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To make the planning of the meal easy, here are a few numbers that will come in handy.

How big a bird to buy:
1.5 lbs/per person turkey (uncooked). You will have leftovers with this amount.

How long to cook:
Until the internal temperature is 165 degrees for a perfect bird. Range is 165-180. Measure this in the thigh with an instant read thermometer
Let rest for 25-30 minutes before carving. Bird will stay hot for 1 hour so don’t panic – let the juices set!

What temperature to set oven to for all the side dishes:
350-375

Amount of coffee to use per cup:
2 tablespoons per cup when making a pot with a auto-drip machine.

How much stuffing:
1.25 cup per person (this should also result in leftovers)

We found an actual turkey meal calculator online for you to use:
http://www.csgnetwork.com/turkeydinnercalc.html

And remember the important part of the holiday is being with people you care about and having gratitude in your life. Try not to get stressed out over the perfect meal…and ask for help! Any guest that offers to bring a dish, say yes!! If you only have to make the main dishes, it will be much easier. Ask others to bring appetizer and desserts, and even the sides!

Our resident chef, Chef Silvia likes to make cooking easy. She wants to keep it simple, for herself and when she teaches others. Making cooking easy for people will encourage people to cook!! Most of us want the same thing. Simple dishes that will use fresh wonderful ingredients. In her “notes from the chef” this month, this is what she shared.
“I love one pot cooking. It especially suits me because I don’t like to fuss with cooking when I’m off duty. I want to keep it simple and I want whatever I cook to stretch into several meals. I don’t know about you, but when I get hungry, I don’t always want to wait an hour until I can prepare a meal. It’s got to be fast but it definitely has to be good. Not many dishes will fit these tough requirements but a hearty soup will work every time. They’re easy, deliciously satisfying and there’s always plenty of leftovers.

This month check out two soup recipes that I made recently that kept me (and friends) happy and well feed for days. ”

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Crimini Mushrooms and Melted Brie
Butternut squash is sweet and buttery so why add additional sweeteners? Yet, many recipes add maple syrup, molasses or sugar. Too often, a bowl of this soup in restaurants tastes more like dessert. In this recipe, I’ve taken every precaution to balance the natural sweetness of the squash by mixing it with mashed potatoes and mushrooms. I then enhanced the creaminess by finishing with just a bit of half and half and garnishing it with Brie. I just loved how this turned out.

2 medium (or one large) butternut squash (cut in half lengthwise)
4 medium potatoes (peeled, diced, boiled)
4 – 6 cups chicken broth (depending on how thick you like it)
2 tablespoons butter
½ cup half and half
1 small onion (diced)
1 8 oz package of crimini mushrooms (sliced)
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ cup canola oil
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ inch slices of Brie (or other creamy cheese) + chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Cook squash in a pre-heated 400 degree oven, cut size down (seeds and stringy matter removed) on a baking sheet drizzled with olive oil for about 1 hour or until the squash can easily be pierced with a fork. Scoop out the squash from the outer skin and set aside.

Place a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the olive oil and heat until hot but not smoking. Add the onions and sauté until soft. Add the potatoes and the squash and mash together. Add the broth a bit at a time, incorporating until you reach the desired thickness.
Lower the heat and simmer for a minute or two. Add the butter and the half and half, stir. season to taste, simmer for another minute.

In the meantime place a large sauté pan over high heat and add the canola oil and heat until hot but not smoking. Add the sliced mushroom and cook until golden, about two minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

To serve, fill each individual bowl with the soup. Add a few mushrooms followed with a few slices of brie

Mushroom Barley Soup with Chicken and Wild Mushrooms
1 cup of barley
4-6 cups chicken broth
8 oz. boneless chicken breast (cut in bite sized pieces)
1 small/medium onion (diced)
1 large clove garlic (finely chopped)
1 red bell pepper (diced)
16 oz. wild mushrooms-medium dice or sliced (shitake, crimini, Portobello, oyster or any combo)
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil + ½ cup
Season to taste
Garnish with fresh chopped parsley

Place a large stockpot over medium heat. Add ¼ cup olive oil until hot but not smoking. Add the chicken pieces and brown on all sides. Add the onions and cook until soft and golden followed by the garlic. Cook for a few moments and add the broth. Bring to a boil and add the barley. Cook for about 30 to 45 minutes or until the barley is soft but still firm.

In the meantime, place a large sauté pan over high heat. Add the remaining oil and heat until hot but not smoking. Add the sliced or diced mushrooms along with the pepper. If you do not have a large enough sauté pan cook the vegetables in two batches. Cook until golden, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. When the barley is cooked add contents of the sauté pan to the stockpot and stir. Serve warm, garnish with parsley and enjoy over and over.

November is the beginning of the Meyer lemon harvest in California, Florida & Texas. A cross between a mandarin orange and a lemon, the meyer lemon yields 3-4 times the amount of juice of a regular lemon! It has a sweeter, less acidic flavor than the common lemon. In addition to being delicious, the fruit itself is just beautiful. They originated in China where they have been grown for several hundred years. Frank Meyer, a plant explorer for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, introduced them to the U.S. in 1908.

They are perfect for making lemonade, less sugar will be required due to their sweeter juice.

For a change from the usual cranberry sauce this holiday season try this meyer lemon recipe.

Cranberry, Pomegranate and Meyer Lemon Relish

- 3 1/2 cups cranberries (about 14 ounces)

- 1 cup pure pomegranate juice

- 3/4 cup sugar

- 1/4 cup fresh Meyer lemon juice or regular lemon juice

- 2 tablespoons finely grated Meyer lemon peel or regular lemon peel

- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Combine first 5 ingredients in large saucepan. Stir over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium; simmer until berries begin to burst, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Transfer to small bowl. Stir in parsley. Cover and chill until cold. Can be made three days ahead. Keep chilled.

Source: news-press.com

Our friends at Bottlenotes are hosting a wine tasting event in NYC – Friday, November 13. They are bringing in wineries from Argentina, California, Chile, China, France, Italy, Lebanon, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain and South Africa, just to name a few! Along with this terrific assortment of hand-crafted and estate wines will be Artisanal Premium Cheese, charcuterie, chocolate, cigars and more.

Food411’s readers are being offer a $10 discount on all tickets. Just enter the code Food411 when purchasing. A portion of ticket sales for the event benefits Robin Hood, a local non-profit organizations which combats poverty at its roots, giving 100% of every donation directly to programs helping poor New Yorkers. Present a business card to be eligible for the Grand Raffle of two-round trip JetBlue tickets to San Francisco for a weekend of exclusive wine tastings including a winemaker dinner. Discover new wines, enjoy a fun night out, ”Around the World in 80 Sips” sounds like a perfect way to spend an evening while benefitting a worthwhile local charity.

Details: Friday, November 13, 2009 – 6:30pm. 583 Park Ave (at 63rd)

Tickets: Code Food411 for a $10 discount
$50 Earlybird
$60 in advance (before 2:00pm Nov. 13th
$75 at door
$125 VIP includes private tasting hour 5:30pm (exclusive sparking/champagne tastings), & reserved seating

Our Chef Silvia creates exceptional “team building” cooking events for many corporate clients. Recently, her client was a very large beer company. See how this unique recipe was created to truly customize their experience!

“A client that produces beer asked me to create a few menu items using their brand. Since I had never cooked with beer before I decided to experiment on a few friends. What resulted was this delicious dish that was a wonderful blend of savory and sweet and a perfect Fall dish–colors and all.”

Sauteed Chicken with Butternut Squash in a Beer Maple Sauce, Topped with Shitake Mushrooms
Serves 4

Ingredients.
12 fillets of boneless chicken breast (seasoned and dredged in flour)
1 butternut squash (quartered and seeds removed)
4 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons maple syrup
6 oz beer
12 oz chicken broth
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 lb. shitake mushrooms (stems removed and sliced)
1/2 lb french beans (optional)

Bake the squash in a 400 degree oven until tender but still firm. Cool, remove the skin and any stringy particles still remaining. Dice into medium bite sized cubes and set aside.

In a small saute pan cook the mushrooms in hot (but not smoking) canola oil until golden and crispy (about 3 minutes). Remove and drain on paper towel, season with salt and set aside.
Steam or saute the string beans until tender but still firm. Season

In the meantime, heat a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the extra virgin olive oil and cook the chicken until golden on each side and cooked through (about 4 minutes depending on the thickness of the chicken). Remove, season and set aside. Lower the heat, add the flour and mix with the juices in the pan. Cook for about one minute until golden. Add the beer, stir and add the broth and the syrup. Reduce the sauce for about 2 minutes (add a bit more broth and beer if too thick) until it resembles the consistency of a thin syrup. Add the squash to the pan along with the butter. Toss until the pieces are warm and coated with the sauce.

Plate by piling the squash onto the center of each plate, anchored by the chicken. Drizzle with the sauce, top with the mushrooms and the beans. Serve and enjoy!

 
When we first laid eyes of the gorgeous bright packages (environmentally-friendly) that encase Maison Le Grand Sauces, we found them irresistible. The design, as well as, the function of the packaging was intriguing. A bag with a twist off cap allows you to easily add a bit of the sauces to whatever you are creating. Refrigerate again until ready to use (up to 3 weeks) or freeze.

The question that remained was: would the sauces inside live up to the genius of the packaging? We found that they did.

These uniquely flavored, artisan-quality pestos, tapenades and aromatic sauces are all made with fresh, raw ingredients, with no added sugar or preservatives. These products are made fresh weekly, and the freshness really comes through.

The creative possibilities with these products is endless. The pestos and tapenades can be used on sandwiches, roasted meats, vegetable, pizzas, pastas, eggs, rice or added as flavoring to soups or as a dip. The sauces can be used over main dishes ( fish, seafood, meats, eggs, pasta) or can be used as an marinade or used to create a salad dressing.

They come in 8 varieties ( we tried 6 of 8 varieties) and we loved them all. The color of the Lemon Confit & Pumpkin seed sauce took a bit of adjustment ( it is bright mustard yellow) but the taste won us over.

Masion Le Grand sauces can be found at many stores and online. Of course they have earned a placed in the Food411 directory! Check out their website to find many creative recipes. Below is one of their unique recipes that is quick & delicious:

Q:
Name: Elena
Email: XXXXX
Message: Hello Silvia, recently I ordered a white bean spread ala Toscana from Nancy Silverton and Mario Batali\’s Mozza restaurant in Los Angeles.  It was a religious experience. I didn\’t know I liked white beans. Do you have a white bean spread recipe I could try at home.
State: California

A:

Hi Elena,

I don’t know how they make the bean spread at Mozza but I decided to try making one myself. I looked at a variety of recipes on line and most called for cannellini beans, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, some fresh herbs and a squirt of lemon juice all put in the bowl of the food processor and pureed. So since I think that most things taste better when they’re sauteed, I decided to do just that and then puree it. It was delicious. Try it and let me know what you think.
Thanks, chef Silvia

1 15 oz. can of cannellini beans (white beans) (drained, liquid reserved)
1 medium clove garlic, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons chicken broth
Pinch of red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons of flat leaf Italian parsley (stems removed)
Juice of half a lemon
Season with sea salt and fresh pepper

Add oil to a hot saute pan followed by the garlic and the red pepper. Cook for a few moments just until the garlic is golden and follow immediately with the beans.
Add the broth and cook for about 2 minutes, tossing the beans a few times to coat with the liquid. Turn off the heat. Pour the contents of the pan as well as the remaining ingredients into the bowl of a food process and puree. If the spread feels thicker than you like, add a few drops of the reserved bean liquid (or a bit more oil) and pulse the processor to incorporate.

Chef Silvia rants about today’s food climate - 

Growing up, good food — food that hadn’t been sprayed, injected, engineered, or otherwise altered — was readily available. For my family it was as close as our backyard garden. And if we didn’t grow it, can it, or make it from scratch, we purchased it from small local purveyors: the fruit guy, the meat guy, the fish guy–in other words, the butcher, the baker and anything else we needed was close by and affordable. How different is the food climate today? Sure we can buy local and organic, but the average family can’t afford it! Yet my father, a working class man, was easily able to buy the best and freshest food even though he had six kids. I don’t know about you, but when the average family is cut off from good food, I think something is rotten. And like most things gone wrong, they happen over time. Maybe the idea is that if negative changes motivated by greed creep up on us slowly and we’re distracted long enough, we won’t notice until it’s too late and we’re trapped in a system that supports the interests of the very few over the needs of most. Nothing will ever make me believe that anything that comes with an ingredient list the size of a newspaper column is good for me, regardless of how pretty the package or how clever the commercials. Sorry but I’m not that brain dead despite the poisons positioned everywhere.

Until we realize that everyone, not just the rich, deserves access to good food: until we, the majority, stop buying the cr.. loaded on supermarket shelves across America; until we take responsibility for our buying power (depleted as it may be) and use it wisely, things will not improve. Changes are happening– good changes–and as usual they happen because of individual efforts that grow, just like a garden, and spread their seeds everywhere. And once they find fertile ground, eventually we’ll harvest this pristine power and propel it towards what’s real, what’s worthwhile, equitable and authentic–and we’ll see the effects in supermarkets, farmlands, and boardrooms. 

Maybe when each and every one of us has access to good food, our children and grandchildren will know, once again what real food tastes like. And when the butchers the bakers and the gardens return, our spirits, along with our bodies will be nourished, and from this replenished place anything is possible.

Enjoy the harvest from gardens everywhere. Share the bounty of what grows there and let it nourish the growth within you.

Chef Silvia

“Every year when the harvest of our backyard garden produced an abundance of zucchini, my mother went from frying up the blossoms to making a stew out of the zucchini, which was the epitome of simplicity and deliciousness. Made with potatoes, onions, zucchini (of course) and tomato, this is an old time recipe that is frugal gourmet at it’s best. ”

Jambota (Zucchini Stew)Feeds 2-3

2 small (or one large) zucchini (cut in half lengthwise and in ¼ inch half moons)

4 small Yukon gold potatoes (cut in ¼ inch half moons)

1 large sweet onion (1/2 inch slices)

1 clove garlic (minced)

Pinch of red pepper flakes

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons tomato paste (see note)

2 cups water (or light chicken broth)

1-teaspoon chicken base (a paste found in the broth section of most supermarkets)

Season with salt and pepper

Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and parmesan cheese (optional)

In a large sauté pan

Add oil and heat over medium/high heat until hot but not smoking

Add potatoes (lower heat to medium) and cooking until golden and they begin to soften (about 5 minutes)

Add onions and zucchini and cook for another 5 minutes

Follow with the garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook for a few moments, add the tomato paste and stir to incorporate it with the pan juices.

Follow with the water and chicken paste (or broth) stir and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes and zucchini are soft yet not mushy.

Season, garnish and serve.

Note: I’ve updated the original recipe a bit and used tomato paste instead of crushed tomatoes because I wanted to make this dish fast. Certainly, you can use crushed tomatoes, however, I would first cook them separately for about 20 minutes before adding them to the stew. The reason is that the zucchini, potatoes and onions could quickly and the canned tomatoes need more time. need more time.

Romanicos handcrafts their chocolates without any preservatives using Venezuelan cocoa beans. Their chocolates are outstanding examples of mixing the finest ingredients with a passion for the craft. This combination results in a product that truly stands out. Romanico’s is owned by Alejandra Bijai. In Venezuela where she was raised, her grandmother passed on the art of truffle making to her, and Alejandra has a true gift for this craft. Romanicos’ truffles are the freshest, cleanest truffles we have ever sampled (and we have tasted many wonderful truffles). They are small (which is a plus for a truffle) their texture is soft, smooth and heart warming. There are no preservatives, so they must be eaten in a few days, They only contain about 34 calories each – making them a perfect little indulgence. Their “chocolate art” pieces offer flavors such as Dulce de Leche, orange, coconut, Pistachio and Nutella. These fillings are just perfect, not sweet or gooey, like many filled chocolates. They also offer lactose free Healthy Artisan Chocolate Bars. We tasted the walnut and honey which was terrific. Alejandra doesn’t add sugar or butter to their chocolates, which provides a velvet texture and a clean taste.

Sophisticated packaging; black boxes with red ribbons, are well suited for the extremely high caliber of these creations. Many thumbs up to this artisan chocolate maker – wonderful creations. Romanicos are included in the very selective Chocolate section of our Food411 directory.

Picture: Stevia Plant

We have had several reader inquiries about the recent product Stevia. It seems to be popping up in all the markets- the latest “no calorie” sweeter. What is it, is it healthy?
We contacted one of our favorite Food411 “handpicked” reference resources, “The World’s Healthiest Foods” and we have their response to your questions.

WHF:
“I think that stevia is one of the best natural sweeteners available. It is natural, virtually calorie-free, and can be used as is or in baking and cooking.

Stevia is a deciduous shrub that grows naturally in the southwestern United States but is originally native to Central and South America. It’s about two to three feet tall, and it is unique in terms of its taste. The sweetness of stevia depends upon the species involved; there are several hundred different species of this plant and only a dozen or so seem to have the sweetness characteristics desired. The chemical composition of stevia is complicated, and there are dozens of different glycosides involved in its sweet taste. Among the most important of these glycosides, however, are steviosides, rebaudiosides, and dulcosides. In December 2008, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) took a major step toward recognition of stevia as a rightful member of the food supply. While the FDA did not grant approval for stevia itself to be added to the Generally Recognized as Safe list (GRAS list), it did award GRAS status to a purified extract from one of the stevia glycosides (rebaudioside A, also called reb A). This purified stevia extract is being marketed under a variety of different brand names, including Truvia and PureVia. While we would prefer to see FDA recognition of stevia itself rather than a purified stevia extract, we are glad to have this natural sweetener brought further into the public spotlight in a favorable way.

While it is possible to buy fresh leaves or dried leaves from the plant itself, when you purchase stevia in the store, you are most likely going to be purchasing a powdered extract from the plant or a liquid concentrate. Many different glycosides-including steviosides and rebaudiosides—are found in the powdered extracts and some may have health-supportive properties.

If you purchase the liquid concentrate, the composition of the stevia depends on the method of production. Sometimes these liquid concentrates are produced by boiling the leaves directly in water and sometimes the leaves are steeped in water or a water-plus-alcohol mixture. Although it’s not clear from the research exactly which form of stevia is the most health supportive, there is no question that stevia extracts in any form come out far ahead of white table sugar or high fructose corn syrup in terms of their potential health benefits. Among the possible benefits here are potential hypoglycemic (blood sugar lowering) effects and potential hypotensive (blood pressure lowering) effects.

Stevia has been used in many cultures as both a sweetener and a medicinal agent. Thanks to an FDA decision in December 2008, one purified extract from stevia (rebaudioside A) fits into the Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) category and can be found in drinks, beverages, and other products in the U.S. marketplace. Stevia is also approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for sale as a dietary supplement. One thing you’ll notice about stevia is that it is very sweet. In its refined, white powdery extract form in which there is a very high concentration of steviosides, it may be several hundred times sweeter than regular table sugar. It should therefore be used sparingly when substituted for sugar, whether it is for sweetening beverages, in baked goods recipes, or for any other ways that you choose to use it.”