Good morning, November friends. Before you get too immersed in holiday fare, please listen to the longings of our good friend T. Square. He begins by saying that "honey and garlic are my favorite things.
"Here's what I am looking for: recipes for pearl onions for Thanksgiving dinner. Also, where to find frozen pearl onions. They can be hard to find. Second, I read long ago a recipe for caramelizing onions in the crock pot, and I want to try it this year. That is a very different use for onions, and a very different size of onion. Finally, how do you roast garlic (cloves? heads?) in olive oil to use as a spread for sourdough bread?"
A final request: Don't forget to add your recipes to our new collection of ideas for holiday menus. So far, your favorite ingredients have been Brussels sprouts, butternut squash, black rice and pomegranate seeds. That is a fine start, but you there, reading this: Your contribution is needed.
SALMON ON A STICK
It's been a while since we have featured a treasure from the food blog of former Chattanoogan Emily Cullum Maguire. You can find her at tasteabundanceblog.com or on Instagram.
She described a recent creation as "mouthwatering and as simple as they come. You may look at these soy-glazed salmon kebabs and think otherwise, but they are deceivingly easy. Between the simplicity and incredible flavors, this dish has it all -- making it quickly become a staple in my house."
(READ MORE: Parmesan adds texture, flavor to this salmon dish)
Soy-Glazed Salmon Kebabs
1 pound salmon
1 red bell pepper
1 orange bell pepper
1/2 onion
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 tablespoon minced ginger
2 tablespoons water
1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
First dice your salmon, peppers and onion into similar-size cubes. Assemble the kebabs by alternating the salmon, peppers and onions however you want.
Once the kebabs are assembled, heat a skillet to medium, and set aside the kebabs for now.
To make the sauce: Add the soy sauce, rice vinegar, maple syrup or honey, sesame oil, garlic and ginger to a bowl, and combine. Combine the cold water and cornstarch in a separate bowl for the slurry. Add the slurry to the sauce, and pour into a saucepan. Heat on medium heat, while cooking the kebabs, stirring occasionally.
Add the kebabs to your heated skillet, and sear for 5 minutes a side. Once fully cooked, remove and add the completed sauce atop the kebabs. Serve with rice.
Prep time: 20 minutes. Cook time: 15 minutes. Makes 2 servings.
HOLIDAY SIDE
Tim Threadgill recommended this holiday side, which he will prepare alongside his son. He wrote, "The pomegranate pearls and molasses should play well against any remaining Brussels sprout bitterness, and I foresee this being on our Thanksgiving menu this year. It does have a five-star rating on the Cook's Illustrated website. There are recipes for pomegranate molasses on the web, but it may be purchased online and our local Whole Foods has it."
He adds these tips for best results:
› "Look for Brussels sprouts that are similar in size, with small, tight heads that are no more than 1 1/2 inches in diameter, as they're likely to be sweeter and more tender than larger sprouts."
› "To create stovetop Brussels sprouts that were deeply browned on the cut sides while still bright green on the uncut sides and crisp-tender within, we started the sprouts in a cold skillet with plenty of oil and cooked them covered. This gently heated the sprouts and created a steamy environment that cooked them through without adding any extra moisture. We then removed the lid and continued to cook the sprouts cut sides down, so they had time to develop a substantial, caramelized crust. Using enough oil to completely coat the skillet ensured that all the sprouts made full contact with the fat to brown evenly from edge to edge."
(READ MORE: How to make the crunchiest, creamiest, tangiest Brussels sprouts)
Skillet-Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Pomegranate and Pistachios
1 pound small (1 to 1 1/2 inches in diameter) Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt
1⁄4 cup shelled pistachios, toasted and chopped fine
2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds
Arrange Brussels sprouts in single layer, cut sides down, in a 12-inch nonstick skillet. Drizzle oil evenly over sprouts. Cover skillet, place over medium-high heat and cook until sprouts are bright green and cut sides have started to brown, about 5 minutes.
Uncover and continue to cook until cut sides of sprouts are deeply and evenly browned and paring knife slides in with little or no resistance, 2 to 3 minutes longer, adjusting heat and moving sprouts as necessary to prevent them from overbrowning. While sprouts cook, combine molasses, cumin and ¼ teaspoon salt in a small bowl.
Off heat, add molasses mixture to skillet, and stir to evenly coat sprouts. Season with salt to taste. Transfer sprouts to large plate, sprinkle with pistachios and pomegranate seeds and serve.
Makes 4 servings. Time: 20 minutes.
COOKING TIP
This tip for Brussels sprouts came from the kitchen of Jenny Hopkins.
"Regarding the question about glazed Brussels sprouts, I would think the sprouts need to first be roasted before adding a glaze. They'll crisp up nicely with just a little bit of olive oil and an oven temperature of 375 to 400 degrees. Save the glaze toward the end."
TAILGATE STAPLE
Joe Jumper continues to share hospitable recipes, and this one comes commended as "a super easy, delicious recipe, perfect for a football-watching, partying crowd. I was in the mood to make it tonight, so taking this one into the Clay Pot tomorrow."
Joe's Hot Sausage Dip
1 pound ground sausage
1 (10-ounce) can original Ro-tel, drained
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
3 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, divided
Heat oven at 350 degrees. Cook sausage in a large skillet, and drain well. In mixing bowl, stir together cooked sausage, drained Ro-tel, softened cream cheese and 2 cups shredded cheese. Spoon into a lightly greased 1-quart baking dish. Sprinkle 1 cup shredded cheese on top. Bake for 35 minutes or until bubbly. Serve with Scoops corn chips.
Here endeth the reading, but only for seven days.
REQUESTS
-- Pearl onions (where to find them, how to prepare them)
-- Caramelizing onions in the crock pot
-- Roasting garlic in olive oil
-- Ideas for holiday menus
TO REACH US
Fare Exchange is a longtime meeting place for people who love to cook and love to eat. We welcome both your recipes and your requests. Be sure to include precise instructions for every recipe you send, and know we cannot test the recipes printed here.
• Mailing address: Jane Henegar, 913 Mount Olive Road, Lookout Mountain, GA 30750
• Email: chattfare@gmail.com