Thanksgiving is Liz Addamo’s favorite holiday, “Oh, hands down!”
She has hosted family and friends at her Orcutt home for Thanksgiving for the last seven years.
“I come from a huge family. I’m the oldest daughter of five, I have five, and my sister has five,” Liz told me as we sat together in a booth in her charming bistro. “We love the pitter patter of feet!”
On Thanksgiving morning, Liz is in her home kitchen by 7 a.m. preparing a five-entrée, mid-afternoon feast for 50 family members and friends.
“The women in my family, they get together in the kitchen, open some wine, and it’s on,” she explained.
(The wines are handcrafted by the Addamos, of course.)
They make turkey, prime rib, ham, rack of lamb, and cheese enchiladas for the vegetarians. The side dishes always include a family favorite, Portuguese sausage.
Now with the autumn chill in the air, Liz is excited to prepare her all-time favorite meal—turkey dinner.
“I just love it. I always have. It’s just that comfort food,” she said.
Then the morning after Thanksgiving she’s back in the kitchen creating magic with all the leftovers. She said she enjoys “throwing the carcass in a pot and coming up with something new.”
For a new spin on turkey soup, “you can take the stuffing and make stuffing meatballs out of them; roll them up, dip them in egg, and fry them up a little bit, and add them to your turkey noodle soup,” Liz suggested.
Another of Liz’s post-Thanksgiving creations: double-stuffed mushrooms. Clean, dry, and scoop out Portobello mushrooms, fill with leftover cornbread stuffing, baste with melted butter, top with parmesan cheese, and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
“They’re just a beautiful appetizer for the next day,” she said.
Something else she likes to make in the days following the feast is turkey potpie using frozen pie dough.
“[The pies are] super simple because you don’t really want to cook too much the next day,” Liz said. “Make it simple and fast because you’re still cleaning up from the night before, you know!”
And, Liz’s family members always ask her to make her popular turkey chili.
“Throw it in the crock-pot the next morning, set the timer, and you have another meal,” she said. “So delicious! It’s going to be your new favorite chili, I promise.”
Liz Addamo’s Crockpot Turkey Chili Recipe
Combine ingredients in a crock-pot and slow cook for eight hours.
2 large white or yellow onions
3 cans Cannellini beans, drained
3 tomatoes diced
1-teaspoon of oregano
1-teaspoon of salt and pepper
Large can of chicken broth
1 jar of green salsa or tomatillo salsa
1 can of diced green chilies
3 cloves of garlic
1 bunch of fresh chopped cilantro
2 Tablespoons of cumin
Red pepper flakes to taste
3 pounds cooked leftover shredded turkey, add at the end just to warm up.
Top with parsley
Liz loves Thanksgiving for so many reasons, such as, “being together, being with family, and being grateful and thankful. It’s what my family does best; getting together, cooking, and just enjoying each other’s company,” she said.
“It’s the hardest work you’ll ever have for that 20 minutes of eating,” she added.
She knows a thing or two about working hard in a kitchen. Years ago, Liz ran three restaurants in Northern California before moving to Orcutt to focus on her five children.
She and her husband David planted a nearby vineyard, started a winery, and then in 2005 they opened a wine tasting room in Orcutt to introduce Addamo wines to the public.
The original tasting room is now called the Addamo Bistro and Wine Bar, serving both lunch and dinner. The menu features homemade soups, salads with dressing made with Addamo wines, sandwiches, Italian pastas, pizzas, and desserts. Their new chef, Suzanne King, recently started working at the bistro.
“I love this place. This place is very relaxing and it’s kind of my home away from home,” Liz said. “We get a lot of regulars in here.”
The bistro is open Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. It is located at 400 E. Clark Ave., Old Orcutt. The phone number is 937-6400. The website is addamos.com.
A few months ago, the Addamos sold their Orcutt wine country estate and vineyard.
“It’s been a big transition for me but a good one,” she told me.
The Addamos are making wine once again, under two new labels and pouring them at the bistro. Red Carpet Winery produces Pinot Noir, Syrah, Chardonnay, and Riesling. And their second label produces a Syrah boldly named 50 Shades.
“50 Shades is phenomenal,” Liz said. “The women are loving it. I’m loving it.”
Where did she come up with the name? Liz giggled and said, “Hello?!”
Sun food and wine columnist Wendy Thies Sell is inspired to be creative with leftovers this year. Contact her at wthies@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Nov 22-29, 2012.
