put a bird on it. wait, put a sauce ON the bird. ::::
Gravy.
I love gravy. Butter. Cream. Onions. Cozy broth. Drippings. But there’s more….
This charmoula sauce snuck up on me just before Thanksgiving and I thought, why not put it on the turkey? Traditionally paired with seafood, I didn’t see why charmoula wouldn’t do well with turkey meat, especially on the turkey meat that many of our family members don’t want to eat because it’s too dry. My white meat stayed moist this year given my fantastic cut-up turkey roasting plan (I can never go back to the whole bird!) though white meat still isn’t the preferred cut of meat. We aren’t breast people, apparently. And we seriously had so much leftover gravy.
Charmoula (or chermoula) is typically considered an East African condiment, used in Moroccan, Tunisian, Algerian, and Libyan cooking. Garlic, cumin, coriander, olive oil, and lemon are a usual base. The variations include pickled lemons (this may be my next trial), saffron, and other herbs. Enter this charmoula for added flavor: I used a green olive based recipe for the briny, verdant brightness and its ability for a few day storage in the fridge if needed. This particular recipe said you can store up to two days but I did for up to a week without an issue.
The kids and guests tried this charmoula though admitted they preferred the other sauces I made. Chimichurri and piri piri sauces are hard to compete with here. I loved them all and plan to do them again next time we have a large poultry dinner with a group of friends and family.
This is the secret to your dry turkey next year, if you insist on roasting it whole (c’mon, come to the other side with meeeeeee) or a boost for your already perfect turkey. SAUCE. More on sauce ingenuity and recipes in upcoming posts — serious game changer for holiday meals.
One year ago: nut-hugging cinnamon bear cookies
Two years ago: beach and sea star sugar cookies
Three years ago: lemon beebrush simple syrup
Four years ago: 6:46 minute caramels
Five years ago: white chocolate truffles and fennel and citrus salad with mint
Six years ago: baby bûche de noël cookies
- 6 unpeeled garlic cloves
- ⅔ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
- ½ cup cilantro leaves
- 4 tablespoons chopped green olives
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- kosher salt
- In a small skillet, toast the garlic over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the skins blacken, 7 to 8 minutes. Let cool slightly; peel and discard the skins.
- In the same skillet wiped down, toast the cumin until fragrant and lightly browned, about 2 minutes.
- In a food processor, puree oil, garlic, parsley, cilantro, olives, lemon juice, cumin, and paprika until smooth. I went with a little bit of chunkiness, for texture. Transfer to a bowl and season with salt.
- This can be stored in the fridge for 2 days per the original recipe, though a week is okay.
