ROASTED CARROTS AND PARSNIPS
This was in the November/December 2010 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 50. It begins, "Whole sage leaves and thyme sprigs are tossed with carrots and parsnips to add aromatic flavor as they roast." Makes 8 servings
To view this online, go to https://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/roasted-carrots-and-parsnips/.
Ingredients
3-4 carrots, cut diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices (2 1/2 cups)
3-4 parsnips, peeled and cut diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices (2-1/2 cups)
1-1/2 Tbs. olive oil
8 fresh sage leaves
6 thyme sprigs
Preparation
Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss together all ingredients in large baking dish, and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Roast 15 minutes, then shake dish to loosen vegetables. Roast 15 minutes more, then shake again, and roast 10 minutes more, or until tender.
SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE
This is from the infamous long-since-forgotten emailing list.
Ingredients
4 medium Sweet potatoes or yams (about 2 lb)
1/4 cup Packed brown sugar
1/4 cup Butter
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 Can (8 oz) crushed pineapple
1 tablespoon Packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon Butter
1 teaspoon Water
1/2 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Ground nutmeg
1-1/2 cups Miniature marshmallows
1/4 cup Chopped pecans
Directions
Wash sweet potatoes. Prick each 2 or 3 times with fork to allow steam to escape. Arrange in oven at least 1 inch apart. Microwave at HIGH (100%) until fork-tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Cover & let stand 5 minutes.
Peel and slice potatoes. Place in 2-quart casserole. Add 1/4 cup butter and the salt. Mash until no lumps remain. Mix in pineapple. Microwave at HIGH (100%) 2 minutes. Stir and set aside.
Place 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1 tablespoon butter, the water, cinnamon, and nutmeg in medium bowl. Microwave at HIGH (100%) until butter is melted, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, stirring after half the time. Add marshmallows; toss to coat. Top sweet potato mixture with marshmallows. Microwave at HIGH (100 % until the marshmallows are melted and potatoes are heated through, 2 to 4 minutes. Sprinkle with pecans.
MASHED POTATOES WITH GARLIC AND BASIL
This is from Pierre Franey in The New York Times cooking enewsletter. (Hint: If you haven't signed up for their enewsletter, I highly recommend it. You'll be able to access their yummy recipes, guides, and tips for cooking.)
Total Time: 30 minutes; Yield: 4 servings
This was featured in "60-Minute Gourmet," and can be found online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/4118-mashed-potatoes-with-garlic-and-basil.
Ingredients
6 to 8 medium Washington, Idaho or Yellow Gold potatoes
6 whole garlic cloves, peeled
Salt to taste
2 tablespoons virgin olive oil
1-1/4 cups warm milk
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
Freshly ground white pepper
Preparation
Peel the potatoes and cut them into 3/4-inch cubes. Place the pieces in saucepan and cover with water. Add the garlic and salt.
Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Do not overcook.
Drain. Discard garlic. Put the potatoes through a food mill or ricer, or mash them well with a potato masher.
Add the olive oil, and beat to blend. Add the warm milk, basil and pepper. Blend well. Serve piping hot.
CINNAMON CHRISTMAS TREE
This was from Fr. Dominic Garramone (aka The Bread Monk). I first ran across his show, Breaking Bread with Fr. Dominic, years ago on PBS. The show has since left television (at least, as far as I can tell), but you can still check out his recipes and books on his website (above).
Yield: 2 trees (16 rolls each).
Ingredients
Basic Sweet Dough:
3-1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1 package FLEISCHMANN's RapidRise Yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup half-and-half or light cream
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Filling:
2 tablespoons butter, softened and divided
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Pinch ground nutmeg (optional)
Topping:
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon milk
Red and green candied cherries, halved
Directions
Sift 2 cups of the flour, yeast and salt into a large mixing bowl; stir until well blended. Place half-and-half, butter and sugar in a saucepan; heat until butter is nearly melted. Let cool to 120 to 130 degrees.
Add half-and-half mixture to flour mixture; beat well. Add egg and vanilla; stir until blended. Add 1 cup flour; stir until thoroughly incorporated. Gradually add enough of the remaining 1/2 to 1 cup flour to make a soft dough that is rather sticky.
Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead 3 minutes, or until the dough is a consistent texture. Cover with a slightly damp towel and let rest 10 minutes.
Divide dough in half. Roll one half on lightly floured surface into a rectangle, 14x12 inches. Spread 1 tablespoon of softened butter on dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edge. Combine sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg; sprinkle half this mixture over butter. Roll up dough from long side, jelly-roll style; pinch seam to seal (brush edge with a little water if necessary to make it stick). Repeat with remaining dough and filling.
Construct a tree shape from each log: Cut a 2-inch piece from one end of the log and reserve. Slice the rest of the log into 15 slices. Line a baking sheet with foil and grease well. On the short side of the baking sheet, center one slice cut side down. This is the top of the tree. Add 2 slices, sides touching, below the first slice, then add 3 more rows of slices to form a tree shape. Complete the tree by centering the 2-inch slice, seam side down, below the last row to form the trunk.
Repeat with second cinnamon roll log. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place 45 minutes, or until nearly doubled.
About 15 minutes before end of rising time, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake trees 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. If trunk is browning too fast, cover with foil for the last few minutes. Use foil to move trees from baking sheets to wire racks. Cool thoroughly.
Prepare topping:
Combine confectioners, sugar and milk in a pastry or plastic zipper-sealed bag; cut one corner from bag. Pipe mixture on trees to create garland. Garnish with cherry halves.
THE ULTIMATE BOURBON-MAPLE SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE WITH PECANS
This yumminess comes from The Today Show, and begins, “Sweet potatoes are a must-have on Thanksgiving, especially in the South. With its bourbon and pecans (two ingredients with Southern roots), this casserole is the epitome of Southern hospitality. The bourbon adds a depth of flavor to the maple-syrup sweetened potatoes, while the pecans add a buttery crunch. True to the Southern table (and palate) this dish is a little sweet, so feel free to cut back a bit on the maple syrup to satisfy your 'savory tooth.'" Cook Time: 35 minutes; Prep Time: 25 minutes; servings: 16
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
6 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
4 cups apple cider
6 cups water
2/3 cup pure maple syrup
1 stick, plus 2 tablespoons (5 ounces) unsalted butter, plus more for the baking dish
2 tablespoons bourbon
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped pecans
Scant 1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder or cayenne pepper
Preparation
Put the sweet potatoes into a large pot along with the cider and water and bring to a boil. Simmer uncovered over moderately low heat until tender, but not mushy, 20 to 25 minutes. Reserving 4 cups of the cooking liquid, strain the sweet potatoes, gently shaking out any excess liquid. Return the reserved liquid to the pot and boil until reduced to 2/3 cup, about 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and butter a 3-quart shallow baking dish. Add 8 tablespoons of the butter to the pot, along with the maple syrup and bring to a boil. Add the sweet potatoes and bourbon and toss to combine. Mash the sweet potatoes, then whisk until smooth. For super-silky mashed sweet potatoes, puree them in a food processor. Season with salt. Spread the sweet potatoes in the baking dish.
In a small skillet, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Add the pecans, chipotle powder or cayenne pepper and season with salt. Sprinkle the mixture on top of the sweet potatoes in the baking dish.
Bake until the pecans are toasted and the potatoes are heated through, about 25 minutes.
Make Ahead: The sweet potatoes can be prepared through Step 3 and refrigerated for up to 3 days.
ROASTED BRUSSELS SPROUTS WITH GARLIC
This is from Mark Bittman, no The New York Times' cooking email newsletter. He writes, “If you haven’t yet figured out a go-to recipe for brussels sprouts, this simple dish is the answer. It results in sweet caramelized brussels sprouts that will make a believer out of anyone.” Serves 4 in 45 minutes.
Ingredients
1 pint brussels sprouts (about a pound)
4 to 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, to coat bottom of pan
5 cloves garlic, peeled
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Preparation
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Trim bottom of brussels sprouts, and slice each in half top to bottom. Heat oil in cast-iron pan over medium-high heat until it shimmers; put sprouts cut side down in one layer in pan. Put in garlic, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Cook, undisturbed, until sprouts begin to brown on bottom, and transfer to oven. Roast, shaking pan every 5 minutes, until sprouts are quite brown and tender, about 10 to 20 minutes.
Taste, and add more salt and pepper if necessary. Stir in balsamic vinegar, and serve hot or warm.
