Tradition

 Thanksgiving is the super bowl of food holidays.   It’s also the one time of year that we pride ourselves in tradition, making recipes that have been passed down from generation, to generation.  Yet who hasn’t been at the table and offered what appeared to be green mush in a casserole dish with dehydrated burnt onions on top? Or a sickenly sweet glop of sweet mashed potatoes?  I have just two things to say, the first one is leave the can of cream of mushroom soup for a weeknight, I’m too busy to even think about cooking supper.  Thanksgiving is the day where we should take that extra step and make everything, (And I mean EVERYTHING) from scratch. You’d be hard pressed to find any can’s in my kitchen.  Also what is up with those little damn marshmallows?    What am I three?  This is a side dish, not a freaking dessert!  Sigh, year after year my family insists on these goopy, nasty dishes.  Well in the words of KISS, “WE'RE NOT GOING TO TAKE IT!”  When opportunity arrives and I get to spend the holiday at home, this is what I make instead.  No they’re not my recipes; credit goes to Bobby Flay and Emeril.  But I have fallen in love with these recipes so much that they have become tradition in my home.  Bon Appétit!

Emerilized Green Bean Casserole

Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2001

Prep Time:

35 min

Inactive Prep Time:

--

Cook Time:

1 hr 10 min

Level:

Intermediate

Serves:

6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 pounds green beans, ends trimmed and cut lengthwise into thin strips and blanched
• 2 1/4 cups Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup, recipe follows
• 2 tablespoons Essence, plus 2 teaspoons, recipe follows
• 2 cups grated Fontina
• 4 to 5 cups vegetable oil
• 2 large yellow onions, peeled and thinly sliced (about 1/16- inch thick)
• Hot pepper sauce
• 2 cups all-purpose flour

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 2-quart baking dish with the butter and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the green beans, Wild Mushroom Soup, 2 teaspoons of Essence, and 1 1/2 cups of the cheese, and stir well. Pour into the prepared dish, sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese on top, and bake until bubbly, 35 to 30 minutes.

In a large saucepan, add enough oil to come about 3 inches up the sides, and heat to 360 degrees F.

Pat the onions dry. Drizzle hot sauce on the onions and toss. In a bowl, combine the flour and 2 tablespoons of the Essence. Add the onions and toss to coat evenly. Shake the onions to remove any excess flour and add in batches to the hot oil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp and golden brown, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

Top casserole with fried onions and serve.

Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup:

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 cup chopped yellow onions
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 11/2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 6 ounces shiitake mushrooms, wiped clean, stems trimmed, and sliced
• 6 ounces oyster mushrooms, wiped clean, stems trimmed, and sliced
• 8 ounces cremini or button mushrooms, wiped clean, stems trimmed, and sliced
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup brandy
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream

In a large pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions, celery, and cayenne and cook, stirring, until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the mushrooms, thyme, salt, and pepper, and cook, stirring, the mushrooms give off their liquid and start to brown, about 7 minutes. Add the brandy, bring to a boil and cook until glazed, about 2 minutes. Add the stock and return to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.

Remove from the heat and puree with a hand-held immersion blender, or in batches in a food processor. Add the cream, return to a simmer, and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and adjust seasoning, to taste.

Yield: 8 servings

Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning):

• 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.

Yield: about 2/3 cup

Smoked Chile Scalloped Sweet Potatoes

Recipe courtesy Bobby Flay

Prep Time:

10 min

Inactive Prep Time:

--

Cook Time:

1 hr 15 min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 heaping tablespoon chipotle pepper puree
• 3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced 1/8-inch thick  (side note from me, USE A MANDOLINE, if you don’t have one BUY ONE, it’s worth the money, trust me!)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Also add enough butter to grease the bottome of your pan, trust me or it will stick, I also like to top it with dollops of butter, I know my God cream AND butter? Relax already, it's the hollidays, just don't eat the whole damn pan and you'll be fine already!

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Whisk together cream and chipotle puree until smooth.

In a 9 by 9-inch casserole dish, arrange the potatoes in even layers. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons of the cream mixture and season with salt and pepper. Repeat with the remaining potatoes, cream, and salt and pepper to form 10 layers.

Cover and bake for 30 minutes, remove cover and continue baking for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the cream has been absorbed and the potatoes are cooked through and the top is browned.

The Art of Food: An Introduction to Butternut Squash Soup

As an artist I found that food is very much another form of art.  Just as an artist can picture a painting in their mind, I can taste flavors there too.  Once I have an idea of what to create, all of my senses are used in the process.  It’s not just about taste, and smell, but sight, and even sound.  Take my butternut squash soup for example.  Visually it’s beautiful; a warm bowl filled with a thick puree if butternut squash, deep in tangerine color, speckled with fiery bits of chipotle peppers, with a white swirl of crème fraiche, topped with crispy golden fried shallots.  The smell is incredible; the sound when the fried shallots sizzle when they hit the soup makes the dish exciting.  

Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients

nocoupons

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 sweet onion (Maui or Walla- Walla) diced
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 3 medium carrots, sliced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 chipotle in adobo, rinsed, seeded and chopped
• 1 medium butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds), sliced in half
• ½ stick of butter
• One head of garlic
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth (pref homemade)
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 thinly sliced shallots
•  3 tablespoons corn starch
• Crème fraiche
•   Fresh chives

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Slice butternut squash in half. Place on a cookie sheet. Drizzle EVOO over the top slices of squash, place  pats of butter place on top, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Slice garlic head in half drizzle with EVOO sprinkle garlic salt over the top. (Yes I just told you to season your garlic with garlic) Roast both in oven 30 min, and until soft and golden brown. Squeeze roasted garlic out and into a small bowl. Scoop cooked squash out of rind and place into a bowl, set aside.

Heat a large saucepan over medium heat, add the oil and when shimmering, add the onions bay leaves and cumin, and cook until softened about 3 minutes. Add the carrots, tomato paste and chipotle, (By now have your fan on high, that chipotle is strong stuff!) and cook stirring until the carrots brown about 8 minutes.

Raise the heat to high and stir in squash and garlic, making sure everything is mixed in evenly Season with 1 tablespoon salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste. Cook for about 5 minutes more. Pour in the broth and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer cover, and cook until the flavors have melded about 20 min.  Remove and discard the bay leaves. Puree the soup until smooth with an immersion blender or cool slightly and puree, in a jar blender.

Meanwhile, toss sliced shallots with corn starch, and heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the butter and oil, and when melted, fry the shallots in batches. Cook, tossing frequently, until golden brown, about 4 min. 

Serve with a dollop of crème fraiche, sprinkle chopped chives, season with fresh ground pepper, and a handful of fried shallots.

Enjoy!