Cookin' with Robbie Dawg


The inspiration: Robbie and LuluMonthly canine culinary tips and recipes from Lisa Fortunato, founder and owner of Robbie Dawg, Inc., an all-natural dog treat bakery based out of Brooklyn, NY. She is also the author of her own doggie cookbook.

November, 2007: Thanksgiving Goes to the Dogs
Pet-Friendly Holiday Cooking Tips from Lisa Fortunato

If you are like me, Thanksgiving is probably your favorite of all holidays. What is better than a freshly roasted turkey with chestnut and Italian sweet sausage stuffing and of course: pumpkin pie? And if you are also like me with an Italian heritage, your holidays probably include antipasto, pasta, and other various dishes. In my house on Thanksgiving in particular, I love to go back to the basics and prepare really fresh, tasty, and for lack of a better phrase-traditional-"American" recipes... but with an Italian twist.


Leftovers, anyone?We all know that Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks, and what could we be more thankful for than our four-legged friends? Now with an organic dog biscuit company to my name and two dogs to think of, I thought that it might be helpful to offer some suggestions and recipe ideas which can help you handle all the leftovers that inevitable pile up in the fridge and treat your canine companion at the same time!


The TURKEY

  1. Opt for purchasing a fresh, hormone and anti-biotic free turkey, and if possible, an organic one. Yes, they are more expensive, but the taste is well worth it. You can find fresh turkeys at stores such as Whole Foods, at local Farmer Markets, and Fresh Direct.
  2. "Kosher" the turkey, by submerging it in large pot of cold water with a handful of kosher salt. Allow the turkey to soak for a good half hour. Rinse thoroughly, and pat dry, before roasting. This process helps to remove the "slime" and is great tip for preparing chicken as well.
  3. Save the neck, gizzards and other organs in a zip lock bag and place in the freezer, where they will keep for up to two months. You can then cook them as you would a soup stock-by adding carrots, potatoes, garlic, celery, a bay leaf-but NO onions (onions are toxic to pets). Shred the cooked meat from the bones, pulse the veggies in a food processor, and combine with turkey.
  4. Stuff the cavity of the turkey with fresh herbs, such as thyme, sage, rosemary and Italian parsley. You can even add some halved apples and oranges, and whole garlic cloves all tossed lightly with olive oil. This is an easy way to season and infuse the turkey.

The POTATOES

  1. Rather than baking your sweet potatoes with marshmallows, make a glaze by combining honey, orange juice, fresh cranberries, cinnamon, ginger and a touch of lemon juice. Cook the mixture in a saucepan till it thickens and pour over baked or boiled sweet potatoes that have been peeled and sliced into discs. Bake till heated through and caramelized.

    ...to the dogs: When it's time for leftovers they can be mashed with a fork and thinned with organic chicken broth or water, and spooned over dry kibble.*
  2. This year, forget about adding the cream and butter to your mashed potatoes. Instead, scrub the skins and bake in a hot oven till fork tender. Split the potatoes open lengthwise and scoop out the cooked potato-but be sure to save the skins. Mash the potato, but add limited amounts of unsalted butter, 1% milk and freshly grated Pecorino Romano Cheese. Using a scissor or knife cut the skins into small bits. Sauté the potato skin bits in olive oil till crispy. Cover the mashed potatoes with the crisped potato skins and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.

    ..to the dogs: Combine leftover mashed potatoes with any green vegetables and serve over kibble.*

The VEGETABLES

  1. Combine fresh breadcrumbs, with freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese and sprinkle over fresh broccoli, cauliflower, or asparagus. (To make the breadcrumbs: simply tear pieces of bread into a food processor and pulse till crumbs form). Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and bake in the oven for 10 minutes or till tender and topping is crunchy.
    ...to the dogs: Pulse the vegetables in a food processor and sprinkle over kibble.*
  2. Sauté fresh garlic, chopped pancetta or bacon in a saucepan with olive oil. Rinse frozen baby peas under cold water till defrosted and to the saucepan. Heat thru and serve.

    ...to the dogs: Combine the peas with the left over mashed potatoes and thin with organic chicken broth. Serve warm over kibble.*

Please enjoy these easy and flavorful recipe shortcuts, and check back for new columns from Lisa Fortunato each month.

Robbie dawg is a woman-owned Brooklyn, New York based business that bakes handcrafted organic dog biscuits in 15 flavors. Each month sine its founding in 2005, robbie dawg has donated over 30 pounds of biscuits to the dogs at Bideawee. For more recipes, Lisa recently completed a cookbook for Adam's Media called The Everything Cooking for Dogs Book. The cookbook contains 150 recipes, as well as a section on nutrition and ingredients.

*I recommend 1 to 2 tablespoons of leftovers to every half cup of kibble.
Please always be cautious when altering your pet's diet in any way.


DO-IT-YOURSELF CAT TOY

The mystery of where missing socks end up may not ever be solved, but there is finally something you can do with that lonely, remaining sock that has lost its mate to the abyss of the laundry room: turn it into a homemade cat toy! You'll save money and your cat will love you for it.

Sew Velcro strips into the sock opening so it can be closed up and easily reopened. Next, fill the sock with batting, scrap fabric, or dried catnip, and seal shut. In no time, your kitty will have a new favorite plaything!

Your cat's playtime can be even more exciting when you attach the sock toy to a length of yarn and pull it along the floor. Thanks to the Velcro, when the catnip loses it potency, refills are easy!



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