Happy Thanksgiving! About this time of year we start thinking about big family meals, slow cooked roasts and hunkering down in the cool days of fall. Of course, Thanksgiving also means turkey for so many of us, and once we source a good, pasture-raised bird (we’ll have them soon ourselves – promise!), the Thanksgiving meal turns to the “sides”. This is where creativity can take hold and culinary prowess can show its true self. We want to share a few different ways of cooking some of the vegetables we grow here on the farm, and so below is a sampling of recipes your family and friends are sure to love. Try them out this weekend!
BRUSSELS SPROUTS
| 1 lb meaning of viagra in telugu Brussels sprouts 3 tbsp butter 1 tbsp olive oil 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced | ⅓ cup whipping cream ½ cup grated Pecorino Romano Salt and freshly ground pepper 2 tbsp toasted pine nuts |
Cut Brussels sprouts in half. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and add sprouts. Boil for 3 to 5 minutes or until crisp-tender.
Melt butter with olive oil in a sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add garlic and cook for about 5 minutes or until garlic is softened but not brown.
Add blanched and halved Brussels sprouts; cook for 2 minutes. Add cream and cook until cream is reduced and thickened. It should coat the sprouts. Toss with Pecorino Romano.
Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle on toasted pine nuts. Serves 4.
Roasted with Pearl Onions1
| ¼ cup olive oil 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar 1 tbsp mustard 16 pearl onions, peeled Salt and freshly ground pepper | 2 lbs Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved 3 tbsp butter ½ cup stock 2 tbsp dill, chopped |
Preheat oven to 425oF
Whisk together oil, vinegar, and mustard. Toss with onions and sprouts. Season.
Spread out in single layer on baking sheets and roast for 20-25 minutes.
Heat butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add sprouts and onions and toss until heated. Add stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes until stock thickens and sprouts glisten. Sprinkle with dill before serving. Serves 8.
| ½ pound bacon, diced Olive oil, as needed 2 lbs Brussels sprouts, trimmed and shredded | 1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice (1 lemon) Coarse salt and pepper |
In a large nonstick skillet, cook bacon over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp (8 to 10 minutes). With a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but ¼ cup drippings (if necessary, add enough oil to measure ¼ cup). Add Brussels sprouts and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender (10 minutes). Stir in rosemary and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in bacon. Remove from heat, stir in lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature. Serves 8.
ONIONS
Stuffed Onions3
| Butter for greasing the dish 2 ¼ cups vegetable stock 1 ½ cups white wine 4 large onions 3 small tomatoes 2 ⅔ cups fresh white breadcrumbs 3 ¼ oz. feta, crumbled | 1 ⅓ cups parsley leaves, chopped 3 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to finish 2 garlic cloves, crushed 3 green onions, thinly sliced ¾ tsp salt black pepper |
Preheat oven to 350 Fo. Have ready a small buttered over proof dish.
Place the stock and white wine in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Meanwhile trim ¼” off the top and bottom of the onions. Cut them lengthwise in half and remove the brown skin. Gently remove most of the insides (keep these for another use), retaining 2 or 3 of the outer layers. Carefully separate the outer layers from each other and place in the simmering stock, a few at a time. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until just tender. Drain well and cool slightly. Keep the stock.
Use a coarse cheese grater to grate the tomatoes. You’ll be left with most of the skin in your hand. Discard it. Place the grated tomato in a large bowl and add the breadcrumbs, feta, parsley, olive oil, garlic, green onions, salt and pepper.
Fill each onion layer generously with stuffing. Pull the sides together so you end up with a fat cigar shape. Place the stuffed onions seam side down in the buttered dish and pour over about ⅓ cup of the reserved stock just to cover the bottom of the dish. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until the onions are soft or lightly coloured and stuffing is bubbling; add move stock if they dry completely before the end of the cooking process, drizzle with oil and serve warm. Serves 4.
BUTTERNUT SQUASH
Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onion Galette4
| For the pastry: 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour ¼ teaspoon salt 8 tbsp unsalted viagra sans ordonnance butter, cold,cut into pieces ¼ cup sour cream 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice ¼ cup ice water | For the filling: 1 small butternut squash (about one pound) 2 tbsp olive oil 1 to 2 tbsp butter 1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced 1 tsp salt Pinch of sugar ¼ teaspoon cayenne, or to taste ¾ cup fontina cheese (about 2 ½ oz.) grated or cut into small bits 1 ½ tsp chopped fresh sage leaves |
If making your own pastry (otherwise purchase premade) – In a bowl, combine the flour and salt and make a well in the center of the flour. Add the butter to the well and, using a pastry blender, cut it in until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Make another well in the center. In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, lemon juice and water and add half of this mixture to the well. With your fingertips, mix in the liquid until large lumps form. Remove the large lumps and repeat with the remaining liquid and flour-butter mixture. Pat the lumps into a ball; do not overwork the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375oF. Peel squash, then halve and scoop out seeds. Cut into a ½-inch dice. Toss pieces with olive oil and a ½ tsp of the salt and roast on baking sheet for 30 minutes or until pieces are tender, turning it midway. Set aside to cool slightly.
While squash is roasting, caramelize the onions by melting butter in a heavy skillet and cook onion over low heat with the remaining ½ tsp of salt and pinch of sugar, stirring occasionally, until soft and lightly golden brown, about 20 minutes. Stir in cayenne.
Remove squash and raise the oven temperature to 400oF. Mix squash, caramelized onions, cheese and herbs together in a bowl.
To assemble the galette, on a floured work surface, roll the dough out into a 12-inch round. Transfer to an ungreased baking sheet. Spread squash, onions, cheese and herb mixture over the dough, leaving a 1 ½-inch border. Fold the border over the squash, onion and cheese mixture, pleating the edge to make it fit. The center will be open.
Bake until golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven, let stand for 5 minutes, then slide the galette onto a serving plate. Cut into wedges and serve hot, warm or at room temperature. Serves 6.
CARROTS
Roasted with Brown Butter Vinaigrette5
| ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil 2 tbsp smoked sweet paprika 1 tbsp ground fennel 1 tbsp ground coriander 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 4 thyme sprigs 1 lb carrots, halved lengthwise and tops trimmed to 1 inch | Salt and freshly ground pepper 4 tbsp unsalted butter 2 tbsp sherry vinegar 1 tbsp water 2 tbsp almonds, plus chopped almonds for garnish 5 ounces baby spinach or arugula |
In a bowl, combine the olive oil, paprika, fennel, coriander, garlic and thyme. Add the carrots and let stand for 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 375 F. Remove the carrots from the marinade and season with salt and pepper. Roast , turning, until crisp-tender, 25 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
Meanwhile, in a small skillet, cook the butter over moderate heat until lightly browned and nutty-smelling, shaking the pan gently, about 5 minutes. Scrape the butter and solids into a blender. Add the vinegar, water and the 2 tbsp of almonds; puree until smooth. Season the vinaigrette with salt and pepper.
Add the vinaigrette and arugula to the carrots; toss to coat. Transfer the salad to plates, sprinkle with chopped almonds and serve. Serves 4.
| 1lb carrots, washed and trimmed 1 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp maple syrup | 2 tbsp lemon juice salt and freshly ground black pepper a few fresh thyme leaves or pinch of dried |
Preheat the oven to 400F. Cut the carrots into thick batons – try and make them similar sizes and then they will cook evenly. Place in a roasting tin, add the oil, honey and lemon juice and seasoning and toss well to mix.
2. Roast the carrots for 20-25mins, stirring halfway through this time, until the carrots are golden and tender. Scatter over the herbs and serve warm. Serves 4.
| 4 tbsp olive oil, plus more for the baking dish 4 links mild Italian sausage, casings removed(about 1 pound) 3 stalks celery, thinly sliced 2 medium onions, chopped 2 tart apples (such as Granny Smith or Pink Lady), cored and chopped | ¼ cup chopped fresh sage Kosher salt and black pepper 1 large baguette, cut into 3/4-inch pieces (about 7 cups) 3 cups chicken broth 2 large eggs, beaten |
Heat oven to 375°F. Lightly oil a 9-by-13-inch or some other shallow 3-quart baking dish. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to a large bowl.
To the drippings in the skillet, add the celery, onions, apples, sage, ¾ tsp salt, and ½ tsp pepper. Cook, tossing often, until the vegetables are tender, 7 to 9 minutes.
Add the vegetable mixture, baguette, broth, and eggs to the sausage and toss to combine. Transfer to the prepared baking dish and cover with foil.
Bake the stuffing for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until browned, 20 to 30 minutes more. Serves 8.
Sources: 1, Lucy Waverman; 2, Martha Stewart; 3, Yotam Ottolenghi; 4, Smitten Kitchen; 5, Food & Wine; 6, Jamie Oliver