fried and true

Deborah
I might as well just put it out there bluntly. Amanda, what wine pairs well with FRIED? Um, you know, fried anything. A few years ago I purchased a deep frier and my life has never been the same. Once you get that baby going there is a compulsion to run around the kitchen looking for things to throw in it. Now, we don't do fried every night at my house, not even once a week. More like barely once a month. And no, I am not ashamed nor do I feel guilty. Properly deep fried at the correct temperature (350F), food will absorb far less fat than by a pan saute technique. Yes it is true.

 Roxbury Farm's beautiful red potatoes

Fried potatoes are as close to an American classic as we can get. Don't get Michael Pollan started on the evils of the ubiquitous Idaho potato which produces the BEST fried potato going. Yes, the Idaho is crowding out other worthy potato crops. So what about some other root vegetables? A recent fry fest with parsnips yielded some very tasty chips, a little sweet and slightly bitter. Really good and super cute, they resembled flower petals.

Parsnip chips doing their thing in the deep frier.

I don't always pull out my deep frier when I want a crispy potato. A quarter inch of oil in a pan heated to just about smoking will provide a great vehicle for cooking up cubed potatoes.
The real fun of fried foods is what condiment you serve with them. One of my favorite treats is a fantastic tomatillo salsa I buy in Saratoga Springs that is blessedly HOT and so pretty with its pale green color dotted with bright yellow kernels of corn. I LOVE the stuff!

Fried Cubed Potatoes

2 Idaho potatoes unpeeled and cut into 1/2" cubes (sorry Michael P.)
Canola oil- enough to cover bottom of pan to about 1/4"
salt

In a pan large enough to hold all the potatoes in a single layer, heat oil under medium-high heat for at least 4 minutes to make sure oil is hot hot hot. Test for heat by dropping one piece of potato into pan and expect to hear an immediate sizzle. Place potatoes in hot oil in a single layer and adjust temperature to keep the sizzle sound going. Leave potatoes untouched for 6 minutes or so until you start to see some browning on the bottom. Turn one potato piece over to check the color. If it isn't perfectly golden leave the potatoes to fry until you have the desired color, then turn with a spatula. Cook on other side for another 6 plus minutes. Once the potatoes are golden toss them around in the pan and continue to cook until all sides are golden & crispy, another 2 or 3 minutes.
Remove from oil with a slotted spoon and salt immediately. Best served hot from the frier. They don't reheat in the most exciting way.

serves two

Amanda
Of course this looks delicious! Why wouldn't it be? It seems to me this would be a side to something. Is this how you would serve it - with something else? If so, I would probably choose a wine to match the main course. If you were just going to eat the potatoes by themselves, I immediately think of prosecco. Just something light with enough fruit to hold its own against the heat. I also see these potatoes plated with an omelet or fritatta - again, a prosecco would be absolutely perfect and fun! Deb, try it the next time you make these potatoes, and let me know what you think!

stepping away

Deborah

When my teenage daughter ventures into the kitchen to cook I often have to remind her that once you start cooking something you have to finish it. You can't walk away and then yell out a quarter of an hour later from another room "Mom, could you flip that grilled cheese sandwich in the pan for me?" Well, you can, but I won't be amused.

Not everything has to be watched so closely however. After the initial setup it is nice to walk away for a while and let applied heat do its thing while delicious aromas waft up occasionally to remind you of what's going on. Jeffery Steingarten, the food writer for Vogue Magazine experimented with cooking dried beans a while back and came up with a method I have fully adopted. I may have strayed from his instructions a bit at this point, but the basic idea applies. Dried beans are placed in a pot, covered with 3 inches of water, brought to a boil, covered, brought down to a simmer and left to cook for about an hour. It works perfectly with white and black beans in particular.

My friend Laura shared with me the secret to her own version of black bean soup where you create a soffritto (slow cooked aromatic vegetables) and add it to the pot of cooked beans and then blend into a puree (for the real fancy pants version of how to make soffritto as Thomas Keller would do it, via a very nice site called The Paupered Chef, click on the above link).

I have combined these two methods for what I will call Laura's Black Bean Soup, a simple, almost walk away recipe that is perfect for a fall day.

As you can see on this cutting board I snuck in some extra vegetables, 

like a chopped up chunk of butternut squash leftover from yesterdays recipe.

My version of soffritto for this recipe is slow cooked onions, garlic, celery, peppers and tomatoes in a scant amount of oil to bring out the flavors. Soffritto is a staple of many cuisines and I use and abuse the concept liberally in my own cooking.

Do black beans have a logical wine companion Amanda?

Laura's Black Bean Soup
1 lbs. dry black beans, rinsed and sorted
1 bay leaf
6 cups of water (or enough to cover beans by three inches)
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic minced
1 large celery stalk, chopped
1 medium tomato, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, chopped
1 small red bell pepper, cored and chopped
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 teaspoons salt
1 lime juiced

Place beans and bay leaf in a large pot and cover with water. Bring pot to a boil, cover tightly and allow to simmer at the lowest temp possible for 1 hour. Check the beans after an hour to see if they are tender and soft. Continue to cook covered if they are not.

Soffritto:
In a saute pan heat the oil and then add the onion, garlic, celery, tomato, jalapenos and bell pepper and slowly cook for at least half an hour till vegetables are soft and translucent and beginning to become like a paste.

When the beans are tender drain them and reserve the cooking liquid. Add half the beans into a food processor, a cup of the cooking liquid and all the soffritto, the chopped cilantro and the salt and blend until smooth. Transfer contents from food processor to a clean pot and add the rest of the beans and enough of the cooking liquid to make a thick soup consistency. Heat till warm and stir in lime juice.

Amanda
Well, this is apropos, because for dinner I just finished what else? Black beans! So, I am in a black bean frame of mind and the timing couldn't be better.  As I ate, although my dinner was quite different than Deb's recipe, I did consider the possibilities of wine partners. Actually, I was sipping a glass of Ciacci di Piccolomini d'Aragona Toscana Rosso (mostly Sangiovese), not because I thought it would go well with my dinner (which, by the way, consisted of my own special black beans, brown rice, a little shredded Mexican cheese blend and chopped pickled jalapenos all rolled up in a tortilla), but because that is what I took home from work today, and have been wanting to try. It's a soft, fruity wine with some subtle hints of spice. Actually, for a red wine pairing with Laura's Black Bean Soup, it wouldn't be bad. However, I would recommend white.


But let me remind you of what I said in an earlier post. Wine and soup do not naturally pair well. It's a tough call. Many would suggest that wine and soup should not be paired. But you are dealing with someone that thinks there is a wine for every food, and thus would not miss the opportunity to discover what the perfect wine for Doritos would be.


This Black Bean soup recipe, with its soffritto, jalapeno and cilantro, has of course ethnic undertones. So, let's call on the whites we look to for "hard-to-match" cuisine. Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, and Gewurztraminer should be on everyone's "go to" list when they are stumped. (This is a tip, not a steadfast rule). I would definitely pair this soup with something full of fruit; something which has sweetness of fruit, but is not necessarily a "sweet" wine. There is a difference. Wines that are very fruity can sometimes give the impression of sweetness without actually being sweet. I think another good idea would be Vouvray, a wine from the Loire Valley in France made from 100% Chenin Blanc, and one of my favorite whites. 


I've been on a roll now making a different soup everyone Sunday. I'm happy to say I already know what I'm making this week! Thanks, Deb. And Laura too!

Hurrah for the CSA

Deborah

My sister Denise and her husband are traveling in VietNam for three weeks. Denise is a great cook and a very adventurous eater. I cannot wait to hear about her travels when she gets home. Hopefully she will bring back some culinary tidbits and techniques from afar.  Graciously, while she is away I was given one week of produce from her CSA farm share. What a treat for me! I do not belong to a CSA which stands for Community Supported Agriculture, where you buy shares in a local farm and receive a percentage of their produce every week during their growing season. This arrangement provides cash to the small farmers up-front, a pre-sold market as it were, and gives the shareholders wonderfully fresh produce and direct access to their grower.

The Roxbury Farm delivers on Thursdays to the Upper West Side and I was told to bring my own bags. The fruits and vegetables were laid out in a small courtyard and each variety was labelled with how much you could take as part of your share. How fun!

As I expected for this time of year, there was kale and butternut squash, broccoli, onions, potatoes, loose lettuce and arugula and some beautiful pears. I thought I would try to come up with a recipe that used these ingredients and have a real farm fresh meal. My idea ran towards a gratin; layering the kale and the butternut squash and baking it in white wine and butter.

Filling my bag with goodies.

The Roxbury's kale was crazy fresh. It was so stiff and full and bushy I could have swept the floor with it! I knew I would have to cook it down somewhat before adding it to the gratin or it would be too tough. I did my usual saute with garlic and oil to add flavor and wilt it down a bit.

I wanted thin slices of the squash, so after peeling it I cut it into manageable chunks and pushed it through my mandoline . I have to admit this was a bit hair-raising as the squash is so firm you really have to push hard to get it through the blade. Here I was risking my fingers when I was really not sure how the dish would turn out.
My main concern was that the squash would be too sweet and over power the kale, so when I began to layer everything I decided to go light on the squash.
The results were good. As it turned out, it was the kale that really dominated with a very meaty, chewy texture. The butternut squash was quite mild but held its own. The kids ate a few bites and didn't hate it. I had leftovers today for lunch and actually liked it all the more the next day. As so often happens overnight, the flavors mellowed out and blended a bit. This dish became a really satisfying meal that was filling and very tasty. I would definitely make this for my vegetarian clients. What would you suggest for a wine pairing Amanda?

Kale and Butternut Squash Gratin
1 Tbs. Olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup chopped onion
I bunch of kale trimmed of stems and roughly chopped
1/2 cup water
2 Tbs. butter
1 small butternut squash peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 cup white wine
s & p

preheat oven to 350F

Heat the oil in a pan and add the onion and garlic, cooking till golden, about five minutes. Add the kale and cook down for at least ten minutes till the kale begins to wilt and turn bright green. Add 1/2 cup of water to the kale and cover the pan and cook another 10 minutes till kale is tender.

First layer

Next time I will add add more squash to the top layer.

Butter a baking dish with 1 Tbs. of butter and layer in half of the butternut squash slices. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and dot with a teaspoon of butter. Make a layer of cooked kale on top of the squash. Then add the top layer of squash, s & p and dot with the remaining butter. Pour in the white wine and bake uncover for 1 hour until the squash is tender when you pierce it with a knife.

I took a bite before I took a photo! Really tastes good.

serves 4

Amanda
Sounds like the perfect Fall dish! Kale, when very fresh, can have such big, savory flavors. I really wanted to come up with a wine that would result in an interesting flavor combination. The sweet and spicy flavors that kale can deliver immediately made me think of Gewurztraminer. One of my favorite varietals, it is often associated with flavors and aromas of lychee fruit. It is extremely aromatic and really thrives best in cooler climates. The wines are usually dry, or off-dry (meaning there is a slight touch of sweetness to the wine). Gewurztraminer is commonly paired with Asian cuisine. I absolutely adore the perfumed, flowery bouquet this delicious varietal gives off. It's wonderful! The wine can be lush and rich, which is exactly how I like it.


Gewurztraminer is certainly not a subtle wine, which is why I think it is a good match for the kale and butternut squash combination. It can be decadent and exotic as well - be sure to consider it for hard-to-match recipes. My favorite Gewurztraminer hales from Alsace, France. Favorite producers are Trimbach and Zind Humbrecht. Typically $15 and up,  (into the $50-$60 range for late harvest, sweeter versions) this is a wine that is absolutely worth the splurge! If you haven't yet tried this decadent white, I hope you will soon! I'd love to hear if you love it as much as I!

A+B+C=Dinner

Deborah

Happy Halloween!

Sometimes when it is late and I am tired and I have nothing planned for dinner I poke into the fridge to see what the possibilities are. On this occasion I was cooking only for myself so I did not have to consider anyone else's preferences. What I found was a quarter of a zucchini, half a bag of spinach, and third of an onion. It was an algebra problem.

Well, no problem at all if you heat up olive oil, saute several cloves of chopped garlic, add a chili pepper and saute the fractions of leftover vegetables in the seasoned oil. I have taken to putting sliced lemons directly into the saute pan with the vegetables to cook. The lemons warm up and almost melt into the pan coating everything with a bright acidic note which helps to counter balance the weight of the olive oil. I can stand over the stove and eat a meal like this right out of the pot, it tastes so good to me.

I had some pine nuts too, so I threw them on top for some chewy texture.

Over the weekend my husband and I went to a wine tasting in our neighborhood at The Wine Room of Forest Hills.  We love this shop, whose owners, a local couple, keep it stocked with diverse and interesting collections of wines. Whenever we visit we always find something new and exciting to buy. This time Alan got intrigued by a French red blend that we brought home. Domaine Des Cantarelles 40% Cabernet-Syrah 60% was affordable for our weekend splurge at under $12 a bottle.

I love drinking wine from these beautiful Moroccan tea glasses, a gift from my sister in Brooklyn.

Upon tasting it we both struggled to find a way to describe the wine to make Amanda proud. Its distinctive quality was its rough, mineral-ly start that opens your eyes and then quickly mellows out to a very smooth finish. Quite drinkable! I really liked it paired with my sauteed vegetables which actually start out smooth in your mouth from the olive oil and then finishes with a little bitter bite from the spinach.

How did we do Amanda? What would you pair with the greens?

Spinach and Zucchini Saute
4 Tbs. olive oil
4 garlic cloves sliced
1 dried chili pod
1/4 cup of chopped onion
1/2 cup sliced zucchini
8 oz cleaned spinach leaves
4 slices of lemon
2 Tbs. pinenuts (this is optional, it adds a little fancy finish to this dish)

Heat oil in a saute pan, add garlic and chili and cook for 5 minutes till garlic begins to turn golden. Add the onion and the zucchini and saute for a few minutes until the zucchini begins to turn a bit golden in spots. Add the spinach and the lemon slices and let the spinach wilt down until tender. Season with s & p. and top wit pinenuts.

serves one

Amanda
The Halloween chaos has started. My house has been insane this morning and my neighbors are waiting outside for me. And, it's only 10:30 am. So, I will make this quick. Deb, the recipe sounds delicious as always. I would just be careful of this wine pairing because of the chile. If it's a spicy one, you don't want the heat to be exacerbated by the tannins in the wine, specifically from the Cabernet. And, you don't want the chile to affect the wine either. That would be my only caveat. I am a believer that you should drink whatever you want with whatever you want. As long as you like it. There are no steadfast rules, only tips. I, personally, would go for a fruity white. Something that will quell the chile and work well in conjunction with it. Again, this really depends on the heat the pepper delivers. Perhaps a Pinot Blanc from Alsace, or a Pinot Gris from Oregon.


Now, my children are calling me from outside so I must go outside and face the ghouls. My apologies for the brevity! Happy Halloween everyone!

A few tricks for this treat!

Deborah

If your home is like mine on Halloween eve it is a chaotic occasion of last minute costume changes, children with friends in tow running in and out of rooms trying to get ready, demands for help looking for that scrap of green felt stashed somewhere from the last arts and crafts project to finish off a perfect scary outfit.

This requires me to be standing at the ready with needle and thread and hot glue gun plugged in while I search for shopping bags big enough to hold an unspeakable amount of candy. I myself have given up wearing costumes years ago. My last attempt was sometime in the 90's when I dressed as a very dead Rolling Stone, Brian Jones (I was adorable).

The last thing I want to deal with is making dinner for the home crowd before they head out to their parties and parades. But everyone must eat or they will throw up from eating all that candy on an empty stomach (sadly, I can vouch for this). So a do-ahead meal that can sit out on the kitchen counter and feed people all evening is the way to go.

I'm not going to lie to you, vegetable lasagna is laborious to make. Many steps are involved. But once it is done you can leave it in the fridge for a day or two and it actually gets better. I am using thinly sliced roasted zucchini and mushrooms as the vegetables for this one.

Some tips:
I par boil the noodles leaving them a bit stiff so they are much easier to handle (use the non-boil ones if you like).
Roast the vegetables to get some more flavor, but you can skip this if you want to save time

Put the seasoned ricotta cheese in a plastic bag and "pipe" it into the layers. Much easier than trying to spread it on to wet noodles with a spoon.

Leave yourself time and space to get through this project, and make a big one so you don't have to do it again for a while.

Vegetable Lasagne
1 box of lasagne noodles, par boiled
2 zucchini's thinly sliced (I used a mandoline)
1 lb. baby bella mushrooms, sliced or quartered
2 Tbs. Olive oil
2 lbs. Ricotta cheese
2 eggs beaten
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
s & p
1 Tbs. sugar
2- 24oz jars of Marinara sauce (make it yourself if you like, I'm trying to cut you a break)
1 lb. Mozzarella cheese grated on large holes of a box grater

Pre heat oven to 400F
Toss zucchini with 1 Tbs. olive oil and ground pepper and lay in a single layer on a baking sheet. Do the same with the mushrooms. Roast vegetables for about 20 minutes.

Mix ricotta with eggs, cinnamon, Romano cheese, sugar and teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Place in a plastic bag and cut a small hole in the bottom to create a piping bag.

Set yourself up to create the layers: (I like to do three layers of filling but you don't have to. Do two instead)

Put 1/2 cup of marinara sauce in the bottom of a pan and spread around the bottom (I put a little water in too to keep it loose)

Put a layer of noodles on the bottom. Pipe a third of the ricotta mixture evenly over noodles. Place a third of the zucchini and a third of the mushrooms on top. Put a quarter of the grated mozzarella on top and then cover with marinara. Repeat two more times. Cover the last layer with noodles, marinara sauce and grated mozzarella.
Cover tightly with tin foil and place in oven. Cook for one hour covered and then and additional 15 minutes uncovered.

serve immediately or allow to come to room temperature before covering with tin foil and storing in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Amanda, what should I pour for myself as the last kid heads out the door and I sit down to my own plate of lasagne?

Amanda
Sounds like you'll definitely need a glass of wine on Saturday, as will I! Fortunately, my kids are still at the age where all I really have to do is push the "buy" button on a website to order a costume. My son will be Darth Vader, and my daughter, Jasmine. Nice and easy. The stressful part of Halloween is finding a costume for myself, which I still have not done. I've been invited to a "grown-up" Halloween party - my first in probably 25 years. Nothing like waiting till the last minute. I will consider any, and all suggestions.


I would enjoy this dish paired with a Negroamaro. This red varietal, which produces rustic, earthy wines with beautiful aromatics, is native to Southern Italy. It is grown almost exclusively in Puglia, in particular, Salento. Castello Monaci makes an incedibly delicious and wonderfully affordable Negroamaro called Maru.  It retails for about $11.99, and is what I would label a true "crowd pleaser". I think it's a perfect match for Deb's Vegetable Lasagne! You can pair this wine with anything that has tomato sauce as an ingredient. It's also pairs incredibly well with hard cheeses. Here is what The Wine Advocate had to say about it:


"The 2007 Negroamaro Maru is a pretty, fresh wine with floral aromatics and plenty of bright red fruit. Medium in body, the Maru possesses tons of balance in a highly pleasing, supremely drinkable style. Needless to say, it is a terrific value."

My husband and I have a holiday block party every year in December. This recipe would work perfectly as one of the dishes! Thanks, Deb!

Unbelievably Delicious...and Simple!

Amanda
The other day I made such an incredibly delicious, and simple dish that I appealed to Deb to give me a shot at doing a recipe this week. Thank you for your confidence in me! So Deb - how about giving the wine recommendation on this one? I must confess, I never realized how difficult it is to actually create a recipe. For example, my recipe involves broccoli. I was presented with the challenge of conveying to the reader exactly how much broccoli should be used. A cup? Half a cup? The whole broccoli, stalks and all, or the florets? A pound? A head? Half a head? What type of measurement should I use? Help! It's daunting for the non-chef, first-time recipe creator. So, that being said, I can only promise this dish is absolutely delicious. I will provide amounts of ingredients, but really - feel free to use the idea...I won't be hurt if you adjust quantities.

I was really craving brussels sprouts. I love to clean them up, slice them in half, and toss them with a little olive oil. Then, I put them face down on a baking sheet and roast them in the oven for about 15 minutes. That's all I do to them and they are wonderful. But I also love roasting an assortment of veggies. So simple yet so satisfying. This particular evening, I chose to add broccoli and sliced red onion to the mix. My original thought was just to eat them by themselves, but I was craving more.


I prepared some angel hair spaghetti to serve alongside my veggies. Now, the idea to toss the veggies with the pasta may seem a no-brainer to many of our seasoned readers. But to my usual "I-need-a-recipe-to-be-inspired" way of thinking, this thought was akin to Newton's getting hit on the head with an apple. I was so excited by the idea of combining the ingredients as opposed to enjoying the pasta merely as a side. So, I roasted the veggies until the cut side of the Brussels sprouts were nice and brown. I put the broiler on for the last minute or so to let the florets also get a touch browned, as well as the onion.


On a mission, I sliced up a lot of garlic, thin. I sauteed it a bit in some olive oil. I like to cook the garlic to the exact point where it is about to get crisp, but is not quite there yet. It's almost "chewy". I love the nuttiness this method contributes to it. Then, I tossed the angel hair right into the pan, as well as salt and pepper to taste, and a bit of crushed red pepper. Finally, I added the veggies. While still in the pan, I threw in some shaved parmesan. Now, I have cooked a lot of pastas in my day. A lot. This was probably the most delicious, satisfying one I can remember in a long time. And, just so simple!


Well, you get the idea. This is one you can just take and adjust to your own liking. But here is a guideline!
Simple Roasted Veggies with Pasta
Half a head of broccoli florets broken into medium sized pieces
10 Brussels sprouts cut in half
1 red onion sliced thin
6 cloves garlic, sliced thin
Angel hair pasta (not sure what quantity I used. But you can do what I do: cook the whole box and use it for dishes all week long...)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp crushed red pepper (or adjust to your tastes)
shaved parmesan cheese


1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Prepare pasta according to directions.
3. Arrange all veggies in a roasting pan and toss with a tablespoon of the olive oil. I like to put the Brussels sprouts cut size down so they caramelize a little. Roast for about 15-20 minutes. Again, I like to put the broiler on the last minute or so, until the broccoli is browned in spots.
4. Heat remaining olive oil in a pan with the sliced garlic. Cook 2 minutes over low to medium heat. Toss in the quantity of angel hair you will be using. Add salt and pepper to taste, and crushed red pepper. Continue cooking for about 4 minutes, tossing it periodically.
5. Add roasted veggies. Cook another minute or so. I add the parmesan while everything is in the pan. This gives it a chance to melt a little and really combine with the rest of the ingredients. This way, it will not just be on top, but will rather blend entirely with the veggies and pasta.
Should serve four. I like to make more then enough for leftovers! Enjoy!


Deborah
A VERY good description of how to cook garlic in oil to...
the exact point where it is about to get crisp, but is not quite there yet. It's almost "chewy".
Amanda, you have said a mouthful! Garlic oil sure makes everything taste good. And this dish looks so good too. Your recipe highlights for me one of the best reasons to cook your own food; you get to make it taste the way you want it to. My first reaction to the recipe was one of slight skepticism. I would not be inclined to pair Brussels sprouts with pasta. Given that, I would never think to further combine it with broccoli. Broccoli and Brussels sprouts are in the same cruciferae or cabbage family. They both would bring a nutty, pungent flavor and rough crunchy texture to the dish. So my question was could it possibly be redundant? However, the addition of the red caramelized onions is inspired and brings a sweet depth to your sauce. I am intrigued and would be THRILLED to try this dish if you made it for me :- )

Is the bottle half empty or half full?

Now I am on the spot for a wine pairing. My first suggestion would be my safe go-to wine: La Vielle Ferme Cotes Du Luberon, a nicely balanced white with a bit of a green overtone that would certainly compliment the vegetables. Another possibility is a wine I picked up over the weekend that I am head over heels about: Masi Masianco Pinot Grigio & Verduzzo. As expected with a Pinot Grigio it has a grapefruit flavor, but this is followed by sweet apricot, and finishes with a velvety vanilla, almost like sweet potatoes. Crazy, no? It is perfectly balanced and just outright delicious (too delicious). I bought it for about $12. 
My knowledge of wines is so limited I can barley do this pairing justice. But thanks for asking Amanda! And thanks for that great recipe.

no one can resist

Deborah
Alright children, listen up. I'm going to get tough with you now. If you don't eat this next dish, well, honey, you just don't know what's good. Yes, it's Brussels sprouts. Yeah they are smelly when you boil them. But we are going to saute them! In butter! and lemon zest! What do you mean "what is zest?"
It's the skin of a citrus fruit grated up small. You love it! You loved it in that apple crumble I made. And those cranberry muffins. Come on, try the Brussels sprouts. please. please. They are good. really.

Amanda, YOU talk to them. please.

Brussels Sprouts with Lemon Zest and Pecans
2 Tbs. Butter
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 garlic clove minced
2 pounds of Brussels sprouts, rinsed trimmed and roughly chopped
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Zest from one lemon

Melt butter and oil in pan, add garlic and cook till it starts to turn golden, about 2 minutes. Add sprouts and saute for about 5 minutes, till sprouts start to wilt. Lower heat and cover for five minutes to let sprouts soften completely. Uncover and add pecans and lemon zest and s & p to taste. Cook another minute before serving. Allow dish to come to room temp if you are planning on freezing.

Amanda
I am a HUGE fan of Brussels sprouts! I will do all I can to get my kid to try this one! Sounds great. I love the idea that it is "freezable". Maybe I'll get a jump start this weekend and start prepping for the holiday!


Just to recap my thoughts on wine for Thanksgiving that I touched on earlier in the week:  Riesling is a perennial favorite Thanksgiving white. A great accompaniment to turkey and all the sides. White Burgundy (which is always Chardonnay) works beautifully as well. As for red, Pinot Noir is always a safe bet, as is Beaujolais. For the latter, the Beaujolais Nouveau is always a Thanksgiving staple. But, for something a little more sophisticated and complex, go for a Cru Beaujolais. You can't go wrong with any of these suggestions!