Thai Spiced Brussel Sprouts
I love Brussels they are one of my very favorite veggies and a holiday staple. This recipe is a twist on brussels adding a bit of “kick.” Take 2 pounds of fresh brussel sprouts, with a paring knife – trim the bottom off of each sprout (this is the white/brownish base where the leaves come together). Cut about 2 millimeters or so clean off, you’ll lose a few leaves and this is OK. Now in the base of the sprout, cut a small cross with your knife – this doesn’t need to be super deep, this just ensure they cook evenly. Get a pot of salted water boiling and have a large bowl of Ice water ready as well. Next drop the sprouts into the boiling SALTED water for about 3-4 minutes, then pull them out and place in the ice water. Repeat until all the sprouts have been cooked and chilled (just a reminder this process is called BLANCHING).
Now cut each of the sprouts in half lengthwise and place into a large bowl. Season the bowl of sprouts with SLAVO SALT and squeeze in about 2-4 tablespoons of Siracha Chile Sauce (this needs to be in your pantry along with its chunky cousin Sambal, they are in red jars with green lids in the Asian section of your local market – I use this shit on everything!). Depending on how hot you want this food to turn out gauge the amount of Siracha you use – this stuff can lite you up! I suggest starting with 2 tablespoons for the first time you make this dish. Now toss the brussells around so that all are mixed well with the Siracha and SLAVO SALT.
Next, place the sprouts on a greased cookie sheet pan and pop into a preheated 350° oven for approxamently 10 minutes. Pull one out and taste it, they should be firm but not crunchy or hard. Season with more SLAVO SALT if necessary.
Green Beans Almadine
This is an old classic and so much better than the green bean casserole you usually get at Thanksgiving. Take 2 pounds of fresh green beans and wash them well (just a note – always was all your veggies, even if the bag says they’ve been washed because most likely they were washed with some sort of chemical cocktail). Trim the ends off the beans – really you only need to trim the end that was connected to the stalk but I’m not looking to confuse anybody today.
Next, have a pot of boiling SALTED water going and have a bowl of ice water standing by. Dump half of the beans into the water and cook about 1 minute. Pull one out and bite into it, it should be slightly tender but not soft and not overly crunchy. Place the cooked beans into the ice water and repeat with the second half of your beans.
In a saute pan heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil and 3 tablespoons of butter (don’t give me that shit – it’s the holidays!). Toss in 3 tablespoons of minced garlic and cook over medium high heat until the garlic is tender and barely browning. Remove from heat and set aside.
Preheat your oven to 350°. Take 1 cup of sliced almonds (these are the flat oval shaped ones not the sticks, I always get sliced and slivered mixed up so don’t sweat it if you get the wrong ones). Spread the almonds out on a dry cookie sheet and pop it into the oven. Remember to keep and eye on these because like pine nuts from last week’s entry – they’ll burn in seconds! Cook until barely browned maybe 3-4 minutes. If you overcook them throw them out and start over because they’ll taste bitter and shity.
Now place you saute pan with the garli -oil-butter on the stove over medium high heat. toss in your blanched green beans and almonds cook until the beans are nice and hot. Stir constantly so you don’t burn the garlic. Season with kosher salt and serve!
Mama Stanburg’s Famos Cranberry Relish
This is an old school recipe that was originally published in the New York Time in 1959 I tried it a couple years ago and it’s actually really good. I was reminded about it from a story on NPR. So here it is:
This relish has a tangy taste that cuts through and perks up the turkey and gravy. It’s also good on next-day turkey sandwiches and with roast beef.
Ingredients
* 2 cups whole raw cranberries, washed
* 1 small onion
* 3/4 cup sour cream
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 2 tablespoons horseradish from a jar (“red is a bit milder than white”)
Instructions
Grind the raw berries and onion together. (“I use an old-fashioned meat grinder,” Stamberg says. “I’m sure there’s a setting on the food processor that will give you a chunky grind, not a puree.”)
Add everything else and mix.
Put in a plastic container and freeze.
Early Thanksgiving morning, move it from freezer to refrigerator compartment to thaw. (“It should still have some little icy slivers left.”)
The relish will be thick, creamy and shocking pink. (“OK, Pepto Bismol pink.”)
Makes 1 1/2 pints.
