Chef, writer, instructor, and founder of Intellibelly Annie Copps joins Jim Braude and Margery Eagan on BPR bearing holiday cooking tips and recipes for finger food, side dishes, and roast turkey
ROAST TURKEY
I have a lot to say about cooking turkeys, but I think the most important points are: they make terrible pets; they are not just for Thanksgiving; cook a smaller bird (easier, quicker, not as tough); let it rest after cooking before you slice it; and like former Governor Dukakis, save the bones for turkey stock.
1 12-pound turkey
about 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
about 3 teaspoons Kosher or sea salt
about 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 carrots, roughly peeled and roughly chopped (save peels for stock)
1 onion, roughly chopped (save skin and core for stock)
1 rib celery, well-washed and roughly chopped
Remove the turkey from the fridge about an hour before you are ready to roast it. Heat the oven to 450°F.
Remove the giblets from the cavity of the turkey. Reserve the neck for stock, discard the organs (or cook and give to your cat or dog). In a small bowl, combine the salt and pepper. Using paper towels, pat dry the turkey. Place the turkey in a roasting pan with roasting rack. Season the inside of the bird with salt and pepper, then place the vegetables inside the cavity. Do not worry about trussing, leave the legs splayed open, but tuck the wings under. Carefully loosen the skin of the breast from the flesh and smear half of the butter under skin. Smear the remaining butter on the outside skin of the breast. Generously season the turkey with salt and pepper. Place in the oven and roast 30-40 minutes. Lower the temperature to 325°F and roast about 2 to 2 ½ hours, or until the meat registers 150-155°F (it will continue to “cook” once it is out of the oven) on a meat thermometer and the juices run clear. Let the roast rest 45 minutes before carving. Remove the vegetables and place the turkey on a platter (or carve the turkey and place the sliced meat on a platter).
KABBOULEH
This is a riff on the popular parsley and bulghar salad of the Middle East. It has a great crunch to it that comes from frying brown rice—if you don’t want to fry the rice or use a different grain, go for it, it is still a delicious take-to-work-in-tupperware salad.
1 cup short-grain brown rice
Vegetable oil (for frying—about 2 cups)
10-12 ounces baby kale (baby spinach or arugula)
florets from one head of cauliflower
¼ cup raisins (or other dried fruit)
¼ cup feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 small English hothouse cucumber, finely chopped
4 scallions, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons Aleppo pepper or 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon za’atar spice mix, optional
2 tablespoons apple cider (or champagne, white balsamic) vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
In a large saucepan of boiling salted water, cook rice until tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Drain in a fine-mesh sieve and leave in the strainer over the pot for 10 to 15 minutes, then spread the rice out on a rimmed baking sheet and let it dry overnight on the countertop.
Fit a small saucepan with a deep-fry or candy thermometer and pour in vegetable oil to measure 2 inches and heat the oil over medium-high heat until the thermometer registers 350° F. If you don’t have a thermometer, test a few grains of rice in the oil—it should bubble up quickly. Working in batches, cook the rice until lightly golden brown and puffed, about 1 minute. Using a fine-mesh sieve, transfer puffed rice to paper towels to drain, season with salt, and let cool.
Working in batches, pulse the kale and cauliflower in the food processor until finely chopped (be careful not to turn it into a purée), then transfer to a large bowl. Add the puffed rice, raisins, feta, cucumber, scallion, olive oil, pepper, and za’atar, if using. Toss to combine and season with salt, black pepper, and more vinegar, if desired.
Note: Rice can be fried 5 days ahead, cooled and stored airtight at room temperature.
EYE OF ROUND TOAST
1 4-pound eye round roast (rump roast or prime rib)
Kosher or sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
extra virgin olive oil
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
Heat oven to 350°F
An hour before cooking, remove the roast from the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature. Pat the roast dry. Then rub it with olive oil and liberally season it with salt and pepper.
In a large, heavy-bottomed, ovenproof pan, over high heat, brown the roast on all sides. Remove the roast to a plate. Place the rosemary sprigs on the bottom on the pan and place the roast on top. Pop in the oven and cook until the meat is medium-rare (an internal temperature of 125-130°F), about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Keep in mind that the roast will continue to cook while resting.
Remove the roast from the oven and put it on a cutting board to rest, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Slice the roast to the desired thickness and serve.
PARSNIP AND POTATO MASH
The ratio is more or less 3:1 – so double, triple, quadruple as needed.
3 peeled and roughly chopped large parsnips (or turnips, rutabaga, kohrabi, celery root)
1 peeled and roughly chopped potato (baking potatoes work best, but most do just fine)
about 3 cups whole (or 2%) milk
Kosher or sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Place the potatoes and turnips in a sauce pan and cover with milk by 2 inches—make sure the pan is 4 or 5 inches deep, as the milk tends to boil over. Bring the milk to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until the vegetables are easily pierced with a fork; about 40 minutes. Mash, then season to taste with salt and pepper.
If you have any leftover, make into patties and pan fry for breakfast--put a fried egg on top and your status in your home will be significantly elevated.
CHEESY SHORTBREAD
I think I said on air that it this is equal parts grated cheese, flour, and butter—but in fact it’s 2:2:1. Use whatever semi-soft or hard cheese (parmesan, cheddar, gruyere) you have in your fridge. Be sure to finely grate the cheese, so these cookie/crackers are easier to slice. If you like, add a pinch of cayenne, or finely chopped fresh or dried herbs (sage, thyme, rosemary) or finely ground black pepper
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
In a food processor, combine ingredients, and pulse until dough comes together. Turn dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap, and form it into a log 1 1/2 inches in diameter (if you want to slice them into rounds) or a ball, then flatten the ball into a disk (if you want to cut into shapes). Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 2 hours or until firm (or up to 3 days—or freeze up to 3 months).
Heat oven to 325 degrees. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or a silpat. Cut log into 1/4-inch-thick crackers, and place them an inch apart on sheets Make prick marks with a fork if you like.
If making shapes, gather you favorite cookie cutters (use cutters no more than 2 inches in width). Lightly flour a work surface, then roll the dough out to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes and place the baking sheet.
Bake until firm, about 12 to 13 minutes. Remove baking sheets from oven, and raise temperature to 500 degrees. When temperature comes up to correct heat, return baking sheets to oven, and bake for 3 minutes more, or until crackers are deeply golden brown all over. Let cool on a wire rack.
