black friday

Dear Kristin,
While some people wait anxiously for black friday to see what kinds of bargains can be had at the mall, I wait anxiously for black friday for an entirely different reason...leftovers! Is there anything better than a hot turkey sandwich with lots of gravy, stuffing on the side, and a sweet piece of pie for dessert? Well, okay, maybe it's not a gourmand's idea of culinary bliss, but it comes pretty close for me.

Our Thanksgiving was pretty traditional, turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and vegetables and, of course, pie. Back when your grandparents and aunt would share our Thanksgiving table, I would always make at least two or three pies - there would always be pumpkin and either mincemeat or apple. This year, since I was only cooking for two, I really couldn't justify making two pies. (Hmm...a pie a piece? Maybe that's not such a bad idea!) Well, I really should clarify - I did make two pies - just not at the same time. We had mincemeat pie with our Thanksgiving dinner, but that was only because I've already made two pumpkin pies this year.

This pumpkin pie recipe comes from my mom. While we all know that my mom was not the greatest cook, she did make a wonderful pumpkin pie. This pie is lighter than most I've had - almost, but not quite mousse-like rather than heavier like custard. Topped with a generous dollop of whipped cream, it makes a fine ending to one of the best meals of the year. Oh - and if you can keep pie pilferers out of the refrigerator, it keeps really well, making for great leftovers!

pumpkin pie

1 unbaked 9" pie crust
1 1/2 c. cooked or canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1/4 c. white corn syrup
2 eggs
1/2 c. evaporated milk
2 Tbsp. butter
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tblsp. pumpkin pie spice

• Preheat oven to 425 F.
• Heat butter and milk together just until butter melts.
• In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, corn syrup, eggs and evaporated milk.
• Add brown sugar, salt and pumpkin pie spice to pumpkin mixture. Stir well.
• Add milk/butter mixture to pumpkin/brown sugar mixture and stir well, making sure mixture is smooth.
• Pour mixture into prepared pie shell.
• Bake at 425 F. for 15 minutes.
• Reduce oven to 350 F. and continue baking 35 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. (Pie may still jiggle a little, but if the knife is clean, the pie is done)

misunderstood

Dear Mom,

In your last post you forgot to add a note to your fried sweet potatoes recipe: "Immediately refuse any offers of help from family members during the frying process."  Because chances are you will loose half of those wonderful potatoes due to "quality control."  Any one who has tried them knows exactly what I'm talking about, they're quite addictive.  (Oh, and don't forget to sprinkle with salt.)

Your last post got me thinking about another vegetable.  It's not necessarily tortured, but I think its misunderstood.  (Well, I think a lot of veggies are misunderstood, brussel sprouts and celeriac also come to mind.)  I'm talking about squash.  I actually start day-dreaming about squash mid to late summer, when I know fall is right around the corner, just as the leaves are starting to turn you start seeing squash in the farmer's markets and featured in the grocery store.  I've had a lot of friends tell me that they've never made any type of squash before.  I think maybe it has the opposite complex from the sweet potato.  They look too pretty.  People too often use them in flower arrangements and decorate their homes with the little gourds, and they completely miss out on this fall delicacy.

The other night it was still relatively warm here, considering its November, so I figured why not fire up the grill.  It was probably one of the last decent nights for grilling, but I still wanted to get some squash on the table.  So why not throw it on a cedar plank with some chicken, and to get us in the Thanksgiving Day mood, top it all with a little bit of cranberry gastrique. 

cedar-planked chicken with butternut squash
& cranberry gastrique

1 cedar planked, soaked in water for 15-20 minutes
1 small butternut squash, cut into 1/2" cubes
2 large shallots, sliced
1 tsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper
1/2 cup 100% cranberry juice (not cocktail)
2 bone-in, skinless chicken breasts
1 orange, four thin slices and the juice

for the gastrique
1/2 cup cranberry juice
1/2 cup white wine
3 tbsp. white balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp. brown sugar
salt

Preheat grill.  In a large deep dish pour 1/2 cup cranberry juice on chicken and let marinate. Meanwhile, in a large bowl toss together squash through olive oil (enough oil to lightly coat squash), and season to taste.  Spread mixture on the prepared cedar plank, place on grill over low heat and cook for 10 minutes.  Add the chicken over the squash and top with 2 orange slices per breast.  Cook over medium-low heat until chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes. 

While the chicken is cooking, prepare the gastrique.  Combine all ingredients and the orange juice in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.  Bring to a simmer and continue to cook until sauce is reduced by half and coats a spoon.

Serve chicken over squash, drizzled with the gastrique.

nature vs. nurture?

Dear Snookie,

Really? Jersey Shore? After your father and I strove our hardest to instill in you an appreciation for the finer things in life? Where did we go wrong? Maybe we didn't start early enough. Maybe we should have held a tv up to my stomach while I was carrying you and played endless reruns of Masterpiece Theatre. Would that have helped? Maybe not.

Maybe some things are best left in their natural state, allowed to be themselves, however unrefined as that might be. Take the lowly sweet potato. (Now, don't get all defensive - I'm not comparing you to a sweet potato.) Let's face it. Sweet potatoes aren't very elegant in their natural state. Cooks have been trying to fancify them for decades. Every November, all of the cooking magazines and blogs seem to have at least one recipe for the ubiquitous sweet potato casserole. You know the one. Sweet potatoes are cooked, whipped to a frenzy, insulted with the addition of additional sugars or orange juice, and then, just when you think they have been degraded beyond any point of redemption, they are put in a dish surrounded by marshmallows! This is kind of like putting a pink tutu on a bull mastiff. It just shouldn't be done.

I would rather let the tormented tuber shine on its own. That's why you will never find sweet potato casserole on my Thanksgiving table. I prefer a simpler, kinder treatment; just boil them, then slice and fry them in butter. The sugars in the potato caramelize on the outside, resulting in sweet buttery disks of delight.

Preparing sweet potatoes this way is simple, but a little tedious. The potatoes can be boiled early in the day, then peeled and fried just before serving. They have to be watched carefully as they are frying, because they will burn easily. The goal here is to fry them just until they start to develop a dark crust, and then remove them from the heat.

Well, I will sign off for now - your dad and I are going to sit down and watch reruns of The Beverly Hillbillies.

fried sweet potatoes

4 medium sweet potatoes
1/2 stick butter (add more as necessary)

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
2. Add washed sweet potatoes to the boiling water, and boil until fork-tender. This will take anywhere from 25 to 40 minutes, depending on the size of the potatoes.
3. Remove potatoes from water and cool until they are easy to handle.
4. Peel potatoes, and slice 1/4" to 1/2" thick. (make sure all slices are the same thickness so that they will cook evenly)
5. Melt butter in a large skillet.
6. Add potatoes to skillet and fry over medium heat. Do not overcrowd the pan. When they start to brown, flip them over and fry on the other side. Watch them carefully as they fry to avoid burning them.  (Fry them in batches if necessary, removing them to a warmed serving platter when done.)

da motha-land

Dear Mom,

I have a little confession to make (brace yourself because I think you will be disappointed in me): I like Jersey Shore.  If you're unfamiliar with the show, its this really terrible reality t.v. show on MTV about eight Jersey-Shore-loving-Guidos (I'm not trying to be derogatory, they call themselves that).  Sadly, I'm not the only one addicted to the show, my husband follows it as well, in fact I kind of blame him for getting me hooked.  The first season they were given a house to live in on Jersey Shore, a very low-responsibility job, and lots of cash to spend on going out to bars, alcoholic beverages, and of course the three cornerstones of any Guido's life: GTL (gym, tanning and laundry).  In following seasons, they were given a change of scenery.  They were sent to live in Miami Beach, then back to the Shore, and this season they were in Florence, Italy ("da motha-land").

Florence, Italy....  I never thought I would be jealous of the Vinny, Pauly, Ronnie, Snookie, Jenni, Sammy, Deena and The Situation, but now I am.  While I have no desire to run around the Jersey Shore in a drunken haze for six weeks, I would gladly make the sacrifice if MTV would send me to Italy for free...  I've been dying to go for years now, I don't know why I'm so in love with the country, I'm not Italian, but it just looks so beautiful... And the food!  At least I married a guy who is half Italian, so when we are ready some day our babies will be one-quarter Guido.  But for now, since I'm not Italian, at least I can try to cook some yummy Italian-American food like my Italian Flag Soup. 

Italian Flag Soup

1/2 lb. uncased Italian sausage (I used 1/4 lb. mild and 1/4 lb. hot)
1 small onion, chopped
2 small carrots, chopped
4-5 red gypsy peppers, chopped (or 2 red bell peppers)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup white wine (such as pinot grigio)
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 bunch spiagrello, coarsely chopped (or kale or spinach)
1 16 oz. can white beans, drained
extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper
parmesan cheese (for garnishing)

Heat about 1 tbsp. olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.  Brown sausage, crumbling and stirring as you go, remove from pan and set aside.  If your sausage does not leave behind too much oil, heat some additional olive oil in the pan, add onion, carrots, peppers, garlic and a good pinch of salt.  Cook over medium heat until beginning to soften (about 10 minutes).  Add white wine, scrape browned bits off of the bottom of the pan.  Cook for 5 minutes.  Add chicken broth, bring to boil and simmer for an additional 10 minutes or until carrots are cooked through.  Add sausage and spiagrello to soup, cook until spiagrello is wilted and tender.  Add white beans and cook an additional 5 minutes, or until beans are heated through.

Check for salt, and serve with parmesan cheese.