Portland Foodie

Gluten Free Cornbread Stuffing Recipe

Recently, I made the move to gluten free eating. I was worried that when I did so, I would be giving up all of the things I loved...bread, bread and more bread. And while it is true that I don't have a good substitute for bread yet, I have successfully changed most of my cooking to the point that it is almost impossible for anyone to tell the difference. 

On Thanksgiving, I decided I would try and make my first gluten free cornbread stuffing. It turned out to be absolutely fantastic...as well as really easy. Give it a try yourself and see if I've made you a believer. :)

Gluten Free Cornbread Stuffing

Cornbread

*Note: this is a different preparation than the directions on the package. 

1 package Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Cornbread

1 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 3/4 cup milk

1/3 cup oil

2 eggs

Preheat oven to 375. Grease a 9 x 13 pan and set aside. In a large bowl, combine eggs, oil, milk, salt, baking soda and baking powder and whisk together. Add cornbread mix and stir until well combined. Pour into pan and bake for 30 minutes or until the top is nicely browned. Remove from oven and set aside until cool. 

Preparing Stuffing

1 1/2 (or 3/4 cup) of butter

2 Tbs olive oil

1 white onion, diced

4 celery ribs (leaves on), chopped

6 shiitake mushrooms, chopped

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 Tbs dried oregano

1 tsp dried thyme

2 tsp dried sage

2 tsp fennel seeds

2 tsp fresh rosemary or 1 tsp dried rosemary

2 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp celery salt

3 eggs

2-3 cups stock

Cornbread from previous recipe

In a large saute pan, melt butter and olive oil together over low medium heat. Add onion, celery, mushrooms, and garlic. Cook the vegetables slowly, avoid browning. After 5 minutes, add oregano, thyme, sage, fennel, rosemary, salt, pepper and celery salt. Cook for another 5-10 minutes or until celery is softened. Remove from heat and let cool. 

Preheat oven to 375. Grease a 9 x 13 pan and set aside. In a very large bowl, crumble the cornbread from the previous recipe. In a separate bowl, break three eggs and whisk together. Once vegetable mixture has cooled, add to bowl, stir a bit, then add eggs and 2 cups of stock. Stir together. Moisture level should be similar to oatmeal, but not runny. Add additional liquid as needed. Pour into pan and spread evenly. Place in the oven and bake for 30-45 minutes or until the top is lightly browned. 

And that's it! A very easy Thanksgiving stuffing recipe. If you try it, let me know what you think.

 

Brined Turkey Breast with Rhubarb Orange Compote

It has been ages since I've posted to Portland Foodie. Partially due to technical difficulties with my domain provider and partially because all of my foodie efforts went into the writing of my book, Grocery Gardening. I've been feeling a bit guilty over the neglect of my site, and thought this would be the perfect time to bring it back to life! After all, Thanksgiving is foodie Nirvana...

To celebrate the re-invigoration of said blog, I am sharing a yummy turkey breast brining method and rhubarb orange compote recipe. Hope you enjoy it!

Brined Turkey Breast with Rhubarb Orange Compote

Brining and Roasting Turkey

2 turkey breasts  

½ gallon of water

¼ cup kosher salt

2 oranges, zest and juice

1 bunch of fresh sage leaves

6 bay leaves

handful of whole, cracked peppercorns

4 cloves of garlic, smashed

In a large container, add cool water and salt. Stir until salt is dissolved. Add orange zest and juice, sage leaves, bay leaves, peppercorns and garlic. Immerse turkey breasts, cover and refrigerate for 6-8 hours. Preheat oven to 400°. Remove turkey from brine and pat dry. Place on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Roast until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part reaches 165°. The amount of time varies significantly dependent upon the weight of the turkey breast. Using a thermometer is the safest way to gauge the doneness of the meat.

Rhubarb Orange Compote

2 cups rhubarb, chopped

1 orange, zest and juice

1 tsp dried sage

1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp grated ginger

pinch of salt

Add contents to a saucepan, cook until rhubarb falls apart and flavors meld. Pour over roasted turkey and serve.

Photo by mccun934

The Best Gravy Recipe

Yesterday, I accidentally created the best gravy recipe on the face of the earth. So before I forget how I did it, I am writing it up in the hopes that you will try it, too and enjoy it as much as I did! This is a turkey and mushroom gravy and is made in a way that is similar to traditional Thanksgiving gravies. The thickener here is not a rue, but a stock and flour mix. And yes, the mushrooms are a critical component here...if you don't like mushrooms, then this is not the gravy for you.

Here's how it all came down:

I had a just roasted turkey, so I drained the pain into a gravy separator, then deglazed the pan with about a half cup of dry white wine and set aside. 

In a large sauce pan, I sauteed fresh, chopped chanterelle mushrooms in olive oil and 3 tablespoons of butter, over medium high heat. I cooked until they started to caramelize, then removed them from the pan and set aside. I deglazed the pan with the separated drippings, scraping up every bit of deliciousness, then added the white wine mixture from the turkey pan.

Next, I added the following:

3 cups of chicken stock

1/2 (or so) cup of dry white wine

2 tablespoons of Italian seasoning (bay, oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary)

1 teaspoon of poultry seasoning (celery salt, sage, marjoram)

2 cloves of roasted garlic

cracked black pepper

I let this simmer together while I made the thickening mixture. I would suggest not adding salt at this point since the stock and poultry seasoning both have it. If needed, adjust for flavor at the end of cooking.

In a container with a lid, add 1/4 cup of flour and 1/2 cup of stock. Give it a good shake until well combined and pour about half of the mixture in the pan while whisking. Bring the mixture to a simmer and let thicken. If needed, add additional thickener...but be aware that too much of a good thing isn't so good anymore (at least in this case). Let it cook for a good 5-10 minutes on a low setting to ensure that the flour has a chance to cook...I mean, who wants to get a mouthful of raw flour? Stir in the mushrooms and you are ready to serve!

Reflecting back, I think there is one additional ingredient that I would add. Next time, I will caramelize a couple of leeks and add to the mix. Though any member of the onion family could be used, leeks have a spectacular flavor that would be a great component for this gravy.

Thanksgiving: Foodie Holiday or Foodie Hell?

Listen, I love Thanksgiving...and for all of the right foodie reasons. A beautiful turkey, magnificent side dishes, delectable pies...but I just can't bring myself to make it this year.

I didn't say I wasn't going to eat it this year, just not make it. And, even though I have placed my order at a local restaurant for a family sized dinner to go, it is still hard for me to believe I am abdicating my traditional role in the kitchen. I mean, I love to cook...love the creative process of it, love the smells, the textures, the smiles when it turns out right.

As a discriminating (but not too snooty) foodie, I will only eat places that are worth the calories. Special occasions almost always call for a gustatory celebration, and I have a host of places to go that have outstanding food. Side note: We are so lucky that in Portland we have some of the best restaurants in the US...not that I am biased.

I always loved our Thanksgiving meals when I was growing up...the stuffing was my favorite. But there was always a let down after the meal...sort of a "who's going to clean this all up?" paired with a "well, now what?". Inevitably, the men would watch football the women and kids would clean up. The whole day consisted of napping, football, eating and cleaning up...

But having a family of my own this year made me think about those times differently. What I remembered this year, was my grandmother starting the cooking a couple of days in advance, spending a lot of time by herself in the kitchen, sweating and cussing the morning of, mad that the kitchen didn't have enough room, another oven, counter space, etc...I thought about the brief time I saw her at the table, the first time she had been seated all day...only to get up and attack the dishes afterward. And I thought, "No".

Plain and simple, I just thought "No." I am not spending days, hours, blood, sweat and tears to make this one meal. This one meal is supposed to remind me of what I am most thankful for...and I am most thankful for my family...so why would I spend all day away from them? Right.

Instead, I will drive over on Wednesday and pick up our dinner. I expect it will be pretty darn good. Then, after we eat on Thanksgiving, the four of us are going out to a movie...and who knows what other trouble we will get in to...

There will always be another day to explore my foodie creativity.