This week is Thanksgiving and I have been thinking for some time about how to use the leftovers. One of my favorite savory breakfasts is chicken and waffles, so I thought why not turkey and waffles? I had previously used turkey stuffing as a base for my Thanksgiving Benedict so why not use it to make the waffle. I have seen it done before, but I wanted to do it with a breaded fried turkey thigh. First I would brine and debone the thigh then bread it and fry it just like fried chicken. All that remains it to decide whether I want to use maple syrup or turkey gravy.

Ingredients:

 turkey thighs or breast

 2 cups flour seasoned with salt and pepper

 3 eggs

 2 cups panko bread crumbs

 oil for deep frying

 leftover stuffing (2 cups per person)

 1 tbsp. salt, 2 tsp. sugar dissolved in 1 quart water

Procedure:

 1. Brine the turkey in the salt, sugar mixture for at least 2 hours or overnight

 2. Dry the turkey and dust in the flour. Dip in beaten eggs then roll in the panko bread crumbs. Fry in 325 degree oil until lightly golden brown. Transfer to a 300 degree oven and finish cooking until the turkey reaches 165 degrees internal temperature.

 3. While the turkey cooks spoon the leftover stuffing into a hot waffle iron and cook until nicely browned. Serve the turkey on top of the waffle and serve with gravy or if you wish syrup. The waffles can be done before and heated up in the toaster before serving.

Almost everyone loves a good steak and great comfort foods. One of my favorite comfort foods is pot roast, an American classic; slow braised beef in a flavorful liquid. Why not merge the two using a cheaper cut of steak that will be tenderized by cooking low and slow. Add some vegetables; carrots, celery, onions, mushrooms, potatoes and we have a dish almost anyone will love. And remember our braised soups post we could take any leftover braising liquid and make soup. I like to use half of the of the carrots, celery, onions and all of the mushrooms for the first part of the braise and add the rest to cook at the end so we have some veggies with texture. Let us maximize savory with tomato paste, Worchester sauce, oyster sauce and my secret weapon parmesan rind. Lets us practice proper culinary techniques, browning the beef in bacon fat, using a mirepoix and tomato paste then deglazing with red wine and beef broth.

Ingredients:

 2 - 4 medium sized chuck eye steaks

 bacon lardons

 2 large onions diced

 4 stalks celery diced

 4 medium carrots diced

 1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms

 1 - 2 ounces fresh mushrooms 

 1/2 pounds baby potatoes

 2 Tbsp. tomato paste

 1 Tbsp. dried thyme

 1 tsp. dried Italian herbs

 1 bay leaf

 1 cup red wine

 2-3 cups beef stock

 parmesan rind (optional)

 oyster sauce

 Worchester sauce

 olive oil

 salt and pepper to taste

 splash of sherry vinegar

Procedure:

 1. Chop a small amount of bacon into strips (lardons). In a preheated large heavy bottomed skillet add a little olive oil and the lardons and saute to render the fat. Season the steak and sear in the hot oil on both sides. Remove the steaks, finely chop half of the mirepoix and saute. Add some tomato paste and brown. Deglaze with some red wine then add the stock.  Add the mushrooms, spices, sauces, parmesan rind and herbs and cook on low heat until the steaks are tender.

2. When the steak is almost tender add the remaining mirepoix and the potatoes. Cook until the potatoes are cooked and serve.

Since I tackled Southern style cheese grits I have looked forward to creating my own version of Shrimp and Grits. I also wanted to talk through my thought process as this dish comes together. My starting place was to mimic Susan's Breakfast Oatmeal but use cheese grits instead of the oatmeal and a shrimp filling. I researched traditional Georgia style shrimp and grits and decided to use smoked sausage, sweet peppers and onion with a sauce. I found a Ukrainian style smoked Kubasa instead of the traditional Andouille but you could substitute a polish smoked sausage. If I fried the sausage I could render out some of the tasty fat in which I could fry the shrimp, peppers and onions. Adding some flour would make a roux that I could flavor with white wine, lemon juice and stock. To keep our shrimp moist we need to brine them, then sauté in the shells to add more shrimp flavor (the shells are packed with flavor). White wine and lemon may not be traditional but pairs great with the shrimp. I presented three different possible grits platforms but you could just use a pile of cheese grits to simplify. The three possible platforms are a mini pie pan, an egg mold and a mini spring form pan. You can try any or find your own. If you are going to use some sort of mold or container, you will need to make a stiffer grit mixture in order for it to retain its shape. Good luck and happy cooking!

Ingredients:

For the cheese grits - 

  2 cups stone ground premium white grits

  1 1/2 cup chicken broth

  1 1/2 cup milk

  water to achieve proper consistency

  1 cup grated sharp white cheddar cheese

  1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

  1 cup grated fontina cheese

  2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

  salt 

For the shrimp mixture - 

  1 pound large shell on raw gulf shrimp

  1/2 pound good quality Ukrainian smoked sausage

  1 1/2 cup chicken broth

  1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

  1 cup white wine (Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc

  1 cup diced peppers (mixture of red, yellow and poblano)

  1/2 medium onion diced

  2 cloves garlic chopped

  1 lemon

  4 Tbsp. butter plus extra to butter the molds

  2 Tbsp. flour

 
Directions:

1. Add the butter to a large sauce pan and the grits and toast on medium heat for 10 minutes. Add the chicken broth and milk to the sauce pan and bring to a boil while stirring with a whisk and continue cooking until grits soften (about 15 minutes). Grate the cheeses and add while stirring, season with salt to taste and add water to achieve proper consistency. Let cool. Note: we want a fairly stiff mixture.

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Butter the molds and sprinkle the molds with the grated parmesan. Press the
cooled grits into the molds and up the sides. Bake for 30 minutes.

3. Clean and devein the shrimp. Dice the sausage and sauté with half the butter until the fat begins to render. Add the onions, garlic and peppers and sauté until the onion is translucent. Remove the mixture to a bowl and add the shrimp to sauté until pink. Remove the shrimp and add the sausage mixture back with the flour and butter. Stir until a roux comes together then add the wine and stock to deglaze. Reduce by one half. Peel the shrimp, chop into large pieces reserving some for garnish. Add to the sausage pepper mixture and reduce to the required consistency.  

4. Spoon the shrimp mixture into the molds and sprinkle with some parmesan. Garnish with the reserved shell-on shrimp and return to  the oven to heat through then serve.

When I reviewed Deb Perlman's book "The Smitten Kitchen", I was totally enamored with her recipe for mushroom bourguignon. Since my wife and I are trying to eat less meat and more fruits and vegetables, I am always looking for great vegetarian ideas. This morning I ventured to our local farmers market and found some fresh wild porcini mushrooms and bought them not knowing how I was going to use them. When I was driving home I started thinking about cooking something Italian and I remembered Deb's mushroom dish. I thought mushroom stew, then I thought Italian and then cacciatore, the traditional Italian chicken stew came to mind. This is a great example of both inspiration and substitution. There are other versions out there but here is mine made with fresh porcini mushrooms.

Ingredients

 2 to 3 pound fresh porcini mushrooms about 5 large

 1 pound cremini mushrooms

 1 medium red onion

 3-4 Cloves of garlic sliced

 2 carrots

 2 stalks celery

 1 red pepper

 1 pint cherry tomatoes

 8 large roma tomatoes skinned

 2 Tbsp. tomato paste

 1 pinch red pepper flakes

 1 Tbsp. dried basil

  1 Tsp. porcini powder

 1 Tbsp. dried Italian seasoning

 1 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese plus some rind if you have it

 1 cup white wine

 1 cup vegetable broth

 splash of sherry or white balsamic vinegar

 fresh herbs - basil, thyme, rosemary, parsley and oregano (one or more)

 extra virgin olive oil

 salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

 In a large pot boil some water with some salt. Core the roma tomatoes and cut an "X" in the other end. Place in the boiling water for 30 seconds to loose the skin then remove to an ice water bath. Skin and coarsely chop and reserve until needed. Put the cherry tomatoes in a shallow baking dish, sprinkle with olive oil and kosher salt. Roast in 400 degree oven until darkened and let cool until needed.

Clean and prepare the veggies and coarsely chop. Heat a large skillet to medium high heat and add two Tbsp. olive oil. Chop the mushrooms into large bite-sized pieces and add to the pan. Season with salt and pepper and sauté until slightly softened, about 5 minutes then reserve until needed. Add more oil to the pan and add the onions and garlic, season and sauté for 3 minutes. Add the celery, carrots and peppers, re-season and sauté until they start to soften then deglaze with the wine. Cook for 5 minutes and reserve. Clean the pan, reheat and add some more oil then add the roasted cherry tomatoes. Add the tomato paste and sauté for a minute or two, then add the rest of the tomatoes and cook until they start to release some liquid. Add the dried herbs, then add in the reserved onion mixture. Stir to combine then add the mushroom and the fresh herbs. Top with the vegetable broth and bake in a 275 degree oven for at least an hour. Turn the heat down and let the flavors mingle while you prepare some pasta. When the pasta is ready, add a splash of sherry vinegar and grate some parmesan cheese over the top and serve over pasta. Let any leftovers cool and refrigerate. It tastes even better the second day.

Flavor boosters - I use a few tricks to boost the flavor, first roast the cherry tomatoes to add a sweet element. Second, I add tomato paste and let it brown a bit. Third, I always keep some porcini powder (ground dried porcini) around and save the parmesan rinds to add to any stew and last, a splash of sweet vinegar adds a brightness and extra sweetness.