Thanksgiving's Greatest Hits - Gravy

Gravy is an essential yet challenging part of the Thanksgiving meal. You need it to be hot, plentiful, and ready when the rest of the food is. Here's a gravy base I came up with after looking at a couple of ideas online; I made it on Wednesday, but you could make it even earlier. Just reheat it gently when the turkey is close to being done. The gravy turned out amazing, and it couldn't have been easier on Thanksgiving Day.

Make Ahead Gravy

3 lbs. turkey wings or chicken wings

turkey neck (if included with your turkey)

2 onions, peeled and quartered

6 T. butter

6 T. flour

salt and pepper (I didn't use salt because my turkey is brined and the drippings are salty; I added more salt shortly before serving)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange a single layer of turkey/chicken wings/neck in a large roasting pan. Scatter the onions over the top of the wings. Roast in the preheated oven for 1-1/4 hours or until wings are browned. Chicken wings will finish earlier than turkey.

2. Place browned wings and onions in a 5 quart stockpot. Add water to roasting pan and stir, scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Pour the the water from the pan into the stockpot. Stir in 8 (6 cups if you didn't roast the neck) cups of water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, lightly covered for 1-1/2 hours. Discard wings, neck, and onions.

3.In a medium saucepan, melt butter and whisk in flour.

4. Cook over medium-high heat until flour is incorporated and white bubbles begin to form on the top of the roux. Cook the roux for 2-3 minute after the white bubbles have formed, whisking constantly.

5. Gradually add the broth, whisking constantly until the gravy is thickened and comes to a boil.

6. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.

7. At this point, you can cool, cover and refrigerate the gravy base for as long as 4 days. Reheat in a medium-sized pan. When turkey is done, add gravy base to pan drippings and bring it to serving temperature. You may need to add broth or potato cooking water to thin the gravy. Check for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed.

Greek Feta Dip

Here's a quick dip I came up with that's very versatile. It's great on vegetables (especially cucumbers!), pita chips, or even grilled chicken. Add a little buttermilk or even regular milk and it's creamy feta salad dressing. You can also add roasted red pepper when you puree it for a different but very good flavor.

Greek Feta Dip

1 cup feta cheese, crumbled

1/2 cup sour cream or plain yogurt (Greek would work best)

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 t. salt, or to taste (your feta may be very salty or not)

1/4 t. pepper

1/2 t. oregano

1/2 t. dried basil

1 garlic clove, minced

Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Puree to combine. Tastes even better the next day!

Serve with vegetables, warm pita, or pita chips.

Peanut Sauce

Here's a great, classic Cooking Light recipe. It's actually from a recipe called Peanutty Noodles, but I make the sauce separately sometimes. You can use peanut sauce on lots of things, from spaghetti to Asian noodles to chicken satay. You can make a big batch and freeze it; just gently warm it and whisk thoroughly to combine.

Peanut Sauce

1 tablespoon vegetable oil, divided
2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger or 3/4 t. powdered ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons rice or white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce (such as Lee Kum Kee or Sriracha) add more if you like more heat
1/4 teaspoon salt

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the ginger and minced garlic; sauté 30 seconds. Add chicken broth and the next 5 ingredients (broth through salt); stir until well-blended. Reduce heat, and simmer 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, and keep warm.

Peanutty Noodles Variation

Peanut sauce
8 oz. linguine or spaghetti, cooked
1 1/2 cups grilled or roasted chicken, cut into chunks
Vegetables of your choosing: sliced red bell pepper, snow peas (lightly steamed), carrots (peeled into strips), steamed broccoli, etc.
Minced cilantro

Toss pasta, peanut sauce, chicken, and vegetables in a large bowl. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

Peanut Chicken Skewers Variation

Peanut sauce, divided in half
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Slice chicken lengthwise into 1-in. strips; thread onto skewers (if using bamboo skewers, soak them in water first for at least 20 minutes). Grill, uncovered, over medium-hot heat for 2 minutes (or broil); turn and brush with peanut butter sauce. Continue turning and basting for 4-6 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Serve with remaining sauce.

Pesto

I've mentioned before that I love Mark Bittman, author of How To Cook Everything and the Bitten blog on the NYT website. I use his recipe for pesto because I don't like how much garlic some other recipes I've tried have. Now, I love garlic, but for pesto I want it in the background so the basil can shine!

Pesto is great served over pasta (thin with a bit of pasta cooking water), spread on chicken, or mixed into mayonnaise and served on a sandwich. You can also freeze it - just leave out the cheese until you serve it. If you don't cover it with a thin layer of olive oil before freezing, it won't be as vibrantly green, but it will still taste great.

Next time I make it, I'll add a picture to the post. Oh, by the way - I've tried the butter variation mentioned at the end: wicked.

Pesto (Mark Bittman)

Makes about 1 cup

Time: 5 – 15 minutes

2 loosely packed cups fresh basil leaves, big stems discarded, rinsed and dried
Salt to taste
½ to 1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons pine nuts or walnuts, lightly toasted in a dry skillet
½ cup extra virgin olive oil, or more
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan or other hard cheese

(1) Combine the basil, salt, garlic, nuts and about half the oil in a food processor or blender (or mortar and pestle).

(2) Process, stopping to scrape down the sides of the container occasionally, and adding the rest of the oil gradually. Add additional oil if you prefer a thinner mixture. Store in the refrigerator for a week or two, or in the freezer for several months (omit next step/cheese if freezing – and drizzle top with oil to preserve). Stir in the parmesan by hand just before serving.

Pesto with butter: For really special pesto, stir in 2 tablespoons softened butter just before tossing with lean foods such as pasta.