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Turkey Leg Confit – Make Ahead for an Easy Thanksgiving Day

The links in these recipes are for products that I use and recommend.  

Turkey confit is an indulgent preparation that turns a humble bird into a culinary masterpiece. Unlike the roasted turkey that graces many holiday tables, turkey confit is cooked slowly in fat (preferably duck fat), resulting in meat that is incredibly tender, moist, and infused with flavor. In this post, I’ll guide you through the steps of making turkey confit and share why this dish is so extraordinary.

What is Turkey Confit?

The word ‘confit’ is derived from the French word ‘confire’, which means “to preserve”. The confit cooking method was originally a means of preservation in the days before refrigeration. Meats were salted and then cooked at a low temperature in fat, and subsequently stored in that fat, creating an oxygen-free environment (before canning was discovered) unsuitable for most bacterial growth (see note below). Long ago, a family would keep a large vat of confit (game birds, chicken, pork, rabbit and even fish) in the larder and pull a piece or two as needed for a meal over a period of months.

Turkey confit, therefore, is turkey legs that have been seasoned, and then slowly cooked in fat at a low temperature. The result is a dish that’s incredibly rich and fall-off-the-bone tender.

Why Turkey Confit is Amazing

  1. Texture: The slow cooking process tenderizes the turkey meat to perfection. The meat is soft and can be easily shredded but with a slight crispness to the skin that is utterly delightful.
  2. Flavor: Cooking turkey in its own fat or a mixture of fats allows the flavors to marry and intensify over the hours of cooking, creating a depth of flavor that roasting often can’t match.
  3. Versatility: Turkey confit can be used in a variety of dishes – from sandwiches and salads to tacos, breakfast hash, and pasta. It’s not just for Thanksgiving!
  4. Preservation: While not as necessary today, confit is an excellent method for preserving turkey. The fat used for cooking acts as a seal that can keeps oxygen from reaching the meat the meat and spoiling it. This means that you can prep your Turkey legs for Thanksgiving well in advance and pop them in a hot oven 30 minutes before the meal for utterly perfect, fall-of-the bone, crispy-skinned turkey legs.
  5. Simplicity: Despite the lengthy prep and cooking time, the process is very hands-off. Once the turkey is prepped and in the oven, it requires little attention.

How to Make Turkey Confit

Making turkey confit is a simple yet rewarding process. Here’s a step-by-step guide to making your own.

Ingredients:

  • Turkey legs (thighs and drumsticks)
  • Salt
  • Sugar
  • Curing Salt (optional)
  • Herbs and Spices

Instructions:

  1. Seasoning Turkey: Weigh the turkey legs to calculate your salt and sugar. Use 10 grams salt (including Curing Salt#1 if using) and 2.5 grams sugar/brown sugar per pound plus herbs and spices as you like. Mix all the seasonings in a bowl first and then rub the turkey legs all over. The salt not only seasons the meat but also acts to draw out moisture, which helps in the preservation process. Don’t skimp on this part – the salt is crucial for both flavor, texture and food safety.
  2. Resting: Once seasoned, lay the legs in a single layer in a dish, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate. Let them sit for 3 days, turning over once during this time. This resting period allows the salt to penetrate the meat and work its magic.
  3. Rinsing: After the resting period, rinse the turkey legs under cold water to remove excess salt and pat them dry with paper towels.
  4. Preparing the Fat: Heat your chosen fat in a pot that’s just large enough to fit the turkey legs in a single layer. Warm the fat over medium heat until very warm 185-220 F (not frying temps).
  5. Cooking the Turkey: Preheat your oven to 185-200°F (93°C). Once the fat is warm, ladle it or pour it very carefully over the turkey. Make sure they are completely covered. If not, add more fat or oil until they are. Slide a wooden spoon or spatula down between the dish and the turkey to release any trapped air bubbles.
  6. Slow Cooking: Place the pot in the oven, uncovered, and cook for about 8 hours. This low and slow process is the key to confit.
  7. Checking Doneness: The turkey is ready when it’s incredibly tender to the touch, practically falling off the bone. With a sterile fork, stab the meat. The fork should slide right out with no resistance.
  8. Cooling and Storing (Optional): Allow the turkey to cool in the fat, then store it in the refrigerator submerged in the fat for up to a couple of weeks (or months if curing salt was used and it’s properly handled and stored). Alternatively, you can transfer the turkey to vacuum seal bags and ladle in some fat.
  9. Finishing: When ready to serve, remove the legs from the fat and wipe off excess. For crispy skin, sear the legs in a hot skillet or roast in a 450 F oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown and heated all the way through. Alternatively, turkey confit can be removed from the bone shredded and pan-fried for tacos or breakfast hash, or turned into rillettes for an appetizer.

If you are interested in making confit, you may find relevant and helpful tips on my post for duck conft.

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Turkey Confit

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star No reviews
  • Author: Kara Taylor- Home Cooks Guide
  • Prep Time: 3 days
  • Cook Time: 8 hours
  • Total Time: 80 hours
  • Yield: 2 turkey legs confit 1x
  • Category: Charcuterie
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: French
  • Diet: Gluten Free
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Ingredients

Scale

10 lbs turkey legs (4–5 legs)

88 grams (10 Tablespoons Diamond Crystal Kosher) salt 

12 grams Pink Curing Salt #1 (optional, add this amount more of reg. salt if omitting)

24 grams (2 Tablespoons) brown sugar

Optional Herbs and Aromatics

4 grams (1 teaspoon) whole peppercorns

10–12 sprigs fresh thyme (no need to pick off the leaves)

5–10 fresh sage leaves

4 6″ inch sprigs of fresh rosemary

5 garlic cloves, crushed

zest of half a lemon/orange

Instructions

  1. Seasoning Turkey: Mix all the seasonings in a bowl and then rub the turkey legs all over. 

  2. Resting: Once seasoned, lay the legs in a single layer in a dish, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate. Let them sit for 3 days, turning over once during this time. 

  3. Rinsing: After the resting period, rinse the turkey legs under cold water to remove excess salt and pat them dry with paper towels.

  4. Preparing the Fat: Heat your chosen fat in a pot that’s just large enough to fit the turkey legs in a single layer. Warm the fat over medium heat until very warm 185-220 F (not frying temps).

  5. Cooking the Turkey: Preheat your oven to 185-200°F (93°C).  Arrange the turkey legs in an over proof casserole dish/hotel pan or pot.  They fit snugly in a single layer with at least 2 inches of free space above.  Carefully ladle or pour the warm/hot fat over the turkey. Make sure the legs are completely covered. If not, add more fat or oil until they are.  It’s ok to mix duck fat and olive oil if you are in a pinch.  Slide a wooden spoon or spatula down between the dish and the turkey to release any trapped air bubbles.

  6. Slow Cooking: Place the pot in the oven, uncovered, and cook for about 8 hours. This low and slow process is the key to confit.

  7. Checking Doneness: The turkey is ready when it’s incredibly tender to the touch, practically falling off the bone. With a sterile fork, stab the meat. The fork should slide right out with no resistance.

  8. Cooling and Storing (Optional): Allow the turkey to cool in the fat, then store it in the refrigerator submerged in the fat for up to a couple of weeks (or months if curing salt was used and it’s properly handled and stored). Alternatively, you can transfer the turkey to vacuum seal bags and ladle in some fat.  If you are not using the curing salt, you need to make an effort to cool this down quickly. See note below.

  9. Finishing: When ready to serve, remove the legs from the fat and wipe off excess. For crispy skin, sear the legs in a hot skillet or roast in a 450 F oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown and heated all the way through. Alternatively, turkey confit can be removed from the bone, shredded and pan-fried for tacos or breakfast hash, or turned into rillettes for a delicious appetizer.

Equipment

Notes

Curing Salt and An Important Food Safety Note:

Curing salt is used to prevent botulism, a deadly toxin caused by the bacteria C. Botulinum that grows in room-temperate anaerobic, non-acidic environments.  It also gives the meat a rosy hue and cured meat flavor.  I like using curing salt, for peace of mind and because I think the meat tastes better with it. 

If you are concerned about nitrates or don’t want to purchase a special ingredient that you will rarely use, it is technically not necessary for food safety in this recipe provided that after the confit comes out of the oven, it passes through the danger zone (140-42 F) within 4 hours.  In my past life, when I was a licensed meat processor, I spent a lot of time logging cooling temps and times for charcuterie and I can tell you that cooling a vat of confit within this window is not as easy as it sounds.  Simply leaving the confit out on the counter to cool will not be sufficient for this size container to get the temp through this zone quickly enough.  If you put it directly in your refrigerator, you will warm your fridge, and the top layer of fat will solidify and insulate the interior.  You will need to leave it out in a cold garage for 2 hours and then transfer it to a not-too-full fridge.  Otherwise, please use the curing salt. 

Another option for quick cooling is to put the turkey leg in a vacuum seal bag while still hot/warm (use sterilized utensils and handle carefully as it is fragile when hot) with some fat, seal it, and then submerge the sealed bag in ice water.

Cornbread and Bacon Stuffing for your Thanksgiving Feast.

The links in these recipes are for products that I use and recommend.  

Cornbread and Bacon Stuffing, ready to bake.

Stuffing is my favorite Thanksgiving side dish. Why do we only eat this once a year? It is not that much more difficult than all other sides. It freezes well and pairs perfectly with a variety of meats like pork, duck, and goose.

If you’re nitpicking, “stuffing” goes inside the bird, and “dressing” is served on the side. Forget that. I call this stuffing and I never put anything inside the bird except for herbs and aromatics, it messes up the cooking. Furthermore, when you cook this outside of the bird, you get crispy bits on top. “Dressing”, as far as I’m concerned, is what goes on salad. So I will be calling this “stuffing” even though I don’t recommend stuffing the bird with it.

“Stuffing” is essentially a savory bread pudding. I have made many, many different kinds of “stuffing” as a professional chef, providing catered sides for the Holidays as well as fancy side dishes on the restaurant menu (wild mushroom and leek bread pudding, sausage and chestnut stuffing, etc). This is the recipe that I come back to year after year to make for my own family. It is loosely based on my Grandma Mignon’s stuffing, passed down by my mother and her siblings. The Okie side of the family. Cornbread adds sweetness, bacon adds salt, and a minced mirapoix, herbs, and lots of butter make this dish super comforting, savory, and delicious. And since I can’t leave any recipe alone, I also add a little apple.

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Cornbread and Bacon Stuffing for your Thanksgiving Feast.

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 1 review
  • Author: Kara Taylor- Home Cooks Guide
  • Prep Time: 1 hour
  • Cook Time: 45 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
  • Yield: 8 servings 1x
  • Category: Side Dish
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
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Description

An adaptation of my grandmother’s cornbread stuffing from Oklahoma. You can’t beat this one.

Ingredients

Scale

2 cups dry white bread, cubed

7–8 cup cubed day-old cornbread (1  8″x8″ pan)

1 medium onion, minced or 1/4” dice

2 celery stalks, minced or 1/4” dice

1 large carrot, minced or 1/4” dice

1/2 lb bacon diced (ideally dry-cured slab bacon, 1/4″ dice)

2 1/2 cups very flavorful chicken/turkey broth (preferably-home made)*

2 T butter

2 eggs beaten

1 T fresh thyme leaves

1/2 T fresh minced sage

1 medium apple, 1/4″ dice

salt and pepper to taste

paprika for sprinkling

Instructions

In a large frying pan, fry the bacon until starting to become crispy and the fat is rendered.  Add onions, celery, carrot and diced apple and sauté until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.

Add the butter, chicken broth, and herbs, and bring to a boil.  Remove from the heat.  Taste the mixture.  It should be so flavorful and delicious that you want to pour yourself a cup of it and drink it down.  Add salt and pepper as needed to get it to that point. See note**

Allow this mixture to cool for about 15 minutes.  Then slowly add, while whisking, a ladleful to the beaten eggs.  Then add the tempered egg mixture slowly back into the broth-veggie-bacon mixture.

Oil/butter a 9″x13″ baking dish.  Spread out the day-old bread, mixing the white bread evenly with the cornbread.  Handle the cornbread very gently, as it will completely crumble into a fine crumb if not handled carefully.

Pour the broth-veggie-bacon mixture over the bread.  Let it sit for 5-10 minutes.  Very gently, with your hands, fold it to evenly distribute all the ingredients.  Sprinkle the top with paprika and chopped herbs.  Let it sit for another 5-10 minutes before baking or for as long as a day or two (if you want to prep ahead of time – always a good idea for Thanksgiving).

Preheat oven to 350 and bake until hot all the way through, when a butterknife inserted into the middle comes out hot.  For a single batch that’s about 30-40 minutes, uncovered, in a 9×13″ baking dish.  For a double batch, that is 45-60 minutes in a 9×13″ baking dish.  If you like a less-dry stuffing, start with it covered with tinfoil and uncover it for the last 10-15 minutes.

Dish up and Enjoy!

Notes

*You can mince the onion, celery, and carrot by hand or chop coarsely and pulse in a food processor until somewhere between a mince and a 1/4″ dice.  I usually use the food processor for this.

** I make unseasoned (no salt) stock/broth at home and always have some in the freezer.  I generally like to use no salt broth because it makes it more versatile for reductions.  I add salt to the finished product.  Store-bought chicken broth may be “reduced-sodium”.  If you are using no-salt or reduced-salt broth in this recipe plan on adding a good amount of salt to this dish.  The brothy mix should be very well seasoned, almost bordering on too salty by itself.

First Published in November 2022.

The best Cranberry Sauce: Spiced Cranberry-Red Onion Jam

The Sauce for your Holiday Table

This jam is tart, sweet, and savory all at once with undertones of rosemary and warm spices. The perfect accompaniment to turkey, pork and duck confit. Jarred up it is the perfect holiday gift to your friends and neighbors, and Thanksgiving host. This is a recipe that you can make well in advance of Thanksgiving, as soon as the cranberries hit the store shelves. So go ahead and check that box off your Holiday prep list.

Cranberry sauce is used to add balance to an otherwise rich meal. I usually find cranberry sauces to be either aggressively sweet or one-dimensionally tart. I prefer fruit sauces that I serve with meats to have savory elements to them: onions, garlic, stock, mushrooms, or herbs.

This recipe is an adaptation to a popular product I made at The Farm Table years ago, Cranberry-Red Onion Marmalade. I have modified and improved this recipe to make it foolproof, easy, safe for the home kitchen and even tastier.

You’ll love this version of cranberry sauce for your Thanksgiving Turkey. It is also delicious with cream cheese and crackers, on toast, with pork, duck, and other poultry, and as an accouterment to cheese and charcuterie platters, especially with pâté, duck rillettes,smoked pork rillettes and creamy cheeses. It can be added to a pan with a little broth or water or booze and butter to make a glaze for pork chops or even butternut squash and root vegetables. You can mix it with some mayo for leftover turkey sandwiches or a delicious chicken salad.

Pro Tip

Use a Tea Ball Strainer in sauces and soups to place whole spices like peppercorns, cloves and other things that you want removed from the final product. Secure the strainer to the handle of the pot with butcher twine to make it easy to retrieve.
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Cranberry-Red Onion Jam Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star No reviews
  • Author: Kara Taylor- Home Cooks Guide
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: About 3 cups 1x
  • Category: Condiment
  • Method: Boiling
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Gluten Free
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Description

This Cranberry Sauce is seasoned with candied red onion, caramel, rosemary, cinnamon, and black pepper.  A well-balanced sauce perfect for your Holiday Table.

Ingredients

Scale

1 tablespoon oil

1 medium red onion

1 lb fresh cranberries

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

4 inch stick of cinnamon

1 teaspoon black peppercorns in a tea ball strainer

1 4 inch twig of fresh rosemary

Instructions

Heat the oil over medium-high heat and sauté the red onion until completely soft and starting to brown on the edges.

Stir in the sugar and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the sugar turns a caramel color.

Stir in the cranberries and then add the water, peppercorn tea ball, and cinnamon stick.

Boil until the cranberries burst and the sauce thickens, stirring down to the bottom frequently, about 10 minutes.

Add the rosemary.  Remove from the heat and let the rosemary steep for 10 minutes more.  Remove the rosemary, the cinnamon stick and the tea ball with peppercorns.

Refrigerate until ready to use or can it in 8 oz jars in a water bath for long-term storage/ gifting.  You can double the recipe to make 6, 8oz jars.

First Published Nov. 20, 2021.

Easy Chicken Tarragon Stew: Comfort Food at Its Best

The links in these recipes are for products that I use and recommend.  

A filling and comforting one-pot meal for a cold winter day.

I always crave this hearty stew this time of year, when root vegetables are the only thing that is “in season” and the first warm days have me dreaming of green leaves and spring herbs. This creamy, comforting chicken stew is a complete meal in itself. It’s packed with the fresh flavor of tender herbs, mushrooms, and root vegetables, making it an incredibly satisfying dish.

I originally developed this recipe as a filling for rabbit pot pie, a popular (though labor-intensive) dish on the winter menu at the restaurant. The process began with braising an entire case of rabbit with aromatic vegetables. Once the meat had cooled, we carefully pulled it from the bones. Rabbit ribs are made of cartilage, which can be easy to miss, so great care was needed to ensure we only got the meat. The bones were then roasted until browned, and these roasted carcasses were simmered in the braising liquid to create a rich stock. After straining the stock through a tea towel, the stew came together. By the time it was finished, we were so worn out from the effort that we simply topped it with puff pastry, popped it in the oven and called it “pot pie.”

Since most home cooks don’t have rabbit on hand (and because rabbit tastes remarkably similar to chicken-if I’m being honest), I’ve adapted this recipe into a straightforward chicken stew that’s easy to prepare in your own kitchen.

Variations

Pot Pie
To turn this stew into a pot pie filling, reduce the broth, cream, and Dijon mustard by about 25%, but keep the amount of flour the same. Start with a little less salt, then season to taste.

Vegetable Variations
There’s plenty of room for creativity when it comes to vegetables. Here are a few ideas:

  • Swap parsnips or turnips for potatoes.
  • Try gourmet mushrooms like oyster, morel, trumpet, or beech mushrooms.
  • Add 1/2 cup of frozen peas or corn.
  • Substitute leeks for the onion.
  • If you’re not fond of tarragon, simply omit it—this stew will still be delicious!
  • For a quicker option, use cooked chicken instead of raw chicken (see note at the end of the recipe).
  • Add leftover cooked vegetables like broccoli, carrots, or potatoes (see note at the end of the recipe).

Use Leftover Chicken or Turkey
If you have leftover cooked chicken or turkey, you can skip the raw chicken and add it at the very end of cooking. Similarly, any leftover vegetables—like roasted carrots or potatoes—can be added at the end to save time and reduce waste.

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Creamy Chicken Tarragon Stew

Creamy Chicken Tarragon Stew

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 8 reviews
  • Author: Kara Taylor- Home Cooks Guide
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 40 minutes
  • Total Time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 2 quarts 1x
  • Category: Soup
  • Method: Boiling
  • Cuisine: French
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Ingredients

Scale

1/6 cup butter

1/4 cup flour

2 celery stalks

1/2 large onion

2 large carrots

3/4 cup cream

3 1/2 cups chicken broth

1/2 bunch tarragon sprigs, leaves removed, and minced

2 Tablespoons tender lime green celery leaves (from the very center of the head), minced

1 Tablespoon chives, minced

1 lbs diced chicken breast

1 cups diced potatoes, (turnips and/or parsnip)

2 cups sliced mushrooms

1 Tablespoon dijon mustard

1/2 Tablespoon + 1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

Melt the butter in your soup pot.  Add the onions, carrots, celery, potatoes, and sweat these vegetables over medium heat for 10 minutes or so, stirring occasionally, until the onions are transparent the vegetables are starting to get tender.

Stir in the flour and continue cooking for 1-2 minutes, while stirring.

Add the broth, while stirring.  Bring the pot to a boil.  Scrape the bottom of the pan often while bringing it up to a boil.  I like to use a flat-edged wooden spatula for this.  

Reduce the pot to a simmer.  Add the mushrooms, dijon, salt, and pepper.  Continue simmering until all the vegetables almost completely tender.

Add the diced raw chicken and cream.  Return to a simmer for about 5 minutes.

Add the chopped herbs.  Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.  

Serve!

Equipment

Notes

If you would like to substitute the raw chicken for cooked left-over chicken, simply add it at the very end with the herbs.  Likewise if you are adding leftover cooked vegetables or frozen peas and corn.

Notes from the Root Cellar: The First Winter

How do you define winter? Is it the period from the Winter Solstice to the Spring Equinox? The span of the Holidays? Or is it when the temperature in the root cellar consistently drops to the range of refrigeration? By this standard, winter in Missoula runs from December 1st to February 22nd. I think I prefer this definition best. It neatly bookends winter at just shy of three months, a mentally manageable duration of time (although by this definition “Spring” does look a little like Winter…). But more than that, it sets the stage for the activities of the season.

Image Above: “Spring” in Missoula, MT 2/28/2025

For me, December 1st marks the time to prepare a large batch of duck confit and whole slabs of dry-cured bacon—just in time to give as Christmas gifts and with enough time to consume the rest before my extra fridge space gets whisked away by the arrival of spring. Early January is a good time to go into sausage production mode – taking advantage of the extra fridge space to hang the links before vacuum sealing them and filling the chest freezer. Then, by the end of January, it’s time to plan out my cured meats for the year: prosciutto and lomo—salted and ready to hang once the temperatures and humidity stabilize in the 60’s.

I missed these seasonal activities this year because I didn’t know when the cold would arrive—or if it would arrive at all. This was the first winter in the new house. I made a 12 ft x 12 ft root cellar in the basement built with concrete block. It was an experiment. One wall of the root cellar is part of the foundation with contact to the ground. The remaining 3 walls are inside the basement. Two adjustable vents allow air in and out. The root cellar stubbornly hovered in the 50s through Thanksgiving, despite my best attempts to cool it by pulling in the chilly night air. I thought perhaps it would stay in the 50’s all winter. But once the temperature dipped below 42°F in December, it stayed there

Next year, I’ll be ready. This spring, I’ll add insulation and plaster to the outer walls of the root cellar, hoping to extend the cooling effect and squeeze out a few extra weeks of walk-in refrigeration by keeping the cold air inside the root cellar (and out of the rest of the basement). I’ll clear out all the boxes from moving that I still need to unpack to free up the shelves for all these big winter projects.

Notes for Stocking the Root Cellar (for a family of 4)

In preparation for this first winter, I stocked up on the following items from a local farm stand in November, just before they closed for the season:

Carrots (25 lbs): This was not enough. I needed 50 lbs. I stored them in a thick plastic bag with holes, and they remained crunchy throughout the winter.

Cabbage (40 lbs): I still have 15 lbs left. I planned to ferment a bunch but didn’t get around to it with all of the new house projects. The cabbage is still good, although the outer leaves have dried out and need to be peeled off. They were stored on a wire shelf.

Winter Squash (20 lbs): I bought a variety including butternut, acorn, red kuri, delicata, and spaghetti squash. Most lasted until the end of January before developing black, soft spots—except for the red kuri squash, which is still holding up well. The Speghetti Squash was the first to spoil.

Leeks (5 lbs): I still have one leek left in the root cellar. The outer leaves are dried out, but about half of it is still usable. I stored this in a box on the wire shelf. If I stored them differently—perhaps in a bucket with the roots in a little water—I may be able to improve their quality and yield throughout storage.

These items I purchased at Costco/elsewhere throughout the winter:

Pomegranates (8 lbs): Bought around Thanksgiving, they lasted until the end of January. A couple of bad spots had to be cut out.

Potatoes: I bought potatoes throughout the winter in 10 lb bags. I estimate I went through 50 lbs in total with about half russet for baked potatoes and mashed and the other half red or yellow for soup and roasting. These were stored in the clear plastic bags that they were purchased in. Some turned green which surprised me because there isn’t much light in the root cellar. That is unless we accidentally leave the light on (which happens occasionally) and then it’s very bright. I’ll get a burlap sack or box to keep them in going forward.

Onions: I should budget for two onions per week. They seem to store best in the drier conditions just outside the root cellar, where the temperature stays between 50-60°F.

Apples: I bought apples throughout the winter in 5 lb bags. We typically go through about 5 lbs per week, so it would be wise to start the winter with at least 20 lbs of local apples in stock.

Beets (5 lbs): I started with 10 lbs of beets, and stored them on in a box on the wire shelf (no bag). They did get soft over time but I placed them in a bowl of water for about 1 day before cooking them and they firmed back up. Next year I’ll get 25 lbs and store them like the carrots.

Mandarins (20 lbs): Starting in January.

In addition to the fruits and veggies, I’ve also been using this space to store a bunch of other stuff:

Beer, white wine, sparkling water, quart-size cartons of shelf-stable milk, shelf-stable juice. Next winter I’ll store more fresh juice in the root cellar during this cold season.

I have my chest freezer filled with venison and other meats.

Other bulk foods that are stored in a sealed container where humidity won’t damage them, canned goods and emergency supplies.

This is my Most Perfect Sourdough Loaf (so far)

The links in these recipes are for products that I use and recommend.  

This Sourdough Loaf is so simple to make and turns out light and fluffy.

When it comes to kitchen skills, there are a couple that I have developed over hundreds of thousands of hours of practice and I have become an expert in these crafts. Baking is not one of these skills for me. Since I started dabbling with sourdough six years ago I have made a lot of loaves that looked better than they tasted. I’ve had quite a few total failures and I occasionally stumbled upon a damn good loaf. Every success felt like dumb luck though – hard to duplicate. I’ve tried out the methods of Chad Robertson of Tartine Bread and Emilia Raffa of Artisan Sourdough Made Simple, but haven’t committed to any technique or developed one that feels like it is truly mine yet. That is until just recently when I stumbled on a perfect loaf, by accident (forgot about my dough on the counter), and then wrote down exactly what I did and replicated it 3 more times to be certain.

This loaf is light and fluffy with a perfect crust. Aside from being the most perfect loaf I have made (and replicated) to-date, it is an extremely easy recipe. In fact, I stumbled on perfection by forgetting about my dough on the counter and letting it rise longer than I planned. Then, because it was late at night by that time, I shaped it quickly and threw it in the garage (very cold right now!) hoping to slow or stop the fermentation which I feared had already gone too far. I did not knead or turn the dough at all during bulk fermentation for the first loaf. I did turn it on subsequent batches because I like turning dough, it’s satisfying. There was no noticeable difference between the dough that was completely neglected for a whole day and the dough that I turned several times during bulk fermentation.

This is what I did to make my most perfect loaf:

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Image of Sourdough in ceramic cloche

My Most Perfect Sourdough Loaf

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star No reviews
  • Author: Kara Taylor- Home Cooks Guide
  • Prep Time: 24 hours
  • Cook Time: 1 hour
  • Total Time: 25 hours
  • Yield: 1 loaf 1x
  • Category: Sourdough
  • Method: Baking
  • Diet: Vegan
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Description

This bread has a light and airy crumb and a crust that is not too hard.

Ingredients

Scale

80 grams very active sourdough starter

360 grams warm water

500 grams High Protein Bread Flour

15 grams Wheat bran

10 grams salt

Instructions

Mix the starter and warm water together, then stir in all the other ingredients with a wooden spoon until if forms a sticky glob.  Use your hands to shape the dough into a rough ball.

Optional Step: Let this sit for about 20 minutes and then give it a quick turn by placing your hand under one quadrant of the dough and folding it up.  Rotate the bowl and repeat 3 more times.  ( I have omitted this step and still made an excellent loaf).

Cover the dough and let it sit at room temperature (70 degrees) for 10-12 hours until it is very airy.

Turn the dough out on a heavily floured surface and let it rest for about 20 minutes. Then shape the dough and place it seam-side up in a shaping bowl, lined with a floured cloth napkin. Cover this bowl with a clean kitchen towel and place in the fridge (or a cold garage) for 10-12 hours.

Preheat the oven to 425 with your baking vessel in it.

Turn the dough out on a piece of parchment (now seam-side down).  Sprinkle the top with flour (optional), score the loaf and transfer it on the parchment to your baking vessel (dutch oven or ceramic cloche).  Put the lid on.

Reduce the oven to 400 F and bake for 50 minutes.  Remove the lid and bake for another 10 minutes.

Remove the loaf from the baking vessel and let it cool on a wire rack.

Equipment

Notes

My Baking Time Line:

Morning: Make the dough

Night: Shape and refrigerate the dough

Morning 2: Bake the loaf

Ready to eat: by late breakfast (if you start early) or lunch.

The Best Deviled Eggs Recipe

The links in these recipes are for products that I use and recommend.  

Deviled Eggs with assorted garnishes on kraft parchment.
An easy, economical, and beautiful appetizer recipe that is loved by all.

Deviled eggs are the ultimate party food. They are cheap and easy to make and can be dressed up for formal occasions or your kid’s afternoon snack. Sometimes called Russian Eggs or Stuffed Eggs, Deviled Eggs are hard-boiled eggs that are cut in half, the yolk removed and mixed with flavorful ingredients to form a paste, and then reinserted into the egg-white boats.

I love deviled eggs. As a caterer, these were some of my most popular appetizers for weddings, baby showers, and family reunions. They are gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegetarian (unless you choose to top them with bacon or chorizo or smoked salmon), and cost a mere 25 cents a piece, making it a great options for serving to big crowds. Though they are wonderful all year long and for any occasion, springtime is when fresh farm eggs have the brightest, orangest yolks, and it is the time of year that I think about them the most. These make great use of all those Easter Eggs and are also perfect for Mother’s Day. They are a big hit with my kiddos and are a super nutritious snack.

I like to top my deviled eggs with an assortment of garnishes, whatever I have on hand. But beware, people eat more of them when they have assorted garnishes!

Here’s a list of my favorite deviled egg toppings:

  • bacon lardons
  • smoked salmon
  • curry powder
  • smoked paprika
  • cooked shrimp
  • sliced dry chorizo and ancho chili powder
  • sliced radish and herbs
  • sliced or minced celery heart and leaves (the innermost lime green part of a head of celery and my favorite part of celery)
  • olives
  • minced cornichons/pickles
  • Seriously Whole Grain Mustard (pickled mustard seed)
  • minced herbs (chives, tarragon, dill, and/or parsley)
  • miner’s lettuce (grows wild here in the spring in Northern California)
  • edible flowers (rosemary, sage, and/or chive blossoms work great)
  • Lil Smokies (for the kiddos)
  • caviar

Tips and Tricks

  • For cooking perfect hardboiled eggs and easy peeling, check out this post (The Easy Way to Peel Hard-Boiled Eggs)
  • You can make the yolk mix ahead of time and store the whites and yolk mix separately until ready to serve.
  • A piping bag makes for quick, easy filling. You can pipe hundreds of deviled eggs in a matter of minutes with piping bags. If you use disposable plastic piping bags, which I highly recommend, you can fill them with the yolk mix, and tie the end off for storage and transport

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Deviled eggs with assorted garnishes: saucisson, miners lettuse, olives, herbs

Deviled Eggs

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  • Author: Kara Taylor – Home Cooks Guide
  • Prep Time: 30 min
  • Cook Time: 12
  • Total Time: 42 minutes
  • Yield: 24 bites 1x
  • Category: appetizer
  • Method: cold prep
  • Cuisine: American, Italian, Russian
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Description

These little bites are easy and inexpensive to make and perfect for snacking on with kids or dressing up and taking to holiday parties.

Ingredients

Scale

12 hard boiled eggs

7 T mayonnaise

5–6 teaspoons of your favorite mustard

5–6 teaspoons of cornichon or pickle juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon paprika (optional)

Assorted toppings (see above list for ideas)

Instructions

Boil and peel your eggs (see note below for tips and tricks)

Set-up your food processor.

Cut the eggs in half, place white “boats” into a bowl of water to clean them.  Place yolks into the food processor.

Add remaining ingredients to the food processor and blend until smooth and creamy.

Transfer yolk mixture to a piping bag with your preferred tip.  I prefer plastic disposable piping bags which can be tied off for storage until ready to use.  

You can store the white boats and hold the yolk mixture in a tied-off piping bag for a couple of days or pipe and serve right away.  You want to pipe the eggs close to the time you are serving them as the yolk mixture will turn a bit orangey after prolonged exposure to air.

When ready to finish your eggs, gather all your toppings.  Rinse, drain and dry your egg boats (the drier the shells, the less slippery they will be to transport).

Deviled Eggs being piped with assorted garnishes on cutting board

Kids love making and eating these deviled eggs.

Pipe the yolk mixture into the egg white “boats”.  Add your toppings.  I like to do 3-4 different toppings per batch.

Young girl topping deviled eggs with assorted garnishes.

My daughter is especially excited about the deviled eggs topped with black olive.

 

Assorted deviled eggs on dark purple plate.

Deviled eggs garnished with black olives, herbs and microgreens, miner’s lettuce, flower blossoms and saucisson.

Equipment

Notes

Check out The Easy Way to Peel Hard Boiled Eggs.

If transporting these to a party, I recommend using 1 1/2 inch cupcake papers to cradle each egg and a tuperware container with a tight fitting lid (or well wrapped in plastic wrap) that fits your batch of eggs tightly so they don’t move around.  You could also put mixed greens down under your eggs.  This will help with sliding but is not as effective as the cupcake papers.  Alternatively, you could bring your dry egg shells arranged on your serving platter, yolk piping bag and garnishes and assemble at the party location.  It’s really fast and totally doable.  I’ve piped and garnished hundreds of these at a time in the middle of wedding appetizer service.

If you don’t have a food processor, put your yolks through a food mill or garlic press into a mixing bowl and whisk in the other ingredients.

If you don’t have a piping bag, you can spoon the yolk mixture into the eggs.  They’ll just look more rustic and take a bit longer.

Terrine De Campagne (Country Pâté) Master Recipe

The links in these recipes are for products that I use and recommend.  

Terrine De Campagne or Country Pâté may sound fancy, but in truth, this was historically considered simple peasant food. A versatile and rustic meatloaf that is equally suited for both formal dinner parties and casual picnics. Depending on if, and how, you choose to garnish this loaf, it can be a very economical dish to make.

When I was chef at the Charcuterie, Country Pâté studded with Pistachio and Duck Confit was one of my most popular products. While most of my other products rotated seasonally, this pâté had a permanent place in our cold case, next to my Dry-Cured Bacon and Duck Confit. I have received many requests for this recipe over the years so here it is: my Master Recipe (designed for industry and meant for scaling and customizing). My Country Pâté studded with Pistachio and Duck Confit recipe is scaled and modified for the home kitchen is in a separate post.

What are Pâtés and Terrines

These two terms are often used interchangeably. A “terrine” is the name of a baking dish. “Terrine” is also the name of the loaf that is shaped by this baking dish. It may contain liver (like this one does) or not. It may be baked in the terrine (like this one is) or the ingredients may be cooked first and then molded by the terrine, held together with a mousse or gelatin (aka aspic), like headcheese. A terrine can be sliceable or spreadable or both.

Pâté, on the other hand, is a meat spread that contains liver, either a lot or a little bit. It can be smooth and creamy or coarse and chunky. Nowadays you sometimes see “Vegetarian Pâtés” or “Salmon Pâtés”. These names are taking some liberties with the word “pâté”.

Classic French meat-based terrines and pâtés are typically enjoyed on bread or crackers with cornichons, mustard, olives, other pickled things, dried fruit, preserves, and/or nuts.

What does “De Campagne” Mean?

Pronounced “də kah~/pahn”, it means “of the country”. Terrine de Campagne is a rustic loaf made from coarse ground meat and herbs. My version contains pork, a little bit of liver, brandy, and lots of herbs. I usually garnish the inside of this with pistachio and duck confit. The pistachios add visually to the loaf when it is sliced. However, you can play around with the garnishes to come up with an infinite number of variations and I have made many many versions of this recipe over the years. Sometimes changing out the garnishes for walnuts and sauteed mushrooms, cooked diced carrot, pitted chopped Castelvetrano olives, or diced chicken breast or pork loin. I have made versions of this recipe with rabbit and poultry and mixtures of pork and rabbit and poultry, sometimes adding hearts in place of the liver to it if I have those on hand (which I often do).

How to Make Country Pâté (Terrine de Campagne)

I work off “Master Recipes”. This is the process and the ratios. From here, there are infinite options for you to customize. This is the place to start if you have a specific amount of meat from your recent hunting trip or farm harvest that you want to use, or if you are making a large batch in a commercial kitchen. If you are playing around with this recipe at home, I recommend scaling it by 10%-20%. Simply multiply all ingredients by .1 or .2 to make 1-2 loaf pans.

I have also provided my recipe for Country Pate with Pistachio and Duck Confit in a separate post for which I have received several requests from my readers and past customers. If you are looking for a recipe that has already been scaled to work in the home kitchen, this is the one for you.

Making pâté is a project. This is something to do on a cool and rainy weekend. It’s not difficult but there are a lot of steps and a lot of inactive time between them. This pâté also freezes well. It is worth making a large batch (say 2-3 loaf pans worth) at home, portioning it into 4-8oz chunks, vacuum sealing the portions, or wrapping them tightly in several layers of plastic wrap, and stocking your freezer. I have a freezer full of pâté. I used to make 20-40lb batches of pâté in a commercial setting, grinding and mixing the forcemeat in a Hollymatic, prepping on a completely cleared 6-foot table, cooking the loaves in several 2-inch hotel pans, and cooling them in a walk-in refrigerator piled high with ice from a bottomless ice machine. You likely do not have this type of equipment on hand. Anything larger than 3 loaf pans will start to get a bit unruly in most home kitchens – requiring extra-large bins, special mixing equipment, and most importantly more fridge space than you probably have to cool this down as quickly as it needs to for proper food safety. Do yourself a favor and don’t make batches of charcuterie larger than you have the proper space and equipment for.

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Terrine De Campagne (Country Pâté) Master Recipe

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  • Author: Kara Taylor- Home Cooks Guide
  • Prep Time: 2 hours
  • Cook Time: 1-3 hours
  • Total Time: 48 hours
  • Yield: approx 16lbs 1x
  • Category: Charcuterie
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: French
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Description

This Master Recipe is intended to be scaled and customized.  For a more specific recipe that has been scaled already to a 1 loaf pan batch see Chicken Bacon Chestnut Pâté or Country Pate with Duck Confit and Pistachio.

This recipe is set for a batch using 10lb of meat for easy scaling. To make a batch with 1lb of meat, multiply all ingredients by 0.1.  To make a batch for 20 lbs, multiply all ingredients by 2.

Ingredients

Scale

10 lbs meat (pork, rabbit, chicken, goose, duck, and/or turkey), ground or chopped

1 lb fatty bacon (I always have this dry-cured bacon on hand )

1 2/3 lbs liver (soaked overnight in milk)

165 grams onion or shallot

3–4 cups chopped herbs (parsley, thyme, chives, tarragon, and/or sage)

120 grams garlic cloves

100 grams salt

9 grams curing salt #1 (optional, but recommended, see note 1)

19 grams black pepper, ground

10 grams (2 teaspoons) pâté spice (see note 2)

10 eggs

100 grams (11 Tablespoons) Flour

163 grams (11 Tablespoons) Brandy

192 grams (.8 cups) Cream

4–8 cups garnish (ie. diced chicken, pork loin or duck, duck confit chopped, nuts, dried fruit, sauteed mushrooms, olives, cooked vegetables)

caul, bacon slices, swiss chard leaves for lining terrine (optional, see note 3 below)

Instructions

Pâté Prep

Organize your materials and make sure you have a clean sanitized surface and equipment.  You will need:

  • 4-5 mixing bowls (1-2 large, 3 medium)
  • Cutting board
  • knife
  • measuring cups and spoons
  • Spatulas/ wooden spoons
  • Terrine dishes (8 quart capacity/1 hotel pan for every 10lbs of meat)
  • Parchment
  • Plastic Wrap
  • Tin Foil
  • Probe thermometer
  • Whisk
  • Meat Grinder (optional)
  • Meat Mixer (optional)
  • Gloves (optional but nice)
  • Kitchen Scale 
  • Weights for terrine (see instructions)
  • Clean prep space
  • Enough refrigerator space to fit terrines and allow for air circulation

The night before making this terrine, soak the liver in milk.

The next morning, drain, rinse and dry the livers.  Trim them of any unsightly spots.

In a bowl, combine all the dry spices.  Mix well.  Add the meat, bacon and liver, onions, garlic, and fresh herbs.  Let this mixture sit in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or overnight.  NOTE: If you are using ground meat, everything else should be minced.  If you are grinding your own mixture, you can leave these things coarsely chopped and grind everything up together.  

In another bowl, combine the eggs, cream, booze and flour.  Whisk until all lumps are gone.  Refrigerate until ready to mix with the meat mixture.  This is your “Panade”

In another bowl, combine your garnishes.

In another bowl, place your caul or bacon slices for lining the terrine dish (if using)

Grind the meat mixture (optional step)

If you are using ground meat, you can skip this step and save yourselves some time and dishes.  However, grinding your own mixture gives you more control over the final texture of the product and is ideal if you are using your own game or farm-raised meat.  I like to grind my own because I like some of the mixture to be ground fine and some to be coarser.  I run everything through the medium or large die once and then I put about half the mixture back through for a second time.  You could also switch between the coarse and medium die or the medium and fine die to achieve the same effect (but then you’d lose some time and end up with more dishes).

If grinding your own meat, put the auger, the die, and the tray of the grinder into the freezer or refrigerator at least 30 minutes before you plan to start grinding.

Assemble the cold grinder pieces with a mixing bowl set up to catch the ground meat.

Grind the meat mixture into the mixing bowl.

Mix the forcemeat

Add the panade to the meat mixture.  Mix the meat and panade together until it is completely incorporated and the meat mixture begins to look tacky.  This takes about 5 minutes.  You can do this by hand for amounts less than 5 lbs.  More than that and you probably will want to use a large stand mixer with a paddle attachment on low-medium or a special meat mixer used for sausage making.  

Fold in the garnishes

Once the forcemeat is mixed, fold in the garnishes until evenly distributed.

Assemble the Terrine

Lay out the terrine dishes you are using to bake this pâté.  I use bread loaf pans for small batches and a half or full size hotel pans for large batches.

Oil the baking dish.  Line the dish with caul or bacon strips or professional grade plastic wrap (no need to oil terrine if going with this option) so that the lining material overhangs enough to fold over and cover the top when filled.  You can also line it first with caul or professional grade plastic wrap and then with swiss chard leaves for a dramatic and tasty effect.

Fill the terrine with the forcemeat.  Try to avoid air bubbles.  I do this by spooning in a little bit at a time and pushing it down in the dish.  Then add more and layer it up to the top.  Fold over the overhanging caul or bacon strips (or plastic wrap).  Cover with a layer of parchment paper followed by a layer of tin foil.

Bake at 300 F until a probe thermometer inserted into the middle of the pâté reads 140 F (if no poultry or poultry liver) or 155 F if using poultry (it will continue to cook after it comes out of the oven).

When the thermometer goes off, slowly pull the probe out, pausing to read the temp on its way up.  Usually, the probe settles to the bottom of the loaf which is the hottest part.  The middle will be less done and the top even less.  Make sure the coolest part of the loaf (the top half) is reading 140 or 155 F.

Remove the loaf(s) from the oven.  Keep covered for another 10 minutes.  Remove the cover and let it cool to room temp over a period of 1-2 hours (if you have a cold and clean garage, you can move it there to speed the cooling process).

Wrap the terrine completely with plastic wrap, all the way around the terrine dish (aka “hotel wrap” in industry speak).  Weight the terrine down.  You can do this by cutting out a piece of cardboard to fit on top of the terrine and then add full cans from the pantry on top, or you can take another similar-sized loaf pan and fill it half way with ice water and place that on top.  Refrigerate the weighted terrine for 12-24 hours. See note below for important food safety info.

Left Pan: Crepinettes. One wrapped with swiss chard and caul. I’ll eat that one first. Middle Pan: Crepinettes. Right Pan: Pate Loaf, partially wrapped with swiss chard.

Portion and Serve Terrine

Invert the terrine onto a cutting board and slice it into portions.  At this point, you can serve it or vacuum seal/wrap in several layers of plastic wrap and freeze it.  Vacuum sealed, this product will last 6 months or more in the freezer.  Wrapped in plastic wrap, 2-4 months.

Equipment

Notes

1) IMPORTANT FOOD SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS:

If you are using the curing salt, you have 15 hours to get your terrine cooled down from 140 F – 41 F or below.  If you are NOT using the Curing Salt, you have only 4 hours to get your terrine from 140-41 F.  If you are making a 2-quart loaf pan of pâté, this is pretty easy to achieve without much effort. However, if you are making a larger batch using half or full-size hotel pans and placing it in a tightly packed refrigerator, you would be surprised how long food can stay above 41 F and in the “danger zone”.  Do not attempt to make large batches without first having plenty of fridge space (like an extra empty fridge for projects like I have) and plenty of ice.  You will want to weigh the terrines down with ice water to accelerate the cooling process.

2) Kara’s Pâté Spice

  • 25 grams (1 2/3 T) ground white or black pepper
  • 12 grams (2 1/2 t) ground nutmeg
  • 12 grams (2 1/2 t) ground ginger
  • 2 grams (1/2 t)ground cloves
  • 10 grams (2 t) of ground coriander
  • If you want to use a pre-made spice blend instead, look for “Savory Quatre Épices”

3) Lining the Pâté

Caul fat is my preferred method for lining terrine dishes.  It is cool and easy to work with though hard to find.  You’ll want to ask at the grocery store meat counter or specialty butcher if they can order some for you.  It may come in a large block which you would want to repackage into usable portions and then freeze for later use.  Bacon slices are labor-intensive and expensive but delicious.  The bacon also shrinks as it cooks so make sure the pieces overlap.  Ask at the meat counter for thinly sliced bacon for this purpose.  I like using swiss chard leaves either under caul or under professional-grade plastic wrap.  This adds visual appeal to the terrine.  The shelf life is shorter though so keep that in mind and only use this method on terrines that are going to be consumed within a week or so.  You can also skip caul, bacon, or swiss chard and use only professional-grade plastic wrap.  No need to oil the terrine if you use this option.  This is not my preferred method as cooking in plastic wrap kind of hurts my soul, but I have done it in a pinch with fine results.

Chicken, Ginger and Goji Berry Soup for Healing and Recovery

The links in these recipes are for products that I use and recommend.  

An essential home remedy for cold-and-flu and injury recovery.

Every home cook needs a couple of “Get Well” recipes up their sleeve, this is one of mine. This Chinese-inspired Chicken, Ginger and Goji Berry Soup is delicious, rich, easy on the stomach, and packed with comforting nutrition for healing, recovery, and immune support. You will want to add this nourishing soup to your recovery regimen for sickness, or injury. Every ingredient in this soup brings with it potent health benefits. Aside from the health benefits of this soup, it is just plain delicious.

Healing Ingredients:

Ginger– Ginger has been used for thousands of years as a medicinal plant and is known to be effective at treating nausea and morning sickness, upset stomach, pain relief, and inflammation. Gingerol is cardiotonic.

Garlic– Rich in vitamin B and C, minerals, and allicin. Garlic has known antibiotic, antimicrobial, cholesterol-lowering, and cancer-fighting properties.

Goji Berries-A superfood high in Iron, Vitamin A and C. Goji berries have potent immune-boosting properties. These berries are also used medicinally for eye, liver, kidney, and lung health.

Coconut Aminos– This umami-rich seasoning contains less salt than soy sauce and 17 amino acids which are important in immunity, building muscle, and various other bodily functions. Mostly, liquid aminos are a super delicious seasoning that balances salty and sweet.

Salt – Replenishes electrolytes and aids in hydration

Gelatin – Full of amino acids glycine and proline which support skin, hair, nails, joints, and the immune system. Gelatin is what makes bone broth so nutritious. I use unflavored powdered gelatin to make “Cheater bone broths” out of quick or store-bought broths. Mixed with dry ingredients like salt and spices, gelatin can be added directly to simmering liquids without having to “bloom” first.

Chicken and chicken fat– Contains protein, niacin, selenium, and iron. Chicken (and duck) fat are relatively low in saturated fat and high in linoleic acid an Omega-6, and Vitamin E. If you are the type of home cook that has some duck fat in the fridge, you could spoon a tablespoon into the soup for added nutrition and yumminess.

Rice– Provides easy to digest carbohydrates, protein, iron, B vitamins, and magnesium. White rice replenishes glycogen stores in your muscles after physical exertion from an intense workout… or labor. (The Reason Athletes Eat White Rice Instead of Brown).

Carrots and Squash – These vegetables are high in fiber, Vitamin A and Vitamin C.

I got the idea for this soup from a recipe in the book “The First Forty Days: The Essential Art of Nourishing the New Mother” by Heng Ou. This book is filled with traditional Chinese wisdom and simple and beautiful recipes for healing and caring for new mothers. I highly recommend this book for every new mom. It helped me rethink caring for myself after the birth of my second child. Something I completely neglected with my first child- returning to work in the commercial kitchen a mere 2 weeks after a complicated childbirth.

Though this book focuses on postpartum care, the recipes are all about healing, boosting the immune system, and recovering after extreme physical exertion. These recipes are just as useful for those recovering from illness, a sports injury, or …. a hangover.

Heng Ou has a recipe in this book “Chicken, Red Date, and Ginger Soup” recipe made with goji berries, and jujubes (Chinese Red Dates). I thought the idea of adding dried fruit to chicken soup sounded really interesting. When I got around to making it though, I didn’t have Jujubes, so I made some substitutions. While I was making the soup I decided to add some things to make the broth really rich (coconut aminos, gelatin) and the soup more filling (rice and squash). The resulting recipe is an incredibly satisfying, healthful, healing, immune-boosting soup that can be enjoyed as a full meal whether you are feeling depleted, under-the-weather, or… perfectly well and in the mood for some comfort food.

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Bowl of Chicken, Ginger and Goji Berry Soup with Rice.

Chicken, Ginger and Goji Berry Soup with Rice for Healing and Recovery

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.8 from 17 reviews
  • Author: Kara Taylor- Home Cooks Guide
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 2 hours
  • Total Time: 2 hours
  • Yield: 3 qts 1x
  • Category: Soup
  • Method: Boil
  • Cuisine: Chinese
  • Diet: Gluten Free
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Description

This incredibly satisfying soup is packed with potent healing ingredients like ginger, goji berries, and garlic.  You will want to add this to your get-well regimen for sickness and injury.

Ingredients

Scale

1 4-5 lb chicken

water, about 8-12 cups

4 inch piece of ginger, halved crossways and lengthways

5 large garlic cloves, crushed

1 medium onion, halved

salt

coconut aminos (or soy sauce)

1 T unflavored gelatin powder (optional)

1–2 T salt

6 carrots, peeled and sliced 1/2 inch thick

1 delicata squash (or small butternut squash), peeled and diced

1/2 cup dried goji berries

2 cups white rice, cooked

Instructions

Bring chicken and water up to a boil with the onion, garlic, and ginger.  Reduce the heat to a low simmer and cook for 1-2 hours or until the chicken comes off the bone easily.

Remove the chicken from the pot.  Using a sieve or a spider, fish out the garlic, ginger, and onion (or you could pour the broth through a sieve).

Mix the gelatin with salt, add this mixture to the broth.  Add about 2 tablespoons of the Coconut Aminos.  Taste and add more salt and Aminos until you reach the desired savoriness.

Add the carrots, squash and goji berries and simmer for 20-30 or until all the vegetables are tender.

While the vegetables cook, remove the chicken from the bones.  Shred the meat.

Add the chicken to the soup and remove from the heat.

Serve with cooked white rice.

Equipment

The Best Andouille Sausage Recipe

The links in these recipes are for products that I use and recommend.  

This is the best Andouille Sausage Recipe

This is one of the first recipes I developed when I opened my sausage biz. 10 years and dozens of awesome sausage recipes later, this is still one of my all-time favorites to make and eat. I always think of this sausage in the fall when summer produce is peaking and the weather is just starting to turn. It is heavily seasoned with fresh green bell peppers and studded with big chunks of pork loin. Andouille is the cornerstone to many of the dishes I love to make most when the nights get colder – gumbo, jambalaya, and hearty and spicy stews. It is worth making a big batch of this at the start of fall to stock your freezer for winter meals.

Traditionally this sausage is smoked and fully cooked. I use my Traeger for these and they turn out perfectly. If you do not have a smoker, you can substitute some of the salt for smoked salt and cook them in the oven, directly on the oven racks at a low temperature. Purists may scoff, but I won’t judge.

If you are new to making sausage, I highly recommend you check out this detailed step-by-step guide: How to Make Sausage which covers sausage-making equipment and the details within each step of the process. This sausage variety really wants to be made into links. However, there is a lot you can do with fresh bulk andouille and I always enjoy making empanadas or stuffed zucchini with the little bit of bulk sausage that you end up with at the end of the sausage stuffer. If you want to skip the links part (because let’s be honest, not every kitchen is outfitted for twisting sausage links), you can make a small batch of this and enjoy it uncased in a million different ways.

If sausage-making is your thing, I will be posting more of my previously top-secret recipes from my days as a professional sausage maker on this site. Be sure to subscribe for recipes delivered straight to your inbox. Recipes that are on the docket to be released soon: Turducken Sausage, Maple and Sage Breakfast Sausage, Spicy Apple Breakfast Sausage, Chicken-Bacon-Chestnut Pate, Currywurst, Butifarra, Herbs De Provence Sausage, Chorizo Verde, Moroccan Chicken Sausage and many more.

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Andouille Sausage Recipe

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  • Author: Kara Taylor- Home Cooks Guide
  • Prep Time: 3 hours
  • Cook Time: 1-3 hours
  • Total Time: 0 hours
  • Yield: 10 lbs 1x
  • Category: Charcuterie
  • Method: Sausage Making
  • Cuisine: Cajun
  • Diet: Gluten Free
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Description

Andouille Sausage is a spicy smoked Cajun Link used in gumbo and jambalaya.  This version is studded with large chunks of pork loin and is seasoned with fresh green bell pepper, fresh onion, and celery salt for the unmistakeble cajun flavors of the “holy trinity” (aka cajun mirapoix).

Ingredients

Scale

Meat

9 lbs trimmed pork butt (or venison, pork mixture that is 70-75% lean)

1 lb diced pork loin (1/4–1/2 inch dice)

Dry-Spice Mix

10 grams curing salt #1 (aka “pink salt”, not to be confused with Himalayan Pink Salt which does not work here)

54 grams salt (if you don’t have a smoker, sub 1/2 of this salt for smoked salt)

6 grams celery salt

20 grams ground cayenne pepper

2 gram dried thyme leaves

6 grams ground allspice

3 grams mustard powder

4 grams sugar

Fresh Ingredients (Mince everything in food processor)

270 grams minced onion

30 grams minced garlic cloves

200 grams minced green bell pepper

Liquid Mix

1 cup water

Instructions

If you are new to sausage making, I recommend reading this post before beginning: How to make sausage

Measure and prep all your ingredients into different containers: 1) force meat (pork butt), 2) liquid ingredients (minced veggies and their juices + water), 3) spices mix 4) garnish (pork loin).

Combine the pork butt and dry-spice mix together, refrigerate.

Soak your sausage casings (if using natural casings) in water for at least 30 minutes or overnight.

Dice the pork loin into 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch chunks and refrigerate.  

Chill all your grinding and mixing equipment for at least 30 minutes.  While you are waiting for everything to chill, its a good time to do your first round of clean up.  For these next steps you will want a completely cleared and clean counter and a couple of sheet pans laid out for twisting sausage on.

Grind the pork butt and spices together into a chilled mixing bowl.

Transfer the ground meat mixture and the pork loin chunks to your mixer and begin mixing.  After about 1 minute, slowly add the minced peppers, onion, and garlic (and their liquid), and the chilled water with the mixer running and continue mixing for 4 more minutes after all ingredients have been added.  After the 5th minute, the sausage should look sticky or tacky.  If it doesn’t, keep mixing for a minute or two longer. Note: As long as the mixture is still nice and cold, you really cannot over-mix it.  You can however undermix it.

Transfer the meat to your sausage stuffer and fill and twist the casings (or skip this step for bulk sausage).  It’s helpful to shoot the stuffed sausages out onto a sheet pan to contain the mess.

Refrigerate the sausage uncovered for 1 day.  If you can, hang them in the fridge for the best result.

Preheat your smoker to 180-220 F.  Smoke the sausages until the sausages reach an internal temperature of 150-160.  Quickly submerge in ice water to cool and prevent shriveling.  Remove from the ice water after about 30 seconds and leave out for an hour or 2 to dry, then package and store, or cook and serve them as desired.

Equipment

Gumbo: Simple, Delicious, Comfort Food for Cold Days

The links in these recipes are for products that I use and recommend.  

Sausage Gumbo served with white rice on a white bowl.
Sausage Gumbo served with rice.

Gumbo is comfort for me. During the summer and fall, I love filling this dish with fresh local vegetables at the peak of their flavor: tomato, okra, zucchini, green beans, green peppers. During the winter, I make this with canned tomatoes and vegetables from the freezer and I love the rich, spicy sauce on a cold day. In the spring, I make a version of gumbo loaded with greens like escarole, kale, and collards.

What is gumbo?

Gumbo is a thick Creole and Cajun stew of tomatoes, vegetables, and meat. The Creole version usually features sausage, shrimp, and okra. The Cajun version usually omits the okra and features a variety of meats. Gumbo is typically served with plain white long-grain rice like Jasmine Rice or Basmati. I also serve it over gritz.

Every cook has a handful of basic, flexible, and forgiving recipes that can be used to empty the kitchen of perishable produce and meat and gumbo is one of mine.

What gives Gumbo its Flavor?

The unique flavor of Gumbo comes from the dark cajun roux that is used to thicken it. You can make your own dark cajun roux or you can buy cajun roux (like SAVOIE’S Old Fashioned Dark Roux 32oz). Roux lasts forever in the refrigerator. 1/4 cup of dark roux will thicken about 3 quarts or 12 servings of Gumbo. This dark roux adds a toasty nutty flavor to the stew that is unlike anything else. There is no substitute for this.

A good home-made broth and Worcestershire sauce adds an umami-rich flavor even before any meat is added. You could leave the meat out in this recipe and have an incredibly delicious vegetable gumbo.

Sausage is often featured in Gumbo and the best sausages to use are Andouille. Andouille is a spicy smoked sausage. In my previous life, I was a professional sausage maker. My andouille sausage recipe is one of my all-time favorite recipes from this time in my life and I sorely miss having this sausage regularly on hand. If you are feeling ambitious, I highly recommend giving it a try. You can also make Gumbo with chicken, shrimp, crawfish, crab, shellfish, and any combination of these.

The vegetables that are always present in any gumbo are onion, celery, and green bell pepper. These are called the “holy trinity” or “cajun mirepoix” in chef’s lingo. After that, you can add other types of peppers, summer squash, okra, collard greens, swiss chard or kale, or green onion. Pretty much anything you have on hand will work!

Gumbo For Camping

I love to take sausage gumbo camping. It’s fun to catch fish, crawfish, or crab to add to it. It’s easy to heat and serve with instant rice. And it’s super satisfying on a cold night, especially if you spice it up with lots of Tabasco. Simply measure out about 3/4 cups of gumbo for each person on the trip into a ziplock bag and freeze it ahead of time. This will double as an ice pack to keep your cooler cold until you thaw and serve it. Pull it out of the cooler with enough time to thaw and reheat over a medium-low flame until simmering, stirring occasionally.

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Sausage gumbo and rice on white plate

Simple Gumbo Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 5 reviews
  • Author: Kara Taylor- Home Cooks Guide
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 3 quarts 1x
  • Category: Soup/stew
  • Method: Stove top
  • Cuisine: Cajun
  • Diet: Low Lactose
Print Recipe

Description

This is a flexible recipe for gumbo.  Customize it to the ingredients you have on hand.  This recipe makes enough for a party or multiple meals.

Ingredients

Scale

1–2 Tablespoons oil

1 1/2 large onions, diced

6 celery stalks, diced

3 green bell peppers, diced

7 cups diced/crushed fresh tomatoes OR peeled and seeded fresh tomatoes OR 4 14oz cans diced tomatoes

3 cups okra, green bean and/or summer squash (fresh or frozen)

2 cups diced green onion

1 cup diced collard greens, swiss chard or kale (optional)

1/2 Tablespoon ground cumin

1/2 Tablespoon dried thyme

1/2 cup Worcestershire

1/4 cup dark cajun roux

1–3 lbs diced chicken breast, diced chicken thighs, andouille or linguica sausage, cooked Chaurice sausage, shrimp, crab, and/or crawfish

salt to taste

1/2 cup water or broth

Instructions

In a large heavy bottom pot, heat 1-2 tablespoons oil and sauté the onions, celery, and bell pepper until tender.  If using cooked sausage, add it now as well.

Add the diced or crushed tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, and water/broth.  Bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer.  

Add the okra and/or summer squash and bring it back up to a simmer.  Simmer for 5 minutes.

Add the dark cajun roux and stir until dissolved and stew thickens.  If you would prefer a thicker stew, add more roux.  Stir in the green onions.

At this point, add the diced chicken breast, shrimp, crab, or crawfish and cook until just finished, about 5 more minutes.  Alternatively, you could set aside a portion of this “Gumbo Base” to freeze for other meals and add the meat just to the portion you plan on serving tonight.  For my family of 4, I fill two 1-quart freezer zip lock bags with Gumbo Base to freeze and add 1 lb of meat to the remaining quart to serve that night.

 

Serve with plain long grain rice like basmati or jasmine.

Equipment