a hungry texans guide to thanksgiving!

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we all do it- that weekend before thanksgiving when friends gather, drink too much spiced cider, and potluck our faces off for that pre-thanksgiving thanksgiving celebration.  call it Friendsgiving or Fakesgiving, we just call it delicious.

and this year was no different.  the man chefs brought their extremely tasty green beans and a rendition of thomas keller’s stuffing that blew us meat eaters’ socks off (vegetarians beware: this stuffing starts with 1 lb of rendered bacon fat).

use these recipes for your own thanksgiving feast or just as side dishes for a wonderful meal.  click through for recipes!

honey butter chicken biscuits

roasted root vegetables with charred scallion goat cheese & garlic confit

middle eastern spiced roasted cauliflower

jalapeno honey butter & sage roasted garlic butter

cranberry-orange relish

 

happy thanksgiving!

xoxo,

the hungry texans

Mimi’s cranberry relish

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The irony of this cranberry relish (and many, many things I’ve now come to love)  is it disgusted me for the first 15 years or so of my life. Thanksgiving dinner for this HungryTexan meant the blandest of plates. Turkey, mashed taters, dinner rolls. What about the dressing, gravy, sweet potatoes and cranberry relish? Yuck! Yuck! Yuck! and extra Yuck! so thought the tastebuds of a tinier Texan. Little by little my tastebuds matured and I learned the wonders of a more colorful Thanksgiving plate. I warmed to the cranberry relish last, but it’s since become one of my all time faves and it couldn’t be simpler.

Seriously, yall.Once you know how simple this homemade delight is, you better not even think about carving open a can of store-bought gelatinous cranberry goop! All you’ll need is:

1 bag of cranberries

1 apple (I used honeycrisp)

1 orange

1/2 c sugar

Slice your apples & oranges (keep the skin on!) and remove the seeds. I’d cut ’em a tiny bit smaller than the slices pictured above. Dump your cranberries, apples, and oranges into your food processor until all your fruits are pulverized. Then add your 1/2 cup of sugar and process it all together. You’ll be (cran)berry, berry happy you spent the 15 minutes to whip up this classy condiment for any Thanksgiving spread. It’s the perfect pop of color for any plate & a sweet-tart pop of flavor for your palette. Also, make this a few days in advance — it only gets better with age!

 

middle eastern roasted cauliflower

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Cauliflower is such a versatile and easy ingredient.  Mashed into potatoes or pureed into a soup, these hearty stalks are usually just happy to be eaten.  I rarely enjoy them in their whole form, but this recipe is so easy and tasty, it would be a shame not to.  These Middle-Eastern Roasted cauliflower are roasted to bring out their nutty goodness, then dressed with tahini and date syrup.  The result?  One of the most incredible veggie sides I’ve had to date (thanks to BB’s uncle in LA!).  Try this for a non-traditional Turkey-Day side or with a quick chicken curry.

You’ll need:

2 heads of cauliflower (I used one white and one mix of purple, green & yellow cauliflower)
3 tbs olive oil
4 tbs date syrup
4 tbs tahini
s&p

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Roughly chop your cauliflower into 2-inch pieces and spread them out in a baking dish.  Toss in olive oil and salt & pepper, then roast for 45 minutes, until they’re golden and crispy.

When they’re out of the oven, cover the roasted florets in tahini and date syrup.  Don’t have date syrup on hand?  Click through for this recipe!  Pop them back into the oven for a few more minutes to let all of the flavors come together.  Serve warm!

basics: homemade date syrup

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When Boston Boy & I visited LA, his uncle whipped together this incredible middle eastern cauliflower dish.  And when he explained how easy it was (tahini + date syrup + cauliflower = wow), I had to try it as soon as possible.  just one itsy bitsy problem- there is no date syrup to be found in the DMV!  I searched high and low, and once I had come to terms with the Great Date Syrup Shortage of 2k12, I knew what i had to do…

Make my own!  

So, this “syrup” didn’t really turn out syrupy in the maple sense.  It was actually more the consistency of tahini.  But it tasted delicious and was the perfect substitute for date syrup in the absence of the store-bought stuff.

You’ll need (for two cups of syrup)

36 dates, pitted and diced
2 cups water
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Combine all of the ingredients in a small saucepan, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and let simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.  Blend the mixture in a food processor or blender and let cool before using.

Ta da!  Date Syrup.

xoxo

the hungry texans

roasted root vegetables with charred scallion goat cheese & garlic confit

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hearty root vegetables are one of the best features of these temperature-plunging months.  beets, potatoes, turnips, parsnips, celeriac… the list of ground-dwellers is never-ending and these veggies just beg to be roasted and smothered in earthy chevre.  this recipe uses red potatoes, beets & celeriac, all diced into small pieces and roasted until crisp and soft.  find celeriac at your farmers market right now or in the root section of your grocery.

you’ll need:

serves 10

6 red potatoes
3 small beets
1 large head of celeriac or celery root
Olive Oil, to drizzle
3 sprigs thyme
s&p
4 oz. fresh chevre
1 bunch scallions
3 tbs sour cream
20 cloves of garlic (sorry I’m not sorry)

 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Dice the vegetables into small pieces.  I left the red potato skins on but peeled the beets and celeriac.  Layer them into a roasting pan and drizzle with olive oil and salt & pepper.  Separate the thyme leaves from their stems and season the mixture with the thyme.  Roast in the hot oven for 30-45 minutes, until the outsides are golden and crispy and the insides are soft.  The best way to estimate this point of done-ness is by trying the veggies, spoonful by spoonful, until you have depleted the roasting pan by one serving size and they taste done.

To “confit” something is to cook it in it’s own fat.  However, garlic doesn’t have fat, so garlic confit is really just a nice way of saying “olive oil poached garlic.”  While the vegetables are roasting, fill a small saucepan with 1/3 inch of olive oil.  Heat over medium heat and add your twenty cloves of garlic and let simmer for 10-15 minutes, until garlic is golden brown and super soft.  Spoon the garlic cloves onto parchment paper and try to resist the urge to snack on them.

In a separate bowl, combine your chevre & sour cream.  If you happen to have a grill on, you could char your scallions on that.  I just popped them under the broiler until they turned.  Dice up the scallion and add to your chevre mixture.

Once the veggies are finished, top with the burnt scallion chevre and the garlic confit.

xoxo,

the hungry texans

a hungry texans thanksgiving: honey butter chicken biscuits

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Before I get a snarky “whataburger called, they want their recipe back” comment, let me just clarify that this little appetizer resembles nothing of the butter-drenched, deep-fried concoction that you devour at 3am.  Although I would nosh on these at 3am- don’t get me wrong.

No, these are just a great app- a fritter of buttermilk-brined chicken thigh resting upon a tiny, pillowy biscuit and topped with a sweet & spicy jalapeno honey butter.  I got actual hugs for bringing these to the party 😉

for the chicken fritters, you’ll need:

3 chicken thighs, boneless
2 cups buttermilk
5 sprigs thyme
2 cups flour
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp garlic powder
vegetable oil, for frying
s&p

Cut your chicken thighs into 1 inch cubes and cover with buttermilk in a mixing bowl.  Add your thyme, whole, and cover.  Refrigerate for 12 hours or up to one day.  After letting the chicken thighs marinate, drain in a colander to get rid of excess buttermilk.

In a separate bowl, mix together flour, paprika, s&p, and garlic powder.  Set up your chicken fritter station with your drained chicken thighs, flour mixture, and an empty pan.

Heat your oil in a frying pan to 350 degrees.  Then, start your battering & frying process.  Dredge your chicken thighs in the flour mixture and pop them into the oil.  I double-floured mine for good measure.  Let the fritters fry until they’re golden brown, or about 8 minutes.  Then pop them onto a cooling rack (fitted over a cookie sheet).  Do not throw them onto a stack of paper towels!  Not even a brown lunch sack, however tempted you may be!  Just pop them on the cooling rack and let them drain a bit.  I like to season fried things with a pinch of salt after they come out of the oil.

for the buttermilk biscuits:

makes 30 mini biscuits

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tbs baking powder
1/2 tsp sugar
12 tbs cold butter
3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk

Combine the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.  Cut your cold butter into small pieces and work into the flower mixture with your hands until the mixture looks like the consistency of sand.  Add your buttermilk and mix until just combined.

Turn out onto a floured surface (I used a lot of flour) and knead just a few times until the batter is no longer sticky.  Roll out with your hands or a rolling pin (if you’re fancy) into a 1/3 inch thick slab.  Use a cookie cutter or a shot glass to make small mini-rounds and lay onto a greased baking sheet.  Bake at 450 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

Okay here’s the easy part!  Assemble by topping a biscuit with a chicken fritter and 1 tsp of jalapeno honey butter or roasted garlic sage butter.  Now eat it.  Okay, now eat another one.

xoxo,

the hungry texans

jalapeno honey butter

jalapeno honey butter

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combine 1 tbs honey, 1 tbs diced jalapeno & 4 tbs softened butter. spoon onto plastic wrap, roll into a cylinder, and wrap in parchment paper. place in your freezer for 1 hour, until hardened. serve over biscuits, cornbread, potatoes … Continue reading →

favorite things: and we danced edition

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1. Bottomless Brunch at Zengo in Chinatown.  For $35, you get to nosh on the yummiest eats and sip some delicious drinks.  We ordered…everything.  Favorites included these lobster-chipotle grits, the crispy tofu with roasted corn-potato salad, shrimp-vegetable potstickers, short rib hash with poached egg and the angry zengo roll.  We literally stayed from open to close.

2. Crafty Bastards in Union Market!  Admittedly, the crowds pushed one of these Hungry Texans indoors to the Rappahannock oyster bar, but we scored a couple of good finds nonetheless.  (pic)

3. Seven thousand people outfitted in neon & music for miles?  Count us in!  We had such a blast at the LivingSocial Glow-in-the-Dark 5k at RFK Stadium.  One of us ran the distance while the other volunteered with the video crew behind the scenes, but a good time was had by all.  Highlights were the step performance at the post-5k dance party and the 1000 Solar Lamps that were donated by LivingSocial to Somalian school children.

4. Why on earth would you wake up at 5am when it’s so blistery cold outside?  To make 24 dozen eggs for breakfast service at Miriam’s Kitchen, of course!

5. Thanks to our frayands John & Julia, we’re lovin’ Macklemore this week.  Sure, his thrift shop threads are bumpin’, but his power ballad “And We Danced” makes us…well…dance. (pic)

6. And finally, happy Bijoulais Nouveau to all you mediocre wine enthusiasts out there.  The celebration is far stronger than the vino, but it gave us a chance to make these French Onion Soup Dumplings, so laissez les bons temps rouler!

xoxo,

the hungry texans

le nouveau est arrive! french onion soup dumplings

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a happy bijoulais nouveau to y’all!

bijoulais nouveau is really a cute little holiday.  i only learned about it since moving to DC- the closest I’ve ever come to speaking french in texas is “laissez les bons temps rouler!”  the young french wine is actually quite un-tasty.  it’s aged for only a few weeks, but brilliant marketing has awarded it an entire midnight celebration- brava!  french law prohibits the young red from being uncorked until 12am on the second wednesday of each november, so francophiles wait in anticipation.  a few classic dc bistros, like 1905 and Bistro du Coin, were throwing their celebrations  last night, but who were we fooling- 2am on a school night?

so i hunkered down with Boston Boy in my kitchen, while my roommates set some serious mood lighting and french music, and embarked on a journey into these french onion soup dumplings.  there are recipes for these little succulent pouches of magic all over the internet (ever since making their Cooking Channel debut), so i glanced at all of them and then decided on my own approach.  and here it is!

for 20 dumplings, you’ll need: 

20 wonton wrappers
2 onions (mix of red and yellow)
1/2 bouillon cube
1 tbs flour
10 sprigs of thyme
2 cups beef broth
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 cups shredded gruyere or swiss cheese
1 french baguette
Optional: a cut of beef (we used new york strip)

1. Heat 1 tbs of olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat.  Thinly slice your onions and add them to the oil.  Give the whole thing a stir, then cover and let them cook for 10-15 minutes without messing with them.

2. While the onions are softening, dice your beef into 1/2 inch cubes (if you would like to make this vegetarian or if you don’t want beef in your dumplings, then omit this step and just heat your beef broth over low heat on the back burner).  Season with salt & pepper, then sear on each side over medium-high heat until they are caramelized.  Add your beef broth and dry white wine and a couple sprigs of thyme, then reduce the heat to low and let the broth & beef simmer.

3. Remove the top from the onions and stir in 1 tbs flour, leaves from 5 sprigs of thyme, 1 tsp salt & pepper, and 1/2 bouillon cube.  Re-cover and let simmer on low heat for another 10 minutes.

4. When the onions are ready, you’re ready to start building your dumplings.  Lay out a sheet of parchment paper and dip each wonton wrapper in the beef broth (this makes the wrappers easier to work with and more flavorful).  Drop a tablespoon of the onions onto each wonton and wrap the sides up into a little onion purse.  Since you’ve dipped these into the beef broth, the dumpling edges will stick perfectly.  I preferred the more traditional onions, but Boston Boy added a cube of beef to each of his- man hunger!

5. Place the dumplings into an oven-safe dish, ladle the broth over your dumplings, and top with (a lot of) shredded gruyere and swiss cheese.  For that delicious crouton (arguably the best part of french onion soup), poke a toothpick through a cube of french bread and into each dumpling.  In addition to being delicious, these are like little buoys to mark where the dumplings lie.

6. Bake at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes, then broil for a minute or until the cheese is golden.

We had tons of broth and onions left since we only made a few dumplings, so we ended up just combining everything for a delicious french onion soup- hello leftovers!   And full disclosure: we popped the Bijoulais cork about an hour before midnight.  BB says we’ll be cursed with bad french kisses for a year… I haven’t noticed yet.

Butternut Squash Soup

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Confession. Until this soup, I’d never cut, cooked, or seen the inside of a butternut squash before. It was a lot more like carving a pumpkin than cutting a vegetable. Pro tip #1: don’t try to peel it with a vegetable peeler. Pro tip #2: when skinning try to cut rectangular pieces. Pro tip #3: I recommend scooping the seeds with a spoon. Another confession. I used Rachel Ray’s veggie stock. It was very good. It was seasoned way better than your typical veggie stock.

Collect all of these ingredients:

Your spices: thyme, cayenne, 1 bay leaf, salt, pepper
4 cups of your preferred stock
1 cup water
2 average-sized butternut squashes
1 leek (just the white and light green parts!)
3 tbl Butter
1/4 cup heavy cream

Chop, seed, and skin your squash in 2-inch cubes. Put it all in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and zap it for 14 minutes (14 minutes! yes, you read correctly). Once that’s thoroughly cooked, melt butter in a large pot, add the leeks & squash, cook for 10+ minutes. Then add 2 cups of your broth, to loosen your veggie mix up. Then add the second 2 cups, 1 cup of water & your spices (a couple dashes of thyme, 1 bay leaf, a pinch of thyme). Take the heat up a few notches until you get to a simmer, once you’re simmering reduce your heat and cook until your leeks look tender. Add the mix to your blender/food processor (be careful not to excede your “no liquid above this line” line). Pulse until smooth. Bring it back to the pot and back to a simmer. Add a 1/4 cup of cream for good measure. And season with S&P ’til it tickles your tastebuds.