Jalapeño Flecked Golden Cornbread
Serves 8 to 10.
Note: From "The Pollan Family Cookbook," by Corky, Lori, Dana and Tracey Pollan.
• Olive oil cooking spray
• 1 1/2 c. flour
• 1 c. yellow cornmeal
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• Kosher salt
• 3/4 c. shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, divided
• 3 tbsp. light brown sugar
• 1/2 c. frozen corn kernels, thawed, or kernels from cooked fresh corn
• 1 c. buttermilk
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 c. seeded and finely chopped jalapeño chile
• 8 tbsp. (1 stick) butter, melted
Directions
Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly spray an 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese. Set aside.
In a blender or food processor, combine brown sugar, corn, buttermilk and eggs. Blend until smooth, 9 to 10 seconds. Pour the purée into the dry ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until just mixed through. Add the jalapeño. Slowly add the melted butter and stir until incorporated.
Pour the batter into the baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup Cheddar cheese. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean, about 20 minutes.
Cool for 10 minutes. Loosen the sides of the pan with a knife. Invert the cornbread onto a cooling rack, then flip onto a platter and serve.
Haricots Verts With Shiitakes and Shallots
Serves 8.
Note: You can blanch and refrigerate the beans up to 1 day in advance. If you're serving these with roast beef, use beef broth instead of chicken or turkey. From "The Big Book of Sides," by Rick Rodgers.
• 12 oz. haricots verts (very thin green beans, or substitute whatever fresh green beans are available)
• 2 tbsp. (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
• 10 oz. shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, caps cut into 1/2-in. strips
• 1/4 c. finely chopped shallots
• 1/2 c. reduced-sodium chicken broth or turkey stock (see Note)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the beans and cook until they're crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold running water and drain again. Pat the beans dry with a clean kitchen towel. (To prepare these ahead, wrap them in paper towels, transfer to a zip-top plastic bag and refrigerate for up to 1 day.)
Melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in shallots and cook until they soften, about 1 minute.
Add the blanched beans and the broth and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until beans are heated through and the broth is almost completely evaporated, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer vegetables to serving dish and serve.
Carrot Ribbons With Pomegranate Dressing
Serves 6 to 8.
Note: Pomegranate molasses (also labeled as pomegranate syrup) is available in many supermarkets, and in Middle Eastern stores. You can also make your own from pomegranate juice (see below). Pomegranate seeds can be purchased already taken from the fruit (check the produce aisle). To seed the pomegranate yourself, Make a cut in the fruit place it in a large bowl of cold water. (The fruit will stain, otherwise.) Pull the skin apart under water with your fingers, removing the membrane and seeds. From "The Big Book of Sides," by Rick Rodgers.
• 1 1/2 lb. large carrots, peeled
• 1 tbsp. sherry vinegar
• 1 tbsp. pomegranate molasses (see Note)
• 1/2 tsp. Aleppo pepper or sweet paprika
• 1/2 tsp. dry mustard powder
• 1/3 c. extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 c. pomegranate seeds, divided
• 4 large green onions (both white and green parts), chopped
• 3 tbsp. chopped fresh mint or cilantro
Directions
Place a carrot on a work surface. Using a sturdy vegetable peeler, and pressing hard on the carrot, shave off wide, thick slices and transfer them to a large bowl of iced water. The carrots can stand in the water for up to 1 hour. Drain them well and pat dry with kitchen towels.
Process the vinegar, pomegranate molasses, Aleppo pepper, dry mustard and oil together in a blender until thickened and emulsified. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
In a large bowl, toss carrots, 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds, green onions and mint together. Add the dressing and toss again. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper. Transfer the slaw to a serving platter. (The salad can be covered loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerated up to 8 hours.) Just before serving, top it with the remaining pomegranate seeds. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
To make pomegranate molasses: Combine 1 cup pomegranate juice, 2 tablespoons sugar and 3/4 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until syrup reduces to consistency of a thick syrup. Remove from heat, cool for 30 minutes and transfer to an uncovered glass jar to cool completely.
Butternut Squash and Potato Gratin
Serves 8.
Note: Sometimes you need a rich side dish, particularly if it will serve as a main course for the vegetarians at the table. This dish works well. You will use only the top part of the squash, so reserve the remainder for another meal. From "The Big Book of Sides," by Rick Rodgers.
• 2 tbsp. (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for the baking dish
• 2 leeks (white and pale green parts), chopped
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp. finely chopped fresh thyme
• 2 c. heavy cream, as needed
• 1/2 tsp. sweet paprika
• 1/8 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 (2 lb.) butternut squash (see Note)
• 1 lb. Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled
• 1/4 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 oz.)
Directions
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees. Generously butter an 8- by- 11-inch baking dish.
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add leeks and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until leeks are tender but not browned, about 8 minutes. Stir in thyme. Remove from heat.
Bring cream, paprika and nutmeg to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Remove from heat.
Cut top "neck" from squash where it meets the bulbous bottom. Peel squash. (Reserve the bottom part of the squash for another use.) Using a mandoline, a plastic V-slicer, or a large, sharp knife, cut squash and potatoes into 1/8 -inch slices. Mix potatoes and squash together in a large bowl.
Spread one-third of potato mixture in the baking dish and top with one-half of leeks. Pour one-third of warm cream mixture evenly over vegetables. Repeat with another third of potato mixture, the remaining leeks and another third of cream mixture. Finish with remaining potato mixture. Slowly pour remaining cream mixture evenly over the vegetable mixture, moving the vegetables with a fork to spread them into an even layer, until they are barely covered with the cream mixture, adding more cream, if needed. Cover baking dish with aluminum foil and place on a large rimmed baking sheet.
Bake for 45 minutes. remove gratin from oven and remove foil. Sprinkle Parmesan over gratin. Return to oven and reduce heat to 350 degrees. Continue baking until gratin is golden brown and tender when pierced in center with tip of a small, sharp knife and the cream has thickened, about 45 additional minutes. If top becomes too brown before vegetables are tender, tent the gratin with foil. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Pimento Cheese Biscuits
Makes 8.
Note: From "Pimento Cheese: The Cookbook," by Perre Coleman Magness.
• 2 c. flour, plus a bit for sprinkling
• 1 tbsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp. sweet paprika
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 12 tbsp. (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold
• 1/2 c. buttermilk, well-shaken and cold, plus a little for brushing
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 c. grated extra-sharp orange Cheddar cheese
• 1 (4-oz.) jar diced pimentos, rinsed, drained and patted dry
• Sea salt for sprinkling
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Put flour, baking powder, salt, paprika and garlic powder in the bowl of a stand mixer and stir together with a fork. Cut butter into small cubes and drop them in the flour. Attach the bowl to the mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, and blend the butter and flour on low speed until the butter is the size of small BBs. You want some butter blended in but the visible small pieces of butter will make the biscuits fluffy.
In a large cup or small bowl, pour the buttermilk, crack in the egg, add the Worcestershire sauce, and beat it with a fork until the mixture is well blended. With the mixer on low speed, add the buttermilk mixture all at once and blend just until everything is moistened.
Toss the cheese with a little flour, and do the same for the pimentos. This step keeps the cheese and pimentos from clumping together so they blend throughout the dough. Drop them both in the mixer and, still on low speed, beat until everything just starts to come together.
Dump the dough onto a well-floured surface and gently bring it all together, kneading just a few times. Handle it with care and don't overwork the dough or the biscuits will be tough. A few pimentos may stick to the board or fall out; just stick them back in.
Pat the dough into a rectangle about 6- by 10-inches, using the back of a large knife or bench scraper to square off the ends. Flour the knife or scraper and cut the dough into 8 squares. (The author does this to avoid wasting or rerolling dough, but cut them into rounds if you prefer a regular biscuit shape.) Place biscuits on prepared baking sheet, lightly brush the tops with a little buttermilk, and sprinkle with sea salt.
Bake biscuits for 15 to 20 minutes until lightly browned and baked through. Serve warm, or wrap tightly and store in an airtight container. Reheat gently before serving.
Wild Rice Salad
Serves 8.
Note: This salad — multiplied a few times — was served to 5,000 people at the New York Food & Wine Festival. It's quick to make when hand-harvested wild rice is used (which cooks in about 20 minutes; commercial wild rice takes about 45 minutes to 1 hour; you'll know it's cooked through when the wild rice kernels open up). From Emily Torgrimson in the downloadable "Thanks&Giving/ Community Feasts for a Cause." The recipe, as it appears in the e-cookbook, offers proportions for 8, 20 and 50 servings. Find it at eatforequity.org/wp-content/uploads/2014 /10/thanksgiving.pdf and find proportions for 8, 20 and 50 servings.
• 1 1/2 c. uncooked wild rice
• 2 1/2 c. uncooked brown rice
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped finely
• 1 tsp. dried marjoram
• 1 tsp. dried basil
• 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
• Salt and pepper
• 3/4 c. olive oil
• 1/4 c. red wine vinegar
• 1/2 c. coarsely chopped pecans
• 1 bunch green onions, sliced diagonally
• 1/2 c. dried cranberries
• 4 c. spinach, sliced into a wide chiffonade
Directions
To prepare the wild rice and brown rice: Cook them in separate pots, according to package directions, since they have different cooking times. Cook wild rice with as much water as you like, planning to drain off the water when the rice is cooked. Cook brown rice with a 1-2 rice-to-water ratio. Try to cook rice so that it is tender, but with a little bit of pull — and not so well done that the kernel splits completely. If you are making this for a crowd, cool the rices by spreading them out on cookie sheets; this prevents the rice from clumping.
To prepare the dressing: Whisk together garlic, marjoram, basil and mustard, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper to taste, olive oil and red wine vinegar. Pour the dressing over the rice when rice is at room temperature or slightly cooled. The salad can keep at this stage overnight, and it helps the flavors meld. Store refrigerated and covered with plastic wrap.
To assemble: The day of the feast, add the pecans, green onions, cranberries and spinach. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve at room temperature.
