"What's 4 Dinner?" & THANKSGIVING
The question heard 'round the world!
Hi Everyone!
Welcome to our very first newsletter. Starting today, we will bring our favorite food finds, treasured recipes, kitchen advice and our favorite libations to your inbox every week!
I’m Anthony Underwood. As a TV producer for shows like Good Morning America and The Chew, I’ve been lucky enough to spend the last 20 years of my career around great people in the culinary space. I’m not a professional chef or cook, and I’m certainly not a food scholar, but I do love sharing kitchen tips, tricks, and recipes that I’ve learned along the way. I’ve always got my eyes out for the next big thing, and I can’t wait to share new discoveries with you here!
I’m Elizabeth Karmel. I am a professional chef and food writer--mostly known for my grilling and barbecue skills and as the OG GrillGirl. But in my heart, I am a home cook who is passionate about all kinds of food and drink, kitchen equipment, new products, cooking and baking; and sharing with other like-minded people. And, while I am terrible at jigsaw puzzles, I love solving problems IRL. My first job was supervising the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line and I still answer “turkey trauma” questions every Thanksgiving for my friends and family.
We met in New York when Anthony produced a segment with Elizabeth as the food guest and we hit it off and became fast friends. We love cooking and entertaining together so much that we find most of our conversations are about… cooking and entertaining! And since most of our friends and family come to us for cooking advice (“Do you have a good recipe for… How should I make…What’s the new/hot restaurant in…”), we thought we’d gather all that info here to share with friends both old and new!
THANKSGIVING IS AROUND THE CORNER…
EK: And, since we both have Turkey Day history, we are kicking our What’s 4 Dinner? newsletter off with the King of Dinners, Thanksgiving! I have recipes on my website, but nothing can compare to Anthony’s well-produced Turkey Timeline. And, he is right, I have lots of turkey info, but no timeline, no game plan, no shopping list… like “Coach A” here:)
AU: The big day is almost here, and if you’re anything like me, you’ve been inundated with stuffing recipes, turkey techniques, and pie recipes galore. BUT few of these recipe collections give you an ACTUAL timeline, game plan, or even a grocery list...
Enter: my Turkey Timeline.
I developed this timeline while I was Senior Producer of the daytime cooking show called The Chew on ABC (#RIP), but its predecessor was the annual Turkey 911 segments I would produce with the cooking-encyclopedia-in-human-form that is Sara Moulton on GMA. The mission was always clear: help people make an entire Thanksgiving spread for a home with one oven.
I have been using this strategy for years (which relies heavily on making things ahead of time). Sometimes I’ll switch up the recipes (these include original recipes, some adapted from The Chew, and some adapted from America’s Test Kitchen), but having a roadmap like this makes the idea of feeding a crowd a little less daunting. Especially if you accomplish the entire list with a glass of pinot noir in hand.
Herbed Roast Turkey
Haricot Vert with Caramelized Shallots (this time I fried some shallots to put on top, too)
Traditional Stuffing
DON’T FORGET THE LEFTOVERS…
AU: And now for a little Leftover Love… OBVI you should DEF make a turkey sandwich on a potato roll with gravy, cranberry sauce, and stuffing (come through double carbs!). I am not saying you shouldn’t enjoy that annual bite. I’m also not advocating that you abandon making mashed potato cakes or eating pie for breakfast with your morning coffee. These are all traditions that should remain.
What I am saying is… try something new IN ADDITION TO your favorite traditions!
Last year (ugh 2020) I made a Turkey Pozole that was so darn tootin’ good, it has now become a tradition at my house. Meaning I’m making it for the second year in a row lol. I think it’s the perfect thing to have bubbling on the stove while you crank up Kelly Clarkson’s new Christmas Album (“When Christmas Comes Around…”) and deck your halls!
LEFTOVER TURKEY POZOLE
The big day came and left… you turkey’d, you stuffing’d, you mashed-potatoes-and-gravy’d. You pumpkin pied, and whipped creamed (oh my!). Now comes the best part of Thanksgiving (we know, we know!): the leftovers! Nothing against the turkey sandwich with cranberry sauce AND stuffing on it (mandatory, non-negotiable), but why not also try something that’s warm, cozy, and a little spicy? Enter: Leftover Turkey Pozole. And because no one wants a heavy lift after cooking all week, this recipe makes great use of the electric pressure cooker, so it tastes like it’s been simmering for hours! Make a big pot of this and set out a toppings bar, so everyone can help themselves--you’ve done enough this week--take a load off!
NOTE: The chili verde portion of this recipe can be made up to three days in advance, kept in an air-tight container in the fridge.
By Anthony Underwood-Davis
MAKE TURKEY STOCK:
1 Turkey carcass with some meat still on it, skin removed, divided into pieces that will fit in pressure cooker pot
1 2oz chunk of slab bacon or pork belly
1 large carrot, chopped into 1” chunks
2 celery ribs, chopped into 1” chunks
1 small yellow onion, split in half with skin on
6 cloves garlic, smashed
1 Tbsp. neutral oil
2.5 - 3 quarts boxed low-sodium chicken stock
2 bay leaves
Toss above ingredients (except bay leaves and chicken stock) with oil in a roasting pan and cook in a 400ºF oven until deeply browned, then transfer to the pot of a pressure cooker. Alternatively if you own a combo air fryer/pressure cooker like the Ninja Foodi, combine everything but the chicken stock and bay leaves into the cooking pot, close the crisping lid, and AIR FRY/ROAST at 400ºF for 35 minutes, until everything is deeply golden brown.
In the pot of the pressure cooker, add boxed stock and bay leaves, and pressure cook on HIGH for 45 minutes. Quick release pressure (but letting pressure release naturally is fine, too). Let stock cool, and strain out solids. If you remove most of the skin from the carcass before roasting, defatting stock will not be necessary.
MAKE CHILI VERDE:
4 - 6 Poblano chili peppers
2 large Jalapeños
1 Serrano pepper
1 bunch fresh Cilantro
1 lb. Tomatillos, husked and rinsed (halved if large)
Juice of 1 large lime
1 tsp. canola/veg oil
Kosher salt
Toss peppers with oil and char over direct heat on outdoor grill grates until skins are completely blackened. Alternatively, move oven rack 6” from the top heating element and preheat broiler on high. Toss peppers with oil, and scatter on a rimmed baking sheet. Broil peppers until completely blackened on all sides, turning as needed.
Place charred peppers in a bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap, so that the peppers steam and release their skins. Once cool enough to handle, remove stems, seeds and as much blackened skin as possible.
Combine skinned peppers, tomatillos, juice of lime, cilantro and a pinch of kosher salt in a blender. Puree until smooth. Set aside.
Everything but the leftover turkey!
TO MAKE POZOLE:
1 large yellow onion, diced
6-8 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
1 1/2 Tbsp ground Cumin
1 Tbsp dried Oregano
Turkey stock (recipe above)
Chili Verde purée (recipe above)
2 (25oz) cans Hominy, drained and rinsed
1.5 - 2 lbs shredded leftover Turkey meat, no skin
Neutral Oil
Kosher Salt & Black Pepper
Heat 3 Tbsp of oil over medium-high heat in a 5-qt dutch oven. Add onion and garlic and sauté until golden, and lightly browned around edges. Add ground cumin and oregano and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add chili verde and strained turkey stock to pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add hominy to the pot, and immediately turn flame to low. Simmer for 20-30 mins, until hominy is completely tender (but still has some bite to it). Add leftover turkey meat to warm through.
Serve with an array of toppings and fresh warm tortillas on the side!
TOPPING IDEAS:
Diced Avocado
Thinly sliced Radishes
Diced White Onion
Thinly sliced serrano/jalapeno peppers
Fresh Cilantro leaves
Tortilla chips/Tostadas
Cotija cheese
Lime wedges
