Dear Friends,
Well, here comes Old Man Winter yet again, but, what if it is really Old Woman Winter? That changes things. I think a woman might be pleased to have time inside to organize all that was put aside during the beautiful days now passed.
What I am saying is to use this time for positive projects and not lament the fact that its too cold out to do anything outside! Just keeping warm is doing something. Working on inside endeavors gives a person time to reflect on many things, quietly, thoughtfully. This often brings on a new perspective.
November (Mezatanokas) and December (Bebonkas) bring plenty of activities which involve the holidays and company. It is a time to think of others and their needs and wants in selfless ways. Especially elders.
One food that is certainly on the menu is turkey. Turkey is truly a Native American icon and delicious as well. The most wonderful bird I ever had, twice actually, was brined and smoked turkey. You could cut it easily with a fork!
Last year we had a buffet feast at one of my daughters’ home. Wonderful, but we found ourselves at a loss of leftovers to make a deluxe turkey sandwich the next day. Not this year, aha, I have purchased a small, five-pound turkey breast to cook ahead and have available for sandwich purposes. I plan to brine it, bake it, and have waiting for midnight snack and next day lunch. If there is any left, it becomes lovely soup in the crock pot or slow cooker as many like to call it.
Maple Syrup / Molasses Brined Turkey Breast
½ cup maple syrup
½ cup molasses
2 cups of ice, cubed or crushed
¼ cup kosher salt
½ large sweet Vidalia onion, sliced thin
1 large clove garlic, peeled, sliced
1 5 or 6 pound turkey breast
3 sprigs of fresh thyme
Put 4 cups of water in a large heavy pan like a Dutch oven, and bring to a boil. Add the salt, maple syrup and molasses. Reduce heat to simmer and stir a few minutes until sugars and salt dissolve. Move this to a really large bowl and add ice, sliced onion, garlic and thyme. Stir occasionally to let flavors ‘marry’ then let the mixture cool to room temperature. Cover and let chill at least one hour.
Put the turkey breast in this brine, cover and chill overnight (or at least 8 hours). Remove turkey breast from brine, pat dry, sprinkle with garlic salt or other seasoned salt. Heat a little oil in a heavy or cast iron pan and brown the turkey breast on each side, about 5 minutes each. Remove from browning pan to a baking pan. Stand turkey breast up straight and bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes. Check for doneness (no pink). Cover with foil and let stand for 15-20 minutes before carving.
