Tidbits From Last Year

We have so much to catch up on, including some loose ends from last year.

First of all, about that new turkey carving method from Bobby Flay - which I told you about way back when - it worked divinely and it just goes to show that you really can learn new things after decades of thinking you knew it all. 

On the Food Network’s Thanksgiving Live special (where Giada sliced her finger instead of a turkey roll), Bobby suggested carving the legs and thighs off the turkey when the breast was cooked and putting them back in the oven for another hour.

It was a GREAT idea! The only problem was that removing the legs before they were cooked was a bit of a hack job…as in you had to HACK at them to get them free. But once that was done, it was easy to put them back in the oven and not worry about them. 

Turkey Breast - Done!

Carving off the legs

It wasn't easy, but I got them off!

I added Lady Apples to cook for the last hour (or two).

I may have been a bit TOO relaxed, though. I actually forgot about them and they MAY have been in the oven closer to two hours than one. But they were fine! By the way, when the turkey first came out, I did my usual and turned the (legless) turkey breast upside down and covered it with foil to rest. It was nice not having to worry about overcooking the breast.

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It’s only January, so I hope I’m still allowed to talk about Christmas. I was thinking of something fishy for dinner and I saw this wonderful Rozanne Gold recipe for Cod with Macadamia Butter & Radicchio. I switched it up a bit and skipped the radicchio and served it with kale and smashed potatoes.

Roasted Cod with Macadamia Nut Butter

It was perfect for a day when you want something festive, but you don’t want to be in the kitchen for hours.  

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And I made another cod dish recently, which is also super easy and delicious.  

Sundried Tomato Coated Cod with Green Beans, Chorizo and Shallots (serves 4)

Printable recipe here.

The cod BEFORE it was cooked.

The cod AFTER it was cooked. Funny, it looks the same.

Coating for fish: 
1 garlic clove, peeled with center stalk removed

small handful of fresh parsley

4 sundried tomatoes

1 tbl. oil from sundried tomatoes

¼ tsp. salt

freshly ground pepper

1 cup panko

Green Beans: 

1 lb. green beans, topped and tailed

3 oz chorizo, halved lengthwise and sliced

2 shallots, sliced thinly

2 tbls. olive oil

salt and freshly ground pepper

Fish:
1¾ lb. piece of cod fillet

Preheat oven to 450° F.

For coating, press garlic through a garlic press into the bowl of food processor. Add parsley. Process until finely chopped. Add sundried tomatoes, salt and pepper and pulse on and off until uniformly chopped and fairly fine. Add panko to food processor.  Pulse on and off just until mixed.

Meanwhile, blanch green beans in boiling water for 1 minute. Plunge into ice water to stop the cooking. Drain and pat them dry.

Spray baking dish large enough to hold the fish with nonstick spray. Place fish in dish and coat the top with panko mixture. Roast for 8 minutes in preheated oven.

Heat chorizo and shallots in olive oil over medium heat until the pan sizzles. Turn down heat to low and cook until shallots are softened. Add green beans and sauté over medium heat until hot, about 3 or 4 minutes. Season to taste. 

Cut the fish into 4 portions. Place one piece on each plate and serve with the green beans. Potatoes (in any form) are good too.