Ever think of adding chile to your Thanksgiving feast?  Well, why not?  Red chiles artfully and creatively added can make real palate pleasing flavors.  And it is not hard to do or even time consuming.  And--to help you out, we are placing our hot and mild red chiles on a two day special discount of 30% off, through Friday, November 22.

For starters, you may want to try my favorite English roasting method of roasting  your turkey. It far outshines  any other method and takes lots of the heat off doing all the "turkey stuff" on Thanksgiving.   The method follows.  And, do try adding our ground, pure red mild or hot chiles to your gravy.  The color becomes gorgeous and the flavor is outstanding--really finger lickin' good.

And, have you ever tried adding chopped green chiles or our Green Chile powder to the dressing?  The spiciness is really yummy. 

Other delicious tips are adding red chile to zest  up one of your vegetable dishes.  Ideas are Scalloped Corn or Potatoes are great with a bit of chile tucked in. 

And you will be amazed how well pumpkin handles a Chile sprinkle or two.  One of my  favorite pumpkin dessert recipes is a marbleized Pumpkin Torte--recipe follows.

November always signals the beginning of the holidays and memories a-many.  Thanksgiving has always been a very special holiday because of the true meaning and spirit of thankfulness for the blessings and gifts we have.

Thanksgiving is also all about the food—usually turkey and all the trimmings.  There are so many ways to roast and or cook turkeys—from my favorite English slow roasting to deep frying and many other theories in between.  Whether you are a traditionalist or like trying new recipes and methods, I wanted to share some little known tips that help create juicy, tender, flavorful turkey.  On Tuesday I will be giving some of my favorite recipes for leftover turkey.

Turkey facts I find most people are unaware of are— 

Never salt the skin, instead 2 days before roasting, rub 1 Tablespoon salt into the body and thoracic or neck cavity for every 7 pounds the turkey weighs.  Salting the skin dries out the skin and causes cracks, and the skin then looses it’s juice, making for dry, tough meat.  (I think this method is much better than brining which does salt the skin, thus drying it out and making the turkey skin drier and tougher and the  meat less juicy than this system.)

To assure brown, beautiful skin, either melt or render the turkey fat from inside the cavity by heating on a medium heat until it melts.  Or, melt unsalted butter.  Brush the skin with either and then sprinkle minced herbs such as thyme or sage over the fat and pat in if necessary to make the herbs stick.

And, start the turkey roasting at a high temperature  of 425 F to further insure a bronzed skin.  Roast for a minimum of 15 minutes for a 15 pound turkey or smaller and add another 5 minutes for turkeys weighing more.  Then reduce the heat and roast as you wish, the complete directions are below.  

Simmer the giblets on Monday or Tuesday night before Thanksgiving in chicken stock until very tender and then chop, ready for adding to the gravy on T-day, saving the last minute work.

By the  way, we  have only one space  let in our Holiday class and we are adding second Holiday class on December 17 3  PM.

Here's the complete "run-down".

SLOW ROASTED TURKEY

 I have a definite preference for the English roasting method which I studied years ago and have never changed.  It always yields a very juicy, bronze breasted bird and all I have always had rave reviews from all at the table about its goodness.  However many get very nervous about the concept.  Following are my favorite  turkey tips, which really help to get the best roast turkey! 

First, make sure the turkey is completely thawed by Tuesday evening. 

Step I.  Thoroughly clean the bird inside and out, pulling off the large fat globs just inside the back and front cavities.  Place the fat in a heavy saucepan or skillet and melt the fat, discarding the solid portions.  While the fat is melting, rub one Tablespoon of salt into the cavity for every seven pounds the bird weighs. Set the turkey aside.  Reserve the rendered fat for Wednesday evening.  Using this rendered fat prevents any potential problem with using any oil or fat with salt and if it clings to the skin will cause cracking and loss of juice.  It is also better than oil for a beautiful bronzed browning. 

Step II.  Wednesday evening.  Prepare your favorite stuffing.  Mine is cornbread with crumbled sausage, chopped green chiles and a few toasted pinon nuts.    If fresh herbs such as sage, thyme, oregano or rosemary are available, mince about two Tablespoons for a large bird, less for a smaller bird.  Then rub the melted rendered turkey fat over the bird and sprinkle with the herbs.  Just before your bedtime, preheat the oven to 425F and roast the turkey for 25 minutes if under 15 pounds.  Roast for five minutes longer at 425 for each additional five pounds the turkey weighs, for example if it weighs 20 pounds you would roast for 30 minutes.  At the end of the high temperature roasting period, splash on ½ cup dry sherry or a dry cherry liquer.  Then reduce oven temperature to 200 F and go to bed. 

I KNOW MANY PEOPLE GET VERY NERVOUS ABOUT THE OVERNIGHT LOW TEMPERATURE ROASTING, HOWEVER IT DOES YIELD A GREAT BIRD.  I have been roasting every turkey I have done since the mid sixties this way. 

Step III.  Every thirty minutes on Thanksgiving day, I continue to baste the turkey.  About 30 minutes before serving, I remove from the oven and make the gravy. 

If you do try this method I know you will enjoy it.  Prepare the tukey gravy with a Tablespoon or more of Pecos Valley Spice Co.mild or hot  red chile powder  stirred into the broth before making the gravy. 

PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE TORTE 

This torte is creamy and wonderful. And it’s best made a day ahead!

Yield: 8 servings

1 9-inch unbaked pie shell

CREAM CHEESE MIXTURE:

1 8-ounce package cream cheese

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla, Mexican if possible

1 egg, beaten

PUMPKIN MIXTURE:

1 ¼ cups cooked or canned, pureed pumpkin

1 cup evaporated milk

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs, beaten

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

¼ cup toasted pecans, sprinkled with red chile and coarsely chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Combine the cream cheese with the rest of the ingredients in the Cream Cheese Mixture and beat with a mixer or blend well in a food processor.

2. Spoon the mixture into the pie shell. Combine the pumpkin mixture ingredients, using a whisk, mixer, blender, or food processor. Pour the pumpkin mixture on top of the cheese mixture. Using your finger or a rubber scraper, lightly mix through the two mixtures to marbleize them, running your finger or scraper in swirls.

3. Bake for 1 hour on the bottom shelf of the oven or until the pie is done, which you can tell by jiggling it. It should be firm and an inserted knife should come out clean. Allow to cool before cutting or serving.