*Improvised Gravy*
Makes about 360ml (1 1/2 cups)
360ml beef or chicken broth or stock (1 1/2 cups)
leftover drippings or butter |
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Showing posts sorted by relevance for query cabbage. Sort by date Show all posts
When we were growing up one of our favorite parts of any holiday meal was the inevitable soup we knew that my mother would be making in the days following.
We would have a nice meal on the first day, perhaps leftovers on the second, sandwiches and then on about the third day my mother would put the bones in a pot on the stove and we knew we were in for a real treat!
At Thanksgiving and Christmas it would be a nice pot of turkey soup. Roast Ham at New Years and Easter meant we would be having our favorite French Canadian Pea Soup.
Sometimes if it was a roast beef we would end up with beef and vegetable. We were not picky. My mom made great soup and we were happy to have a bowl of it set before us no matter what kind it was!
My mother was the best soup maker and I learned all that I know about making soup from watching her. As adults when we went home for a visit we knew that mom would always have a big ice cream container of her homemade soup waiting for us in the deep freeze!
Mom has been gone from us for almost three years now and there is not a day goes by but what I don't think of her multiple times. When I am feeling poorly I long for a bowl of her homemade soup.
It was indeed good medicine and made all of your troubles seem smaller and insignificant, and chased away all the sniffles. Homemade soup to me is just like one of my mother's hugs in a bowl.
Having a bunch of leftover turkey bones made me want to make a big pot of homemade turkey soup. Although this recipe makes a lot, that is not a problem. It freezes very well and who can't use a container of homemade soup in the freezer to take out as a pick-me-up or a hug when you need one!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE TURKEY CARCASS SOUP
Nothing too extravagant. Simple ordinary every day ingredients.
- a spent turkey carcass with plenty of meat clinging to the bones (if you don't have a lot of meat left on it add a chicken leg or two)
- a few chicken bullion cubes (not necessary but they add additional flavor)
- onions, celery
- carrots
- cabbage
- rutabaga (swede)
- a can of chopped tomatoes
- Worcestershire Sauce
- a variety of herbs and seasonings
- pearl barley
- split peas (optional but nice)
HOW TO MAKE TURKEY CARCASS SOUP
Its really simple really. If your turkey carcass is rather on the large side, break it up into smaller pieces. Pop it into a saucepan along and cover it with water. Bring to the boil.
Once you have brought it to the boil, reduce to a simmer and add the bullion cubes if using. Leave this to simmer for about an hour or so at which time any meat left on the carcass will be falling off and the broth should be really fragrant.
You need to carefully remove your bones from the broth now. They will be hot. Remove and set aside, then strain the broth in the saucepan into a clean saucepan through a sieve. This will remove any solids that you might have missed.
Pick all of the meat from the bones, dice and return it to the pan with the broth. Bring back to the boil and then add the remaining ingredients.
Reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, for a further hour until all of the vegetables are tender and the barley and spit peas have cooked. Taste and adjust the seasoning as required. Discard the bay leaf.
That's basically it. Your soup is done and ready to eat. We love it with crackers in our house. Mom always let us put butter on our crackers.
There was probably more butter than cracker! That's one thing my mom always used and that was real butter. We never had margarine. It was one of her little extravagances.
And she never minded us spreading it thickly onto our bread or crackers. Dad always used to say to us, "Would you like more bread with that butter?" But we kept slathering it on anyways.
To this day I love butter. It is a weakness of mine and will probably kill me in the end, but I will die with a smile on my buttery lips!! 😄
I really hope that you have saved your turkey carcass and that you will give this tasty soup a go. When I worked at the Manor they always wanted me to make soup with the carcass and also with chicken carcasses after a roast chicken.
They loved my soup. I guess I inherited my mother's talent for making a great pot of soup! (Amongst other things.) Enjoy!!
Turkey Carcass Soup
Yield: 12
Prep time: 45 MinCook time: 2 HourTotal time: 2 H & 45 M
This delicious soup makes a fair amount, but it freezes really well. I enjoy it on the day and then freeze it in two serving sized containers to enjoy at another time.
Ingredients
- 1 turkey carcass
- 4 quarts (4 liters) water
- 3 chicken bullion cubes
- 1 small rutabaga, peeled and diced
- 4 large carrots, peeled and sliced
- 2 stalks celery, trimmed and diced
- 1 large onion, peeled and diced
- 1 ½ cups coarsely shredded cabbage
- 1 14 ounce/400g can diced tomatoes, undrained
- ½ cup (93g) uncooked pearl barley
- 1/4 cup (50g) of split peas
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 1 pinch dried thyme
Instructions
- Place the turkey carcass into a large soup pot or stock pot and pour in the water; bring to a boil, add the bullion cubes reduce heat to a simmer, and cook the turkey frame until any meat remaining falls off the bones, about 1 hour.
- Carefully remove the turkey carcass. Remove and chop any remaining meat from the carcass and discard the bones.
- Strain the broth through a fine mesh strainer into a clean soup pot. Add the chopped turkey. Bring to the boil.
- Reduce to a simmer and stir in the rutabaga, carrots, split peas, celery, onion, cabbage, tomatoes, barley, Worcestershire sauce, salt, parsley, basil, bay leaf, black pepper, paprika, poultry seasoning, and thyme. Simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 1 more hour.
- Taste and adjust seasoning as required. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Serve hot, ladled into heated soup bowls with some crackers or crusty bread on the side.
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com
Perfection salad . . . my first memory of what I think is a most delicious salad comes from the early 1960's. My father and his friend Louis used to go hunting and fishing together.
On one particular foray my mother took the three of us and we spent the weekend with Louis's wife Irene, while the men were off doing man-things.
Irene had been one of my mother's friends since her early working days as a secretary and I believe they had roomed together in Truro, Nova Scotia. This whole weekend had almost a holiday feel to it . . . at least to me it did.
We did not often go anywhere as a family. Mom was not a fan of the Great-Outdoors, so in the summer we might spend one day at the beach. That was it.
Getting to stay for a few days at someone else's home was a really big deal.
I remember Irene and Louis had a huge vegetable garden and we were allowed to help them pick peas and beans and lettuces for supper on the first night.
There was also an element of danger involved as several bears had been seen in the area (which was quite remote) and so we were well aware of the need to keep a watchful eye out. On the first night I was sleeping in a small bedroom off to the side of the house.
There was a box of Muffets cereal on the dresser and I remember being awakened by noise and what I felt was a bear trying to get in the open window to get at the Muffets.
I screamed blue murder of course and refused to sleep there the remainder of our stay. My mother's bed was very crowded after that!
Another thing I remember, with much more clarity . . . is that Irene made Perfection Salad as a part of one of our meals, and it was delicious.
So much so that it has stayed in the annals of my favourite food memories ever since.
It isn't perfect . . . its a coleslaw of sorts and has a history that goes back to the beginnings of powdered gelatin way back when. The original recipe was devised by a woman named Mrs. John E Cooke of New Castle, Pennsylvania.
She entered her recipe in a contest sponsored by Charles Knox in 1905 (the major gelatin producer in the US at that time). Interestingly enough one of the judges was the Fanny Farmer of the Fanny Farmer Cooking School fame. (One of my all time favourite cookery books. I have worn out three copies in my lifetime.)
Mrs Cooke won third prize (a sewing machine) and people have been enjoying Perfection Salad ever since that time!
I have seen it created in many versions, most using boxed Jello (another American invention, fruity flavoured gelatin), normally lemon or lime, and they are good.
My favourite version however is this one. The made from scratch one, using all natural ingredients.
The gelatin mixture is fairly simple. Its just some powdered gelatin softened in cold water and then mixed together with a bit of boiling water, sugar, fresh lemon juice and vinegar, along with some seasoning.
That gets chilled in the refrigerator until it thickens somewhat, about the time it takes you to chop all the vegetables . . . .
I like to hand shred and chop my vegetables. Its not that hard and I actually find it quite relaxing standing at the counter with my knife cutting the cabbage into thin shreds.
I think if you were to grate it, it would be too fine and you want a bit of texture . . .
There are also celery and some red and green bell peppers. I also chop these by hand and they are actually chopped quite fine. Minced. Again, I fine this a very relaxing enterprise.
Once I have the vegetables all done the gelatin has usually thickened enough so that I know that when I stir them into it they will be evenly distributed and not end up floating on the top. I also add some coarse black pepper.
You can either put the mixture into a mold to chill for several hours or into a square cake dish/casserole to chill. Either way is very nice.
Perfection Salad
Yield: 6
A type of jellied coleslaw. Crisp cabbage, peppers and celery in a tangy from-scratch lemon jelly. Delicious served on a bed of lettuce with a dollop of good mayonnaise on the side.
ingredients:
- 2 TBS unflavoured powdered gelatin
- 120ml cold water (1/2 cup)
- 120ml boiling water (1/2 cup)
- 50g granulated sugar (1/4 cup)
- 120ml white or cider vinegar (1/2 cup)
- 2 TBS fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp coarse black pepper
- 1 cup finely shredded white cabbage
- 1 cup finely chopped or sliced celery
- 2 TBS finely chopped red bell pepper
- 1 TBS finely chopped green bell pepper
instructions:
How to cook Perfection Salad
- Sprinkle the gelatin over cold water in a bowl. Let it sit for about 5 minutes to soften. Whisk in the boiling water to dissolve along with the sugar, vinegar, lemon juice and salt. Stir until the gelatin and sugar have completely dissolved. Place in the refrigerator just until the mixture begins to thicken somewhat and becomes syrupy. (from 25 to 35 minutes.)
- When the mixture has become like a thick syrup, stir in all of the vegetables and the black pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning as desired. You may or may not need more salt.
- Pour into a mold or a bowl. If the salad is to be served unmolded, rinse the mold first with cold water and put the mixture into the wet mold. A square baking dish can also be used and should also be rinsed and left wet. Chill in the refrigerator for several hours until set.
- Serve either from the bowl, or unmold by dipping the mold quickly into hot water, loosening it round the rim with a sharp knife, covering it with a serving dish and then quickly in one fast motion, reversing so that the serving dish is on the bottom and the mold on the top. Give it a firm shake and then remove the mold.
- If it doesn't unmold, either dip it again in hot water or wrap the mold for a minute in a dish towel that has been dipped in hot water an quickly wrung out and try again.
- To serve in cubes, dip the baking dish quickly into hot water. Cut the cubes with a sharp knife, run the knife around the sides to loosen and then remove the cubes with a flexible spatula.
I did some in a mold and some in a square dish. I have to say I prefer the look of the squares rather than the mold.
The mold had little raised bumps around the top and when I dipped the mold into hot water to unmold the salad they kind of melted so my presentation was not as perfect as I had expected. It still tasted delicious.
Tangy, with a touch of sweet and plenty of crunch. Perfect served with a dollop of mayonnaise. YUM!!! I love revisiting my happy food memories.
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at mariealicejoan at aol dot com.
Going out for one of these was always a real treat. With tender roasted meat with gravy between two thick slices of white bread with more gravy ladled over top, they would be served up hot, on large platters, with plenty of hot chips, veg and coleslaw on the side. You could also have gravy on your chips (fries), or not as per your choice. In Canada we love gravy on our chips, and here in the UK, they also like gravy on their chips, or curry sauce. (Something I have yet to try.)
I had some leftover roast chicken today and so I made us Hot Chicken Sandwiches for a change, instead of the usual casserole. Of course with there only being two of us and with neither of us having huge appetites these days, we basically only each ha half of a sandwich, along with the suggested trimmings. It looks like rather a lot, but we only ever use a sandwich plate for our meals these days, never a full dinner plate. And it is plenty for us.
2 TBS of appropriate stock
about 720ml (3 cups) of hot leftover or fresh gravy 
Good chips/fries are a must! If you want to make your own from scratch this is a cracking recipe. You can also use oven chips. I like the crinkle ones in that case, or if you are really lucky and have a chippy close by, you can just send hubby out to pick up a large portion of chips. By the time you have the remaining elements ready, he'll be back and you'll be set to go!
There
are two things you need for perfect chips. One a really good potato.
You want a nice floury one, such as a Maris Piper. You cannot make good
chips with new potatoes. Old ones are best. Second you want to start
with pure hard fat or dripping, preferably an animal fat. Third . . .
patience. Good chips require several cookings. The first is a quick
poaching in lightly salted water. . Let them cool and then fry for
about five minutes just until cooked through, then a final fry in hotter
fat to brown and finish cooking. See . . . patience.
a good solid fat to half fill your pan when melted
a frying thermometer
a frying thermometer
I added a dollop of cranberry sauce to the top of mine . . . coz I'm crazy like that, and I love cranberry sauce with both roast chicken and turkey. You will want a nice gravy to serve with your hot sandwiches. You can of course use Bisto granules and make it that way, but if you have leftover drippings, etc. its really quite easy to make a better tasting gravy from scratch!
2 TBS plain flour
360ml pan juices, broth, water, wine or a combination ( 1 1/2 cups)
Coleslaw is a must. You won't get any meal at a diner in North America, that doesn't come with a small container of coleslaw on the side. At some places it might be a vinaigrette coleslaw, but more often than not it will be a delicious creamy slaw. Just like this.
*Creamy Coleslaw*
Serves 8 to 10A deliciously cream coleslaw that has just the right amount of crunch and flavour! There is no sogginess here!!
10 ounces of white cabbage, trimmed, cored and very thinly cut
(about 1/2 of a medium cabbage)
5 ounces of carrots, peeled, trimmed and julienned
(1 medium carrot)
4 inches of an English Cucumber, trimmed, seeded and cut into small dice
(Do not peel)
2 - 3 large dessertspoons of good quality mayonnaise
1 TBS of Dijon mustard
2 TBS white wine vinegar
1 tsp caster sugar
1/2 tsp celery salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 tsp onion powder
Place the vegetables into a large bowl. Whisk together the mustard, mayonnaise, white wine vinegar, sugar, celery salt, black pepper and onion powder. Mix well. Pour over the vegetables and toss to coat. Cover and chill for at least one hour before serving.
Note - the amount of mayonnaise you use depends on the cabbage, some cabbages take more mayonnaise than others. It also depends on how creamy you like your coleslaw!
Of course there may be times when you don't have any leftover gravy, or even gravy granules, but don't worry! That doesn't mean you can't still make a delicious gravy as this next recipe proves quite deliciously! Adapted from a recipe found in the Fanny Farmer Cookbook. (So you know that it just has to be good!)
This isn't something which we have very often, maybe only once a year. Back in the day I could eat a whole one of these sandwiches, and then a polished of a slice of cream pie as well. Mind you, back in the day I was a very busy and active mother of five. Things change . . . Bon Appetit!
The other week my sister and I picked up some frozen Chinese food which was on offer. We thought it would make a simple, quick and easy supper. I don't know what we were thinking really, because it was pretty disgusting.
Frozen vegetable chow mien? DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY! Sorry for shouting, but really. We paid $4.99 for what was essentially some noodles with a watery tasteless sauce and you could have counted the vegetables that were in it on one hand. They were few and far between.
My daughter and her husband buy those frozen Chinese dinners all the time, thinking they are getting a good deal, but in all honesty, they could make a simple and nutritious stir fry very easily. It would take very little effort or time.
I know a lot of singletons and smaller families cave to the temptation of buying these small sized frozen Chinese entrees as well, I suppose the thought is that they are quick and easy and not overly large.
I aim to change all of that. What if I told you that you could fix a quick and easy Vegetable Chow Mien which is delicious and nutritious and contains plenty of crunch and colour?
Today I have used fresh cabbage, carrots, cooking onions, and spring onions along with some fresh bean sprouts, mushrooms and a few water chestnuts for plenty of crunch.
If you are afraid to use fresh bean sprouts (listeria) then by all means use half a can of the tinned ones. You can always freeze the other half of the tin in a freezer container to use another time. Trust me when I say that this is going to be something you will make frequently!
If you are not a vegetarian and want to turn it into a meat option, you can add cooked beef, pork or chicken very easily. This dish is a great way to use up some of those leftovers that might otherwise get thrown away!
If you are a vegetarian and want to add some protein, simply add some cubed tofu. Easy peasy.
This is also a great "clear-out-the-fridge" kind of a meal as well. Its a great opportunity to use up that half sweet bell pepper or little bit of broccoli that is languishing in the bottom of your vegetable drawer!
This is a very basic recipe which I am sharing with you, but you can easily adapt it to use whatever vegetables you have on hand. The more the merrier in my humble opinion!
Just make sure to keep the quantity down or you risk turning this into a dish for four rather than two. I would say 2 cups of vegetables in total are plenty!!
You can use the packages of Chinese noodles which you can buy in the foreign food aisle of the grocery store, or you can just use spaghetti. I often use spaghetti. I like the whole wheat one, which adds extra fiber and nutrition.
At the end of the day I don't think it really matters what kind of noodle you use so long as it is a noodle and somewhat robust! You want it to have a bit of substance. The ones that were in that frozen pack? BLAH! They were mushy and over-cooked.
Any kind of noodle you use needs to be al-dente in my opinion! To have some bite to it.
Chinese food wasn't something I really grew up with. I am sure there were Chinese restaurants around, but it wasn't until I was in my late teens that one opened up near where we lived. It was right in town and my parents used to go there for coffee every evening.
We never ate there. My mother always told the story about how they were in there one night having coffee and someone at the next table pulled a long piece hair out of their food. Somebody wasn't wearing their hair net!
Although I never ate there myself, it was actually a very popular restaurant, always busy and filled with people. Lots of people went there in groups to eat, maybe church groups, clubs, etc and they always enjoyed the food. Interesting story here.
I got married the first time when I was only 19 and had my oldest son about 10 months later. That marriage did not work out actually, for a variety of reasons which are personal.
However the day I decided to leave I remember bundling my son up and some things into a suitcase and catching the bus back to Greenwood where my parents lived.
It was very brave of me actually as I was only just 20 years old at that point and I had very little confidence in myself. Anyways, I bought the ticket and away I went. The bus stop near where my parents lived just happened to be outside the Chinese Restaurant.
I had not told my then husband I was leaving or anything. I think I left a note. (I know, cowardly.) Guess who was sitting there eating in the Chinese restaurant when I got off the bus. HIS mother. Yikes!
Talk about Murphy's law! What are the chances of that! I couldn't believe it. Anyways, I grabbed a quick cab from the cab station right next door and was on my parent's doorstep about 5 minutes later and that was that.
Talk about the luck of the Irish eh? Anyways, I do hope you will try this quick easy and delicious dish!
I am a true carbaholic and I like to enjoy this with a nice slice of buttered crusty French bread, the fresher the better. That's me!
Vegetable Chow Mien (small batch)
Yield: 2
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 30 Min
Quick, easy, delicious and built for just two!
Ingredients
- 1 TBS vegetable oil
- 1/2 TBS minced fresh ginger
- 1/2 tsp minced fresh garlic
- 1 small brown onion, peeled, halved and cut into half moons
- 1 small carrot, peeled and cut into julienne
- 2 spring onions, thinly sliced
- 1/4 head of cabbage, thinly sliced
- 4 closed cap mushrooms, sliced
- 4 ounces (115g) Chinese noodles, cooked according to the package directions, drained and rinsed
- 4 water chestnuts, drained and rinsed and sliced
- 1 cup fresh bean sprouts
- 2 TBS dark soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- additional sliced spring onions to garnish (optional)
Instructions
- To begin with, have all of your ingredients prepped and ready to go. If you do this everything goes together in a flash!
- Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or a large skillet. Add the onion and cook, until the onion is wilted, without browning. Add the ginger and garlic and cook for one further minute.
- Toss in the cabbage and carrots and cook until crispy tender.
- Add the mushrooms and bean sprouts. Toss and cook until the mushrooms have cooked.
- Add the spring onions, water chestnuts, soy sauce and sesame oil.
- Toss together until everything is coated and well mixed.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper if desired, and serve. If you want you can scatter a few additional sliced spring onions on top to garnish.
Notes:
If you have any leftover cooked meat such as chicken, beef or pork, you can dice 1/2 cup of this and add to the brown onion when you are cooking it.
Don't worry though, most of what I make can always be easily doubled, or even tripled Also if there is any doubt you can always message me with any questions, which I am always more than happy to answer!
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan@aol.com
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