Recipe: Thanksgiving dishes

Makes 12.

Note: These are definitely "Northern" cornbread muffins as they have less cornmeal and more flour than their Southern counterparts. This proportion produces a denser, less crumbly muffin. From "The Soup & Bread Cookbook," by Beatrice Ojakangas.

• 1 1/3 c. all-purpose flour

• 1 c. yellow cornmeal

• 2 tbsp. sugar

• 1 tsp. baking soda

• 1/2 tsp. salt

• 2 tbsp. vegetable oil

• 1 egg, beaten

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Coat 12 muffin cups with cooking spray or grease lightly with shortening.

In a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking soda and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, oil and egg. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir just until moistened.

Nutrition information per serving:

Calories148Fat3 gSodium247 mg

Carbohydrates25 gSaturated fat1 gCalcium46 mg

Protein4 gCholesterol17 mgDietary fiber1 g

Diabetic exchanges per serving: 1½ bread/starch, ½ fat.

Note: You can shell the chestnuts yourself or they are available shelled and vacuum-packed; they are sometimes available frozen, too. From "The New Midwestern Table," by Amy Thielen.

• 8 oz. chestnuts (see Note)

• 1/2 c. natural wild rice

• Fine sea salt

• 1 c. basmati rice

• 2 c. diced celery

• 2 c. diced yellow onion

• 3 garlic cloves, minced

• 2 tsp. minced fresh thyme

• 1/2 c. shelled salted pistachios, crushed

Directions

To prepare chestnuts: Cut an X into the flat side of the chestnuts and then boil them until the skins soften and begin to peel back, about 5 minutes. Drain them, cover with a heavy towel, and peel them one by one. The boiling softens their skins, so it's more like shucking than peeling. Roughly chop the chestnut meat.

To prepare rice: Put the wild rice in a fine-mesh sieve and rinse it under cold running water, swishing the rice with your hand until the water runs clear. Transfer the rice to a medium bowl and add water to cover. Pour off any black bits or floating kernels, then pour the rice back into the sieve to drain.

Cook the rices separately (wild rice and basmati). Combine the wild rice with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer, cover tightly, reduce heat to low and steam until rice is tender and curling into a C shape, 20 to 25 minutes.

At the same time, combine basmati rice, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 3/4 cups water in another small saucepan. Bring to a simmer, cover tightly, reduce heat to low and steam until rice is tender, 25 minutes.

To prepare vegetable base: Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the celery and onion and cook, stirring often, until vegetables are limp but still bright, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and thyme, and cook for 5 minutes.

Pour celery and onion over the rices, scraping the pan for the juices, and stir to combine. Add the pistachios, chestnuts and parsley, and mix thoroughly. Serve hot.

Nutrition information per serving:

Calories266Fat13 gSodium360 mg

Carbohydrates33 gSaturated fat6 gCalcium50 mg

Diabetic exchanges per serving: 2 bread/starch, 2½ fat.

Serves 8 to 10.

Note: Star anise is a spice shaped like a star; it can be found in the spice section of many groceries. Recipe from chef Alex Roberts of Brasa and Restaurant Alma, in "The Minnesota Homegrown Cookbook," by Tim King and Alice Tanghe.

• 2 1/2 c. heavy cream or half-and-half

• 1 piece star anise (see Note)

• 1/2 yellow onion, rough chopped

• Salt and white pepper to taste

• 3 c. sliced fennel bulb

• 1 1/2 c. leeks, white part only, sliced

• 1 c. diced sweet onion

• Zest of 1 orange

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 to 375 degrees.

To prepare fennel cream, combine cream with star anise, fennel seed, yellow onion, salt and white pepper in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Simmer until reduced to 2 cups; strain.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix together fennel slices, leeks and sweet onion with salt and pepper. Place half of the vegetable mixture in a lightly greased 9- by 13-inch pan. Top with half of the Parmesan cheese and sprinkle with orange zest. Add remaining leek and fennel mixture.

Nutrition information per serving of 10 (using half-and-half):

Calories170Fat11 gSodium315 mg

Carbohydrates9 gSaturated fat7 gCalcium290 mg

Protein9 gCholesterol34 mgDietary fiber1 g

Diabetic exchanges per serving: ½ bread/starch, 1 high-fat meat, ½ fat.

Note: If you can find them, use real baby carrots from your garden or farmers market, not the plastic-bagged grocery store kind, which are really just big carrots whittled down. If you only have larger carrots, no problem: peel them and cut them into sticks 3 to 4 inches long and about 1/2-inch wide. This recipe is easy to increase for those Thanksgiving crowds. Adapted from "Trout Caviar: Recipes From a Northern Forager," by Brett Laidlaw.

• 2 lb. baby carrots, scrubbed

• 6 tbsp. maple syrup

• 1 tbsp. canola or grapeseed oil

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper, optional

• 4 tsp. red wine vinegar

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine carrots, maple syrup, oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and a few grinds of pepper in a baking dish. Roast, uncovered, for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes, until brown and glazy.

Nutrition information per serving:

Calories103Fat2 gSodium110 mg

Carbohydrates21 gSaturated fat0 gCalcium54 mg

Protein1 gCholesterol0 mgDietary fiber3 g

Diabetic exchanges per serving: 1 bread/starch, ½ other carb, ½ fat.

Note: Can be made up to five days ahead and refrigerated or frozen. From "Savoring the Seasons," by Beth Dooley and Lucia Watson.

• 1/2 c. currants or dried cranberries

• 1 c. apple cider, divided

• 4 c. cranberries, rinsed and sorted

• 3/4 c. sugar

• 2 1/2 lb. leeks (white and light green parts), rinsed and sliced into rounds

• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions

In a small saucepan, soak the currants or dried cranberries in 1/4 cup cider for 30 minutes to plump; then add the fresh cranberries and the remaining cider and cook over medium heat until the berries pop, about 5 minutes. Add the sugar and stir to dissolve. Set aside.

In a large, deep skillet, melt the butter and cook the leeks over low heat until they become very soft and begin to brown, stirring frequently, about 25 minutes. Add the cranberries and liquid to the skillet and cook about 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Allow to cool and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve at room temperature.

Calories99Fat3 gSodium36 mg

Carbohydrates18 gSaturated fat2 gCalcium34 mg

Protein1 gCholesterol8 mgDietary fiber2 g

Diabetic exchanges per serving: 1 vegetable, 1 other carb, ½ fat.

Serves 6 to 8.

• 2 1/4 lb. (1 extra-large or 2 medium) rutabaga, peeled and cut into 2-in. chunks

• 1 medium russet potato, peeled and cut into 2-in. cubes

• Pinch plus 1 tbsp. sugar

• 3 tbsp. salted butter, melted, plus more at room temperature for baking dish

• 1 1/2 c. fresh rye bread crumbs (from 5 slices of rye bread)

• 3 eggs

• 1 c. half-and-half or heavy cream

• 2 tbsp. Madeira wine

• 1/2 tsp. grated nutmeg

• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Combine the rutabagas and potatoes in a 2-quart pot, add water to cover and add the pinch of sugar. Bring the water to a simmer, cover the pot, and cook until the rutabaga and potato are both very soft when pierced with a fork, about 25 minutes. Drain and transfer to large bowl.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter just the bottom of a medium (2- to 2 1/2-quart) baking dish.

Divide the rye bread crumbs evenly between 2 medium bowls. Roughly chop the hazelnuts and add them, along with the melted butter, to one of the bowls. Toss to combine.

Separate the eggs, and put the whites into a third bowl. Add the yolks to the bowl of plain crumbs along with the half-and-half, Madeira, nutmeg, pepper and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Mix to combine.

Add the egg yolk mixture to the rutabaga mixture and mix well. Gently fold in the whipped egg white with a rubber spatula, mixing until just wisps of egg white remain. Pour the mixture into the buttered dish and top with the reserved hazelnut bread crumbs.

Bake until golden brown on top and set in the middle, 50 to 55 minutes.

Nutrition information per serving:

Calories270Fat16 gSodium155 mg

Carbohydrates27 gSaturated fat6 gCalcium113 mg

Diabetic exchanges per serving: 2 bread/starch, 3w fat.