Here is my true to the original version and a pretty good copycat of Lawry’s Pinch Of Herbs seasoning. Recently I found a kopy cat recipe on the internet and wondered how true it was to the original. Plaudits go out to that recipe creator, for a very tasty seasoning. This copycat recipe however, should be more true to the original because of one unique advantage…. I am fortunate enough to have a partially used bottle. Being able to smell the aromas of its contents allows me to compare results.
Seasoning shelves in my kitchen comprise at least 100 bottles of various spices so it is somewhat easier to KopyKat the original. For the best broiled zucchini; a Pinch Of Herbs is a must.
The picture below shows each spice in the mixture, so this recipe follows the label’s ingredients in the order listed. It also contains no MSG as stated on the label. Since the label separates the salt and the garlic, I added each ingredient separately. I used a gram scale, adding eachportion by weight rather than volume. I then translated the weight into volume to utilize standard kitchen measuring tools. I also used the nutritional label for sodium content. (83 mg per 1/4 tsp serving)
Lawry’s Pinch of Herbs Contents
Lawry’s Pinch of Herbs listed the following ingredients on the container: sesame seeds, salt, sugar, spices and herbs (oregano, basil, rosemary, thyme) modified food starch, natural flavors and garlic. The aromas of cumin, ginger, sage and taste of cayenne pepper were present but must have been listed in the “spices and herbs and natural flavors”.
To make a small container like what was sold when originally available combine the following ingredients:
1 Tbsp Toasted white sesame seeds
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white sugar
Pinch Of Herbs Nutritional Value
1 Tbsp dried oregano, crushed
1 Tbsp dried basil, crushed
1 Tbsp dried rosemary, crushed
1/2 tsp powdered dried thyme
1 tsp dried powdered garlic
1 tsp modified food starch
1/4 tsp each of cumin,ginger, cayenne pepper, sage
Combine and place in a closed container to marry the flavors before using and Enjoy!!!
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Any gravy, but especially a delicious Thanksgiving Day Turkey Gravy, with a smooth, lump free texture is the most difficult to master. This tried and true recipe can be table ready in a fast 20 minutes and serves 10-12 people. It makes about 64 ounces (1/2 American gallon or close to 2 liters). Serving size ranges from a polite 2 Tbsp to a gravy lover’s 1/2 cup (1/8th liter) Typically when the turkey is done cooking, you will want it to rest for about thirty minutes before carving. This allows ample time to make the gravy from the juices.
What you need: Tools: — Large sized sauce pan (4-6 quart) — Wooden stir spoon and/or silicone plastic scraper or spatula — 2 cup measuring cup — Approximately 2 cup container with a tight fitting lid — Strainer (just in case)
–Large flat glass casserole sized containers if you want to separate the fat
–Blender or food processor if making giblet gravy
Ingredients: — Poultry drippings from a 10-12 pound turkey — 1 to 2 cups of cold water — 1/4 to 1/2 cup of all purpose flour or Wondra if available — Salt and pepper seasoning to taste (white pepper preferred—for appearance)
Directions:
To start… Remove the cooked turkey and plate it to rest 30 minutes before carving. Pour off the juices from the turkey into the sauce pan. Scrape all surfaces of the turkey roasting pan into the saucepan (as flavoring) including small pieces of meat that may be stuck to the roasting pan… add a little water to help dissolve the crustier cooked flavorings. If a lower fat content gravy is desired, pour the drippings instead into several large glass flat bottomed containers (like casserole dishes) until the juices separate; (I sometimes speed this up by placing them in the freezer on hot pads.) Then skim off the fat portion from the top using a spoon or ladle. (Be prepared by clearing a top freezer shelf so it is a quick in and out… about ten minutes)
Tips: If the work area on the stove is large enough, the juices can be left in the roasting pan and then the pan placed over two burners for cooking the gravy. Sometimes the bottom of the pan has a large amount of dried juices, add hot water to the roasting pan to reconstitute the dried portions into flavorful juices, before pouring off into the sauce pan. I put some of the separated fat from the turkey on top of the dressing/stuffing to give it a delicious moist flavor.
To Cook gravy: Set burner temperature to medium-high heat to bring the juices to a low boil.
Turkey Juices Before Gravy Preparation
Fill the 2-cup glass or plastic container about half full of cold water (8 oz) and place 2-3 tablespoons of flour or Wondra in to the water. Close lid tightly and shake to thoroughly blend. Inspect the mixture; if lumpy, pour through a strainer into the heated sauce pan (or roaster pan). Tip: If you shake the jar vigorously the lumps tend to disappear.
Next, stir or whisk the mixture into the boiling juices.
Immediately upon adding the flour and water mixture, stir the juices while gently boiling to thoroughly blend the mixture into the gravy. Repeat for thicker gravy. This step may be done 2-3 times depending on how much gravy is being thickened. Allow the gravy to cook while stirring as this is what creates the thickening and gets rid of the flour taste
Caution: After adding the flour/water thickener into the juices, checkconsistency before adding more of the flour/water mixture. Putting in too much flour and water at once, without stirring it in, will make a gravy too thick to serve. (You will know if it is too thick because it will have the consistency of a pudding, not a gravy). Also, too much thickener (a cup of flour or more) can make the gravy taste like flour; adding salt and pepper (and maybe poultry seasoning) will correct the flavor.
When thickened, reduce heat to medium low or simmer and stir to prevent sticking to the pan bottom. Cook for about 5 to 10 minutes adding salt and white pepper to taste. Remove from stove and pour into gravy bowls for immediate serving.
TURKEY GIBLET GRAVY
cooking turkey giblets
Start cooking giblets on the stove top right after putting the turkey in the oven. To make giblet gravy, place the defrosted giblets in a 2 quart saucepan, cover them with water, bring to a boil, and then simmer for 2 to 2-1/2 and hours. Use the water from the simmering giblets as part of the gravy stock. I typically prepare two kinds of gravy, one with giblets and one without depending on my guests preferences. When cooked, remove the giblets from the pan and let them cool to room temperature so they can be processed without getting burned. This can be done after they have simmered the 2 to 2-1/2 hours. You will know the giblets are cooked when the meat falls off the neck bone and the liver will crumble when touched.
Coarsely chop meat, (liver, heart, gizzard) by pulsing in a blender, and add it to the gravy mixture being prepared as giblet gravy. If you do not have a blender then use a cutting board and a sharp knife to coarsely chop the meat (1/4 inch square pieces). Remove the neck meat and shred with a fork and then add it to the gravy mix. The giblets contained in a 10-12 pound turkey typically produce about 8 ounces or one cup of chopped meat. Tip: Monitor the stove top temperature, and stir constantly to prevent burning the gravy. All gravy should be brought to a 190 degrees F to insure healthy eating and should be seasoned to the cook’s taste before being served.
If you have ever wanted to make a home made bread stuffing for turkey from scratch, here is a delicious 65 year old recipe easily prepared from common ingredients. It is a very large recipe designed to have scrumptious leftovers.
Home Made Bread Dressing or Stuffing Baked In A Casserole Dish
This is a list of what you will need:
Tools:
— 4 large cookie sheets or combination of flat pans — 2 very large bowls about 12-14 inches in diameter — 2 cup measuring cup — Set of measuring spoons — Bread knife, electric knife and /or chefs knife
— 1 or 2- 13 by 9 by 2 inch pans or equivalent (depends on how much you compact the mixture)
Ingredients:
— 2-3 loaves sliced sandwich bread — 1/4 pound of butter or margarine — 1 medium onion (chopped fine-1/4 inch pieces) — 2 large stalks of celery(chopped fine-1/4 inch pieces) — 2 cups warm water — 1 tsp salt
— 1 tsp black or white pepper — 1 Tbsp poultry seasoning OR
Equivalent amount of parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme, marjoram, turmeric — 1 cup juices from poultry (chicken, turkey, game birds)
Start cutting the bread in to cubes the Day before (or at least 12 hours ahead of time to allow bread to dry out or become stale)…
Sliced bread laid out to dry
Remove bread from wrappers and lay out individually on cookie sheets to allow to dry out and become stale. Using fresh bread and drying it out is one of the secrets to this recipe. (This step is most effective when started a day before and left overnight to dry.) The bread only needs to dry until stale, not dry enough for it to crumble. This step can be sped up by drying the bread in the oven for about 25-30 minutes on about 175 degrees F, or dried in a food dehydrator for about 2 hours, but best results are from dryingovernight. (Packaged bread stuffing can be used, however it becomes mushy when mixed with the moist ingredients.) When bread is dry, stack 5 to 6 slices at a time and slice into 1 inch squares. (Using an electric knife helps speed up this step)
Celery, Onions Cut To Size
Using a very large mixing bowl, combine the bread cubes, chopped onion and celery, mixing well to evenly distribute the ingredients. Sprinkle all the seasoning evenly over the bread crumb mixture stirring to cover all the bread mixture
Bread Cubes, Celery, Onion, Seasonings
Using a small saucepan melt the butter, add the warm water and stir to combine. Pour the water mixture over the bread mixture. Stir with a spoon. Transfer the mix into the 13 X 9 X 2 inch pan or pans. Compacting the dressing or lightly spreading it around the pans is the only difference whether it fits in one pan or two. Cover the pan(s) with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes on the top rack of a 325 degree oven. If bottom rack is used, place on cookie sheets to prevent over-cooking the surfaces touching the bottom and sides. After 45 minutes remove from oven, remove foil, and pour one cup of poultry juices over the surface for added flavoring.
Re-cover and return to oven for 20-25 minutes. If poultry juices are not completely cooked, microwave or boil the juices to fully cook before pouring over the dressing. After allotted cooking time, remove from oven and serve. — Adding moisture to the poultry being cooked will insure there is enough extra meat juice for the dressing and still enough for gravy. This recipe will serve 10-12 people. Although it is amazingly flavorful and complementary to poultry, other ingredients such as apples. pecans, and mandarin oranges can be added to change the flavor when used with wild game. Tip– When using meat juices from poultry insure they are completely cooked! I use a meat thermometer if I have any doubts—165 Fahrenheit
My method for preparing Parker House Rolls produces perfect results with minimal effort. I use defrosted frozen dinner roll dough. (The “From Scratch Recipe” follows at the bottom of this post.)
Kroger Frozen Dinner Rolls
Your personal preference for the size of the finished rolls, the size of muffin pans you use, and how much time you allot for defrosting and baking will influence which choice you make from the following suggestions.
My choice is for a roll with three splits at the top. I use three dough balls per roll and a large two-cup baking pan for each dinner roll. I defrost them in the pans and bake them as soon as they rise the first time. Including a baking time of 15 to 18 minutes in a 350 degree (F) oven, the total time to allow is five hours starting from frozen dough balls.
Alternately you may want to use only one or two dough balls and bake them in cup cake pans and reduce your overall allotted time to fours hours while still baking for 15 to 18 minutes.
Single Frozen Dinner Roll
You can stretch out the yield of even more by just putting one ball in each cup cake sized compartment. One will still make a decent 2 inch sized roll and cut your required time to about 3 hours from start to finish including a 15 minute bake time.
A special variation is seasoned rolls. Sprinkling any seasoning such as parsley, sage, rosemary, oregano, or thyme to a melted butter wash on the top at the end of the first rise, makes a welcomed surprise. Bake for 15 minutes.
If you want a darker crust, brush each roll with egg wash prior to baking. (egg white wash is one egg and 1/2 of an egg shell full of cold water, beaten to blend thoroughly).
When I make dinner rolls from scratch, let me refer you to recipe I use. Parker House Roll Recipe from The Joy of Cooking by Irma S. Rombauer.
It uses 1C scalded milk, 1Tbsp sugar, 2 Tbsp butter, and 3/4 tsp salt. When milk is lukewarm add 2 tsp yeast that has been dissolved in 2 Tbsp lukewarm water. Add 1 XL egg, mix into 2-1/2 C sifted bread flour, place into a bowl, light brush with melted butter; let rise until doubled in size(about 2 hours). Roll out,, cut into 2 inch squares and fold the corners into the center. Place in a greased 13 by 9 loaf pan and bake in a 425 degree oven for about 20 minutes.
