't boil the rice, pilaf it. Just cook it for a couple of minutes in oil or butter then add stock or water according to the package directions. We don't want to spoil the whole feast with a tasteless rice!

                                              

Chicken Again?

Yes again. Have we reached the target of 10,000 ways to cook chicken? Not yet. So let's start cooking chicken. This will be an easy recipe. You can make it for one or for ten, just double or triple the recipe or even half it, and you're good to go. It's a real crowd pleaser, everybody will love it, and you can serve it with pasta or rice, with some sauteed vegetables on the side. For the chicken pieces, I usually buy a big bag with several small pouches containing 5 pieces or so, depending on the pieces, thighs or drumsticks. I put one of each per person and, depending on the appetite of your family, add an extra piece or two, or more. It is preferable to use a bone in thigh and drumstick, but please remove the skin on both. For the thigh it's very easy: the skin will come out if you just pull it with your fingers. The drumstick may be a bit tricky at the end, but it's also easy: just pull the skin starting from the round part up to the tip of the leg and pull hard. It will come out. If it doesn't, pull it as far as it can go and simply cut it with your kitchen scissors. No problem. Also make sure that you remove all the visible fat from the thighs.

CHICKEN OSSOBUCO

                                           

I prefer to use legs for this dish. Actually I never made it with a chicken breast, mainly because it's big, and if it has the bone in, it becomes harder to handle.  I think also that a breast will not be as juicy as the leg. But if you want to try it with a chicken breast, you can do that. I would cut the piece in two. Also, if you are serving young children, you should try it with the drumettes (the small drumstick just above the wing). They will be easy to handle with their small hands and fun to eat. You'll need:

4 thighs + 5 drumsticks, skin and fat removed

4 stalks of celery

10 baby carrots

3 garlic cloves

1 small onion

1 tomato

1 can (28oz) crushed tomatoes

2 tbsp canola oil

3 tbsp flour

Chicken stock

Salt and pepper to taste

Sprinkle some salt and pepper over the chicken pieces. Mix. Also mix some salt and pepper with the flour, but don't over do it. Lightly coat the chicken pieces with flour and shake to remove excess. Coarsely chop all the vegetables. Heat one tbsp oil in a nonstick skillet, and brown the chicken pieces on all sides. Transfer the chicken to a large pot, about 5.5 qt. Add the second tbsp of oil to the skillet, cook the chopped onion until translucent. Add the garlic, stir for a couple of minutes, then add the vegetables. Stir until tender, then pour everything over the chicken pieces in the pot. Add the chopped tomato, then the can of crushed tomatoes. You can rinse the can with some water and add it to the pot. The liquid should completely cover the chicken and vegetables in your pot. If not, add some chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then cover and let simmer over low heat. When the vegetables are cooked, remove from heat and let cool. Remove the chicken pieces to a platter, and if you have an immersion blender puree all the vegetables in the pot. If not, you can use a blender and work in batches until the sauce is pureed.. Return the chicken pieces to the pot and let cook over low heat until the chicken is very tender. Adjust the seasoning, if it needs.

TIP: You may have some leftover sauce. Don't worry. I usually get a couple of qt of sauce. Just transfer it to a container and freeze it. You can serve it later as a rich tomato/vegetable soup: just add some stock to it when you reheat it, and serve it with some croutons or toasted pita triangles.

Too tired to cook meals.

Sometimes, when you come to the end of the week, or maybe the end of the month, you feel that you've had it with cooking and preparing menus. You just want to have a salad, or even crunch a couple of cucumbers or a tomato and be done with it. But you know that a salad doesn't cut it for your family. They expect you to come up with something good to eat. And of course if you ask them what do you want to eat, each one will give you an elaborate menu or, what is even worse, they will simply tell you "anything you like".

So, for these days I found the perfect solution. You can make a satisfying meal with what you have in the kitchen. For these days you can forgo meat or chicken and make a meal out of your pantry. It will also be a good way to cut back on fats, especially if you consume a lot of red mead during the week.

It is very easy, you don't even need a recipe, but I'll give you some guidelines and you can use them as a template on which you can build up complete dishes with what you have at home.

PASTA WITH VEGETABLES AND CHEESE

                                       

This is a very broad title, and I chose it on purpose. Building on the principle of "pasta primavera", you can cook an inifinte number of dishes that need practically no preparation time, they only need the 10 minutes to cook the pasta. And while the pasta cooks, you just have to chop some vegetables and you're done. These dishes can go from a simple "warm salad"(see note) as I like to call them, meaning a pasta tossed with some vegetables and olive oil, to a more elaborate pasta dish. But don't be scared, by elaborate I only mean that you'll take a couple of extra steps to finish the dish. To make sure that I have the right amount of pasta, especially that I usually keep my pasta loose in jars, I use one handful per person, plus one extra handful. For this particular dish you'll need, for 3 servings:

3 portions of farfalle (bow tie pasta)

2 handfuls of baby carrots (about 1 1/2 cups)

1 1/2 cups of asparagus cut in 3/4 inch pieces

1 green zucchini

2 cups cherry tomatoes halved

2 cups of cubed queso blanco, or ricotta salata (the size of a dice)

3 garlic cloves, smashed and thinly chopped

A drop of olive oil

Start by cooking the pasta in boiling water, while you chop the veggies. Slice the baby carrots in half then in quarters. They are already as long as the farfalle, so we are just trying to make them thinner so they can cook  in the same time. Chop the asparagus spears the same lenght as the pasta. Cut the zucchini lenghtwise in half. Cut each half in 4, then each segment in 3 or 4 strips depending on how thick the zucchini is. The idea is to have all the veggies the same size as the pasta. When the pasta has been cooking for a couple of minutes, add the carrots. Then 3 or 4 minutes later, add the asparagus. While the pasta is in its last minute of cooking, in a nonstick skillet, heat a drop, not even a tsp, of olive oil. Add the garlic, stir for a minute, then add the zucchini. Stir, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, then add the tomatoes. Stir and cook until the tomatoes are just tender. Add the cheese and remove from the heat. Drain the pasta with the vegetables and add them to the skillet. Toss and sprinkle with some fresh ground black pepper.

NOTE: You can make the same dish by using different kinds of pasta (fusilli, penne, etc.) and different vegetables: green beans, peas, whatever you have at home. Just make sure that you cut everything the same size. You can also use any cheese you like. If you want to make it simpler, just toss the pasta and veggies with a drop of olive oil, spinkle some cheese and ground black pepper and toss.

MACARONI AND CHEESE WITH EXTRA CARE

                                      

This is also a very simple dish that you can whip up in minutes and will get you excellent results. It's basically my recipe for macaroni and cheese, with an extra added ingredient: browned ground beef. I usually keep some browned ground beef in my fridge. I use it to cook vegetables, I add it to tomato sauce for pasta topping, or even in an omelet. If you don't have it at hand, it's very easy to make: just add some chopped onion and garlic to the ground meat, season with salt and pepper and cook  it in a nonstick skillet until it is browned and all its liquid is absorbed. You don't need a recipe or quantities for that. It all depends on how much you like onions in your meat, you can put more or less depending on your taste. You simply have to keep stirring frequently so that the meat doesn't clump together. Apply the same principle of the handful to measure the pasta. You'll need for 3 to 4 servings:

Small pasta, I use elbows

2 cups skim milk

3 tbsp flour

1 1/2 to 2 cups ground beef, browned

1 to 2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Salt and pepper to taste, plus some extra fresh ground pepper

Start by cooking the pasta in boiling water. In the mean time, dissolve the flour in the milk, then transfer it to a nonstick skillet. Cook it on medium heat stirring frequently until it thickens and you get a white sauce. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese, and then the meat. Check the seasoning. Drain the pasta and pour it in the skillet. Toss, sprinkle with black pepper and serve with a side of mixed salad.

Extra light Oriental classics.

Once again we're making a classic meal tweaked to be extra light. It has to be tweaked, mainly because it involves duck. I never ate duck before I got married, they used to make it at home, but I never liked it. I considered it very fat meat, a no no since my childhood. But for my husband it's something he grew up eating regularly. His family raised ducks along with many other farm animals, so duck was something very common in his family diet. The basic recipe for cooking poultry in Egypt is to boil the bird first to make stock, then brown it in some butter. You can now understand my dilemma concerning duck!! Have you ever seen how much fat it has under the skin? and in its cavity? It's almost 1/2 inch thick on the breast alone!

The first time I had a whole duck in my hands I was literally horrified: what was I going to do with all this fat? How can I cook the duck without all the fat? A friend told me that after I make the stock, I can freeze it and then remove the fat on the top. But that's not enough. What about the fat that is still on the bird? No way.

So, I tried first to roast the duck, of course on a rack, to keep the bird away from the dripping fat. Still, it wasn't lean enough. Then I saw on TV a chef saying that you can hang the duck over a pot of boiling water and keep ladleling this boiling water over the bird so that it can melt the fat and drip it into the pot. Easier said than done. I've tried it, but the only result I got was a "duck facial" for me, after leaning for so long over the boiling pot. The fat was still there, on the breast, on the thighs, everywhere.

What can I do? I decided to be bold and remove the fat: the huge pieces in the cavity are the easiest to remove, then came the skin. The first time I did it, I have to confess, it was rather difficult, now I'm an expert in skinning ducks. Of course my husband objected vehemently to the idea, but I did it anyway. If he wants traditional duck, he'll have it my way.

DUCK IN CLEAR STOCK

                                                

This is the basic recipe for poultry, actually for cooking all kinds of meat. Probably it's useful to have stock from the meat you've got, so you can use it to flavor other dishes, after you've eaten the meat. It's economical too. I don't use it as often as they used to do back then, but for duck, I can make an exception. You'll need:

1 whole duck

1 medium onion

1 tbsp celery salt

1/4 tsp ground cardamom

3 crystals of mastic (sold in Middle Eastern  stores, they look like small drops of amber)

Salt and pepper

1tbsp butter or cooking spray, optional

The first thing to do is to skin the duck and remove the fat from its cavity. This part is easy, just pull the fat with your hand and it will come out with no effort. Then, with a sharp knife (use a small one if you are not comfortable handling an 8 inch cook knife, we don't want you to get hurt) make a shallow incision along the breast bone. Pull the skin away from the bone, and with the knife separate the skin from the meat. You'll be surprised to see how easy it is to do. When you get to the shoulders, remove the skin as if it is a jacket, and continue with the thighs up to the tip of the legs. If you find any resistance, just use your kitchen scissors and cut the skin you have peeled off and continue. Choose a pot large enough to hold the duck, fill it with water and add the duck to it. Bring it to a boil over high heat, and let it boil for a while until all the dark foam that came to the surface stops coming up. Remove from the heat, drain the pot, rinse the duck, clean the pot and fill it again with water. Add the duck and return it to the stove. Let it boil while you peel the onion. Add the onion (whole), the ground cardamom, the mastic crystals (don't put too much or you'll risk having a very bitter stock), the celery salt, plus salt and pepper. Let cook until the duck is tender. Remove the bird from the pot and the onion (my mother loves it). Now you have two choices: you can serve it as is, or you can melt the butter in a nonstick skillet and brown the duck in it. You can do it whole or quartered. Today I didn't do that.

NOTE: You can use cooking spray instead of butter, I've tried it and it is equally good.
            
COUSCOUS WITH VEGETABLES

Now that we have our duck and the stock, what are we going to serve it with? I thought of this delicious dish that my husband is used to have with duck. His mother used to make couscous from scratch, and serve it just with the stock. I, on the other hand, use the couscous that comes in a box, and trust me it is really good. I make it plain, with no fat added, no salt added, simply because my husband likes to eat the leftover couscous with sugar as dessert. As you may know, couscous is a kind of pasta, so it's very acceptable to boil it just like pasta and then add to it the flavorings you want. I like to have couscous Moroccan style, with vegetables, never with sugar. So that's what we're going to cook today. You'll need:

2 cups couscous

2 carrots

1 zucchini

2 medium turnips

4 celery stalks

1/2 medium onion

1 can (15.5 oz) each chick peas and cannellini beans

1/2 can (15 oz) tomato sauce

1 tsp olive oil

4 cups stock

Salt and pepper to taste

Cook the couscous according to package directions, or do as I did: I only boiled the amount of water needed, added the grains, removed from heat and covered the pot. I then fluffed the couscous with a fork, covered it again and let it continue cooking off the heat.

Finely dice the onion, chop the celery, cube the carrots and zucchini. Try to make them the same size. Peel the turnips and dice them a little bigger than the other vegetables. Boil them separately. I opted for this method because I was not sure of how long they needed to cook, and if they will be bitter. It turned out that they cook very quickly and they are sweet. So if you want to add them directly to your pot, you can do that after your other vegetables have been cooking for a while.

In a 4 or 5 qt pot, cook the onion in the tsp of oil until translucent. Add the celery, stir for a minute or two, then add the carrots. Stir and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add the tomato sauce, stir and then add 2 cups of stock. Bring to a boil uncovered. Add the zucchini. Drain and rinse and drain the cannellini and the chick peas. Keep cooking uncovered, this will help the vegetables keep their vibrant colors. When the vegetables are tender, add the turnips. (If you didn't cook them separately, add them with the beans). You can add stock as needed during the process. It should not be very soupy. Serve with the couscous.

TIP: You can make this dish completely vegetarian by omitting the stock and using only water or adding 2 or 3 cubes of vegetable stock. Adjust the seasoning according to the ingredients you'll use.

Au contraire, real men do eat quiche.

They just need a little nudge! I used to have quiche for lunch while working in Montreal. There was a little restaurant just around the corner from where my meetings were usually held, that served many kinds of quiche. It was just perfect for lunch to have a slice of quiche and a small salad. The variety also helped: you're not going to have the same flavor twice in a work week. It's filling, without being heavy, and you can consider it a one dish meal. To prove that the saying, that men don't eat quiche, is just a myth, I learned to make quiche from a male friend. He gave me a recipe for a salmon quiche, that I subsequently tweaked a little to make it lighter. To be honest, in the beginning, my husband was not very happy about quiche, but once he realized that, after all, a quiche is basically an omelet served in its own "bread", he came around. On the other hand, quiche is one of my mother favorite foods. While the original recipe calls for cream and butter, I managed to get very good results with regular milk, even skim milk. It is a lot lighter, but you'll never notice the difference. You can serve it at lunch, or brunch, especially when you make 2 or 3 quiches with different fillings. In fact, the basic ingredients are the same, but I change the main filling. I use 1 cup of liquid, starting with heavy cream and go down to skim milk, plus 2 eggs and 1/2 cup of grated Parmigiano. Then add whatever you like to your quiche. To make it easier, I usually get a 3 crust package, frozen. If you prefer to make it from scratch, go ahead. But, trust me the frozen pies are equally good. Also you have the choice between baking the pie before adding the filling, or just fill the crust and bake the whole thing at once.

So go ahead, have some courage and invite the "real men" in your life to a quiche, they'll love it.

I usually make the 3 pies together, it's easy, more economical, and you'll have many lunches at hand in one cooking day. In my basic recipe I use:
1 pie crust
1 cup skim milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup of grated Parmigiano cheese
You can add cheese as much as you want, any kind you like.

SPINACH AND FETA QUICHE

To the basic recipe add the following:
1 (10 oz) frozen box of chopped spinach
2 large slices of feta cheese
2 scallions, thinly sliced, white part and some green
Salt and pepper

Defrost the spinach, squeeze it to completely drain any liquid from it. Put the spinach in a bowl, add the scallions, and crumble the feta over it. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and mix. Transfer the mixture into the pie crust. In the same bowl, mix the milk, the eggs and the Parmigiano cheese. Sprinkle a dash of salt and pepper, mix and pour over your pie. Bake in a 375 degree oven until the edges of the crust are golden brown and the filling is settled in the middle of the quiche.

NOTE: If you want, you can cook the spinach and the scallions in a drop of oil before adding them to the pie crust. But the other way is equally fine.

SALMON QUICHE

You'll need:

The basic recipe

1 can (7 oz) salmon

3 stalks of celery, preferably from the heart, leaves included

1 tsp dried oregano

1 cup cheddar cheese

Salt and pepper

Drain the salmon and check to make sure that there are no small bones in it. Finely chop the celery. Put the salmon in a bowl, add the celery, the oregano and the cheddar cheese. Sprinkle with some salt and pepper. Mix, then transfer to the pie crust. Mix the eggs, milk and Parmigiano cheese, with a dash of salt and pepper, then pour over the pie. Bake in a 375 degree oven. Serve with a side salad.

TIP:  If you want other fillings, you can cook some sliced sausage in just a drop of oil, add any kind of grated cheese you like and you're good to go. You can make it with extra cheese, nothing else, or ham and cheese,  or even herbs (parsley, dill, chives), tomatoes or roasted red bell peppers and cheese, the possibilities are endless.