Difficulty: Medium
Active Time: 1 hr
Start to Finish: 3 1/2 hr
Yield: 10 to 12 servings








Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day, is a traditional North American holiday, which is a form of harvest festival. The date and whereabouts of the first Thanksgiving celebration is a topic of modest contention, though the earliest attested Thanksgiving celebration was on September 8, 1565 in what is now Saint Augustine, Florida. Despite scholarly research to the contrary, the traditional "first Thanksgiving" is venerated as having occurred at the site of Plymouth Plantation, in 1621. Today, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States.

Ingredients 

Pancetta-Sage Butter:
4 garlic cloves, peeled
4 ounces thinly sliced pancetta (Italian bacon), chopped
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons minced shallot
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

Turkey:
1 14- to 16-pound turkey, rinsed, patted dry inside and out; neck, heart, and gizzard reserved for Shortcut Turkey Stock

8 fresh sage sprigs
4 fresh rosemary sprigs
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups Turkey (or poultry) Stock or water

Gravy:
1/2 cup diced thinly sliced pancetta (Italian bacon; about 3 ounces)
1/4 cup chopped shallots
1/4 cup all purpose flour
3 cups Turkey (or poultry) Stock or water
1 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage

How to cook  

For pancetta-sage butter:
With machine running, drop garlic down feed tube of processor and chop. Add pancetta. Pulse to chop finely. Add all remaining ingredients. Pulse blending to coarse paste. Transfer to small bowl. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before using.

For turkey:
Set rack at lowest position in oven and preheat to 325°F. Sprinkle main turkey cavity with salt and pepper. Spread with 2 tablespoons pancetta-sage butter. Starting at neck end, slide hand between skin and meat of breast, thighs, and upper drumsticks to loosen skin. Spread remaining butter over thighs, drumsticks, and breast meat under skin. Fill main cavity with herb sprigs. Tie legs loosely to hold shape. Tuck wing tips under.

Place turkey on rack set in large roasting pan. Rub turkey all over with oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour 2 cups stock into pan.

Roast turkey until thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 165°F to 170°F, about 3 hours. Tilt turkey so juices run into pan. Transfer turkey to platter. Tent with foil; let rest at least 30 minutes (temperature will rise 5 to 10 degrees). Reserve pan.

For gravy:
Scrape juices and browned bits from roasting pan into large glass measuring cup. Spoon off fat. Reserve 2 tablespoons. Heat 2 tablespoons reserved fat in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add pancetta; sauté until beginning to crisp, about 5 minutes. Add shallots; sauté 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium. Add flour; whisk until golden, about 4 minutes. Whisk in 3 cups stock, wine, and degreased pan juices. Bring to boil, whisking. Cook to desired consistency, about 5 minutes. Whisk in rosemary and sage; season to taste with salt and pepper.

Wine Suggestion: a Red wine: a AOC Burgundy - Domaine de Brully - 2004 - Pinot Noir - This wine is the model version of what Pinot Noir can produce in its cool climate birthplace of Burgundy, where it can make the world's best old-ageing red wines. This one is partly aged in oak barrels, and displays a mouthful of berries aromas (raspberries and cherry). Round and supple. Its light body and good acidity matches it well with roasted or braised poultry.

Bon Appetit

Brice

Difficulty: Easy
Active Time: 1 1/4 hr
Start to Finish: 2 hr
Yield: 6 servings 

Ingredients 

For sauce
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 (28- to 32-oz) cans Italian tomatoes in juice, drained, reserving juice, and finely chopped
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

For crêpes
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

For filling
2 lb fresh ricotta (3 cups)
2 large eggs
1 oz finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (1/2 cup)
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 lb fresh mozzarella

Special equipment: 2 glass or ceramic baking dishes, one 13 by 9 inches and one 8 inches square

How to cook  

Make sauce:
Heat oil in a 5- to 6-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté onion, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 6 minutes. Add garlic and sauté, stirring, until golden, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes with juice, water, sugar, and salt and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 30 minutes. Stir in basil and remove from heat.

Make crêpes:
Break up eggs with a wooden spoon in a medium bowl and stir in water until combined (don't beat). Sift in flour and salt, then stir batter until just combined. Force through a medium-mesh sieve into another bowl.

Lightly brush an 8-inch nonstick skillet with melted butter and heat over moderate heat until hot. Ladle about 1/4 cup batter into skillet, tilting and rotating skillet to coat bottom, then pour excess batter back into bowl. (If batter sets before skillet is coated, reduce heat slightly for next crêpe.) Cook until underside is just set and lightly browned, about 30 seconds, then invert crêpe onto a clean kitchen towel to cool completely. Make at least 11 more crêpes in same manner, brushing skillet with butter as needed and stacking crêpes in 3 piles.

Make filling and assemble manicotti:
Stir together ricotta, eggs, Parmigiano-Reggiano, parsley, salt, and pepper.

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425°F.

Cut mozzarella lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick sticks.

Spread 2 cups sauce in larger baking dish and 1 cup in smaller one. Arrange 1 crêpe, browned side up, on a work surface, then spread about 1/4 cup filling in a line across center and top with a mozzarella strip. Fold in sides to enclose filling, leaving ends open, and transfer, seam side down, to either baking dish. Fill 11 more crêpes in same manner, arranging snugly in 1 layer in both dishes (8 in larger dish and 4 in smaller). Spread 1 cup sauce over manicotti in larger dish and 1/2 cup in smaller dish. Tightly cover dishes with foil and bake until sauce is bubbling and filling is hot, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve remaining sauce on the side.

Cooks' note:
Manicotti can be assembled (but not baked) 1 day ahead and chilled, covered with foil. Chill remaining sauce, covered, separately. Let stand at room temperature 15 minutes before baking, covered with foil. Reheat sauce, thinning slightly with water.

Wine Suggestion: a Red Wine from Chile: a Biplano - Carmenère 2004. The Carmenere is marked by sweet, ripe black fruit and spice flavors supported by fat, plummy tannins and notes of chocolate hints. This red wine matches very well with pastas.

Bon Appetit

Brice

Difficulty: Easy
Active Time: 20 minutes
Start to Finish Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 4 to 6 servings 



We often take black pepper for granted, grinding it onto every dish in sight. But the classic Roman dish cacio e pepe puts this distinctive spice front and center, which is exactly where we have it in this heartier whole-wheat version. Make sure you keep the robust, rib-sticking pasta as hot as possible—it will not only help melt the salty Pecorino but will also intensify the pepper's flavor.

Ingredients 

1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 lb dried Organic whole-wheat spaghetti
1 1/2 cups grated Pecorino Romano (4 1/2 ounces), divided
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley (optional)

Garnish: extra-virgin olive oil

How to cook  

Toast peppercorns in a dry small skillet over medium-high heat, shaking skillet, until fragrant and beginning to pop, 2 to 3 minutes. Coarsely crush peppercorns with a mortar and pestle or wrap in a kitchen towel (not terry cloth) and press with bottom of a heavy skillet.

Cook spaghetti in a pasta pot of boiling salted water (2 tablespoons salt for 6 quarts water) until al dente.

Meanwhile, fill a large ceramic bowl with hot water to warm it. Just before pasta is done cooking, drain bowl but do not dry.

Reserve 1 cup pasta-cooking water, then quickly drain pasta (do not shake off excess water) and add to warm bowl. Sprinkle 1 1/4 cups cheese and 1/2 cup cooking water evenly over pasta and toss quickly. Toss in parsley (if using) and 2 teaspoons crushed pepper. If pasta seems dry, toss with some additional cooking water. Serve pasta immediately, sprinkled with remaining pepper and cheese. Serve additional cheese on the side.  

Wine Suggestion: a Red French Wine with a medium body: a AOC Cotes du Rhone - Syrah / Grenache - Domaine Bouche - L'Amandier 2004. Its suppleness and its Syrah-inspired spice aromas make it the good match. 


Bon Appetit

Brice