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Yule birds
I've had an interest in the unfortunately named turducken since reading about it some time in the early 80s. I have the recipe from then too, tucked away in some cookbook. (In those carnivorous days there was no talk of the even more unfortunately named vegetarian version, the tofucken-- unless someone is pulling wikipedia's leg about that last one.)
I never thought I'd get to eat one; the work of deboning three birds (or four, or five) is not for me. But then my once mainstream-but-honest Italian super, which is now Yuppie Central, got in frozen versions stuffed with sausage meat in various combinations-- for a mere $120. Which is, yanno, *doable*, except that I never met a frozen bird that cooked properly without brining, and brining a stuffed turducken seems a recipe for disaster.
Yuppies step up to the plate. The super now has its own unfrozen turducken, a tremendous beast that wouldn't fit into, oh say, next door's convection oven. (Next door has had to borrow my oven when their birds get too big.) Unfrozen turducken goes for a mere $300.
Not gonna happen.
I never thought I'd get to eat one; the work of deboning three birds (or four, or five) is not for me. But then my once mainstream-but-honest Italian super, which is now Yuppie Central, got in frozen versions stuffed with sausage meat in various combinations-- for a mere $120. Which is, yanno, *doable*, except that I never met a frozen bird that cooked properly without brining, and brining a stuffed turducken seems a recipe for disaster.
Yuppies step up to the plate. The super now has its own unfrozen turducken, a tremendous beast that wouldn't fit into, oh say, next door's convection oven. (Next door has had to borrow my oven when their birds get too big.) Unfrozen turducken goes for a mere $300.
Not gonna happen.
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Brit-descended dietcarnivore, like turducken and Americen-portion steaks.no subject
So we're semi veggies. Well at home I don't cook meat. But the children eat chicken and other meats when offered or out for a meal. But they choose to eat fish mostly. So we can at least pretend that we're healthy eaters - for some of the time.
And we're not typical really. But I think most people don't mind catering to guests with fish on their menu. Plus I've found that with a meat free diet, the washing up is easier to get done, with less detergent. I suppose it's less greasy and stuff like that. ^_^
It's been a good day. I tried making risotto for the first time today, with baked fish, and oven roasted veggies (leeks, caorrots and parsnips) and gently boiled brussels. I think I might try risotto more often. It really is a great dish. And so easy to dress up. I threw in asparagus and, spring onions towards the end of cooking and as I took the pan off the heat I stirred in kale and spinach leaves put the cover on and hey presto ... yummy dish. The leaves just cooked without wilting too much as I set the table and saw to the other things. Apparently one recipe I pulled off the internet says I can make risotto cakes with leftover. Sadly I will have to try that another time because everything went! I love it when my food gets eaten.
But $300! That is more than steep. Even if you are feeding an army. OOh and seeing the alternatives ...tilapia and salmon appeal to me more definitely.
And uhhh I ramble on far too much about our Christmas dinner ... which was washed down with a Merlot(Italian), a Cabernet Sauvignon(Australian) and Gewurztraminer (for me) it IS Christmas after all!
I hope your day is a lovely day. *HUGS* It's been busy but good. A lovely family day.
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I always heard risotto was labour intensive-- a lot of standing and stirring while the rice absorbed the liquid. I make-- well, not risotto, but 'rice in everything'-- chicken soup, carrot/ yam/ ginger soup, broccoli-tofu stirfry, you name it. Soft overboiled rice makes every dish better and more digestible.
I shall endeavour not to emulate your liquid dinner at my brother's tonight but it will be hard, with five people bringing wine and my s-i-l's wine cellar thrown in. Happy and headache-free Boxing Day, love.
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