Brussels Sprouts with Mushrooms and Crispy Shallots

I'll admit that the Thanksgiving I spent with my wife's family in Seattle was the first Thanksgiving I watched football.  It was my first Thanksgiving that involved cranberry sauce from a can and mashed potatoes from a box.  And it was wonderful.  An American Thanksgiving of a different kind - I can get behind that.

We had a dish at that Thanksgiving that I know is synonymous with the holiday, but I had never eaten it.  It's recipe is on the back of every box of crispy onions ever sold.  Yes, the green bean casserole, complete with cream of mushroom soup concentrate.  It's not exactly my style, but I don't turn up my nose and trying new things, and it was quite delicious.  However, like most things in life, I like to put my own spin traditional dishes (and use ingredients from the produce section rather than the canned section).

I really can't get enough of Brussels sprouts.  They are sweet and nutty when perfectly roasted, and I make them at least once a week in the autumn months.  Most Thanksgiving tables probably have Brussels sprouts in some form or another, but they are often not given the attention they deserve.  During our first Thanksgiving in California, my wife and I attended a graduate student meal, and the Brussels sprouts were so underdone that they were hardly edible.  Such a shame. 

This dish is a real winner, the perfect play on the traditional casserole with a touch of humor.  And the crispy shallots are irresistible; the canned version doesn't even come close.  The combination of flavors is perfect for these cold months, savory and satisfying.

Brussels Sprouts with Mushrooms and Crispy Shallots
Serves 4-6

For the Brussels sprouts:
1 1/2 lbs Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
2 T olive oil
salt and pepper

For the shallots:
1 c vegetable oil
3 large shallots, sliced thinly

For the mushrooms:
3 T butter
1/2 lb mushrooms, trimmed and chopped
2 t thyme
2 T white wine
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Toss Brussels sprouts with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Roast in a small casserole dish for 25 to 35 minutes, or until browned. 

Heat vegetable oil in a heavy skillet until temperature is 250 degrees.  Fry shallots in batches until golden brown, about 3 minutes per batch.  Quickly transfer to a paper towel to crisp.

Pour oil off from skillet and add butter.  Melt on high heat.  Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, under tender, about 8 minutes.  Add thyme and wine, and season with salt and pepper.  Continue cooking for a few minutes, and then add roasted Brussels sprouts.  Mix together, return to casserole dish, and top with crispy shallots.

Chestnut Stuffing

My wife really loves stuffing.  So much that she is quite indignant about the fact that stuffing is pretty much served once a year.  She has a point.  There is pretty much no other food that we are told we can eat on exactly one day.  From the Friday after Thanksgiving one year to the Wednesday before the next Thanksgiving, we likely have consumed no stuffing.

And my stuffing-loving wife, the one who would love to add it to the regular weeknight rotation, has a favorite.  She asks for chestnut stuffing every year, and how can I deny her?  She only gets it one day a year, so it might as well be the best.

I can't remember a Thanksgiving without chestnut stuffing.  More than the meal itself, I always looked forward to the chestnut stuffing and mashed potato sandwich I would make later that evening.  

My dad claims to have picked chestnuts from the forest to make this dish, but my only choice is to pick them up in the produce section.  And chestnuts are no fun.  We like to sing about roasting them at Christmas, but have you truly every peeled a chestnut?  If that skin wasn't hiding such delicious meat underneath, it wouldn't be worth it.

But this stuffing is so lovely that it is absolutely worth it.  I make my hands raw pulling back that tough skin and pulling out the chestnut innards, but at least I only have to do it once a year.

Chestnut Stuffing
Serves 6-8

2 lbs chestnuts
1/2 c butter, melted
1/4 c cream
1 t salt
1 c bread crumbs
1/8 t black pepper
2 T chopped parsley
1 T grated onion

Cut an X into the skin of each chestnut, and place them in a large pot.  Cover with water and bring to a boil.  Continue to boil for about an hour, and then let chestnuts cool slightly in the water.  Working carefully, pull back the skin on each nut, and remove the chestnut.  Make sure you remove the inner membranes.

Chop the chestnuts into small pieces or give them a whirl in a food processor.  Add all other ingredients, and mix well.  Moisten with chestnut water if needed.

To cook, stuff inside a turkey before roasting, or place in a baking dish and heat at 350 degrees for about half an hour.

Pumpkin Pie

It's just not Thanksgiving without pumpkin pie.  The turkey I can take or leave (and these year, I am leaving), but the pie is nonnegotiable.  If you have room for two pies, apple is a welcome addition, but if I can only have one, pumpkin it is.

A few years ago, I started roasting my own pumpkin instead of using the canned stuff.  I cannot stress how much difference this makes.  There are some foods that are not worth the time and effort, but this is not one of them.  Sure, canned pumpkin makes a fine pumpkin pie.  But roasting a pumpkin is simple, makes your house smell delicious before you even start on the pie, and your dessert will be the one people cannot stop talking about.

I've never seen anyone turn down a slice of pumpkin pie, from a can or otherwise, but the flavor in this one is somehow richer, and it's definitely the one I prefer.  Plus you have pumpkin seeds to munch on while you do your other cooking, so really you have no excuse.  Carving a pumpkin isn't just for Halloween anymore.

Pumpkin pieMakes one pie

1 small sugar pumpkin
oil for baking sheet
1/2 c dark brown sugar
1/3 c sugar
1/2 t salt
2 t cinnamon
1 t ground ginger
1/2 t nutmeg
1/2 t cloves
lemon zest of 1 lemon
2 whole eggs plus 1 egg yolk
1/2 c heavy cream
1 crust (see my recipe here )

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Cut your pumpkin in half.  Cut own the stem, and scoop out all the seeds.  Lay pumpkin cut side down on an oiled baking sheet.  Roast for an hour to an hour and a half, whenever a fork easily pierces the skin.  Let cool, and scoop out pulp.  Run it through a blender or food processor.  Turn oven up to 425 degrees.

Mix sugars, salt, spices, and lemon zest in a large bowl.  Beat in the eggs, and then add the pumpkin puree.  Stir in cream, and stir until every thing is combined.

Roll your crust out and press into a pie pan.  Pour in filling, and bake for 15 minutes.  Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees, and bake for another 40-50 minutes or until set.

Cool before serving.

Crispy Black Bean Tacos

I love taco night.  It's like a choose your own adventure dinner - pick your meat, pick your beans, pick your toppings.  Endless combinations.  And easy to throw together, which has become the number one important quality of a dinner these days.

I always go for the soft flour tortilla.  You're working with a lot of surface area, and therefore you can really fill that thing up to capacity.  But my wife has a soft spot (see what I did there?) for the hard shells.  It's pretty undeniable that the crunch is satisfying, although I have never managed to eat one without it crumbling to pieces after the first bite.  But these beauties are different.

You fill these tacos up before frying them to a perfect golden brown crisp and then stuff them with toppings.  And then you stuff your mouth with their deliciousness, and not once do they crumble under the pressure.  The added step of frying these tacos does mean they are not quite the 30 minute dinner you want to get on the table, but they sure do come close.  And even though I love a fully loaded burrito-sized tortilla, it's good to change things up every now and then.

Crispy Black Bean Tacos
Serves 2

1 c refried black beans* (you could also substitute your own protein of choice, like cooked chicken)
4 taco-sized tortillas (corn or flour)
1/2 c shredded cheese
1/2 c guacamole
1/2 c diced tomatos
hot sauce (optional)
canola oil for frying

Heat a couple of inches of canola oil in a large skillet.  Spread black beans on each tortilla, and fold each in half.

One at a time, place tacos carefully in the hot oil, using a fork to press them down and keep them closed.  Flip each taco after about 45 seconds, or when golden brown.

Carefully remove each taco from the skillet and let drain.  Pry each taco open slightly to add cheese, and let it melt.  Then spoon in some guacamole, and stuff the rest of the taco up with diced tomatoes.  Top with hot sauce if you'd like.  Eat immediately.

*I let my black beans soak overnight and then boil until soft and drain.  I mash them in a skillet with butter, onion, cumin, chili powder, oregano, and salt.  You can also used canned refried black beans.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Milkshake

I like to think of myself as a healthy person.  Many mornings, I start my day with a smoothie that contains three servings of fruit and seven of vegetables.  I cook balanced meals with real ingredients and fresh produce.  But every now and then, you need an indulgence.  Every now and then, you just want a milkshake.

I blame my wife.  She wanted a strawberry milkshake and french fries, and, being the good husband I am, I made her both.  But I don't like strawberry ice cream, so when I was at the store, I grabbed a pint of chocolate, too, just in case.  You never know when having a pint of chocolate ice cream in your freezer might come in handy.  When I put the ice cream in the freezer, I saw the bag of peanut butter cups that had been living there since Halloween.  It was a rainy Halloween night this year, and so, although we had prepared for an army of trick-or-treaters, we only received a trickle.  And so or freezer currently contains about two pounds of peanut butter cups, and, seeing them, I developed a plan.

Peanut butter and chocolate is my all-time favorite flavor combination, and I will eat it anytime, anywhere.  Those peanut butter cups sat in the freezer, taunting m

Tomorrow it's back to the fruit and vegetable smoothie, but at least my blender got out and lived a little first.

Chocolate peanut butter milkshake
Serves 1

1 c chocolate ice cream
2 T peanut butter
3 peanut butter cups
1/4 c milk

Place all ingredients in a blender, and blend until smooth.  If milkshake is too thick, add more milk until it reaches your desired consistency. 

Stuffed Acorn Squash

I love to stuff my food.  I know that sounds weird, but stuffed dishes make an easy dinner when you're not quick sure what you're cooking.  You can stuff anything with anything.  Chicken and mozzarella fill up an eggplant; quinoa and herbs go into a tomato; peppers can be stuffed with ground beef and cheddar cheese; mushrooms get sausage and breadcrumbs.  But nothing says fall like stuffing an acorn squash with the savory ingredients we want as the temperature drops: mushrooms, greens, cranberries, pecans.  It might be vegetarian, but it's as hearty and satisfying as as bowl of chili.

 

Sometimes it can feel like you are being bombarded by an onslaught of autumn foods.  Everything is pumpkin this, apple that.  It's easy to overdose.  That's why it's important to look around the grocery store and notice the bounty of ingredients that are in season right now.  This meal is a good way to try them out.  Stuffed dishes are, by their very nature, flexible.  Did you get some walnuts in your CSA this week?  Use them in place of pecans.  Which greens looked good at the store?  Any will do.  Are the pomegranates just screaming at you from their display?  Their seeds would add a delicious sweet crunch to the dish.

I try to cook as seasonably as possible, and living in Northern California affords me that privilege.  But autumn is a season that exists just about anywhere, and given the shelf life of apples, winter squashes, Brussels sprouts, and onions, it's a season that can last many months.  But with a little creativity, we won't end up sick of pumpkin before the pies hit our Thanksgiving tables.

Stuffed acorn squash

Serves 2

1 acorn squash
2 t  maple syrup
1 T  butter
1 T olive oil
1/4 c pecans, chopped
1/2 onion, diced
8 oz mushrooms, roughly chopped
1/4 c dry white wine
1/4 c dried cranberries
 2 c spinach, chopped
4 oz sharp cheddar cheese, grated
salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cut squash in half from stem to bottom, and scoop out seeds and pulp with a spoon.  Pierce inside of each squash half a few times with a fork, and baste the insides with maple syrup.  Place squash cut-side-up in a baking dish.  Bake until soft, about an hour.

 Adjust oven to 375 degrees.  Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat.  Toast chopped pecans in butter until fragrant, about 5 minutes.  Remove from pan and set aside.

Add olive oil to the skillet.  Add onion and cook until softened, about 10 minutes.  Add mushrooms and cook until browned, about 5 minutes.  Add white wine and continue cooking until reduced by half.  Add  dried cranberries and spinach, and cook just until spinach is wilted.  Season with salt to taste.  Remove from heat.

Fold in chopped pecans and half of the grated cheese.  Stuff each half of prepared squash with filling.  Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.  Place squash halves on a baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until squash is heated through.