Page 4C
EAT, DRINK & EXPLORE
East Oregonian
Don’t settle for dull gravy.
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By SARA MOULTON
Associated Press
Just because Thanksgiving mostly
is about tradition doesn’t mean that we
aren’t open to going off script when it
comes to side dishes and exactly how
to cook the big bird.
But the gravy? It’s where innovation
goes to die! Generally, we’re content
to just pour some store-bought chicken
broth, along with a little butter and
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was roasted, then call it a day. In
truth, I love a pan gravy as much as
anyone, but you can make a much more
exciting gravy with just a little more
work.
We were taught in cooking school
that your sauce will only be as good
as the liquid you add to it. In the case
of turkey gravy, that would be turkey
broth. What can be done to amp up its
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To start, you want to brown the
turkey parts that have been packed
inside the bird — the neck and the
giblets (that is, the heart and the
gizzards). Then, slice off the bird’s
wings — which nobody eats anyway
— and add them to the other parts. (Do
not add the liver; it will make the stock
bitter. Instead, just reserve or freeze it
until you can saute it in butter and serve
it on toast. Yum!)
Browning these turkey parts, in the
company of some carrots and onions,
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called the Maillard reaction. It’s what
happens when amino acids combined
with the sugars found in meat and
many vegetables are heated above
300 F. Concentrated juices from these
ingredients will collect in the bottom
of the pan as you brown them. When
you deglaze the pan, you dissolve those
AP Photo/Matthew Mead
Simple pan gravy pan gravy is great, but you can make a much more ex-
citing gravy with just a little more work.
juices and add them to the browned
ingredients, further deepening the
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paste among this recipe’s ingredients,
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taste, after sweet, sour, salty and bitter.
It is usually described as “meaty.” The
carrots in the stock also contribute
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paste in the skillet helps to brown it and
develop its natural sugars.
Having cooked up your stock in a
separate pan, you’re eventually going
to want to add to it the juices that
streamed out of the turkey while it
roasted and use the fat that accumulated
in the pan while you basted the bird.
Again, this is how you intensify the
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By the way, don’t despair if your
turkey is missing the happy little
package of giblets and neck bone
usually found inside the cavity; you’ll
still have the turkey wings. Just cut
them off and supplement with some
chicken wings. You’ll need about eight
ounces of poultry parts in total. Finally,
I recommend making the turkey stock
a day or two in advance of the feast. It
will make the big day itself a little less
stressful.
———
Sara Moulton was executive chef at
Gourmet magazine for nearly 25 years,
and spent a decade hosting several
Food Network shows. She currently
stars in public television’s “Sara’s
Weeknight Meals” and has written
three cookbooks, including “Sara
Moulton’s Everyday Family Dinners.”
MUSHROOM GRAVY
MUSTARD-HERB GRAVY
Proceed with the master recipe up to the point of adding
the fat to the roasting pan. Add half the fat and 1/3 cup minced
shallots and cook over medium heat, stirring, for 3 minutes.
Add 8 ounces of assorted sliced mushrooms and 1 tablespoon
chopped fresh thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the
mushrooms are golden, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining
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dry sherry, Madeira or tawny port, or 1/2 cup red wine, (this is
optional; you can leave the alcohol out) along with the reserved
cooking juices and two-thirds of the turkey stock. Bring the
mixture to a boil, whisking. If the gravy needs thinning, add
more of the turkey stock and the juices that accumulated on the
platter where the turkey has been resting. Reduce the heat to a
simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Proceed with the master recipe up through
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5 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of dry white wine
(this is optional; you can leave the alcohol
out) along with the reserved cooking juices
and two-thirds of the turkey stock. Bring
the mixture to a boil, whisking. If the gravy
needs thinning, add more of the turkey stock
and the juices that accumulated on the platter
where the turkey has been resting. Reduce
the heat to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
Whisk in 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard and 2
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tarragon or sage. Season with salt and pepper.
Saturday, November 21, 2015
BIGGER AND BETTER TURKEY GRAVY
6WDUWWR¿QLVK4 hours 15 minutes (35 minutes
active)
0DNHV5 cups
The neck, wings and giblets (about 8 ounces total)
from an 18- to 24-pound turkey
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium yellow onion, medium chopped
1 medium carrot, medium chopped
2 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
1 tablespoon tomato paste
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 celery stalk, coarsely chopped
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
The drippings, 1/2 cup fat and pan juices from an
18- to 24-pound roasted turkey
Butter, melted (if there is not enough fat from the
roast to make the gravy)
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Wondra)
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
Carefully chop the neck and wings into 1-inch pieces
and pat them and the giblets dry. In a large skillet over
medium-high, heat the oil. Add the turkey pieces and
giblets, reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring
occasionally, until they are golden brown, 8 to 10
minutes. Add the onion, carrot and garlic and cook,
stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are golden
brown, about 5 minutes.
Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 1
minute. Transfer the mixture to a medium saucepan and
add 1 cup of water to the skillet. Deglaze the pan over
high heat, scraping up the brown bits with a spatula,
until all the bits have been dissolved. Pour the mixture
over the turkey parts in the saucepan. Add the chicken
broth and 2 cups water to the saucepan.
Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce to a simmer and
cook, skimming the scum that rises to the surface with a
skimmer or slotted spoon, until there is no more scum,
15 to 20 minutes. Add the celery, thyme and bay leaf,
then simmer gently for 2 hours. Strain the stock through
a colander, pressing hard on the solids. Discard the
solids and measure the stock; you should have 4 cups.
If you have more, return the liquid to the saucepan and
simmer until it is reduced to 4 cups. If you have less,
add water to the stock to make 4 cups. Cool, cover and
chill until it is time to make the gravy.
When the turkey is cooked and resting on a platter,
pour all the liquid in the roasting pan into a fat separator
or large glass measuring cup. Pour or skim off the fat
from the cup and reserve it; leave the cooking juices
in the fat separator. You will need 1/2 cup of the fat for
the gravy; if you don’t have 1/2 cup, supplement with
melted butter.
Set the roasting pan on top of 2 burners set over
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Add the reserved cooking juices from the roasting pan
and two-thirds of the turkey stock. Bring the mixture to
a boil, whisking. If the gravy needs thinning, add more
of the turkey stock and the juices that accumulated on
the platter where the turkey has been resting.
Reduce the heat to a simmer and simmer for 10
minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Nutrition information 1/4 cup: 70 calories; 50
calories from fat (71 percent of total calories); 6 g fat
(1.5 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 5 mg cholesterol; 170
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protein.
Still no cranberry sauce fan?
Maybe bacon will convert you
By J.M. HIRSCH
AP Food Editor
Admittedly, I’m a bit of a freak when
it comes to cranberry sauce. Nonetheless,
I can’t help but think there is something
seriously disturbed about people who claim
to not like it.
Because what is there to dislike? Whether
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BACON AND FRIED ONION
CRANBERRY SAUCE
AP Photo/Beth J. Harpaz
This Oct. 1 photo shows a taqueria and a giant head over a tiki bar on Fourth
Avenue in downtown Tucson, Ariz.
Lots to do in Tucson’s downtown
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — As a kid
growing up in Tucson, Eddie Gallego
remembers “when everything was down-
town.” Then businesses began to move out
to the malls, and downtown suffered. Now,
he says, the neighborhood has come full
circle.
“Downtown has gotten so much better,”
said Gallego from behind the counter of his
gift and craft shop, Tolteca Tlacuilo. “We’re
revitalizing.”
Tolteca Tlacuilo is located at Old
Town Artisans, a restored 19th-century
marketplace in Tucson’s El Presidio historic
district. The Presidio is one of several
distinct areas downtown that can make for a
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sites and the arts. Here are some recommen-
dations.
El Presidio and El Barrio
El Presidio’s historic district is where the
18th-century walled settlement that grew
into Tucson was originally located. Today
you’ll see a reconstructed Spanish fort at
196 N. Court St., adobe and brick homes on
side streets, and the mosaic dome of the Old
Pima County Courthouse at 115 N. Church
Ave., surrounded by a lovely park.
Across the street from the courthouse
is the Tucson Museum of Art. In addition
to notable Latin American, pre-Columbian
and American West collections, the museum
is hosting a Day of the Dead-themed
installation called “Banda Calaca,” with
a large-scale seven-piece skeleton band
marching toward a community memorial
altar. Tucson is known for its Day of the
Dead celebration, the All Souls Procession,
typically attracts 100,000 people.
Congress Street
Congress Street is hopping with venues
both classic and new. The historic Hotel
Congress has a real working pay phone in
the lobby — yes, with a dial! — but there’s
nothing old-fashioned about its bloody
mary bar, where options for your drink
range from artichokes to goat cheese. The
Rialto Theatre has hosted everyone from
The Lumineers to Merle Haggard.
For some innovative treats, try the Hub
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bourbon almond brittle, Mexican wedding
cookie, vanilla lavender and brandied
cherry goat cheese.
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An underpass leads from Congress
Street to funky Fourth Avenue. Storefronts
house a food co-op, the Hippie Gypsy,
vintage clothing stores, shops selling
books, gifts, crafts and art, and The Hut,
where a 35-foot-high tiki head draws folks
for tropical drinks and live music. Tucson’s
streetcar, the Sun Link, runs along Fourth
Avenue and is popular with students from
the nearby University of Arizona campus.
If you need a classy end to a busy day,
head for Agustin Kitchen. The restaurant
is located at Mercado San Agustin, an
open-air courtyard located west of Interstate
10 in the Menlo Park neighborhood at the
very edge of downtown, at the last stop of
the Sun Link. It’s a great spot for cocktails,
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1 pound bacon, cut into 1-inch
chunks
1 large yellow onion, diced
1/2 cup orange juice
12-ounce bag fresh or frozen
cranberries
1 large or 2 small apples, peeled,
cored and diced
1/2 cup sugar
Kosher salt and ground black
pepper
In a large saucepan over medium-
high, cook the bacon until lightly
crisped, 10 to 12 minutes. Use a slotted
spoon to transfer the bacon to a plate
and set aside, leaving the saucepan and
bacon fat over the heat. Carefully add the
onion and cook until lightly fried, 2 to 3
minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer
the onions to the plate with the bacon.
Dispose of the fat in the pan, but
don’t scrape the pan. You want any
browned bits on the bottom.
Return the pan to the heat. When
the pan is hot, carefully add the orange
juice and bring to a simmer while
using a wooden spoon or silicone
spatula to scrap up the bits from the
bottom of the pan. Add the cranberries,
apple and sugar, then bring to a
simmer. Cook until the cranberries
pop and the juice thickens, about 6
minutes. Return the bacon and onions
to the pan, then taste and season with
salt and pepper. Cool before serving.
Nutrition information per serving:
210 calories; 140 calories from fat
(67 percent of total calories); 15 g
fat (5 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 25
mg cholesterol; 290 mg sodium; 15 g
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g protein.
AP Photo/Matthew Mead
Enhance your cranberry sauce with the
one food most people are powerless to
resist, bacon.
a can or homemade with loving care,
cranberry sauce is sweet and tangy and just
a little spicy and mouth puckeringly luscious
in every way. I don’t actually care about the
rest of the Thanksgiving meal. Just give me
a bowl of cranberry sauce, a spoon and leave
me alone.
Many years ago — in a bid to win over
the faithless, including my son — I spent
a good deal of time perfecting what I then
considered to be the Platonic ideal of
cranberry sauce. It was chunky and sweet
with just the right amount of tart. It had
fresh cranberries and dried cherries, chopped
pears and candied ginger, golden raisins
and apple cider. And the secret ingredient?
Cardamom.
It was heaven.
And yet it still didn’t win over my son.
Or, it would seem — based on the number
of cranberry sauce naysayers I encounter
around this time each year — plenty of
others.
So I shall try again. This time, I shall
deploy a new weapon. I’m going to enhance
my cranberry sauce with the one food most
people are powerless to resist. The one food
that can improve anything it touches. The
one food that adds savory and sweet and rich
and bold and chewy and crunchy all at once.
This time, I’m calling in the bacon. See if
you can resist.
———
J.M. Hirsch is the food editor for The
Associated Press. He blogs at http://www.
LunchBoxBlues.com and tweets at http://
twitter.com/JM—Hirsch . Email him at
jhirsch@ap.org