I know what I am having for dinner tonight: The Barley 'Risotto' with Turkey and Mushrooms that Mark Bittman profiled on Nov. 21!
And oh, how I wish I had read Mark Bittman's article on making gravy the week before. It would have saved me (and my family) from yet another experience of "just OK" gravy that did not deliver the flavor I wanted, despite my frantic efforts to Make It So.
Only once have I made Really Good Gravy. This has been my Gravy Grail to seek annually ever since. It was several years ago, and even though I think I'm doing the same thing, it has eluded me. I even used the giblets to create a little stock, with onions and carrots, to flavor the gravy.
No dice. It was bland and even (horrors!) lumpy!
Mark Bittman makes the brilliant suggestion to make the gravy in the days *before* Thanksgiving--it will keep-- using the standard process of making a roux with stock and seasoning. Heresy? I don't care! I'm going to try it, instead of the usual desperate attempt to make golden sauce in the already very busy minutes before we sit down to eat. In addition Bittman shares several other tasty sauce recipes that provide an alternative to the standard gravy.
Here's another post-Thanksgiving discovery that I found very helpful: Third generation butcher Ray Vanezia shows very clearly how to carve a turkey so as to reap the greatest amount of meat, and arrange it attractively on a platter for your guests to enjoy. My husband has done a very good job on the turkey lo these many years, but even he could stand to learn a thing or two from this video. Hie thee hither and see for yourself.
See what happens when I get too busy to read my favorite food writers?
Next up: More Thanksgiving highlights.
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