Real Man Recipes - Thanksgiving Dinner Part 1: Turkey

Real Man Recipes - Thanksgiving Dinner Part 1: Turkey

It’s that time of year again when turkey’s everywhere (well mostly just in Canada) start running for their lives. I’m talking, of course, about Thanksgiving. And the crew here at Real Man Travels has got you rookies covered with some easy recipes to make sure you can knock the big dinner out of the park.

Thanksgiving in Canada is just like in the USA, just earlier, and without NFL games.

Turkey

A lot of people go to great lengths to try and take their turkey to the next level. News flash! Turkey is pretty damn good just the way it is. Here is a great, basic recipe to make your bird sing.

Go to the grocery store and buy a frozen turkey when they start going on sale. Make sure it’s a Grade A turkey, but don’t shy away from the utility turkey label. This usually just means it’s missing a wing or a leg or something superficial. Thaw the turkey out. Keep in mind that this might take a number of days. Thawing in the fridge is safest. Now, most turkeys come with the neck and giblets, which are usually stuffed up inside the abdominal cavity. I’m not a huge fan of the giblets, but hold on to the neck (queue the Christmas Vacation ‘Save the neck for me for Clark’ quotes). Throw the turkey into a roasting pan and put the neck in the pan beside it. Roughly chop 2-3 medium size onions and put those in the pan too. Pour some chicken broth into the pan (I make mine with chicken Bovril) so that there’s about an inch or so in the bottom of the pan. Now take a healthy dose of room temperature butter and start massaging your bird. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cover that bad boy with foil (or a lid if your roaster is big enough).

"You want to put what, where???"

Preheat the oven to 350 and pop him in for 15 minutes a pound. I like to crank up the oven to 400 and uncover for the last hour or so to get that nice golden colour on top; plus the crispy skin is most definitely where it’s at. Get yourself a meat thermometer and double check the internal temperature before taking it out. Poultry should be cooked to an internal temperature of 180 degrees in the thickest part of the thigh.

When your bird is done, pull him out and let him rest a good 20-30 minutes before carving. For the love of all that is awesome, don’t get rid of your pan drippings. That’s where the sweet, sweet gravy lives. Check back later this week for the gravy recipe.

enjoy, and then nap,

Now I know what you’re thinking; where’s the stuffing? I don’t stuff my turkey because I make what we call ‘stuffing balls’. And you’ll have to check back later this week for that one, too.

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Real Man Recipes - Thai Cashew Chicken

I've always wanted to share my cooking with people. I love entertaining and cooking for crowds, so I find recipes that I like, tweak them, and share them. I like simple recipes; things that you don’t need to scratch your head and wonder ‘what the hell is that?’ when it comes to ingredients. More often than not, I like to try and make do with what I have in the cupboards. A little culinary ingenuity never hurt anyone.

There’s a great little restaurant here in Thunder Bay called Thai Kitchen. Ever since the first time I ate there I've been trying to replicate their cashew chicken recipe. A buddy of mine went to Thailand a couple of years back, took a cooking class, and came with recipes that have also influenced mine.

So without further adieu, here’s my take on this tasty, authentic and exotic dish that you can whip up in no time, with only a couple of ingredients that you likely don’t already have in your cupboards.

Thai Cashew Chicken

Ingredients:

• 2 large, boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 3 large white onions, chopped roughly
• 1 can (500g) of whole cashews (don’t be cheap and get the pieces you’ll regret it)
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• Salt and pepper
• Olive oil
• 1 tsp hot pepper seasoning (I use a dried, ground hot pepper medley that my Momma makes for me at her greenhouse, suckers. Regular chili flakes work fine, though you may want to up the dose - as my medley is super hot)
• 3 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp fish sauce 
• 1 cup uncooked rice (I like basmati, though I've used jasmine rice and even Minute Rice, in a pinch)

Steps:

1. Soak the rice in water if required. I typically soak my basmati rice for about 10-20 minutes before cooking. Just put it in a bowl and cover with water.
2. Cube chicken and brown in large sauce pan (e.g. a dutch oven, *insert fart joke here*) with garlic powder, salt and pepper, hot peppers and olive oil. Season to taste here guys. Like garlic, add more. Not a fan of super spicy food? Less hot pepper seasoning. 
3. Boil water in a medium sauce pan/pot and add rice. Add a few dashes of salt. Follow the instructions on the package for rice-to-water ratio and cooking time. 
4. Toss the can of cashews in with the chicken. Ensure you've got enough olive oil that things aren't drying up in there. Lube is your friend.
5. Add oyster sauce and fish sauce to 1/3 cup of water and mix. Beat it like it owes you money.
6. Once chicken is almost cooked through, add the onions and water/oyster/fish sauce and cover with lid, stir occasionally.
7. Once onions have softened and started to look a little translucent, remove from heat.
8. Serve rice on to plate with chicken/onions/cashews on top. Season with salt and pepper and additional hot peppers to taste.

         Serves 4.

That’s it. I’m not much of a wine drinker, but this pairs really well with a light glass of white wine; Pinot Grigio or something.

Eat up!

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Real Man Recipes – Classic Brats

Give a man a sausage, he will likely make a bunch of inappropriate jokes; teach a man to cook sausage using this classic recipe, he will shut up and be eternally grateful.

The proper way to cook bratwurst is violently debated. It’s been the cause of 50% of European wars since the middle ages. It’s the number one listed reason for divorce in Germany. Bavarian political parties run on all-brat platforms, and win. All true stories.  

Many swear by the classic Bavarian method of boil and serve while others insist the wurst isn’t wurst unless it is seared over glorious flame.

Enter the Americans - those glorious chefs renowned for improving most any cuisine through the adding of beer and fat.  This recipe, straight out of Wisconsin (the Canadians of the not-so-south), showcases American cuisine at its finest, and is absolutely freakin’ delicious. 

Beware – do not slice or pierce the sausages while cooking, keeping the juices in is key – you’ve been warned.

Ingredients:

• 8 uncooked bratwurst (fresh)
• 1.5 L of beer – the cheaper the better – or try something hoppy for a different twist
• ½ cup of butter
• 3 yellow onions
• 8 sausage buns
• Yellow or German mustard
• Sauerkraut
• Seasoning salt

Steps:

1. Slice onions thinly and place in an aluminum pan.
2. Add beer to pan, place on barbeque at high heat. Add butter.
3. When beer is boiling or close to boiling, add sausages. Cook thoroughly.
4. Move sausages to grill. Grill until golden brown.
5. Warm sauerkraut on side burner or on the grill.
6. Serve on sausage bun with mustard, sauerkraut and a sprinkle of seasoning salt.

Bon appétit, dudes.  

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Bick's Contest - Win a Big Green Egg!

As Canadians, we are resigned to the reality that our winters are long and our summers short. As such, we find ways to seize summer and make the utmost of its brief glory. Long, hot, hazy days are embraced as we swap our snow pants for shorts and our toques for t-shirts - often ridiculously early at the first hint of warmth.

There are a few telltale signs that herald the arrival of summer in Canada: the firing of sputtering lawnmowers, the filling of long-dormant restaurant patios, and the inevitable invites from friends and family finally breaking their winter hibernation. But two signs stand out above all others: highway traffic swelling with eager cottage-goers on route to cottage country, and the amazing smell of adding burgers to a fiery grill!

Bick's, purveyor of the finest pickles and other garnishes and condiments, were kind enough to invite the good lads from Real Man Travels to experience both these stand-out summer signals (well, the cottage, not the traffic) a couple of weeks ago. We also helped prove that burgers and pickles are truly the perfect pair. More on that in a future post, but we wanted to share a really fun contest they have announced with the chance to win a Big Green Egg BBQ - the ultimate cooking experience! These awesome-looking grills will allow you to signal summer far and wide and become the envy of your griller-hood. To enter, you must Find Bick's a Burger! Click here to learn how you can be entered to win, all while checking out amazing burger recipes.

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