Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Shallots with Balsamic Vinegar

Ingredients

• 3 pounds brussels sprouts, bottoms trimmed, outer leaves removed, split in half
• 8 medium shallots, sliced thinly
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

• Procedures

• 1. Adjust oven racks to upper and lower middle positions and place a heavy rimmed baking sheet on each. Preheat oven to 500°F.
   
• 2. Toss sprouts, shallots, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste in a large bowl and toss to combine. When oven is hot, working quickly, remove the baking sheets with a dish towel or oven mitt. Divide brussels sprouts mixture evenly between both trays, shaking to distribute into a single even layer. Return pans to oven. Roast until brussels sprouts are deeply charred and fully tender, about 20 minutes total, tossing sprouts and rotating and swapping pans top to bottom half way through cooking.
   
• 3. Immediately after removing from oven, drizzle sprouts with balsamic vinegar and shake to coat. Season to taste with more salt and pepper if desired and serve.
  
  
  
  

  Procedures

  1. Adjust oven racks to upper and lower middle positions and place a heavy rimmed baking sheet on each. Preheat oven to 500°F. 
     
     
  2. Toss sprouts, shallots, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste in a large bowl and toss to combine. When oven is hot, working quickly, remove the baking sheets with a dish towel or oven mitt. Divide brussels sprouts mixture evenly between both trays, shaking to distribute into a single even layer. Return pans to oven. Roast until brussels sprouts are deeply charred and fully tender, about 20 minutes total, tossing sprouts and rotating and swapping pans top to bottom half way through cooking.
      
  3. Immediately after removing from oven, drizzle sprouts with balsamic vinegar and shake to coat. Season to taste with more salt and pepper if desired and serve.
      
     Yield: 8-12
      
     from the Serious Eats blog: best Thanksgiving questions/recipes
      
      

Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Lemon

 

Ingredients

• 2 1/2  pounds  Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
• 2  cloves garlic, smashed
• 3  tablespoons  olive oil
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 6  tablespoons  (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1/3  cup  bread crumbs
• 3  tablespoons  fresh lemon juice

Directions

1. Heat oven to 425° F. Dividing evenly, on 2 rimmed baking sheets, toss the Brussels sprouts, garlic, oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Roast, tossing once, until tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Transfer the Brussels sprouts to a large bowl. Add the butter, bread crumbs, and lemon juice and toss to combine.

Quick Tip

The Brussels sprouts can be roasted up to 1 day in advance; refrigerate, covered. On Thanksgiving Day: Reheat in the microwave, covered with a damp paper towel. Toss with the butter, bread crumbs, and lemon juice just before serving. 

By Lygeia Grace , November, 2012, from the Real Simple web site

Roasted Harvest Vegetables

Ingredients:

1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 c. vegetable broth

1 tsp. salt

1/2 lb. carrots, peeled and cut diagonally into 1/2 inch pieces

1/2 bl. Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed and halved

1/2  lb. fingerling potatoes, halved lengthwise, quartered if large

1 medium butternut squash, peeled and diced

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a large jelly roll pan with aluminum foil.

In a large bowl, mix the olive oil, broth, salt and pepper and then toss with the mixed vegetables to coat. Drain and save the remaining broth mixture, then spread the vegetables on the jelly roll pan, Pour the reserved broth mixture over the vegetables. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes or until tender, stirring once.

Recipe courtesy of Trisha Yearwood. (!) Trisha's Tip: For a lower-cal version, use 1/2 c. of vegetable broth and eliminate the oil.

from an article featuring Trisha Yearwood's favorite holiday dishes, published in USAWeekend magazine, Nov. 9-11, 2012.

Sweet Potato Slices with Garlic

Ingredients:

3 large garlic cloves
1/4 c. olive oil
3/4 tsp. salt
2 1/2 lbs. sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 3/8 inch rounds

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees with the rack in the upper third. Place a piece of parchment paper on a rimmed baking tray.

Put the garlic through a press, then mince. In a medium bowl, stir together the garlic, oil, salt and sweet potatoes.

Spread the potatoes in a single layer on the baking tray. Bake until golden and cooked through, about 20 to 30 minutes depending on thickness. Remove from oven and flip the potatoes "pretty side up." Serve with fried sage leaves scattered over the top.

For fried sage leaves: Heat 1/3 c. olive oil in a small heavy skillet over medium heat until it shimmers, then fry sage leaves (about 24 large leaves) in several batches, stirring until crisp, about 30 seconds to a minute per batch. Watch carefully. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain.

From "Gourmet Weekly" (Conde Nast, May 2012). If you're wondering if this side dish is sweet or savory, the answer is both. The sweet potatoes concentrate their sugars while the garlic-oil adds a savory note. 
Garnish with fried sage leaves.

Roasted Beet Salad

Ingredients:

About 6 medium beets
2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
3 Tbs. squeezed orange juice (blood oranges, if available)
2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
1 Tbs. fresh tarragon or 2 tsp. dried tarragon
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

To bake beets: Trim, leaving 2 inches of tops and tails. Wrap 2-3 beets in aluminum foil and set the packages on a baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Let the packages cool, then refrigerate until ready to finish the dish. (Or bake beets using your preferred method.)

When ready, trim a a thin slice from both  top and bottom of the beets. Skin will slip off. Slice or chunk beets.

Combine remaining ingredients. Whisk and add to beets. Serve at room temperature. makes enough to serve four, depending on the meal.

Per serving: 125 calories; 7g fat (1g saturated; 50 percent calories from fat); 14g carbohydrates; 0 mg cholesterol; 166 mg sodium; 2g protein; 3g fiber

This recipe appeared in the Oct. 18 issue of the Detroit News. The recipe was from Marlene Parrish, who believes a few roasted beets in the veggie drawer come in handy. They keep for several weeks, wrapped in foil. Then any time you need an extra dish, turn the beets into Harvard or pickled beets, add slices to salad, or make this herby side dish.

Simple Savory Fall Vegetable Medley

About roasting veggies: (from CookSmart with Ellie Krieger, USA Weekend magazine)

Roasting turns everyday veggies into golden, sweet perfection. Roasting is one of the easiest ways to cook vegetables, yet the result is a remarkable taste transformation. The prep is simple: Just cut them up and toss with a lettle oil and seasoning. The oven does all the work really, concentrating the vegetables' flavors, softening them until tender and caramelizing their natural sugars to develop a deep, sweet undertone. 

A light sprinkle of salt will do just fine, but this combination of ground spices with a touch of honey adds a big "wow" factor and brings out the complex sweet-savory flavors of these colorful, nutrient-rich fall vegetables. What's more, the antioxidants in the spices provide an extra punch of healing power to the dish.

Feel free to swap in other vegetables you may have on h and: Parsnips, cauliflower, sweet potato and different varieties of winter squash will all work well.

Ingredients:

1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 Tb.
honey
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 small onions
2 medium red bell peppers, seeded and cut into 1-inch squares
1 1/2 lbs. butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes (about 3 cups)
5 medium carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 Tb. fresh thyme leaves

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, whisk together the cumin, coriander, ginger, salt, cayenne, cinnamon, honey and olive oil. Leaving the root end on, cut each onion in half and peel it. Then cut each half into 4 wedges so that a piece of the root remains attached to each wedge, holding it together. Place the onion wedges, red bell peppers, butternut squash and carrot into the bowl with the spices and toss to coat evenly.

Put the vegetables into a baking sheet in a single layer and cook for 25 minutes. Stir in the thyme  leaves and cook for 25 minutes more, until the vegetables are tender.

Tent with foil to keep warm until ready to serve.

Serves four.

Per serving (1 1/2 c.): 210 calories, 36g carbohydrates, 3g protein, 7g fat (1g saturated), 7g fiber, 0mg cholesterol, 350 mg sodium

Deborah Madison's Roasted Squash, Pear, and Ginger Soup

Ingredients:

• One 2 1/2-pound Buttercup, Perfection, or other dense winter squash, rinsed
• 3 ripe but firm pears, any variety, quartered, seeds and stems removed
• 1 chunk fresh ginger, about 2 inches long, thinly sliced
• Sunflower seed or olive oil for the squash

Sea salt

2 tablespoons butter or sunflower seed oil

1 onion, thinly sliced

1/2 cup crème fraîche or sour cream, optional

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Cut the squash in half, scrape out the seeds, then cut each half into thirds. Put the pieces in a large baking dish or roasting pan with the pears and all but a few slices of the ginger. Brush with oil, season with salt, and bake until fragrant and tender, about 1 hour. Turn the pieces once or twice so that they have a chance to caramelize on more than one surface. If the squash seems very dry (some varieties are), add 1 cup water to the pan to create steam and cover with foil. When the squash is tender, transfer everything from the pan to a cutting board, add 1 cup water to the pan, and scrape to dissolve the juices, reserving the liquid. Scrape the flesh of the squash away from the skins. You should have about 2 cups. 

2. To make a stock, bring 6 cups water to a boil and add the seeds and, eventually,the squash skins, the remaining ginger, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 20 to 25 minutes. 

3. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a soup pot. Add the onion, give it a stir, and cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until it begins to brown a bit and is fragrant, about 10 minutes. Add the pears, ginger, and squash, then the reserved deglazing water. Strain the stock into the pot. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 25 minutes. Cool briefly, then puree until smooth and pass through a food mill or strainer to ensure a silky texture. Serve as is or swirl in the crème fraîche. (Blogger's tip: the creme fraiche puts this delicious soup over the top!)

From: Epicurious  | March 2009

by Deborah Madison

Vegetable Soups from Deborah Madison's Kitchen