Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Cranberries and Toasted Pecans

Like most people, I didn't used to be a fan of Brussels sprouts. But now I love them, especially roasted, which brings out their sweetness and softens their bitterness. They are my favorite vegetable to serve as a Thanksgiving side.

Brussels sprouts play nicely with a lot of other Thanksgiving ingredients. This dish combines their bitter-sweetness with the fruitier sweetness of dried cranberries, the earthy sweetness of maple syrup and nutty pecans.

I omitted the bacon from the original recipe, which may seem like an odd choice, but I already had Bacon Marmalade on the table, so I kept the sprouts vegetarian (by all means though, if you want bacon in this, it's a simple matter of crisping some bacon pieces and tossing them in at the end).

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Cranberries and Toasted Pecans
Adapted from Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Cranberries and Toasted Pecans by Girl Cooks World (which was originally adapted from a recipe by Jennifer Segal for Serious Eats)

2 lb. Brussels sprouts, stem-ends cut off, outer leaves removed and sprouts cut in half
4 tbsp. olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp. maple syrup
1/2 cup toasted pecans, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

2. In a large bowl, toss prepared Brussels sprouts with olive oil. Spread the sprouts on the baking sheet and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, tossing a couple times, until the sprouts are browned on the outside and tender.

3. Transfer the sprouts to a large bowl. Add the vinegar and syrup and toss to coat. Stir in the pecans and cranberries and serve.

Other Thanksgiving Recipes

Thanksgiving Central (all Thanksgiving recipes)

Bacon Marmalade

Sautéed Parsnips with Dates and Spiced Yogurt

Green Beans with Bacon, Blue Cheese, Pecans and Dried Cranberries

Honey-Ginger Glazed Carrots

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Bourbon-Maple Glaze and Smoked Almonds

Green Bean Casserole with Bacon and Mushrooms

Baked Apples with Fennel and Onion

Kale-Swiss Gratin

The Feed: November 12, 2014

As Emily Horton writes for the Washington Post, now is the time for good winter salads, like this one I made with spiky red mustard, spinach, apples, toasted pecans, blue cheese and a honey-cider vinaigrette (see recipe at the end).

The Feed is my weekly round up of interesting food-related stories from newspapers, magazines, blogs and websites.


Washington Post: "Salads for the Cold Weather: Believe It or Not, Now’s the Best Season of All," by Emily Horton.
With a focus on hearty greens, Horton makes a case for celebrating--not apologizing for--winter salads. She includes a handy guide for some tasty winter greens. If you like the salad pictured at top, check out my recipe at the end of this post.

Washington Post: "Spirits: Nutmeg, Unlike ‘Pumpkin Spice,’ Gives Cocktails a Subtle Taste of Fall," by M. Carrie Allan.
It's an understatement that some people don't like Pumpkin Spice; count Allan in that camp ("With autumn upon us, some turn morbid in our thinking...maybe it’s just all the damn pumpkin spice"). But Nutmeg alone, one of those said spices, can do wonderful things in cocktails. In relaying its history and usage, Allan refers to Penn Commons bartender and cocktail historian David Wondrich and offers a recipe for the nutmeg-spiced rum-porter cocktail Rattle-Skull.

Washington Post: "Which Fats Are Good and Which Fats are Bad?" by Ellie Krieger.
Krueger provides an excellent summary of the evolving thinking about nutrition and fat. No longer just something to avoid, the relationship between fat and our health has become more complex as we've learned some fats (fish, olive oil) are beneficial, while others (animal and especially transfat) should be avoided.

New York Times: "It’s Just a (Thanksgiving Dinner) Fantasy," by Jeff Gordinier.
Like a lot of holidays, Thanksgiving comes with certain traditions, which can feel stifling if you're the sort of person who fantasizes about serving something other than the (rather bland) passed-down-through-the-generations recipe for turkey X and stuffing Y. Gordinier indulges the fantasies of a number of cooks who might prepare something other than the usual if given the chance.

New York Times: "How to Dazzle Without the Frazzle," by Kim Severson.
Does the idea of hosting Thanksgiving dinner stress you out? I hear you, it stresses me out a little bit too, although i love the challenge of making it all come together. For this article, Severson spoke to Regina Charboneau, who plans to host 145 people at her house this year. Although your dinner will most likely be smaller-scale, there are still quite a few useful tips for flawlessly executing the big meal without breaking a sweat.

New York Times: "Wine of the Times: Wines for Thanksgiving That Refresh the Palate," by Dave McIntyre
The Times' annual round-up of Thanksgiving wines, based on a tasting of 10 wines--5 reds, 4 whites and a cider, reminds us that the best Thanksgiving wines are versatile, refreshing and ideally lower in alcohol.

Starving Off the Land: "Mrs. Wheelbarrow’s Practical Pantry," by Tamar Haspel.
This is a story about two great food writers. Haspel, whose Unearthed column for the Washington Post Food section is one of my favorite food reads, reviews the new cookbook by D.C. food writer Cathy Barrow, Mrs. Wheelbarrow's Practical Pantry: Recipes and Techniques for Year-Round Preserving. Barrow and I chat on Twitter sometimes; she's always a good source for inspiration.

The Wall Street Journal: "A Visit to the Kitchen of Legendary Cookbook Editor Judith Jones," by Charlotte Druckman.
Julia Child, James Beard and Marchella Hazan. Those are three of the most celebrated names in cooking from the last 50 years, and all of them (apparently) were discovered by food editor Judith Jones. Druckman chats with Jones, now 90, about her kitchen and cooking.

The Wall Street Journal: "The Goulash Cure: Recipe for a Remarkably Soothing Soup," by Mimi Sheraton.
I haven't had Goulash--German or Hungarian beef stew--in some time, so Sheraton's article caught my eye, as it's something I'd like to try to make. Her version is based on what's popular in Munich, made with beef and potatoes and spiced with caraway and two kinds of paprika.

Mother Would Know: "Baked Sweet Potato Chips," by Laura Kumin.
Kumin's simple recipe for baked sweet potato chips would be perfect for a Thanksgiving appetizer, perhaps with some interesting dips.

Winter Mustard and Spinach Salad

Makes 2 salads

2 cups spiky red mustard leaves (or other mustard greens)
2 cups baby spinach leaves
1 apple, cored and diced
1/4 cup pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped
3 tbsp. crumbled blue cheese
1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
2 tsp. honey
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Combine the mustard leaves, spinach, apple, pecans and blue cheese in a large bowl. Whisk together the vinegar, honey, salt and pepper, then add the olive oil and whisk until emulsified. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat.

Smoky Maple Brined Roasted Turkey Breast

Last week, I shared a recipe for Mole Brined Roast Turkey Breast. Because I'm a big believer in variety, today I'm offering another turkey brine recipe. This one is similar to the brine I made in 2012, but with a more woodsy focus to the flavors: maple, rosemary, juniper and a bit of liquid smoke.

You may have noticed that I always have recipes for turkey breasts instead of turkeys. This is for a few reasons. First, I tend to host small Thanksgiving dinners. We just don't have the space for a big gathering. But second, even if I was having more guests, I'd probably still roast turkey breasts. They are easier to get right--you don't have to worry about whether the breast will dry out while still cooking the dark parts. The whole thing takes much less time. And they don't take up as much space in the oven, leaving room available for the other dishes you may want to roast concurrently with the turkey.

When roasting turkey, I recommend gauging its temperature with an instant-read thermometer. Don't rely on the pop-out that comes with many turkeys. I find them to be very inaccurate. You can see above that the hasn't popped yet, but I know the turkey was done based on its internal temperature having reached 165 F. I've also had the opposite happen: the thing pops, but the turkey really needs more roasting time.

Smoky Maple Brined Roasted Turkey Breast

6-8 lb. turkey breast

Brine for breast:
2 tbsp. juniper berries
2 tbsp. all spice berries
1/2 cup kosher salt (may substitute 1/4 cup table salt)
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 tbsp. liquid smoke
2 sprigs of rosemary
8 sprigs flat-leaf parsley
8 sprigs thyme
2 whole cloves

Roast breast:
1 sweet onion, sliced
1/2 bunch sage sprigs
1/2 bunch thyme sprigs
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
Seasoned salt and fresh-ground black pepper

1. Place juniper and allspice berries in a resealable plastic bag and crush (you can use a rolling pin, a heavy pan or even a cocktail muddler to crush them). Transfer to a large pot or brining bag. Add salt, maple syrup, liquid smoke and 2 cups hot water. Stir until the salt and sugar have dissolved. Add rosemary, parsley, thyme and cloves. Add 3 quarts cold water and stir to combine. Place turkey breast in pot/bag. Cover pot or seal bag and refrigerate to brine overnight.

2. Preheat oven to 450 F. Set a V-rack inside a roasting pan. Place onion slices, sage and thyme sprigs on rack. Remove turkey breast from brine and pat dry with paper towels. Put turkey breast on top of herbs on rack. Brush turkey all over with melted butter and season with salt and pepper.

3. Roast turkey for 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300 F, cover loosely with aluminum foil, and continue roasting until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the breast reads 165 F, about 2 1/2 to 3 hours total roasting time. Let breast rest 30 minutes before carving.

Other Thanksgiving Recipes

Thanksgiving Central (all Thanksgiving recipes)

Mole Brined Roast Turkey Breast

Brined Roasted Turkey Breast

Roasted Turkey Breast with Herb Butter

Easy Turkey Gravy

Rosemary-Onion and Black Pepper Biscuits

A few years ago while planning Thanksgiving dinner, I declared that I wasn't going to make any biscuits. We had stuffing, mashed potatoes, pies--seemed like enough carbs to me. Suffice it to say, that suggestion was received about as well as New Coke or Ishtar. 

So every Thanksgiving, I make biscuits, a uniquely American dish that fits perfectly into a typical Thanksgiving repertoire. Of course, there are biscuits to be found in other parts of the world, but they are different, generally thin and crisp and either sweet (what we Americans would call a "cookie") or savory (what we would call a "cracker"). But in the United States and parts of Canada, it's a small baked bread with a browned crust and soft interior.

Last year, I made Cheesy Scallion-Corn Biscuits. This year's Rosemary-Onion and Black Pepper Biscuits are made from the same basic recipe, but with different flavorings. They're closer actually to the original recipe from Bon Appétit for Buttermilk Biscuits with Green Onions, Black Pepper, and Sea Salt.

I didn't caramelize the onions for this recipe, just browned them, but you certainly could if you wanted to take a little more time with them. After cutting out the first round of biscuits, be sure to gather the dough and re-roll it, repeating until you've formed all the dough into biscuits.

At the table, you can serve these biscuits with butter and/or jam, although I really recommend making a batch of Bacon Marmalade to go with them. The smoky-sweet bacon jam with the onion, rosemary and pepper is pretty irresistible.

Rosemary-Onion and Pepper Biscuits

Adapted from Buttermilk Biscuits with Green Onions, Black Pepper, and Sea Salt, Bon Appétit

Makes 14-16 biscuits

1 tbsp. olive oil
1 yellow onion

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

3 tbsp. sugar

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste (at least ½ tsp.)

8 tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

2 tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary

3/4 cup buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 425 F with rack in middle position.

2. Heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Add olive oil and onion and sauté until the onion is softened and lightly brown, about 10 minutes. Measure out 1/2 cup of cooked onions (use the rest for something else).

3. In a food processor, pulse flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar and pepper until combined. Scatter butter cubes across mixture and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Dump into a large bowl, add sautéed onions,  chopped rosemary and buttermilk and stir until the dough has mostly clumped together.

4. Transfer dough to a floured surface. Knead gently to combine into one mass. Using a floured rolling pin, roll dough out to a thickness between 1/2 to 3/4 inches. Cut out rounds with a 2-inch biscuit cutter. Gather the dough scraps, roll out the dough and cut additional rounds (repeat as necessary until all the dough is used). Place the dough rounds 2 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone baking mat. 

5. Gather dough together. Turn dough out onto floured surface and knead gently just to combine, about 3 to 4 turns. Roll out to 3/4-inch thickness. Using floured 2-inch cookie or biscuit cutter, cut out rounds. Reroll scraps and cut out additional rounds. Place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheet.

6. Bake biscuits until golden and a knife inserted into center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Serve warm.

Other Thanksgiving Recipes

Thanksgiving Central (all Thanksgiving recipes)

Bacon Marmalade

Homemade Compound Butter

Cheesy Scallion-Corn Biscuits

Corn Crackers with Brie and Apple Butter

Simple Corn Bread

Bacon Marmalade

The first time I had bacon marmalade was during our dinner at Range soon after it opened in early 2013. The smoky-sweet and meaty spread was incredibly good. I knew I had to find a recipe for it and try making it myself.

I found a few recipes that were all pretty similar, but I liked Cooking with Caitlin's recipe best. The apple cider and mustard gives the spread a nice pungency that contrasts nicely with the meaty, smoky and sweet flavors.

I like a really meaty bacon for this. I recommend using a good-quality thick bacon for this recipe, preferably hickory-smoked.

Be sure to make enough of this, since I guarantee it will be popular. It goes perfectly with the Rosemary-Onion and Black Pepper Biscuits I also wrote about today.

Bacon Marmalade
Adapted from a recipe by Cooking with Caitlin

1 lb. thick-cut hickory-smoked bacon, cut into lardons (1/2-inch pieces)
1 yellow onion, minced
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp. whole-grain mustard
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. In a large sauté pan over medium heat, cook the bacon until browned and crisp. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate.

2. Drain off enough bacon fat to leave about 1/4 cup in the pan. Add the minced onion and sauté until tender and browned, about 8-10 minutes. Add the brown sugar and stir to dissolve. Once the sugar has started to bubble, add the vinegar and mustard. Cook until very fragrant and the vinegar starts to evaporate. Season with freshly ground black pepper, then add back the cooked bacon. Stir to combine, then remove from the heat. Allow to cool. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator if making ahead (I recommend reheating it in the microwave to room temperature before serving).

Other Thanksgiving Recipe

Thanksgiving Central (all Thanksgiving recipes)

Rosemary-Onion and Black Pepper Biscuits

Sautéed Parsnips with Dates and Spiced Yogurt

This is the last recipe of this first week of international-themed Thanksgiving dishes. We started with Mexico, proceeded to East Asian and stopped in North Africa. The journey concludes in London, where chef Jeff Cerciello of Farmshop found the inspiration for this Moorish-style dish, which was featured in Food & Wine.

Parsnips are slightly sweet and also a bit bitter when raw, but when roasted have a wonderful earthy-caramel sweetness. It plays nicely with the dates in this dish.

I modified this recipe from the original by reducing the amount of olive oil used, cooking the parsnips longer so they got a little brown around the edges, and using an oven-safe skillet so that I could sauté the vegetables and roast them in the same pan.

Sautéed Parsnips with Dates and Spiced Yogurt
Adapted from a recipe by Jeff Cerciello for Food & Wine

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
6 garlic cloves, smashed
3 lb. parsnips, peeled and sliced on the diagonal 1/2 inch thick
12 sliced pitted Medjool dates
5 marjoram sprigs
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons ground sumac (see Note)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

2. Heat olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté until golden, a few minutes. Add the parsnips and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden and barely tender, about 15 minutes. Add the dates, marjoram sprigs, salt and pepper.

3. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast under the parsnips are tender and lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl.

4. While the parsnips roast, combine the yogurt, lemon juice and sumac in a small bowl. Serve alongside the parsnips.

Other Thanksgiving Recipes

Thanksgiving Central (all Thanksgiving recipes)

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Bourbon-Maple Glaze and Smoked Almonds

Baked Apples with Fennel and Onion

Roasted Parsnip-Quinoa Salad with Shallot-Lemon Dressing

Honey-Ginger Glazed Carrots

North African Green Bean and Sweet Potato Couscous Salad

Grain salads make nice Thanksgiving sides, serving as counterpoints to both stuffings and other vegetable dishes.

This year I've become interested in African flavors. I particularly like the spice combinations of northern African cuisine, which I used in the Moroccan-Spiced Meatloaf I made earlier this year. Similar flavors show up in this couscous salad. It's a marriage of north African flavors and traditional Thanksgiving vegetables--green beans and sweet potatoes.

Couscous was a fad food for awhile. I remember dinners in the early 2000s frequently featuring one of those simple flavored couscous sides from the box. I don't see it as a "trendy" food anymore, which is perhaps good. It can go back to its Mediterranean roots.

The first time I ever ate couscous was in 1994. I was in high school having lunch with a friend at Zefiro, the trend-setting Portland restaurant that many say was the template for the modern age of Portland dining. I had Algerian-marinated chicken skewers with couscous, a vibrant, spicy dish that I absolutely loved.

With this salad, I hope to honor couscous' North African roots while also positioning it as an ideal Thanksgiving side. It's a simple, versatile thing that could easily work well with other Thanksgiving vegetables (wouldn't it be great with roasted Brussels sprouts and bacon?).


North African Green Bean and Sweet Potato Couscous Salad

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2 cubes
3 tbsp. olive oil
Salt, to taste
1 lb. green beans, ends trimmed off and cut into 1-1/2 inch pieces
1 bunch of scallions, white and light green part chopped
2 tbsp. chopped fresh sage
16 oz. box couscous
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. turmeric
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Dressing:
Zest and juice from 1 lemon
3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Put the diced sweet potatoes in a large bowl and drizzle with 2 tbsp. olive oil. Season with salt and toss to coat. Spread on a baking sheet and roast for about 10 minutes. Stir the potatoes and roast another 5 to 10 minutes until soft and lightly browned on some edges. Set aside to cool.

2. Bring a large (4 qt.) saucepan of lightly salted water to boil. Add the cut green beans and cook until tender (this is a matter of preference; for chewier beans, stop after 3 minutes or for more tender beans, cook up to 7 minutes). Remove beans and transfer to an ice water bath.

3. Heat 1 tbsp. olive oil in a small frying pan. Add the scallions and sage and cook about 2 minutes until the onions are slightly wilted and the sage is fragrant.

4. Cook couscous according to package directions.

5. In a large bowl, combine the roasted sweet potatoes, cooked green beans, scallions, sage, couscous and remaining ingredients through freshly ground black pepper. Whisk together the dressing and pour over the mixture. Toss to combine and serve.

Other Thanksgiving Recipes

Thanksgiving Central (all Thanksgiving recipes)

Wheat Berry Salad with Butternut Squash, Hazelnuts and Sage

Roasted Parsnip-Quinoa Salad with Shallot-Lemon Dressing

Green Bean Casserole with Bacon and Mushrooms

Green Beans with Bacon, Blue Cheese, Pecans and Dried Cranberries

Apple, Manchego and Pecan Salad

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Bourbon-Maple Glaze and Smoked Almonds