Thanksgiving!

We will be 5 at the table, presuming the kids are in bed by the time we sit down (7:30ish?)

Here is the menu--scroll down to see the recipes.

Turkey (owen and erika are bringing!)
Stuffing (ditto)
gravy (ditto)
Baked Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
Mushroom Gravy
Company Spinach
Roasted Green Beans with manchego, spiced pecans and red onion
Mashed Potatoes
Chipotle mashed yams
Spoonbread

Apple Pie a la Mode
Pumpkin Pie with whipped cream (owen and Erika, again!)

Drinks:
Schramsburg sparkling wine (vintage details, later)
Sauvignon blanc (vintage dets. later)
beer (details to follow)

Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
A great main dish for vegetarians on thanksgiving. Makes enough stuffing for 4 portobellos, or 2 with leftover stuffing.

3 Tbs. butter
1 small onion, minced
3 celery ribs, minced
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
1 tsp. dried Italian herbs
Handful dried cherries
6 dried apricots, chopped
Handful pine nuts
4 cups crusty, day old bread, cubed
¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese
4 portobello mushroom caps, cleaned with stems removed

Melt butter in stockpot. Add onion, celery, salt, pepper and herbs. Sautee until onion and celery are tender. Add ¼ cup water, cherries, apricots and pine nuts. Bring to a boil. Dump in bread and cheese and toss to coat. Remove pot from heat and cover for 5 minutes. Heap stuffing into caps and bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until mushrooms are slightly browned and are cooked through (check by inserting a sharp knife into the side of mushroom to see if it is tender). Serve with pan juices or Mushroom Gravy.


Mushroom Gravy
A great sauce for vegetarians on thanksgiving.

3 Tbs. butter
1 small onion, minced
2 cups sliced cremini mushrooms
1 stalk fresh rosemary
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
3 Tbs. dry red wine
½ cup water
1 Tbs. cornstarch dissolved in 1 Tbs. water

Melt butter in stockpot. Add onion, mushrooms, salt, pepper and rosemary. Saute until tender. Add wine, bring to a boil and scrape to deglaze the pan. Reduce heat and let simmer for 5 minutes or so, until sauce has reduced. Add water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for 10-15 minutes until sauce has reduced a bit more. Add cornstarch mixture and stir to heat through. Gravy will thicken quite rapidly, now. Can be refrigerated and heated later--add more water if gravy is too thick.


Company Spinach
5 10oz. boxes frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 8oz. brick cream cheese, softened
1 stick butter, softened
Salt and Pepper
1 cup breadcrumbs
½ stick butter, melted.
1 tsp. dried sage

Combine spinach, cream cheese, butter, salt and pepper in electric stand mixer with paddle attachment. Mix until combined. Spread into casserole dish. Combine crumbs, butter and sage in a bowl. Sprinkle over the top. Bake for 20-30 minutes until slightly browned on top and bubbly. Great to assemble in advance, refrigerate, and cook later.

Roasted Green Beans:
2 Packages tiny green beans (trader joe's) --about 4 cups?
1 small red onion, slivered
1 cup spicy pecans (trader joes)
1 cup shaved manchego cheese

Drizzle beans, onion and pecans with olive oil and roast in a 400 oven for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking. Take out of the oven and toss with a manchego and a few tablespoons of lemon vinagrette.

Mashed Potatoes
4 russet potatoes
½ stick butter
¼ cup whole milk
Salt and pepper to taste
½ cup shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 425. Wash and prick the potatoes with a fork. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Wearing an oven mitt, slice each potato lengthwise. Scoop out flesh. Reserve skins for Baked Potato Skins or discard. Mash potatoes with the rest of the ingredient. Serve immediately, or keep covered and warm in a low oven until serving.

Chipotle Mashed Yams
2 lbs. cubed peeled sweet potatoes or yams
¾ cup half and half
3 Tbs. softened butter
2 Tbs. fresh lime juice
1 chile in adobo sauce, chopped OR 1 Tbs. adobo paste plus ¼ tsp. dried chipotle pepper
2 Tbs. brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. cinnamon

Place potato or yam in saucepan, cover with water. Bring to a boil and simmer 15 -20 minutes until tender. Drain and return to pan. Mash and add half and half, butter, lime juice, chile/adobo, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon. If it is too chunky for your liking, puree in food processor. Serve immediately, or transfer to covered casserole and re-heat before serving.

Spoonbread
Preheat oven to 425. Grease small souffle dish. Combine in a bowl:
1 cup sour cream
1/2 stick butter, melted
1 cup cream-style canned corn
1 egg
1 package jiffy corn muffin mix

Pour into souffle dish and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 400 and bake 30 minutes more. Serve hot.


Apple Pie
Intimidated by making piecrust, I buy the prepared kind (trader joe’s) that you can unwrap and put in your own pie plate.

1 box piecrust (2 rounds)
5-6 fuji apples, peeled and sliced (about 6 level cups)
¾ cup sugar
3 Tbs. flour
1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
½ tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Thaw piecrust and pat into glass piepan. Combine apples through salt and stir in a large bowl. Let sit for 15 minutes. Dump into pie plate and wet edges of lower crust. Cover with upper crust and crimp edges, removing excess crust. Bake in preheated 425 oven on lowest rack for 30 minutes. At this point, slide pie plate onto a baking sheet, and reduce heat to 350, cooking for 35 minutes more. Let sit 3-4 hours.