No blogging until Monday around here - US readers will mostly be taking today off for Thanksgiving, and people around the rest of the world have learned not to expect too much out of America on this day. My chocolate pecan pie preparation worked flawlessly (well, it looks flawless - we'll put it to the test this afternoon), and a home-made pumpkin pie is next to it.
My next job is getting a turkey underway. For some years now, we've cooked a kosher one, because the salt treatment they get really seems to help. (You can brine one at home, if you have space to store the bird, which is a marginal proposition around here most years). Many of the kosher turkeys do need a bit of minor re-plucking before cooking, though, so you have to be ready for that.
We have several traditional side dishes, but add some Iranian rice, like morasa polo, which fits in perfectly. And we have my Iranian mother-in-law's stuffing recipe, an excellent but decidedly non-Iranian mixture involving bread, onions, celery, cranberries and pepperoni. We'll make some mashed potatoes, the kids have requested stuffed mushrooms, I generally make some green beans seasoned with country ham, and we'll pan-roast some Brussels sprouts. My wife makes the cranberry sauce, and we'll have some gravy, too.
So no, I'm not going to be good for much useful work today. And tomorrow I'll eat it all again, so I hope no one's expecting much from me then, either. A happy Thanksgiving to everyone who's celebrating it!
1. coprolite on November 25, 2010 12:20 PM writes...
Happy Thanksgiving, Derek, and everyone else too! Your kids requested stuffed mushrooms? Those don't sound like kids to me!
Permalink to Comment2. anon on November 25, 2010 2:26 PM writes...
Anon believes this is a feeble attempt at backing up the fact you states the other day about not trusting anyone in your lab who doesnt know his way around his kitchen, we all know you are a good chemist, stop trying to hard
Permalink to Comment3. Steve on November 25, 2010 3:49 PM writes...
Rubs in what a great cook I am not!
Never heard of Iranian Rice. Sounds interesting and like something I could handle.
God bless you and your family.
Permalink to Comment4. PorkPieHat on November 25, 2010 8:07 PM writes...
Hey Derek
I had an Iranian friend in grad school who liked to cook, and his "Iranian Rice" was the following: Sliced pieces of potato heavily lubricated with olive oil, followed by basmati rice (he added raisins…I don't know whether that was Iranian or his version) and well salted. He told me that that when he was a child, the kids would all want the crusty potato section the most. Whenever he made his Iranian Rice, I felt like an Iranian kid (the potato was my favorite part). Ask your wife about it (did she grow up in Iran or is she an ABI?)…Im interested to know how 'Iranian' his rice was.
Best Thanksgiving wishes.
Permalink to Comment5. HIgia on November 26, 2010 9:06 AM writes...
Happy Thanksging! I will take the opportunity to thank you for the blog posts, which are always great! Enjoy your special dinner and the chocolate cake
Permalink to Comment6. Derek Lowe on November 26, 2010 2:44 PM writes...
Putting potato slices in the bottom of the rice pot is indeed authentic - my wife sometimes does the same thing. Iranians like to make a crust on the bottom of the rice, anyway, with butter and saffron, and the potato trick is a variation of the same theme.
Permalink to Comment7. Jock McTavish on November 26, 2010 4:11 PM writes...
For St. Andrews Day (30th November) I will post my deep-fried-mars-bar recipe
Permalink to Comment8. Chris Moline @webmindset on December 1, 2010 4:57 PM writes...
Your blog is LOADED with good stuff. I'm going to dig through to see what you've got on Lyme... ah, yes, my pal Lyme Disease.
Permalink to CommentAlso, my Iranian wife is a master at Tadig (the bottom-of-the-pot rice) and does the potato thing as well. It's awesome. Cheers