Homemade Turkey Gravy

For me, Thanksgiving comes only once a year. So, when I prepare the meal, I take very few short cuts. Gravy, to me, has to be rich and thick and definitely homemade. You can prepare this recipe the day before and finish right before you serve. After you taste this gravy, you will wonder why you ever bought gravy from a jar. Thanks to my Momma!

In your local grocery store, search for either turkey thighs, wings, legs or a combination thereof. I used turkey thighs for this recipe. Heat to a medium high, 2 TBLS of butter and a TBLS of olive oil in a pan. Season your turkey thighs with salt/pepper on both sides. Dredge the thighs in a dusting of flour and add to the pan.

Turkey thighs…

Brown both sides very well. Be sure not to burn. When turkey has browned, add 1/2 box of turkey or chicken stock. I used turkey stock. Start scraping the browned bits then turn heat down to medium to medium low. Add about 4 whole stalks of celery. Cover and allow to simmer for about an hour until the turkey is fully cooked. Check about half way through and add a touch more stock if needed.

Once the turkey is cooked, remove from pan along with the celery and discard. Strain the liquid through a wire strainer twice. I do this to ensure that no tiny bones are left in the gravy. Once strained, add liquid back into pan and scrap sides. In a small bowl, make a cornstarch slurry. Add about 2 TBLS of cornstarch to about 1 1/2 TBLS of liquid. I used turkey stock as my liquid.

Grab a whisk. Turn heat up to medium high and slowly pour the cornstarch slurry in a little bit at a time. You may not use the entire amount. Whisk really fast as you are pouring in the slurry, so as to avoid lumps. You will notice the gravy starting to thicken and become rich. Once the gravy has reached the desired consistency, no need to add more slurry. Go slow with the slurry and fast with the whisk and be patient. Turn off heat and serve with your homemade mashed potatoes and stuffing. If you want to prepare the day ahead, cool down mixture after turkey is cooked then place entire pot in fridge. In the morning, scrap off any excess fat, reheat, strain and follow up with the slurry.

Spicy Honey Shrimp with Shaved Brussel Sprouts

I love creating recipes with super fresh ingredients. I love it even more when I am unsure about the combination of ingredients and it turns out to be amazing. Who would ever think that shrimp and brussel sprouts can be combined to make one incredible dish? Here it is…and you are going to love it!

Start with 1 lb. of high-quality shrimp. Of course, I got these beauties from The Carolina Food Market. These fresh, local NC shrimp are 16/20 count, uncooked, peeled and deveined. You can purchase the majority of these ingredients from The Carolina Food Market. I love the convenience of one-stop shopping this market now has to offer.

Place the shrimp in a bowl. Season with coarse salt and pepper. Add 1 1/2 TBLS of Mike’s Hot Honey, (see website for retail locations). I purchased mine at the fabulous Magnolia Emporium. Add 1 1/2 TBLS of orange blossom honey, 5 to 6 cloves of minced garlic, 2 TBLS of paprika, and about 1 to 2 TBLS of olive oil. Allow the shrimp to marinate in the fridge for about 15 minutes. Feel free to add more/less of the above ingredients. I am not one to measure much, so if I think it needs more honey, paprika, etc., I just throw it in. It should look similar to this:

Take about 20 brussel sprouts, cut off ends and slice. I make about three slices per sprout. Once sliced, break apart. Heat a cast iron skillet with a touch of olive oil to medium-high. Place brussel sprouts in pan and start to brown. Do NOT BURN!

It takes about 8 minutes for the brussel sprouts to brown. Keep and eye on them and continue turning them as they are browning. Once browned, add the shrimp with the marinade. Turn down the heat just slightly. Shrimp will start to turn pink and the marinade with begin to caramelize. Continue to stir, so as not to burn. It should only take about 3 to 4 minutes for the shrimp to cook. Do not overcook your shrimp. Remove from heat and enjoy as is, or pair with jasmine rice. You can view me preparing this dish on my Facebook page, Charlotte Fashion Plate. ENJOY!

Clams in a Sambucca Spicy Sausage Cream Sauce

This recipe has amazing flavor and can be used with clams, mussels, shrimp or a combination of all three. This dish, even though it looks sophisticated and complicated, is super easy and quick! You can make this for under $10/person…this recipe will serve a family of four…hard to get a quality dish like this in a restaurant for the price…

Start by purchasing super, fresh clams. I buy all of my seafood and meats at The Carolina Food Market. You can get the majority of these ingredients at this market. For this recipe, I used 4 dozen little neck clams. I start by soaking the clams in a bowl of water and flour. The clams ingest the flour and spit it out with any sand/dirt that may be inside the clam. Soak for about 10 minutes, then rinse thoroughly and set aside.

Heat a deep pan with a touch of olive oil and add three hot sausage links with casings removed. Start to break up and brown. When sausage is almost browned, add 1 minced shallot and 5 to 7 minced garlic cloves along with a few dashes of red pepper flakes. Add about 15 cherry tomatoes cut in half and allow to cook down for about 5 minutes.

Add 1 1/2 small bottles of clam juice along with 1 1/2 tiny bottles of Sambucca. Increase the heat to where the sauce is just under a boil. Add the clams and cover with lid. Have a bowl handy to start removing clams as they open. Once all clams have opened and been removed, reduce the heat to medium and add about a Cup of heavy whipping cream. Taste the sauce and see if you need additional Sambucca or cream. Sauce will have a spicy/sweet taste. Add about 5 basil leaves chiffonade. Stir the sauce and allow the cream to warm up…about 4 minutes. Add the clams back in to the sauce and allow to heat up for about a minute or so. I also add a few cans of really good chopped clams at this point. Feel free to leave them out. I just love a lot of clams with my pasta. Have your favorite pasta cooked and ready in a bowl. I used linguine for this recipe. You can also forgo the pasta and just serve the clams in this sauce with crusty bread. Pour the sauce on top of the pasta and add fresh chopped parsley and a bit more basil. It’s that easy…ENJOY!

Baked Stuffed Clams with Bacon

As the clams open, remove from pan immediately. Once all clams have opened and been removed, let cool. Discard cooking liquid. In the meantime, crisp up chopped bacon and set aside. Pour 1 cup of heavy whipping cream into a bowl, add salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Cut up about 5 or 6 slices of crusty bread and place in the cream mixture, allow to soak for about 15 minutes. Add one small diced shallot, about 1 cup of Parmesan cheese, and chopped canned clams and fresh chopped parsley to this mixture. Remove the cooked clams form the shell, chop and add to mixture. Create vessels from the shells of the clams by pulling apart the clam shells. Add the bacon to the bread mixture and form a stuffing like consistency. If the mixture is too moist, add a bit more Parmesan cheese. Fill each 1/2 clam shell with the mixture and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes or until they are nice and golden brown. Garnish with extra chopped parsley and serve with fresh lemon wedges.

Pan Seared Halibut with Crispy Skin

Another incredible dinner! I made Pan Seared Halibut w/ Crispy Skin, Flash fried Calamari and Cannellini Bean Salsa. The Halibut and Squid are of course from my spot Carolina Fish Market. Here is my how-to:

Pat the fish to dry and season with salt & pepper. To make the skin crispy, mix rice flour and cornstarch then lightly dust the skin side of the halibut in the flour mixture. In a pan with a little olive oil, sear the halibut skin side down till crisp, then turn to finish.

The Squid I cut into Calamari rings and marinate in lemon juice for about 30 minutes. Then using a mixture of rice flour and all purpose flour I add cayenne, paprika, salt and pepper. Separate flour mixture into two bowls. The calamari gets tossed around in the first bowl of the flour mixture, then placed into heavy cream. Then the calamari goes into the second bowl of flour mixture. Heat canola oil, then flash fry the calamari until golden. It comes out so tender with an unbelievable crispy crunch.

Last I make my Cannellini Bean Salsa which is a great summer salad, and easy to prepare. For this salad you will need cooked cannellini beans (fresh or canned), diced Roma tomatoes, minced garlic, fresh corn off the cob, fresh basil, olive oil, and salt & pepper. Combine everything and serve.

I made sauteed spinach to nestle my Carolina Fish Market Halibut on and garnished the dish with Calamata olives.

Dinner is done! Thanks as always to Carolina Fish Market, the best fish and seafood market in Charlotte.

Seafood Pasta Fra Diavolo

Good evening friends, tonight’s dinner was a breeze thanks to one of my favorite go-to spots, The Carolina Fish Market. All this beautiful fresh seafood; scallops, mussels, North Carolina shrimp, lobster, and even the pasta remind me of the summer nights in Italy.

I know I’ve mentioned it before but, The Carolina Fish Market is a locally owned Fish Market, Chop Shop Meat Market, and Organic Grocery Store here in Ballantyne off Ardrey Kell and Marvin Road. I think it’s so important to support local businesses, and when it’s this kind of quality I’m all in.

Beside the fresh seafood, meat and organic groceries, Carolina Fish Market happens to carry fresh pasta and all kinds of marinara sauce from another favorite spot of mine, Pasta & Provisions, another locally owned South Charlotte business. They make the best fresh pasta and sauces. Using the freshest ingredients you can procure is one of my secrets to an authentic full-flavored gourmet meal.

Dinner was fabulous! Quick one stop shopping, one pan cooking, the freshest ingredients you can find, and an easy summer dinner. My Seafood Pasta Fra Diavolo, delicious and spicy!