Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Thanksgiving Menu


This post is chiefly to showcase the AWESOME Apple Dumpling recipe I discovered at Pioneer Woman but to be fair, we cooked several different things for Thanksgiving that were pretty tasty. It was tough to pick sides and in the end, we chose too many! We did learn a few things though since this was the very first Thanksgiving we've ever cooked. Some of the recipes will be linked below.

The Menu:

Roast Turkey
Mashed Potatoes w/ Gravy
Sauerkraut
Roasted Butternut Squash
Stuffing
Cranberry Relish
Chive Biscuits
Yam Gratin with Gruyere
Green Beans Amandine
Roasted Asparagus with Parmigiano-Reggiano
Pumpkin Pie
Apple Dumplings

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Chickpea Picata

Another awesome recipe from the ladies at Post Punk Kitchen. Andy loves this one and I just made it again the other night. Do follow the recommendation of serving on mashed potatoes, it is brilliant.


Chickpea Picata
From: Post Punk Kitchen
Serves: 4 (Small)

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 scant cup thinly sliced shallots
6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons breadcrumbs
2 cups vegetable broth
1/3 cup dry white wine
A few dashes fresh black pepper
Generous pinch of dried thyme
1 16 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup capers with a little brine
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4 cups arugula

Cooking spray

Preheat a large heavy bottomed pan over medium. Saute the shallots and garlic for about 5 minutes, until golden. Add the breadcrumbs and toast them by stirring constantly for about 2 minutes. They should turn a few shades darker.

Add the vegetable broth and wine, salt, black pepper and thyme. Turn up heat and bring to a rolling boil and let the sauce reduce by 1/2, it should take about 7 minutes.

Add the chickpeas and capers to heat through, about 3 minutes. Add the lemon and turn off the heat.

If serving with mashed potatoes, place the arugula in a wide bowl. Place mashed potatoes on top, and ladle picata over the potatoes. The arugula will wilt and it will be lovely. If you are serving solo, just pour right over the arugula.
Link