Thansgiving #3 (2014)

We're not dead!  Sorry for the long delay since our last post. The whole moving back to STL and getting settled sort of distracted us for a bit.  Perhaps we should add posting on our blog more regularly to our list of new year's resolutions. On the morning we had planned for our third Thanksgiving feast of the year, we received a sad phone call from our special guest and fellow chef Aldene saying she was sick. You can’t stop a brining turkey in process, so we made an impromptu visit to the Ruf house and treated them to yet another turkey dinner. They didn’t complain too much and were willing to put up with our non-traditional (i.e., “weird”) spins on favorite dishes. Here’s what we invented.

Faux Shrimp Crostini (Charred Tomato, Artichoke, & Olive Crostini)

Even though he is well aware of Michelle’s feelings on shellfish, particularly shrimp, Rick was fooled by the succulent, meatiness of the orange tomatoes and mistook them for delicately cooked shrimp.

 Ingredients:

·         Ciabatta (or other form of good-quality, white crusty bread; we used Costco Torta buns like usual)

·         cherry/grape tomatoes (preferably orange, if you want to trick your guests into thinking they are eating fancy schmancy shrimp!)

·         canned artichokes, drained and diced

·         Kalamata olives, quartered

·         fresh basil, roughly chopped

·         goat cheese

·         Balsamic, Hendrickson’s dressing, or olive oil (if needed, to moisten)

·         pepper, to taste (you are likely not to need any salt due to the inherent brininess of the artichokes and olives)

Directions:

1.    Slice bread on the diagonal to create oblong slices. Lightly spray both sides with nonstick cooking spray. Toast bread (flipping halfway through) until just golden. (This step can be done in advance; set bread aside until ready to use. Just be sure to keep it out of Rick’s reach or you might not actually have any toasts left for dinner!)

2.    Increase temperature of oven by turning on the broil. Place tomatoes on a foil lined baking sheet and roast until charred. You will want to shake the pan a few times mid-cooking for even roasting.

3.    Remove tomatoes from oven and allow to cool. When cool enough to handle, remove tough skins and discard.

4.    In a medium-sized bowl, combine roasted maters, artichokes, and olives. Stir in basil and season with pepper, to taste. You might also need a splash of balsamic, Hendrickson’s dressing or olive oil, if mixture is to dry. Allow flavors to marinate for at least 15 minutes prior to serving.

5.    Spread a thin, even layer of goat cheese onto each toast slice.

6.    Top with veggie and olive mixture and serve at room temperature.

Balsamic-ollinis

Taken to a tee from Rachael Ray magazine’s Italian Christmas dinner feature. These onions popped right into your mouth and were good on their own or eaten with bites of turkey.

Ingredients:

·         1 lb. cipollini or pearl onions 

·         1 TBSP EVOO

·         1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

·         Kosher salt

Directions:

1.    Place the unpeeled onions in a small saucepan. Add enough water to cover by 1 inch and bring to a boil over high. Boil until the onions are tender when pierced with a knife (7-10 minutes).

2.    Drain water and let onions cool. Peel and trim the onions, keeping the root end intact.

3.    In a large skillet, heat the EVOO over medium, add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions begin to brown and sizzle, about 3 minutes.

4.    Add the vinegar and simmer, stirring often, until the onions are glazed, about 2 minutes.

5.    Season with sea salt. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Sprouts n’ Berries (Pan Seared Brussels Sprouts with Cranberries & Blue Cheese)

Thanks to the STL Post Dispatch for this recipe, a finalist in the newspaper’s “Best Thanksgiving Side Dishes” contest this year. We really enjoyed the odd yet complimentary flavors of the ingredients and plan to make this dish again soon. However, don’t expect to see it at family Christmas parties because it would be a challenge to prepare last minute and serve hot to a large crowd. That, along with adding some slivered onions and Dijon (and a little more pepper, of course!), were our only critiques of this recipe during our trial run. Come to our place (or Judy Ruf’s house) for dinner, if you’re wanting to try it for yourself. 

Ingredients:

·         1/2 cup barley

·         1/4 cup pecans, roughly chopped

·         olive oil

·         1/2 medium-sized onion, slivered

·         1 lb. Brussels sprouts, sliced in half (or quarters, if you have really big ones)

·         1 cup fresh cranberries

·         pepper, to taste (we found salt was not needed thanks to the inherent saltiness of the blue cheese)

·         1 TBSP balsamic vinegar

·         1 TBSP maple syrup

·         1 TBSP Dijon mustard

·         1/3 cup blue or gorgonzola cheese

Directions:

1.    Cook barley according to package directions and set aside. (Alton Brown has a great oven baked version: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/baked-barley-recipe.html)

2.    Lightly toast pecans and set aside to cool.

3.    Heat olive oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-heat. When hot, add onions and sauté lightly for 2-3 minutes, until translucent and just starting to soften.

4.    Add barley and cranberries and continue to pan sear for 8-10 minutes.  During this process, begin seasoning with pepper and stirring in vinegar and syrup (about a tsp. of each).

5.    Stir in barley, remaining vinegar and syrup, and mustard until evenly distributed. Remove from heat.

6.    Top with pecans and cheese, just before serving to ensure the nuts remain crunchy and so the cheese does not melt.

Marbled Mashed Potatoes

We snagged this recipe from the Food Network magazine Thanksgiving edition. Per Aldene’s recommendation, we substituted cottage cheese in place of the sour cream called for in the original version. Thanks for the great tip! Our biggest critique of this dish was the consistency. We will make a conscious effort to make it less runny/creamy next time, so that it pairs better with gravy.

Ingredients:

·         1 lb. Yukon gold potatoes

·         1 lb. sweet potatoes

·         1/4 cup milk

·         1/4 cup cottage cheese

·         cayenne pepper

·         salt and pepper

Directions:

1.    Put the potatoes and sweet potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with cold water by an inch or 2. Add salt and bring to a simmer. Cook until the potatoes are easily pierced with a fork (about 35-45 minutes).

2.    Drain, but be sure to reserve some of the cooking liquid.

3.    When cool enough to handle, peel both types of potatoes and place in separate bowls (segregation!)

4.    Add milk and cottage cheese to the Yukon gold bowl. Mash well, adding additional cooking liquid as needed to thin to desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper.

5.    Add a pinch of cayenne and some of the cooking liquid to the sweet potato bowl. Mash and adjust seasonings and consistency to your liking with additional cayenne, black pepper, salt, and/or cooking liquid.

6.    Dollop potatoes into a warmed serving dish and swirl together with a large spoon.

** this dish can be prepared up to 2 hours in advance; set aside in a baking dish and reheat in a 350 degree oven (covered) for 15-20 minutes

And you’ll have to get on Dennis’ case, if you want to find out his turkey and gravy secrets.  Both were delicious, but I am done bugging him about preparing them for this post.  ; )