@matthewjennings

Negroni Jello Shots….#yourewelcome

Hot enough for Negroni jello shots today. Made these a couple months back for a bachelor party. They were a win.

Ingredients
1/2 Cup Water
1/4 Cup grenadine
1/4 Cup OJ
4 Teaspoons Agar Agar
1/3 Cup Campari
1/3 Cup Gin
1/3 Cup Sweet Vermouth

Instructions
Pour water, grenadine & o.j. into a small saucepan and then stir in the agar.

Heat mixture over medium high heat just until it comes to a boil, then remove from heat. Add the Campari, gin and sweet vermouth to the agar mix and stir to combine.

Pour into molds or 8″x8″ square pan.
Place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 4 hours.

Remove from molds or cut into shapes.

Top with orange zest.
Serve immediately.
Quick notes
To make these stiffer, increase to 5 teaspoons agar.

To make them more able to stand at room temperature, use 2 packets unflavored gelatin instead of the agar agar.

Thanksgiving. The Morning After.

Now that food’s biggest holiday is over, and we sit in a tryptophan coma in front of A Very Gaga Thanksgiving on the flat-screen (save us all), has anyone even thought about what to do with all those leftovers? Let me take the guess work out of it for you, with these simple, delicious recipes for doubling your return on Turkey Day.

Turkey Breast Meat:

Thanksgiving Turkey Milssam

So, I’m obsessed (again) with Korean food right now. I tend to go on tangents with ethnic food. One week it is Thai flavors at home- red curry, lemongrass, dried chili. The next week it is my Indian pantry items I’m stoked on and whipping out- rai, cumin seed, daal. These past few weeks, I’ve been on a Korean tear.

One of my favorite Korean dishes, introduced to me by, ironically enough, an old Irish friend, is Milssam. The word “ssam” literally refers to meat and finely cut vegetables that are wrapped in some sort of flavor vehicle- typically a leaf like lettuce or cabbage. Milssam however, utilizes the French influence found in parts of Korean cuisine, and features crepes as the focus, creating a fun experience that is soft, crunchy and delicious. 

Imagine the best, lacy and light crepes you can, smeared with spicy chili paste mayonnaise and stuffed with pickled vegetables and big chunks of your still moist, left over turkey breast. Well, that’s basically what we’ve got here. Perfect for a quick snack or even an appetizer for your visiting family from Deluth. The best part? They’ll never know you’re serving them leftovers.

I like to use a whole wheat crepe batter for these bad boys, as it adds just enough nuttiness and rounds out the flavors perfectly.

Ingredients: (serves four)

For the turkey:

1 cup of leftover turkey breast, cut into 2” julienned ‘matchsticks’

3 Tbsp mirin (Japanese cooking wine)

1 tsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp sesame oil

For the pickle:

3 Tbsp rice wine vinegar

3 Tbsp cold water

2 Tbsp sugar

(Whatever spices you desire- while there are no strict rules here, I like a combination of fresh herbs and garlic, dry coriander seeds, bay leaf, peppercorns, dry mustard, fennel and cumin seeds- these are all fair game. I add whole Thai chiles, and a cinnamon stick for extra kick, but feel free to customize your own combo.)

1/2 green bell pepper, thinly sliced into 2” matchsticks

1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced into 2” matchsticks

1/2 cup red cabbage, thinly sliced into 2” matchsticks

For the crepes:

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup water

1/2 tsp kosher salt

For the dipping sauce:

2 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp sugar

1/2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar

1 tsp Japanese hot mustard, or Farmstead’s ‘Baboo’s Mustard’ is a great substitution.

Procedure:

Marinate turkey pieces in soy sauce, sesame oil, and mirin for at least 30 minutes.

While the turkey is marinating, ‘quick pickle’ your vegetables, by combining the above mentioned pickling liquids (rice vinegar & water) as well as the sugar and your desired spice mix. Bring this mix to a simmer in order to melt the sugar and blend the pickling liquid. While still hot but not steaming, pour over your vegetables. Set aside. These are best done the day before and then refrigerated, but can be done the same day.

Next, in a non-reactive bowl, mix flour, water, and salt together to make the pancake batter. Heat a saute pan over medium heat and coat with olive oil. Using a tablespoon or small ladle, drop a full spoonful of pancake batter onto pan, smoothing to a 3-4” diameter. The pancakes should be about the thickness of crepes (thinner than American pancakes). They cook quickly, so flip when the top starts to dry.Remove quickly before they brown, less than a minute is needed on the other side.

Finish all the batter, trying to make pancakes all the same size. Lay them out on paper towels and set aside. Now, quickly saute turkey strips ensuring they are fully cooked. Set aside. 

Laslty, drain the remaining pickling liquid from your vegetables. Spread some of the spicy mustard dipping sauce on your crepe and place a small amount of the turkey and each vegetable in the center of each pancake and roll tight. They can be served warm or at room temperature.

Turkey Leg Meat:

I’m a leg man. The meat on turkey legs tends to be much more moist and flavorful. These are rarely left over at my house, but if you realize no one has touched these prized appendages, get cooking!

Matt’s Morning After Thanksgiving Hash

Spending some time growing up in the South End of Boston, I was fortunate enough to enjoy a few epic morning feasts at Charlie’s Sandwich Shop- an institution in Boston, and the home of Charlie’s Famous Turkey Hash. This recipe is my homage to Charlies, and more specifically, Arthur, the owner and Chef, who is a close family friend.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds medium Yukon Gold potatoes
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 Cubanelle peppers (Italian green frying peppers), finely chopped
1 cup shredded turkey leg meat

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp finely minced garlic

2 each, finely sliced shallots

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Procedure:

Generously cover potatoes with cold water, then simmer, partially covered, until just tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Drain. Cool slightly, then peel and coarsely grate with a box grater.

While potatoes cool, melt the butter in a 12-inch nonstick, or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and cook onion and peppers, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes.

Add potatoes, turkey, 3/4 teaspoon salt, pepper, spices, garlic and shallots and cook, turning occasionally, until browned in spots, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer hash to plates.

Plop a couple of gently poached eggs on top and you’ve got breakfast!

Butternut Squash:

This is always one of my favorite dishes at Thanksgiving. Butternut squash is sweet, velvety and a true comfort food. In my house, we whip the cooked squash with some sour cream and splash of whole milk, finished simply with a drizzle of maple syrup and a touch of dried pepper flakes.

Now, what to do with the leftover whipped squash? Have no fear, my fine feathered friends. This butternut squash crumb cake is sure to get the troops motivated and off to a great start on their morning after. Serve them with a steaming cup of joe and smother them with a dollop of cream cheese or jam.

Butternut Squash Crumb Cake

Ingredients:

For the muffins:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 to 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 cup whole milk

 1 cup pureed cooked Butternut or other winter squash

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

2 eggs, lightly beaten

For the crumb topping:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup light-brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 sticks chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Procedure:

First, make your crumb topping: In a bowl, mix 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup light-brown sugar, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and cinnamon.

Cut 1 1/2 sticks chilled unsalted butter into pieces. With your hands, work in butter pieces, until large clumps form. Set aside.

Now, make your muffins. In a large bowl, combine first six ingredients; mix well. In a separate bowl, combine milk, squash, butter and eggs; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened- don’t over mix! Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups about two-thirds full. Top with the crumb mixture and bake at 350° for 20-22 minutes

Yield: about 1-1/2 dozen. 

Hope you had a great Thanksgiving. Now keep eating. :-)