TURKEY TETRAZZINI (OR MUSHROOM TETRAZZINI)

½-¾ pound spaghetti, broken in half 

sea salt 

white pepper 

4 tablespoons unsalted butter 

1 clove garlic, minced 

½ onion or shallot, finely chopped 

 ½ - 1 cup sliced mushrooms, 

optional 1 rib celery, small cubes 

2 tablespoons flour 

1-½ cup turkey, chicken or veg broth 

⅓ cup dry sherry 

⅓ cup heavy cream 

nutmeg 

3-5 cups cubed turkey 

¼ cup frozen peas, optional 

2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley  

1 cup panko ½ cup parmesan or pecorino romano 

2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 

sweet paprika 

Heat the oven to 350°F Prepare an 8 x 8 inch pan smeared with butter. 

Cook spaghetti in salted boiling water until al dente. Remove and drain. 

Melt 2 tablespoons butter then sauté garlic, onion , celery, and mushrooms. Cook about 5 minutes, stir occasionally. 

 Make the Velouté sauce: Melt 2 tablespoons butter, add 2 tablespoons flour, stir to make a tan roux. Add 1 cup broth, sherry, and the heavy cream. Simmer until thickened. Add salt and white pepper. Nutmeg. Add turkey, mushroom and celery mixture, peas, oregano, and parsley. Taste for salt and pepper. If too thick add more liquid. You need 2-½ cups of sauce.  

 Turn the spaghetti into the prepared pan and top with the sauce, mix lightly. The spaghetti will soak up the sauce. If you like it really creamy you could even double the sauce so that the spaghetti seems to be swimming in it. 

 Mix the panko with parmesan and oil. Sprinkle on top. Tap down gently. 

 Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes until bubbly and slightly brown on top. Cool 10 

 Cut portions with a knife, especially if the spaghetti is long. 

 You can freeze this recipe before baking. 

To make it vegetarian use more mushrooms and use a mushroom broth and eliminate the turkey.

RED BELL PEPPER KETCHUP

 

RED BELL PEPPER KETCHUP

© Phyllis Segura 2021

8 red bell peppers, roasted

½ cup apple cider vinegar

½ teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon garlic powder or dust

½ cup brown sugar, plus

2 tablespoons Tamarind concentrate

½ teaspoon ground cloves

½ teaspoon ground allspice

1 teaspoon sweet or smoked paprika

1 tablespoon honey

1/3 cup cane sugar

black pepper

salt

cayenne pepper, optional

small handful of dark raisins, optional

Makes 1-1/2 cups

• Start with the red peppers. Broil them to blacken and blister. Cover a large sheet pan with aluminum foil and broil, turning frequently with tongs, to blacken and roast all sides. When the peppers are blackened all around place them in a large bowl and cover it with a cloth. Leave to cool. When cool, take out the seeds and take off the skins. Don’t do it under running water because you will lose all the nice oils. You do have to run some water on some of the persistent seeds, and for your hands. You do this peeling and seeding with your hands.

• Put all the cleaned peppers into a bowl and add the rest of the ingredients up to the honey. Tomatoes have a lot of sugars, but bell peppers don't, so I added more brown sugar as I tasted. Once you have that done take out your blender.

• Put the concoction into the blender in batches and pour the cold puree into a pot. Heat the puree slowly. If it starts to bubble and spit, lower the heat. Stir now and then. Once it gets hot and the spices start to meld together, start tasting it. I added a small handful of raisins at the end to cook in. They melted nicely. You will probably want to add more sweetness so at that point add the honey and some cane sugar. You’re trying to approximate the aftertaste of ketchup here. Probably if you follow the measurements here you will be alright, but everyone has different taste…so little by little adjust the brew to yours. Cook until it thickens to your satisfaction.

•

        Taste and see if it has the right ratio of sweet to sour – agrodolce. Remember that once the finished product sits for a day or so in the refrigerator the flavors will meld and taste slightly differently than what it is now. I added some cayenne a few times and once at the end. Probably just the slightest amount works best. Pour the hot ketchup into a pourable container. I used a Pyrex 4 cup measuring cup and it worked well.

• Pour the ketchup back into the blender for a final spin and mix.

• Find some nice jars and boil them with their caps to sanitize. Leave in the hot water for a    few minutes. Or use whatever technique you know. Using a funnel, fill the jars.

• Cover the jars and let the ketchup cool before storing in the refrigerator. It’s always a good idea to label and date the final product. There are too many times I take an unlabeled jar            out of the fridge and ponder what it is. I don’t always figure it out. 

• It’s all guesswork. I’m wondering if it will come out the same the next time. Since this isn’t a commercial venture, it doesn’t really matter all that much because it would get close.

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THANKSGIVING SUGGESTIONS

Hor D'oeuvres:

Stuffed Mushrooms *

Spiced Walnuts *

Crudites and Dip

Radish, peppers, carrot, broccoli, cauliflower, cucumber,

Cherry tomatoes, celery, asparagus

Dip: Walnut Garlic Potato

Red pepper

Artichoke Garlic

Smoked Salmon Horseradish

Onion Spinach

Shrimp or Scallops with Bacon *

Shrimp on Bread Rounds with Curried Mayo

Coconut Shrimp

Crabcakes with Remoulade Sauce

Pissaladiere (onion, anchovy, tomato on puff pastry)

Prosciutto with fig, salad or fruit or mozzarella

Fried Oysters with Remoulade Sauce

Crostini: Liver Pate

Mushroom Pate

Caponata

Seafood

Artichoke

Black Olive Tapenade

Roast Goat Cheese w/honey walnut

Corn cakes with sour cream and lox *

Smoked Salmon with horseradish and dill on dark bread *

Buckwheat Blini with crème fraiche and caviar

Soups:

Pumpkin/Squash (served in a pumpkin if available) *

Roasted Root Vegetable

Corn Chowder *

Mushroom and Leek

Oyster and Ginger

Corn and Lobster Chowder

 

Salads:

Mixed Greens with Raspberry Vinaigrette

Fennel, Radicchio, Parmigiano with Pear Vinaigrette

Beet and Fennel

Waldorf

Pear, Endive and Gorgonzola

Main Dishes:

                Roasted Turkey or other fowl 

                ( Capon, Goose, Pheasant, Quail, Moscovy Duck, 

                Cornish Game Hens, Squab, Guinea Hen, Poussin)

                Rubbed with Sage and Parsley Butter or Butter and Fresh Truffles

                Giblet Gravy

Stuffing:

Sausage and Sage *

Sausage and Chestnut

Sausage and Apple

Chestnut

Sage and Chestnut *

Cornbread and Oyster

Giblet and Mushroom

Walnuts and Currants

Wild Rice and Hazelnuts *

Wild Rice and Dried Cherry

Vegetables:

Mashed Potatoes

In Skins - Twice Baked *

Plain Mashed

Garlic Mashed

Sweet Squash Pudding

Sweet Potatoes

Maple Whipped *

Roasted with Ginger and Maple Syrup

Candied with (marshmallows)

Celery Root  and Potato Puree

Diced Roasted Vegetables with herbs

Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Chestnuts *

Corn Pudding with Roasted Garlic *

Succotash

Broccoli with Roasted Garlic Oil

Steamed Rutabaga with Butter

Green Beans with Almonds

Peas and Pearl Onions

Baked Rosemary Onions au Gratin

Turnip Puree with orange and nutmeg

Root Vegetable Puree (potato, parsnip, celery root, carrot) *

Braised Fennel with Parmigiano

Wild Rice Cakes

Red Cabbage with Blueberries

Other: Turnips, Rutabaga, Jerusalem Artichokes, Acorn Squash, Butternut Squash,

Beets, Carrots, Fennel, Endive, Corn, Brussels Sprouts

Cranberry Sauce:

Sweet Traditional

With Orange Zest and Ginger

With Grand Marnier

With Pineapple

                        With Red Wine

Etc.

Gelatin Mold

Breads:

Sweet Loaves::

Maple-Pecan Cornbread

Pumpkin Chutney

Cranberry Walnut

Tropical Banana

Mocha Pecan

Iron Skillet Cornbread

Carrot Walnut

Savory Loaves:

Parmigiano Herb

Dill and Cheese

Popovers

Sorbets:

Pear Lime

Pear Ginger

Lemon Apple

Persimmon

Pomegranate

Desserts:

Apple or other seasonal fruit Crisp

Apple Pie with Cheese Crust or Standard *

Apple or Pear Cake with Chocolate Disc

Pumpkin Pie *

Chocolate Cake

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Southern Sweet Potato Pie

Whipped Cream

BIRTHDAY DINNER FOR TWO

 

                                         I loved my birthday celebration. I enjoyed your cooking so much!

Vegan/Carnivore Birthday Menu for Two 

LE GRAND AIOLI BACHELORETTE PARTY

AUGUST 2021

LE GRAND AIOLI

MENU

Caprese Skewers with Balsamic Glaze Drizzle

LE GRAND AIOLI

Vast array of assorted fresh & poached vegetables

Cod, Shrimp, Chicken

Garlic Aioli

Sundried Tomato Aioli

Basil Aioli

Berry Compote 

Vanilla Ice cream

Banana Whipped Cream

Fruit Sauce

Savoiardi

 

IDENTIFY THIS PHOTO

 Whomever wants to hire me to cook for them and knows who is in the photograph will get a free dessert.

A Dinner Menu for some Girls with a Limited Palate

 

Pizzettes
Puff Pastry, Parmigiano, fresh Tomato,

Mozzarella, fresh Basil, Oregano,

Extra-virgin Olive oil

Salad

Butter lettuce, Radicchio, Cucumber, Parsley, 
Magnolia petals, Ricotta Salata
Lemon-Oregano Vinaigrette

Broasted Chicken

 in Soy-Ginger-Garlic-Star Anise Marinade

with Scallion and Roasted Sesame Oil

Sauteed Broccoli

with Roasted Garlic, Caramelized Shallots,

Roasted Red Peppers, Extra-virgin Olive oil

Oven-steamed Garnet Sweet Potatoes

with Honey-Mustard drizzle, Maple Cashews,

and Black Sesame Seeds

2-layered Flourless Chocolate Cake

with Chocolate Ganache, Chantilly Cream,

Rose Meringues

Cutting the Cake

WILD BOAR PILAF

 Have you ever had Wild Boar? This is a wild boar pilaf made for a client recently.

STEAMED CODFISH WITH OLIVE PUREE

 

Cod is on sale now. Here is a good recipe to make with it. I'll try to find a clearer copy. Having technical difficulties...not with cooking but with computer.

DINNER FOR TWO - PANDEMIC DINING WITH A FRIEND

 Recently a friend and I got together for a dinner, prepared by me. Here is the menu:

Scallops Gratinée

Roasted Quail wrapped in Prosciutto and Grape Leaves

    with  Port Sauce and Grapes and Cherries

Couscous with a confetti of vegetables 

(zucchini, carrots, yellow bell pepper, red onion)

Roasted Whole Carrots with Sumac and Zatar

Tarte Tatin with Crème Fraîche

Perrier-Jouet Champagne

Does that sound like a meal you would enjoy?

Here are a few photographs. The Tarte Tatin got sliced before the photo happened.

Scallops Gratinée

Quail, Couscous, Roasted Carrots

Tarte Tatin (before turning over)

Tarte Tatin

Tarte Tatin with Crème Fraîche
(half eaten)