Every family has a collection of Thanksgiving mishaps that, over time, become tall tales and fables. When that day of American feasting arrives, here are a few lessons I’ve learned from the Shirley family history of Thanksgiving cooking glitches: Always remember to turn on the oven that your turkey is in; it takes forever to cook a turkey at room temperature. Also remember to not use the broiler feature on the sweet potato casserole with the marshmallows on top. The marshmallows are flammable, and trying to beat the fire out with a towel just spreads the sweet napalm. Cats can be sneaky; keep them out of the house while you’re cooking. And a word of caution to the gourmet cook experimenting with hot peppers; I have found that children and grandparents are not overly fond of chipotle, habanero or Thai chilies in anything. That aside, this is a one-pan dressing that’s disaster-proof if you don’t forget to turn the oven on.
Disaster-Proof Crawfish and Tasso Dressing
- 6-8
Ingredients:
1 pound crawfish tails
1/4 pound butter
1 cup chopped tasso
1 cup celery, diced
1 cup onion, diced
1 medium carrot, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 shallots, minced
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 pinch red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon tarragon
1 teaspoon savory
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups chicken stock
4 cups fresh breadcrumbs
1 bottle Pinot Noir
Instructions:
The Pinot Noir isn’t an ingredient in this recipe; it’s simply the best wine to drink when it’s time to eat this delicious dressing and the turkey, ham and all the usual trimmings. And it is perfect to sip on while cooking, so pour yourself a glass. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toss the butter, tasso, celery, onion and carrots into grandma’s cast iron skillet and sauté for 5 minutes. Add garlic, shallots, parsley and spices. Sauté for 3 minutes. Toss in crawfish tails, sauté for 1 minute, then pour in the chicken stock and reduce for 5 minutes. Now fold in the breadcrumbs, slide the whole thing into the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Serve with the Pinot Noir and the rest of your Thanksgiving fare