Turkey – Our Wild Savory Kitchen

Paella

Paella is the signature meal of Spain, a national pride, and yet almost no one fully agrees on how exactly it should be made. It is a controversial meal for many reasons… starting with the simple fact that it is a huge shallow pan loaded down with complex and expensive ingredients which completely vary from home to home, town to town, restaurant to restaurant, and from region to region in Spain. Paella in Madrid is very different from that in Seville. But at the same time, like Bouillabaisse from France, Paella is a classic meal so identified with the soul of the country that it naturally comes laden with emotion, memory, tradition, pride, and a sensory longing for the authenticity of the time and place of one’s upbringing.

Gumbo Ya Ya

The Cajun people of Louisiana have a long, proud and emotionally powerful history and tradition… and they are a strong part of my Mother’s side of the family. She was French-Canadian, and was born within the bloodline of the Acadian people.

Sloppy Joe’s

This bad boy is not your momma’s Sloppy Joe’s… no ketchup, yellow mustard or chili powder. This version is super umami, with wonderful complex flavors and by far the best one we’ve ever tasted.

Stuffed Peppers with Shakshuka Sauce, Sausages and Feta

Shakshuka isn’t just for breakfast anymore! This fabulous Middle Eastern feast is also a wonderful stuffing for grape leaves. Give it a whirl, these are the best stuffed peppers we ever had!

Chili Con Carne

This is an authentic fiesta from central Mexico, it is not Tex/Mex in origin. This deceptively common meal takes its inspiration from the varied dried chilies, spices, fresh vegetables, jungle fowl and wild pig (peccary) perfected by the Aztec Empire. The spices they treasured are actually closer to the exotic and aromatic spices of India than the flavors from the beef culture of West Texas. Coriander, allspice (the taste of cloves), oregano, anise, cinnamon bark, wild onions and garlic vine were all available to the Aztec people, and they cooked over a smoldering fire, which made their chili perfectly smoky as well.

Cuban Hash (Picadillo)

Cuban hash, called Picadillo, is one of the most popular dishes in Cuba and after making this little feast several times, we are also head over heels in love. Most often we prepare this little feast with pork, but sometimes we use ground turkey thighs from free range and air chilled birds.

Pasta e Fagioli

Pasta e Fagioli translates as Pasta and Beans but this dish is so much more than that. It’s the ultimate comfort food. This classic Italian dish is perfect when there is a bite to the air, and the dry leaves are blowing past the door. Build a fire in the fireplace and sit down to this classic rustic comfort food at the weathered kitchen table. This is an authentic Italian umami bomb, so rich and savory, often served with rosemary and garlic focaccia, or toasted Kalamata olive bread with cheese, and a rich red wine to stand up to it all.

Italian Meat Loaf (Polpettone)

We first saw this gorgeous meatloaf (named Polpettone) in Tuscany, when we came across one of those big glass storefronts you find on the main streets in Florence, and the hill towns, with endless mind boggling dishes of food stretching from the doorway all the way across the wall, behind glass cases, with the whole store a dizzying aroma of umami goodness. When I tasted the amazingly complex flavors of this meatloaf, I instantly realized this was not my mom’s meatloaf.

Turkey Thighs with Thyme Butter

Thanksgivings in our wild savory kitchen have been a memorable feast for many years, always featuring our Tandoori turkey. Sometimes twelve folks, sometimes eighteen or more, we always had two Harvest Tables that were eight feet long each. Side by side, we feasted with family and friends every year. And many times we had single guests with no families nearby, and sometimes new friends in need… it was all a joy, and we always have an attitude of gratitude.

Shepherd’s Pie with Mushroom Cream Gravy

We first tasted this classic New England meal, appropriately enough, in the food hall of Harrod’s in London, many years ago. It was a revelation. This feast has a timeless wildness to it, that speaks of a life lived outdoors and long ago, and of the fireplace and hearth, the warmth of home in a rugged country. This is a meal created by rural working folks and those who hunted and labored in the outdoors and in the garden.

Italian Sausages with Peppers and Onions

The first time I had this classic Italian-American delight was in New York at the Feast of San Gennaro on Mulberry Street in Little Italy. It was a savory revelation, an umami bomb inside some awesome hot toasted and buttered buns. I was hooked for life. And this is that recipe, Italian grandmother approved!

Tandoori Turkey with Stuffing and Gravy

This wildly aromatic Tandoori turkey has been at the heart of our Thanksgiving family tradition for many years. The smell of these exotic spices is always a sure sign in our wild savory kitchen that the Holidays have begun. Originating 5000 years ago in the Indus River Valley, and later the Punjab region of India, traditional Tandoori cooking was done inside huge 5 to 6 foot high clay pots, which were buried in the ground with a charcoal or wood fire blazing inside, at the base of the pot itself. Tandoori pots are explosively fiery and hot, with smoke and flames belching out and the intense glowing heat sometimes reaching 900 degrees. The technique may be ancient, but the actual cooking technique is also very modern. The searing of the meat seals in the flavors and juices.

Stuffed Grape Leaves (Dolmathakia)

We searched many years for a stuffed grape leaf that was mind blowing… and we never found one. We wanted Dolmathakia that was exploding with the flavors of Greece… lemon, dill and garlic, Greek oregano and mint from the hills above Santorini, and spicy sausage that tasted handmade. One day our son Tyler came home from having dinner with his buddy down the street, and he spoke with wonder about the stuffed grape leaves he had been served by that Lebanese family. So of course we went straight over there and asked the cook for the secret of her grape leaves. She reluctantly revealed the secret ingredient, after much imploring…