A Peek Inside the Gypsy Kitchen

As all cooks know, work doesn't stop for holidays.  The crew came in to whip up something tasty for our Thanksgiving Day client, and we took some special footage of the day!  Our local veggies are the real stars here at Cuisine en Locale.

Leeks being cleaned for future braising.  Leeks are members of the onion and garlic family.  Often people don't know what to do with them!  Leeks can be boiled, cut thin and fried or sauteed, eaten raw in a salad, or added to stock.  Their light onion-y flavor is pleasant, aromatic, and won't hurt your eyes so much when you cut it.

The parsnip is a tasty root vegetable that calls the carrot a cousin.  They can be sweeter than carrots, and usually have a spicy bite to them.  They can be eaten raw or cooked any way one would prepare carrots.  These will get diced for our special locavore stuffing recipe.  The brilliance of our stuffing this year lies in its avoidance of chicken stock.  While I am an avid fan and promoter of stock and broth, it's always good to have vegetarian options.  In order to make stuffing that is as delectable as any stock-based one, we soak apples and pears in honey water.  The apples and pears will be sauteed and tossed with the stuffing, and the honey water gets put to good use as a stock replacement.  This makes our special stuffing moist and incredibly yummy.  It also eliminates waste!

Last, but certainly not least, the turkey!  We brine our own in a gently salted solution.  Stilllman Farms connects us to the most luscious pasture-raised beauties this side of the Mississippi. 

We at Cuisine en Locale wish you a very tasty Thanksgiving and hope that the abundance of local food inspires you to eat well every day!