Health & Fitness

00D

Sides For 10 00. Or 20

Thanksgiving sides dishes will make your holiday feast delightful.

Annabel Cohen
Special to the Jewish News

T

hanksgiving (Nov. 22) is the feast
of all feasts. There's the turkey,
and the all-important side dishes.
Here's where my rule of 10 fits. If I'm
serving only two side dishes (preposter-
ous, I know), then a recipe for 8-10 is
plenty for my table of 10.
If I'm serving, say, six dishes (my aver-
age), I won't need to make as much since
people may not eat every side dish or as
large a portion of each one. I'll plan for
only eight diners, even though I may have
10. Thus, six dishes times eight diners
equals 48 side-dish servings — instead
of 60.
If I'm serving 16-20 people (which is
all the time), under this rule I don't have
to quite double recipes intended to serve
8-10. You get the idea.
This rule of making a little bit less is
broken when you're preparing your fami-
ly's absolute favorite dish — in which case
you may have to triple the recipe!
The following side dishes and desserts
each serves 8-10. They're easy, can mostly
be prepared ahead of time and will fit in
with your tried-and-true beloved staples.

One-Step Roasted Vegetables
with Dill and Horseradish

2 lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into
1 1/2-inch pieces
2 lbs. Brussels sprouts, trimmed and
halved, if large
1 lb. parsnips, peeled and cut diago-
nally into 1 1/2-inch slices
1 lb. carrots, peeled and cut diago-
nally into 1 1/2-inch slices
1 cup chopped onions
'A cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. minced garlic
2 Tbsp. horseradish, drained
2 Tbsp. white balsamic vinegar
1 /3 cup minced fresh dill
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
to taste
Toss all ingredients, except dill, salt and
pepper, together in a large roasting pan.
Cover with foil and roast for 40 minutes,
turning once during cooking. Remove foil
and roast for 30 minutes more. Toss with
dill, salt and pepper to taste. Makes 8-12
servings.

Broccoli Rapini and
Red Pepper Saute
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 cup chopped shallots
1 red bell pepper, ends removed, cut
into thin strips
2 Tbsp. grated fresh orange peel or
zest
11/2 pounds broccoli crowns, cut into
florets
1 1/2 pounds rapini (broccoli rabe), cut
into 1-inch pieces
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. sesame seeds, garnish,
optional
Heat olive oil and shallots in a large
deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium-
high heat. When the oil begins to sizzle,
sauté the shallots for 2 minutes. Add
orange zest, red pepper broccoli and rapi-
ni. Cover and cook for 3 minutes. Turn the
vegetables, cover and cook for 3 minutes
more. Season with salt and pepper to taste,
sprinkle the soy sauce over and toss with
sesame seeds, if using. Serve hot or chill
and reheat on high in the microwave oven
(in a covered container) for 6 minutes
before serving. Makes 8-12 servings.

Roasted Maple
Glazed Baby Carrots
2 lbs. baby carrots with stems (not
peeled, ready-to-eat carrots), peeled
and green tops trimmed to 11/2 inches
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 /4 cup real maple syrup
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
Kosher salt to taste
Preheat the oven to 425E Combine all
ingredients in a large roasting pan or
disposable aluminum pan. Cover with foil
and cook for 15 minutes. Remove foil, gen-
fly toss the vegetables and roast uncovered
for 20-30 minutes more, until the carrots
are tender.
Roast in middle of oven, stirring once,
until barely tender, about 20 minutes.
Raise heat to broil and broil the vegetables
(do not raise shelf), until lightly charred
in some areas. Cover and keep warm until
ready to serve. Makes 8-10 servings.

Garlic, Ginger, Pear and
Cilantro Jasmine Pilaf
This may not sound very Thanksgiving,
but the flavors are wonderful and, though

not traditionally American, compliment the
meal perfectly.
3 cups jasmine rice
3 Tbsp. olive oil, plus 2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 /3 cup finely chopped peeled fresh
ginger
11/2 Tbsp. minced garlic
5 cups chicken broth
1 ripe pear, any variety, peeled and
chopped
2 cups fresh chopped cilantro
Rinse rice well in a colander and drain.
Heat 3 Tbsp. oil in a large saucepan over
medium-high heat. Add ginger and garlic
and sauté for 1 minute. Add rice and cook,
stirring frequently, for 1 minute more. Stir
in broth and salt and bring to boil. Reduce
heat to simmer, cover and cook until rice
is tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from
heat and let stand for 10 minutes and trans-
fer to a large bowl.
Stir in the remaining olive oil, chopped
pear and season to taste with salt and pep-
per. Keep warm until ready to serve. Just
before serving, toss with cilantro and serve
(may be made earlier and reheated in the
microwave, covered, on high for 10 min-
utes). Makes 8-12 servings.

Wheat Berry Salad with
Dried Cherries and Nuts
Wheat berries are chewy and satisfying.
2 cups wheat berries.
6 cups water
1 /4 cup olive oil
Juice of 1 orange
Grated peel of 1 orange
1 /2 cup fresh chopped parsley
1/2cup fresh chopped chives or scal-
lions
1 cup dried cherries, cranberries or
golden raisins
1 cup lightly toasted chopped walnuts,
pecans or pinenuts
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
Combine wheat berries and water in
a large saucepan over high heat. Bring to
a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the
wheat berries are tender (they will never
be soft). Note: you may need to add more
water if it evaporates during cooking. Drain
the wheat berries, if needed (do not rinse).
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and
toss well. Adjust salt and pepper to taste
and serve at room temperature or chilled.
Makes 8-12 servings.

Sweet Potato Puree with
Sweet Crumb Topping
Potatoes:
4 pounds sweet potatoes or yams
2 Tbsp. olive oil, butter or margarine
Finely grated peel from 1/2 orange
1 /2 tsp. ground cinnamon
Salt to taste
Ground white pepper to taste
Topping:
1 /2 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 /2cup chopped pecans or walnuts
IA cup brown sugar
6 Tbsp. vegetable oil, butter or marga-
rine
Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a casserole
or large baking dish with nonstick cooking
spray. Set aside.
Pierce whole potatoes in several places
with a fork. Place the potatoes on the top
oven rack and place a baking sheet below
the potatoes. Bake the potatoes until very
tender, about 1 hour or more (if the pota-
toes are not tender, they will not mash
well).
Remove the potatoes from the oven and
allow to cool enough to handle. Cut the
potatoes into very thick slices and peel
off the skins with a small knife and your
fingers. Transfer the peeled potatoes to
a large mixing bowl. Mash or whip the
potatoes until as smooth as you like. Add
the remaining ingredients and transfer the
potatoes to the prepared baking dish.
Combine all topping ingredients in a
small bowl and stir well.
Sprinkle the topping over the potatoes
and bake until very hot and the topping
is golden. Serve immediately. Makes 8-12
servings.

Cranberry Blueberry
and Cranberry Sauce
2 cups pomegranate juice
1 cup dried blueberries
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup sugar
1 package (about 12 oz.) fresh cran-
berries
Combine all ingredients in a large sauce-
pan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil
and cook until cranberries burst, stirring
occasionally, about 10-12 minutes. Remove
from heat. Cool and chill until ready to use
(may be made up to a week in advance).
Makes 8-12 servings.

November 15 • 2007

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