Happy Thanksgiving!
Chestnut Stuffing
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8 oz whole roasted chestnuts
2 cups butter
2 cups onions, finely chopped
2 cups celery, finely chopped
10 cups dry bread crumbs
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried marjoram
1 tsp. dried savory
1 tsp. dried rosemary
Salt to taste
Up to 1 cup chicken stock (optional).
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Set oven to 350 Degrees F.
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Coarsely chop the chestnuts. Set aside.
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Melt butter in saucepan, add onions and celery; cook until limp. Add bread crumbs and spices. Mix thoroughly. Add chestnuts; mix thoroughly. Salt to taste.
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Coat a 9x13 baking dish with butter. Pour mixture into baking dish. If mixture seems dry, pour chicken stock over it until sufficiently moist. Bake for 1 hour.
Mashed Potatoes
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So, this recipe may shock you. I don't use cream or milk. It's all butter baby! It's apparently a French way of preparing this dish, and who am I to argue with the French when it comes to food?
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10 medium potatoes
Water to cover
2 sticks of butter, softened to room temp.
Salt and Pepper to taste
Wash and quarter potatoes. If you don't like the skins, peel the potatoes. But there's lots of tasty nutrition there, so we leave them on.
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Place potatoes in a large pot, cover with water with about an inch excess. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer for 15 minutes. Potatoes are ready when they easily break apart with a fork.
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Drain potatoes and return to pot. Mash potatoes to desired texture. (We like a few lumps.) Mix in butter, salt and pepper. If potatoes seem too stiff, you can keep adding butter until desired consistency, or if it's just too much butter, you can thin with cream, milk or chicken stock.
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I love this recipe from Cook's Illustrated. It's so simple and so very delicious! And when you have 8 recipes to handle, simple yet delicious is just what you need!
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Click here for the recipe.
Roasted Cauliflower with Cheddar Mustard Cream Sauce
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This recipe normally is with steamed cauliflower, but in the interest of time, roasting will be easier. This recipe says to roast at 400, but as everything "Thanksgiving" gets roasted or baked at 350, you can just put it in for a bit longer. Unless, of course, you're super lucky and have two ovens!
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Here's the recipe for the sauce . . . .
1 cup heavy cream
4 ounces (about 1 cup) shredded cheddar cheese
1 T grainy mustard
Pinch cayenne pepper
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Place cream in a small saucepan and bring to a bare simmer over medium heat. When the cream is steaming and just starting to bubble around the edges of the pan, turn off the heat and add the cheese, mustard and cayenne. Whisk together until smooth. Season to taste with the salt and pepper. Toss the cauliflower gently with the cheese sauce in a serving bowl. Adjust the seasonings and serve immediately.
Fresh Green Bean Casserole
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¾ pound green beans, trimmed
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 (8-ounce) package sliced mushrooms
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup dry Madeira or chicken broth
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
½ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2/3 cup fresh bread crumbs
5 teaspoons light butter, melted
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 1 ½-quart baking dish with nonstick spray
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Bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the beans; return to a boil and cook until just crisp-tender, 2 minutes. Drain
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Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 6 -7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the Madeira and cook until evaporated, about 1 minute. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute
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Add the broth and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil and thickens, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the beans, salt, and pepper. Pour into the prepared baking dish
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Stir the bread crumbs, butter, and cheese together in a small bowl until blended. Sprinkle the crumb mixture over the casserole and bake, uncovered, until the casserole is bubbly and the top is golden, 20 minutes
Quick-Cooked Carrots with Mustard-Brown Sugar Glaze
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1 lb. carrots, peeled, trimmed and sliced on the diagonal 1/4 inch thick
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
2 Tablespoons (packed) brown sugar
1-1/2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 Tablespoons fresh chives
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In a 10-inch skillet, bring carrots, 2 tablespoons water, butter and salt to boil over medium-high heat. Cover and cook 3 minutes. Uncover skillet; continue to cook over medium-high heat until remaining water evaporates, about 1 minute.
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Stir in the brown sugar and dijon mustard. Continue cooking until carrots are tender and glazed, about 2 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper, sprinkle with chives and serve.
Dessert!
Every the traditionalists, we will be having apple pie and pumpkin pie.
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My last CSA share of the season plenty of beautiful apples in several varieties that will blend nicely for our apple pie. And the share also had some cute sugar pumpkins that I roasted and will use for the pumpkin pie.
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I have found that the best apple pies have a mix of apples, but generally using equal parts Granny Smith and McIntosh will get the taste and texture that makes for a great apple pie. This recipe from Food Network fits the bill. As my husband isn't particularly wild about cinnamon, I use it sparingly and also use a mix of nutmeg and allspice. And of course, no apple pie is complete without ice cream. I've picked up both Madagascar Vanilla and Sea Salt Caramel from Talenti.
There are just so many wonderful recipes out there. This year, I'll be trying this recipe from cookingclassy.com. Unlike so many recipes out there, it does not used evaporated milk or sweeten condensed milk, opting instead for the milk in a more pure form. Sounds good to me!! And sure, Cool Whip makes things easy. BUT whipping my own whipped cream is just so much nicer. A little bit of sugar, and voila! A nice topping for my traditional desserts.
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Happy Thanksgiving to all!