3 Dishes To Make For A Downsized Holiday Dinner From Chef Claudio Aprile

Serves: 6-10
Prep time: 60 minutes 
Cooking Time: 3 hrs and 45 mins

Ingredients:

Turkey:

• 8-10 lb. whole turkey
• sea salt to taste 
• ground black pepper taste 
• 1 whole white onion cut widthwise
• 1 head of garlic cut widthwise
• 6 bay leaves
• 1 bunch of fresh thyme 
• 1 bunch sage 
• 1 bunch of rosemary 
• 1 lb. unsalted butter

Achiote Rub:

• 2 ounces of Achiote paste 
• 4 cloves of chopped garlic 
• ½ cup of chopped shallots 
• 1 tsp toasted cumin seeds
• ¼ cup of white wine vinegar 
• ¼ cup orange juice 
• black pepper 
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil

Dried fruit chimichurri:

• 1 cup chopped dried fruits (assortment of dates, apricots figs, cranberries) 
• 1 shallot
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 chopped red chili
• ¼ cup chopped flat parsley
• ¼ cup chopped chives
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• sea salt to taste

Method:

Achiote Rub:

1) Place all ingredients into a blender. Blend until all ingredients are combined.

Dried fruit chimichurri:

1) Combine all ingredients, reserve at room temperature.

Turkey:

1) Make sure to remove turkey parts from the turkey. With a clean, dry kitchen towel thoroughly dry the outside and inside of the turkey. Evenly and liberally season the entire turkey including the inside cavity with sea salt and black pepper.
2) Stuff the inside of the turkey with the onion, garlic, bay leaf and fresh herbs. Place turkey onto a roasting rack set in a roasting pan. Brush with tempered (room temperature) butter. Cover turkey with parchment paper and tinfoil. Roast turkey for 3 hours at 350 degrees. 
3) Remove parchment and tinfoil. Baste with butter and achiote rub. Increase oven temp to 450 degrees. Cook for 45 minutes or until internal temperature is 165 degrees and turkey is golden and skin is crispy. Allow 20 minutes for turkey to rest.
4) Carve turkey, plate, and spoon a generous amount of dried fruit chimichurri over top. 

Serves: 6
Prep time: 1 hour
Cooking Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

Turkey:

• 1.5 lb boneless, skin-on turkey breast
• Sea salt, to taste
• Black pepper, to taste
• ½ pound of goat cheese
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

Sweet Potato Puree:

• 3 cups peeled and chopped sweet potato 
• 1 cup heavy cream
• sea salt, to taste
• ¼ pound unsalted butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Brussels Sprouts:

• 1 lb of Brussels sprouts
• sea salt, to taste
• black pepper, to taste 
• 1 tbsp cumin seeds 

Tapenade:

• 1 bunch of chopped black kale
• 1 cup pitted chopped black and green olives 
• 1 clove chopped garlic
• ¼ cup chopped shallots
• ¼ cup chopped basil
• ¼ tsp chopped red chili
• ½ tbsp lemon zest
• sea salt, to taste
• black pepper, to taste
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

Method:

Make the tapenade:

1) On high speed pulse all ingredients in a blender until you have a fully blended mixture. 

Make the sweet potato puree:

1) Place peeled and chopped sweet potatoes in a pot with cold water. Place pot on high heat, bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and cook for 20 minutes or until sweet potatoes are soft. 
2) Drain sweet potatoes, add heavy cream, sea salt to taste, butter and vanilla extract. 
3) Place mixture into a blender, blend on medium speed for 3 minutes or until you have a smooth texture.

Make the Brussels Sprouts:

1) Take Brussels sprouts, remove outer leaves, score the base with a sharp knife, place brussels sprouts in a pot of well-salted boiling water. cook until tender (approx. 20 minutes).
2) Remove, cool at room temperature and season with sea salt, black pepper and cumin seeds.  Place in a cast-iron skillet into a 350-degree oven. Roast for 45-60 mins until brussels sprouts are evenly caramelized.

Make the turkey:

1) Place deboned/boneless turkey breast, skin side down on a cutting board. Using a knife begin to butterfly breast. Once you have the turkey breast butterflied season with sea salt and black pepper. 
2) Spread tapenade evenly over turkey breast. Add goat cheese. Using kitchen twine trust breast to create a roll. Season turkey roll with sea salt and black pepper. 
3) Preheat olive oil in a large cast-iron skillet. Add turkey roll and evenly roast all sides of turkey roll until golden brown. 
4) Place turkey roll into a preheated 375-degree oven. Roast roll for 45 minutes or until the interior of the roll is 165 degrees. Allow 10 minutes to rest. 
5) Carve and place sliced rolls onto sweet potato puree alongside caramelized brussels sprouts. Drizzle with olive oil and enjoy.

Serves: 4 (or 2, with leftovers!)
Prep time: 5 hours (with homemade broth), 45 minutes (with premade poultry broth) 
Cooking Time: 45 minutes 

Ingredients:

Soup Broth:

• bones from one whole, 10 lb. cooked turkey 
• 2 cups of chopped celery
• ½ bunch of fresh coriander
• 1 Thai red chili pepper cut in half lengthwise
• 1 cup chopped carrot
• 1 cup chopped white onion
• 1 head of garlic cut widthwise
• 2 stocks of chopped lemongrass 
• ½ cup chopped ginger
• 2 Tbsp crushed black peppercorns
• 2 Tbsp of soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp of sea salt
• 7 cups of cold water

Cranberry Dumplings:

• 1 cup of Claudio’s Cranberry Sauce 
• ½ cup chopped leftover cooked turkey meat 
• 3 Tbsp of chopped scallions
• 1 tsp chopped chives
• ½ tsp grated ginger
• dash of sesame oil
• pinch of salt
• white pepper to taste
• 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
• one package of pre-made wonton wrappers.
• 1 cup of water

Claudio’s Cranberry Sauce:

• 1 cup of water
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 3 cups fresh cranberries
• zest of one orange

Spice Bag:

• 3 small cinnamon sticks
• 4 cloves
• 4 cardamom pods, crushed to release seeds
• 3 star anise, whole
• 3 slices fresh ginger (skin can remain on)
• 2 oz of Bourbon (optional)

Garnish:

• ½ cup scallions cut into fine rounds
• ½ cup sliced shiitake mushrooms
• small bunch cleaned and trimmed enoki mushrooms
• ½ cup sliced baby turnips
• ½ cup chopped black kale

Method:

Soup Broth:

1) Place all ingredients into a large pot. Place pot on high heat. 
2) When water starts to boil reduce heat to a slow steady simmer. Occasionally using a ladle, skim the top and sides of the broth and remove any impurities. Cook stock for 2 hours or until you have achieved a deep flavoured broth. 
3) Once you have achieved the depth of flavour strain stock. Reserve.

Claudio’s Cranberry Sauce:

1) In a saucepan, add water and brown sugar.  Stir to combine.  Turn burner to medium-low heat and bring to a simmer.
2) Add fresh cranberries and the zest of one orange to pan. 
3) While the cranberry mixture is simmering, make a spice bag in a piece of doubled-up cheesecloth.  Place cinnamon sticks, cloves, crushed cardamom pods, star anise and fresh ginger in the middle of the cheesecloth. Bring up corners of the cloth and tie with kitchen string to form a bag around the spices.  Tie tightly so that the bag will not open.
4) Fully submerge the tied spice bag in the mixture. Add bourbon.
5) Reduce heat to low and let spice bag steep in the cranberry mixture for approximately 20 minutes or until cranberries start to break up, but some remain whole.  At this point, remove bag from sauce and discard.
6) Store cranberry sauce in a tightly sealed container like a mason jar, in the fridge for up to a month.

Cranberry Dumplings:

1) Place all ingredients into a bowl except for cranberry sauce. Mix and reserve.
2) Using a pastry brush or your finger, add water to the edges of your wonton wrapper. Place a teaspoon of your cranberry sauce and turkey filling in the center of the wonton wrapper. Fold wonton to create a half-moon, press and seal the edges. Repeat until all wonton wrappers are filled.

Assembly:

1) On high heat bring turkey broth to a simmer. Add cranberry dumplings. Cook dumplings in turkey broth for 3 minutes or until dumplings are hot. 
2) Heat two large soup bowls. Add garnish to your heated bowls, pour turkey broth and three dumplings into each bowl.