But for the sake of journalistic integrity I’ll try to talk you through the process, including several different options that you may not have considered.

Oven Roasting

This is the standard means of cooking your Thanksgiving turkey. It usually involves thawing out a frozen bird for roughly a fortnight, sticking it in the oven, turning the knob to the right until it snaps off, and cooking the ever-loving crap out of it until it’s as dry as Death Valley in July. I’m exaggerating, but most people boil the process down to those steps whether they realize it or not. But there are several ways to cook the turkey without making your guests feel like they’re eating gravy-covered twine.

Uncovered Roasting

This is the way your grandma did Thanksgiving. Gather up your veggies, throw it in the oven, and let it go. Three or six hours later (depending on how interesting the football game is) you take it out and serve. This is also the method that makes people hate turkey, the aforementioned dryness being the culprit.

There is a lot more to oven roasting than just putting everything in a pan and walking away. This won’t be the last time I’ll link to one of this gentleman’s recipes, but if you want to roast a turkey the “right” way check out Alton Brown’s tutorial here. Seem like a lot to do? Yeah, it is. But there is a shortcut…

Turkey in a Bag

Similar process, quicker cooking, usually foolproof results. Place your turkey and veggies in one of these big plastic bags, let it cook at 350 degrees for 3 hours (for a 12 pound bird) and you’ve got a moist, brown turkey ready to serve. Is it a cop out? Sort of, but if you get rid of the evidence (the bag) then your guests will be none the wiser. I’d really recommend this method for the cooking impaired.

Alright, those are the two basic options. Let’s get into some more interesting methods.

Deep Frying

Remember the suicide jumper from the beginning of this article? This is the method I’d really recommend against. It’s a novelty, just for show. You can talk about the crispy skin and the moist meat all you want, but if you don’t royally screw up your oven roasted turkey that’s what you’ll end up with. But if you really want to tempt fate and put a fiery crater in your front lawn then go for it. Remember this equation: still frozen turkey + hot oil = KABOOM

On a serious note, if you want to do it safely then follow all the steps that Alton Brown recommends here.

Grilling

Yes, I’ve had the displeasure of being served a turkey cooked on an outdoor grill. Maybe it was the balsamic glaze that was on the turkey, but this really wasn’t a hit for me. For whatever reason Tommy the Turkey and your Weber grill aren’t best of friends. Go figure. But I won’t stop you if you really want to give it a try, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Outdoor Fire Pit Rotisserie

For all the Vikings out there that want to do things old school. Do a quick Google search for how to build one of these babies, go to Home Depot, build your fire pit and get cooking. This method works best for people who want to work on their upperbody strength before eating and for punishing unruly children. Just make sure to keep the flame low and don’t light the neighbors on fire.

Directions for a whole hog rotisserie (which can be used for four or five turkeys) can be found here.

Panini Press Cornish Game Hen

So you’re a shut in or extremely unpopular, who says you still can’t enjoy a Thanksgiving dinner? Brighten your lonely existence by cooking a single-serving holiday dinner that takes a fraction of the time. Take a Cornish game hen and squash the little bastard in a panini press. Heat up some veggies and enjoy, you recluse.

Once again, Alton Brown provides the recipe here.

If you have any other suggestions for unique ways to cook a Thanksgiving turkey please leave it in the comments.

-Vince

(who still doesn’t know when he’s going to be cooking with the other Wedgenauts, if ever)

P.S. I use Alton Brown as a resource because his recipes are, in my opinion, the most thorough and informative.

I suppose you could say beer is an “acquired taste,” but there was more to it. I thought that hard liquor, shots or mixed, served the purpose of getting a person drunk better than beer did. While that’s true, it’s often a lot more expensive and often involves a lot of overly sweet drinks. Don’t get me wrong, when I go out on the town I’ll still have a Bloody Mary, Old Fashioned, or a Martini to start the night off. But when I’m out socializing, watching a ballgame, or just being cheap beer will be my drink of choice.

The Good

Good beer is good. I think we can all agree on that. When I want to drink a “good” beer I usually go with Bass. It’s an ale, pretty much middle of the road on color, hops, acidity, but really scores points with me on taste. The “old me” would have never admitted to a beer tasting good, but Bass is a tasty beer.

Of course determining a “good” beer gets into a whole different level of beer snobbery that I’m nowhere near knowledgeable on. To butcher a quote, I may not know beer but I know what I like. In that spirit, here are a couple beers I enjoy and think are pretty standard pub/bar fare: Bass, Guiness, Smithwick’s, Hoegaarden.

Each of those four beers is different from the other (except maybe Bass and Smithwick’s) and each serves a different purpose. I’d never have a Guiness to refresh myself after a long day. I would, however, have a Guiness while playing darts. I would never, ever chug Guiness. Ick. Bass and Smithwick’s are great for having a pint after work and talking with friends. Hoegaarden is the beer you order when your friends order Blue Moon, so you can look down on them. Hoegaarden is the Beatles to Blue Moon’s Monkees; and you can’t top the original. Light color, slight citrus flavor, clean finish. Probably more of a summer beer, but you can enjoy it any time.

These are not the only beers I drink, I can recall enjoying Red Stripe, Sam Adams Octoberfest, and a few other brands. My knowledge of microbrews is almost nil, so I’ll reserve any recommendations. But I would encourage you to try many different kinds of beer, if only to find your standby. Most bars I go to carry Bass, I enjoy Bass, and it is therefore my go-to beer. Then again, if they’ve got a new seasonal beer or something that sticks out I won’t hesitate to give it a try. Worst case, the beer isn’t up my alley and I go get a Bass to wash it down.

The Bad

This is where I may lose credibility with beer snobs, but bad beer can be good, too. Bad beer is usually light, always inexpensive, (to me) inoffensive to the palate, and great in certain situations. Let’s go back to my good beers so I can explain this concept. Picture yourself sitting out in the hot sun, fishing or painting a house or doing some other sweaty, manly activity. In that situation, in unbearable heat, do you reach for a huge, thick Guiness or a nice, light Bud Light or Pabst Blue Ribbon? My point is made.

Beers like Bud Light and Pabst are bad as compared to lots of brands, but are still beer. Don’t feel like you’re letting down thousands of years of brew history by going to the well for a cheap drink. Then again, I do have to keep some credibility, so I’ll just let you know that by ordering Busch Light you’ll ensure I’ll never invite you out again. There’s cheap, then there’s awful.

The Expensive

This section exists partly to share a personal story and partly to make the title of this post “punny.” To the story…

About a month ago I went to a bar that had an absolutely huge list of beers both in bottles and on tap. The list was scrawled on huge mirrors and transcribed in little brown grimoires. We had somehow stepped into Beer Snob Heaven. We ordered our beers, two microbrews that we were both looking forward to, only to be informed that they were sold out. Just our luck, picking the two beers that this bar didn’t have. Scanning the list I saw they served Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA and, having heard good things about this beer, ordered two.

After ordering these beers we were suddenly treated like royalty. The waitress complimented our taste in beers and the manager came over as we enjoyed them to find out our opinion. At this point I should’ve known something was up. After talking about the beer for a while the manager informed us that not only were our first choices in stock (waitress error) but that Dogfish Head 120 IPA is $13.75 a bottle. No matter how you do the math this is not a cheap night at the bar. Life Lesson #1: beers without listed prices are usually expensive.

At this point I should talk a little about the beer. Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA has an ABV of anywhere from 21% to 25% and is usually aged about a year before serving. So it’s really more like a liqueur than a beer. Having IPA in the name you would assume it’s very hoppy and bitter, but it isn’t. It’s sweet, almost overwhelmingly so. Getting through a 12 oz. bottle is like climbing a mountain, once finished you’re relieved but questioning why you did it in the first place. On the positive, the ABV ensures that you’ll only need one bottle to feel more than a little tipsy. But overall, it’s too sweet and too expensive for my tastes. Life Lesson #2: Expensive does not always equal better.

After realizing that the waitress had made a mistake and that two college students would not purposely order $13.75 beers, the manager comped us for one of the beers. Success! I may not have enjoyed Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA, but getting one for free certainly made it taste a little better.

In the past few months I’ve really started to expand my beer palate and would encourage beer neophytes to do the same. Finding the right combination of taste and price will really improve your drinking experience. And remember to check local bars for specials, you can find $2 and $3 draught nights and cheap pitchers after only a cursory Googling. Feel free to share your favorite beers in the comments. I know the other Wedgenauts are beer drinkers like me and will have their recommendations. Cheers!

-Vince

(Who probably isn’t going to be a frequent contributor, but will try to stay in the loop.)

Since every stove top varies, I’ll give some tentative  guidelines, but I would be panside wielding a meat thermometer the first time you cook this dish.

Steak au Poivre

Ingredients:

1-inch thick beef top loin, tenderloin, or sirloin steak (2-4 steaks depending on size of your pan)

2-4 tsp cracked whole peppercorns

1-2 tsp your favorite coffee grounds

2 medium onions, chopped

3 gloves garlic, chopped

1/2 cup butter

3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup cream [or 1/2 cup milk and 2 tbsp sour cream]

1/4 cup brandy (optional) [A mix of 3/8 cup dry sherry and 1/8 cup amaretto comes through in a pinch, though!]

few drops Tabasco sauce (optional)

Method:

1) Press peppercorns into sides of the steak and sprinkle with coffee grounds.

2) In large pan, saute onions and garlic in the butter until tender

3) Add Worcestershire sauce

4) Place steak on the onion and garlic mixture. Cover and cook slowly. (On low [3 or 4] for 12 minutes for medium well. For well done, allow about 18 minutes.)

5) Don’t let onions burn! Stir only if necessary and add a stream of olive oil. (Try not to remove cover!)

6) Remove steak and stir in cream into the onions to make a sauce. Simmer for 1-3 minutes.

7) Remove from heat and add brandy and Tabasco sauce if desired.

Spoon over steak and enjoy!!

The Wedge Previews!

As a would-be sneak peak, the white country bread shown in the first photo will be discussed as the first of many bread and pastry recipes to come!

Also up and coming, we will review 14 out of Connecticut’s 26 wineries! We will compare/contrast the wine quality, the atmosphere, additional vineyard accouterments, and local activities!

And because I was there-and I can tell you that it was a grand dinner-I am able to pass on those delicious recipes to you.

You  know, for use in your own Holiday Town coup.

Dinner of Baked Acorn Squash stuffed with Crab, and a Butternut Squash and Apple Stew

STATS:

-1 hour 15 minutes preparation and cooking time

-Feeds 4-6 with plenty leftover soup

Recipe for Baked Acorn Squash with Crab Stuffing

INGREDIENTS:

- 4 medium acorn squash, halved and hulled

-1/3 cup milk

-1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

-1/2 cup bread crumbs

-1/2 medium onion, chopped

- 1 clove garlic, chopped

- 7 ounces crab or imitation crab

-1 medium apple, grated

-1/4 cup chopped craisins

-1/4 cup grated carrot

- dash each salt, pepper, cumin

METHOD:

1) Cut each acorn squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Add a pat of butter and a dash of nutmeg to the cups.

2) Arrange on cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

3) Combine remaining ingredients

4) Scoop stuffing into cups. Cover cups lightly with aluminum foil. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

5) Remove foil, and change oven setting to high broil for 3-5 minutes until the flesh of the squash is      brown– or when squash yields easily to a toothpick.

Recipe for Butternut Squash and Apple Stew

INGREDIENTS:

- 2 medium, peeled butternut squash

- 4 medium, peeled apples, grated medium coarseness

-1/2 cup finely grated carrot

-1/2 cup onion grated fine

- 3 cups milk

- 3/4 cups cider

-1/4 all: nutmeg, allspice, and a dash of ginger and salt

METHOD:

1) With a large knife, carefully cut squash into cubes, each about the width of your thumb. Toss these into boiling water until the pieces don’t put up a fight with the fork. (If you, like I, were unfamiliar with the process of prepping the squash, troll on over here.)

2) With a potato masher, mash the cubes of squash.

3) With puree in a large pot, add the milk, cider, and all the listed spices. Heat on high until the mixture is warm and add carrots, onion, and apple.

4) Simmer at whatever level your range top requires to keep the stew at a shy boil. Keep this up for about 45 minutes or until the taste of the apple and onion have achieved some prominence. Thereafter, serve with pride.

[Note: If the reader prefers something more resembling soup, use only one large butternut squash and strain the mixture]

According to farmers and botanists, the apples in Connecticut this fall are going to be some of the best fruit we’ve seen in the last five years.  A perfect mix of warm days and cool nights lately is peaking flavors in orchard after orchard.  So, why not take advantage of the gorgeous fruit in the markets and (my preference) roadside orchard stands and make some apple crisp?

My apple crisp was created on a whim, and is slightly untraditional but no less yummy.  I have an obsession with individually sized dishes, as you’ll see, so I chose to make single serve crisps in standard ramekins.  I chose to use Granny Smith and Golden Delicious apples.  Goldens are my second favorite apple after Galas, which I did not have, and Grannies are really good, tart, solid apples to use for baking.  However, you can select virtually any apple to use in the dish, so choose your own favorites!!  Unsure? Try Gala, Macintosh, Braeburn, or Cortland– all of these apples are excellent for baking.

To make the most of the pantry, the topping uses flake cereal instead of oats. The topping isn’t slightly gummed together and chunky as in typical crisp; it is a bit flaky and flyaway because it contains no flour or eggs.  Personally, I dig that and that’s why I made it that way.

Prep time is only maybe 10 minutes (and will vary based on how speedily you chop).  Serves 4.

Quick Apple Crisp

Ingredients:

For the fruit:

2 apples, chopped

2 tbsp sugar

1/4 c. orange juice

1 heaping tsp. cornstarch

Cinnamon to taste

For the crisp:

1 cup crushed Honey Bunches of Oats with Almonds cereal

1.5 tbsp butter, melted

Method:

Preheat oven to 400°.

The apples should be chopped roughly, into approximately 1/4″x1″ chunks (though you need hardly be precise with this; just ensure they are a uniform size).  Toss the apples in a bowl with the sugar, orange juice, and cinnamon to taste. Add the cornstarch and continue tossing the fruit until it is coated evenly.  Spoon the mixture into 4 ramekins.

Put a little more than a cup of whole cereal into a ziplock baggie and squeeze until it is crushed but not pulverized.  Crushing reduces he cereal’s volume, so you should end up with roughly one cup of crushed Honey Bunches.  Pour the cereal into a bowl and add the melted butter.  Stir until the butter is completely incorporated throughout the flakes.  Spoon the crisp mixture over the top of the apples in the ramekins.

Place the ramekins on a cookie sheet, then cover loosely in aluminum foil.  Bake at 400° for 18-20 minutes.  Remove the foil tent, and bake another 8 minutes until the topping is a darker golden-brown and crispy.

Serve warm.  You can add a dollop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream in the center, if that’s your pleasure.  I enjoy the crisps plain, or with Ben & Jerry’s Gingersnap ice cream.  I’m not sure if the Gingersnap is in stores yet.  We happen to have it because my dad did some work there and that was the flavor they were producing that day.  They gave it to him as a parting gift =)

This is a recipe that I found it really simple to do a calorie count for.  It’s really quite low-fat and low-cal for such a yummy dessert.  Want the numbers? Here are the facts for one serving:

153 calories

5 g fat

14 g sugar

Note that this is without ice cream, and nearly half the sugar is the natural kind found in apples.  For an even lighter substitute, use low fat margarine or butter spread substitute in the crisp, Splenda to taste in the apple mixture, and if you absolutely must, use some fat-free cool whip style product on top.

~Ashley

Ingredients:

3 Chicken breasts

1/2 c Onion (chopped)

1 Large Clove Garlic

1 can Artichoke hearts (quartered)

2 c Chicken stock or broth

1/2 c Lemon juice

1 tsp Cornstarch in 1/4 c water

1 tsp capers

1/4 c Parmesan cheese

1 c Dry couscous

Oregano, basil, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to taste.

Preparation:

Coat bottom of a pan in olive oil and heat until shimmering. Saute onions and garlic (with a dash of salt) until opaque. Salt and pepper your chicken breasts and place in pan, cooking for a minute or two on each side. Set chicken aside. Add chicken broth and lemon juice, scraping up bits of chicken that were stuck to the pan with a wooden spoon. Add spices (to taste), artichokes, capers, and cornstarch solution. Let sauce reduce to half, about six minutes. As this happens make couscous according to directions on package (1 c dry couscous should yield 2 1/2 c cooked). Place chicken back in pan and cover. Simmer until chicken is cooked all the way through, about five more minutes.

Not the best picture, but you get the idea.

Plating:

Place a portion of couscous on the plate and add some of the lemon-artichoke sauce for flavor. Lay chicken on the bed of couscous and add more sauce.

Things to consider:

I didn’t have any white wine, and I may have added that to the sauce (about 1/2 c). Substitutions for couscous range from rice to risotto to asparagus to baked potatoes. I was generous with my seasonings, adding about a tablespoon each of oregano and basil and teaspoons of garlic and onion powder, your mileage may vary. Next time I would add more Parmesan to the sauce, and perhaps add some flour beforehand to help thicken even more.This recipe is wide open for adaptation and you’ll probably see a second version of this on the site one day. If you’re cooking this at home go nuts with the ingredients, this is really just an outline that you can interpret in many different ways.

I’ve also got to stop taking photos with my iPhone in low-light situations, they all come out with a yellow hue. Live and learn.

-Vince

In what has become an annual tradition, I made the scenic trek to West Granby for some locally grown garlic. The Garlic Farm on Simsbury Road is so small you may miss it if you weren’t paying attention, but for locals it’s the place to find great produce. Though the name implies they only sell garlic, the farm also grows a nice selection of tomatoes, basil, peppers, onions, leeks, pumpkins, and apples.

Their selection is nice and their prices are fair but let’s be honest, all of this stuff is just a bonus. The real prize is the garlic. Whether its per bulb or per pound (guess which I get) you won’t be disappointed at the quality of their garlic. Supermarket bulbs and little jars of pre-chopped garlic won’t cut it after you’ve been to The Garlic Farm. My Italian recipes really come to life when using their produce.

There are multiple advantages to visiting places like The Garlic Farm: you’re supporting a local business, you’re getting the freshest possible produce, you’re not paying supermarket prices, and (the best in my opinion) you’re visiting a picturesque locale. Even driving along the highway to get to West Granby I could see the leaves starting to turn, and arriving at the farm you see trees and plants spread out for acres in every direction.

The only downside is that I know I’ll eventually run out of garlic. Proper storage (paper bag in a cool, dry place) can keep your garlic fresh for up to nine months, which leaves three months out of the year where I’m suffering. But I can usually time it pretty well where I shop toward the end of the garlic season to survive until the beginning of the next. You’d be surprised, but two pounds of garlic goes pretty fast in an Italian household. Speaking of Italian, I think I’ll be putting this fresh garlic to good use by sharing my grandmother’s recipe for meatballs and sauce. Stay tuned.

The Garlic Farm is located at 76 Simsbury Road in West Granby, Connecticut. They’re open from Late July to the end of October. For more information visit their website at http://garlicfarmct.com

-Vince

I’ve been working a lot lately and feeling totally drained.  So forgive me for not posting proper recipes for a lot of things as timely as I should be.  Whew.  I promise I’ll update all my recipes and things really really soon!!!  Just gotta get a day off from work and have about six cups of tea and sit outside in a sweater (holy cold september breezes,  batman!) and zen over food for awhile.

~Ashley

More on these cups as soon as I can figure out whether or not my laptop is bluetooth-enabled so I can get the pics off my phone.  You see, we weren’t planning on blogging about last night’s dinner, so I wasn’t prepared.  That’ll learn me.

~Ashley

“Un-Italian” Pumpkin Ravioli with Parmesan Mornay Sauce

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Yield: 45 – 60 ravioli

1 Package pre-made ravioli or wonton wrappers (about 48 squares)

For Filling

1 1/2 cups Libby’s 100% Pure Pumpkin

1 Tbsp cinnamon

1 Tbsp ginger

1/8-1/4 Tsp ground cloves

1/2 cup (scant) granulated sugar

1 cup Ricotta cheese

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1 egg

Salt

Pepper

For Sauce

4 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp white flour

1 cup milk

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Ground nutmeg (to taste)

Dried or fresh sage (to tase)

In a medium bowl combine pumpkin puree, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, sugar, and pinches of salt & pepper. In a separate, larger bowl combine ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, egg, and salt & pepper. Fold pumpkin filling into ricotta filling. (Note: at this point I added the pumpkin filling about 1/4 cup at a time in order to reach the desired taste and consistency. It’s up to you to determine what that is for your meal.)

Pumpkin/Ricotta Mixture

Fill ravioli/wonton sheets with about a teaspoon of filling, fold, and set aside. Bring a pot of water to boil (I added a large pinch of salt and some olive oil to the water, your mileage may vary) and cook the ravioli for about 5 minutes or until desired done-ness.

One Completed Ravioli

To make the sauce

Heat a medium sauce pan (mid settings on your burner) and add butter to the pan. When the butter is melted slowly whisk in your flour. After a few minutes the flour/butter mixture (roux) will start to turn yellow. When the roux reaches this stage add your milk and keep whisking. At this point you are creating a bechamel sauce, one of the “mother sauces.” As you are whisking add the salt & pepper, nutmeg, sage, and Parmesan cheese and keep whisking until the mixture (now a Mornay sauce because of the cheese) has reduced to the point where your sauce will coat the back of a spoon and not run off quickly (a few minutes).

Plating

When the ravioli are finished cooking put them all in a large bowl, add about a tablespoon of butter, and stir. This will prevent them from sticking to one another. Place 5-10 ravioli on each plate, top with the mornay sauce, and sprinkle cinnamon as a garnish.

Anatomy of a Ravioli

Substitutions and Concerns

As an FBI (Full-Blooded Italian) it pained me to use pre-made wonton sheets for my ravioli. If I had the time I would have made the pasta fresh, which would add a lot to the flavor of the dish. Also, I had contemplated peeling, boiling, and mashing my own pumpkins which would have also been a great substitution. I also contemplated adding crushed pecans or walnuts into the filling or over the completed dish but the addition of nuts to the other two dishes that night meant this experiment will come at a later time.

One concern I had was the mornay sauce. There are a lot of points in its creation where you can go wrong, especially burning the roux and over-reducing the sauce. It takes a little extra effort to make a great mornay/bechamel sauce but it’s worth it.

Finally, all of the spices and combinations are to taste. I found the perfect balance of sweet pumpkin to savory ricotta filling by trial-and-error, but your tastes may differ. I encourage anyone trying this recipe to modify it as they see fit and comment about the results.

-Vince