Source: John Morgan via Flickr Thanksgiving is about family: the ones were are born into and the ones we choose for ourselves. It’s also about the FOOD! So we at Bella are combining the two things we love about the holiday and sharing our favorite recipes for the big day. Whether you are a first time Turkey Day host, or an old pro, these recipes are perfect for any table. Source: Proflowers via Flickr Cranberry Mousse (Heather Rose Jones) The weight of Thanksgiving dinner traditions is heavy: turkey and dressing, potatoes mashed and sweet, green bean casserole and pies of every sort, and in my family never complete without my mom’s watermelon rind pickles. But the cranberry sauce always just sort of sat there: can-shaped, jellied, and mostly leftover. One year I decided that if we must have cranberries, at least I could do something new and different. This recipe is loosely based on the fruit mousse in The Joy of Cooking. Given that I’m something of a “pantser” in the kitchen, this recipe is somewhat from memory as I don’t believe I’ve ever written it down before. Wash and pick over: 1 package (approximately 2 cups) fresh cranberries Place in a saucepan with just barely enough water to cover the bottom of the pan and cook covered over a low heat until the berries have popped and you can mash them into a puree. Add 1 cup granulated sugar Keep over a low heat until the sugar is dissolved. It should be liquid but not watery. If necessary, add a tablespoon or two of water. Take off the heat. Add grated rind of an orange (to taste) Soak 1 package unflavored gelatin (ca. 1.5 teaspoons but just use the whole envelope if it’s a little more) in 2 tablespoons water. When softened, add the gelatin to the hot cranberry puree and stir until dissolved. Chill until at least room temperature. In a bowl, whip until thickened, but not stiff: 2 cups heavy (whipping) cream Fold the fruit mixture gently into the whipped cream until fully blended. At this point you have options. You can chill the mousse in the same bowl until set, and either serve it from the bowl or unmould it onto a plate. (Dip the bowl briefly in hot water until a gentle shake separates the mousse from the bowl, then place a serving plate on top of the bowl and flip over.) Or before you chill the mousse you can spoon it into a fancy mould (like a wreathed jello mould or even something fancier), then chill as before and unmould (as described) just before serving. It can take several hours to set properly, so plan accordingly. Robbi’s Cornbread Dressing (Robbi McCoy) This is the classic Thanksgiving cornbread dressing of my family, brought to California from Arkansas by my grandmother in the 1930s. My mother and grandmother are both gone now, but one of their best dishes lives on and remains a family favorite. 1-½ recipe corn bread (recipe on box of Albers yellow cornmeal) 7.5 ounce bag of bread cubes 1 + 2 ounces butter 1 large onion, diced 4 stalks celery, diced ¼ cup minced parsley 3 cans chicken broth herb package from the bread bag or 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning pepper to taste Break up the corn bread and mix with bread cubes. Sauté the onions and celery in a tablespoon of butter. Do not brown. When onions are translucent, let cool. Add herbs and 2ounces of melted butter to bread mixture. Pour in chicken broth and add in cooled onions and celery. Mix together well. Bake, covered, 350º for 1-½hours. Remove the cover and continue baking about an hour or until brown and a little crunchy on top. To use as stuffing for a turkey, leave out one can of chicken broth. Cranberry-Satsuma Sauce (Mary Griggs) Here is a Southern riff on cranberry sauce. 2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries 4 satsumas (or one orange) 1 1/2-2 cups sugar 1/4 cup fresh lime juice 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier liquor 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt Zest the satsumas and juice them. Place zest and 1 cup of juice in a medium saucepan. Add the cranberries, 1 cup sugar, lime juice, Grand Marnier and salt. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook until the cranberries burst (about 10 minutes). Taste for seasoning – I ended up adding an additional cup of sugar (in 1/4 cup increments, tasting as I went) to sweeten it up. Consider using agave nectar if you don’t want to add so much sugar. Scrape into a bowl and allow to cool on the counter until ready to serve. Source: Chris Potako via Flickr Sweet Potato Casserole (Laina Villeneuve) 3 cups sweet potatoes 1/2 cup white sugar 1/4 cup butter, softened 2 eggs 1 tsp vanilla Cream sweet potatoes. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. If it seems dry, add a bit of milk (the original recipe called for 1/3 cup, but we’ve always felt like the potatoes are too runny with the milk…) Pour into 8×8 baking dish. Topping 1/4 cup oatmeal 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup chopped pecans 2 tbsp melted butter With fork mix together oatmeal, butter, and brown sugar. Then add pecans. Spread topping over sweet potatoes. Bake for 30 min at 350. Recipe can be doubled and cooked in a 9×13 baking dish. Whenever we take this as a side, we always get requests for the recipe! Turkey Gravy (Mary Griggs) 2 pounds turkey wings and/or necks 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 carrots, cut in large chunks 2 celery stalks, cut in large chunks 1 onion, halved 2 quarts cold water 2 bay leaves 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 1/4 cup all-purpose flour Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper Heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Put the turkey wings (or backbone and neck if you have it) into a small roasting pan and roast until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery and bay leaves and allow to soften for 5 minutes. Add the turkey wings. Pour some water into the roasting pan and scrape up all the browned bits on the bottom; add this to the pot. Cover everything in the pot with 2 quarts of cold water (it should cover everything by 1-inch) and bring to the boil. While at a boil, skim any foam that rises to the surface. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Strain out the solids and pour the stock into a fat separator. Wipe out the pot and put it over medium heat. Melt the butter and add the flour. Cook this roux, stirring constantly, until it is golden brown about 10 minutes. Slowly whisk in the strained stock being careful to work out any lumps. Cook until the gravy has thickened, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Butternut Squash Casserole (Dillon Watson) I thought I’d share a recipe that has been in our family for over 50 years. We love it and prepare it every Thanksgiving with the turkey as well as other times just ‘cause. It’s a Butternut squash casserole that looks good, tastes even better and is super simple to make…..and it travels well if you are attending a covered dish dinner. And since squash dates back to the Pilgrims I thought it would be apropos. 1 large butternut squash peeled and cut into cubes (pre-cubed squash is available at many stores) ¼ teaspoon cinnamon ¼ teaspoon nutmeg ½ cup brown sugar ¼ cup melted butter (okay sure, you can use margarine) 2 teaspoons lemon juice Place squash cubes in 2 quart casserole or baking dish. Sprinkle with spices and brown sugar. Drizzle with melted butter and lemon juice. Bake uncovered in 375 degree oven for 1 to 1 ¼ hours until cubes tender. 4-6 Servings. Roasted Garlic Brussels Sprouts (Dana Piccoli) This is super simple and totally vegan. Even a first timer can nail this. 2 lbs Brussels Sprouts 4 tablespoons olive oil (or a healthy pour) 1 teaspoon Kosher salt 1 teaspoon garlic powder (not garlic salt) 1/2 teaspoon pepper Preheat over to 400 degrees. Rinse and trim sprouts, then cut in half. In a large bowl, toss sprouts with olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Cook for about 35 minutes, turning the sprouts over about halfway through. The goal is crispy, brown and yummy sprouts. Source: Flickr Old-fashioned Apple Cobbler (Micheala Lynn) Ingredients: 3 cups fruit (about 3 large apples) 1/3 cup sugar 1/4 tsp cinnamon 2 cups flour 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt 2 eggs 1 1/3 cups sugar 1/2 cup shortening 1 cup milk 1 tsp vanilla Start by cutting apples into approximately 1/2 to 3/4 inch chunks. Combine with 1/3 cup sugar and 1/4 tsp cinnamon. Spread into 9 x 12 baking dish. Next, combine flour, baking powder, and salt into bowl. Blend remaining ingredients with mixer approximately 1 minute. Add to dry ingredients and spread batter over fruit. Bake at 350 for 35 to 40 minutes until crust is golden. Top with ice cream and enjoy! Slow Cooker Cider with a Twist (Riley Scott) For the family that enjoys a nightcap following their festivities, this holiday treat will hit the spot. Ingredients: 1 gallon apple cider 1/3 cup packed brown sugar 4 cinnamon sticks 2 tablespoons nutmeg 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 cup whole cranberries 2 oranges, sliced (Optional) Whiskey – as much as you’d like to celebrate a holiday gathering, or as much as you need if the family gathering has been stressful Mix apple cider with lemon juice brown sugar and nutmeg in slow cooker. Add in cinnamon sticks. Cut the orange into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Add cranberries and orange slices to slow cooker. Cook on low for 4 hours until flavors are melded. Let sit, ladle into your favorite mug or glass, and add in 1 ounce (or more) of whiskey. Enjoy. Greek Yogurt Cheesecake with Pomegranate Molasses Drizzle (Marie Castle) Crust: 1 cup graham-cracker crumbs 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted Filling: 3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened 2/3 cup sugar 3 large eggs 1 6-ounce container Greek yogurt, fat-free or 2% 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour Directions: Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Grease the sides and bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with butter or vegetable shortening. Using a small bowl, combine graham-cracker crumbs and butter. Press into the bottom of the prepared pan. Using a mixing bowl and electric mixer on medium speed, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar and beat until fully incorporated. Add eggs and mix well. Add yogurt and flour, mixing until blended. Be careful not to over beat mixture, adding too much air into the cheesecake. Spread the filling over the crust in the pan. Gently lift the pan and tap it down on the counter two or three times to settle the filling and help disperse air bubbles. Place the cheesecake in the oven. (The lower-temp baking process makes for an exceptionally creamy cheesecake. The usual pan of water used when baking cheesecake is NOT used during this method.) Bake cheesecake for 3 hours. Take cheesecake from the oven and raise the oven temp to 500 degrees F. Once oven temp reaches 500, return cheesecake to oven to brown top. Brown cheesecake 6-10 minutes, checking every 2 minutes for a golden top. Take cheesecake from oven and set aside to cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, without releasing or removing the side of the pan, run a knife along the inside edge of the cheesecake to loosen it. This will help prevent the top from cracking. Cover and refrigerate the cheesecake until chilled for at least 3 hours. Remove the side of the pan before slicing. Top with a slight drizzle of tart pomegranate molasses* or other topping of your choice. The cheesecake is also wonderful without a topping. Serve to family and friends and enjoy! *Pomegranate molasses is available at most Mediterranean food stores. It makes for a deliciously colorful full-flavored condiment. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! http://dlvr.it/MjYV2h
