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Thanksgiving Vegetable Tips
By Charlie Burke
Printer friendly version with all recipes
A friend recently referred to Thanksgiving as “the holiday of mushy
vegetables”, and, unfortunately, this is frequently true. Previous generations
cooked vegetables until they were soft, and this prolonged cooking not only
resulted in an unappetizing texture but also ruined the flavor of many.
Cabbage, for example, has a sweet and mild taste when briefly sautéed in
butter until just tender and bears no resemblance to the mushy overcooked
version which permeated homes with its unpleasant odor. The same is true of
all members of the cabbage family and turnips, and overcooking is probably
responsible for many growing up disliking broccoli, cauliflower and other
flavorful vegetables.
I first discovered that butternut squash, steamed until slightly undercooked
by usual standards and pulsed in a food processor until finely chopped, had
a lighter, sweeter flavor, and our sons actually ate it!
Now, I “undercook” carrots, squash, parsnips and all members of the
cabbage family and find they just taste better this way. I’m not talking about
the barely cooked crunchy green beans of the “nouvelle cuisine” fad; rather,
vegetables are cooked until they are no longer hard, meaning medium
resistance is met when they are pierced with a thin knife or a fork. I err on the
side of undercooking, because cooking will continue from retained heat, and,
because this technique is ideal for doing ahead, reheating will then result in
the correct texture.
To illustrate this technique, recipes for pureed cauliflower and carrots and for
Brussels sprouts braised with garlic and balsamic vinegar are given, but both
approaches are appropriate for many other vegetables.
For holidays or when entertaining, I do vegetables ahead, leaving them on
the stove if they are to be served within a couple of hours and refrigerating if
done a day or two ahead. For the holidays, doing them ahead frees you to
concentrate on them without distraction and lessens the work on the actual
day.
Cauliflower and Carrot Puree: 4 – 6 servings
1 large head of cauliflower, washed and cut or broken into equal size pieces
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces (cut upper part in half
lengthwise if it is thick)
2 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup water
Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add butter and, when it is melted,
add water, carrots and cauliflower, shaking pan to coat vegetables with
butter. Lower heat so that water is simmering and cover pan. Check after 5
minutes and then every couple of minutes and remove from heat when
cauliflower is slightly softened but some resistance is met when inserting a
knife tip.
Pour vegetables, salt, pepper and any liquid into a food processor and pulse
until vegetables are nearly smooth, but tiny fragments are still seen (see
photo). Add additional salt, pepper and butter to taste.
Braised Brussels Sprouts with Garlic and Balsamic Vinegar: 4-6 servings
1 ½ pound Brussels sprouts, stems and dark outer leaves removed (halve
larger sprouts)
3 tablespoons butter or extra virgin olive oil, or a mixture of the two
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped (optional)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup water
Salt and freshly ground pepper taste
Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add oil or butter. When oil is
shimmering or butter foaming, add Brussels sprouts and garlic and cook,
stirring for 2-3 minutes. Add water and salt and pepper, lower heat to low –
medium and cover pan. Cook, covered for 8-10 minutes then check. Again,
remove from heat when moderate resistance is met when sprouts are pierced.
If in doubt, taste one of the larger ones. Add more butter, salt or pepper, if
needed.
Try these techniques, where shorter cooking times preserve the true flavors of
these great fall vegetables. They are available locally now, and will reward a
little vigilance during cooking with great results. We have had friends say
they never knew that Brussels sprouts had such mild flavor and that for the
first time they had enjoyed eating them. Experiment with other vegetables.
Carrots or parsnips, either combined or cooked individually, are two of my
favorites pureed. In addition to the great flavor these recipes produce, being
able to prepare the vegetables a day or so before Thanksgiving really lessens
the work on the holiday.
A few quick tips for making outstanding mashed potatoes:
Use Yukon Gold potatoes, which already have a buttery richness. Place them
unpeeled into a pot and just cover with salted cold water (leaving the peels
on prevents them from becoming watery). Bring to a boil and cook until just
soft. Drain the potatoes and let cool briefly.
Warm a small pan of milk – do not let it boil. Using an oven mitt or towel to
hold the potatoes, remove peels. Return potatoes to pot and heat for a few
minutes over low-medium heat to remove moisture. Pass potatoes through a
ricer or mash by hand (never use a processor which results in a gummy
paste). With pot over low heat, mix in butter to taste before adding any milk;
this is important because it permits the fat to uniformly adhere to the starch.
Add warmed milk, stirring until desired consistency is reached, and add salt
and pepper to taste. The drier potatoes resulting from cooking them with
skin on, adding the butter before the milk and not cooling them with cold
milk are the keys to making these flavorful, light and fluffy potatoes. This is
one vegetable that does not reheat well, so mashed potatoes should be
cooked just before dinner.
With little effort, using these techniques, our great local fall vegetables can be
prepared to be worthy partners for the turkey, dressing and gravy on this
great family day. We hope these tips will enhance your holiday feast, and we
wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving!
About the author:
An organic farmer and avid cook, writer Charlie Burke is the vice president of
the New Hampshire Farmer'sMarket Association, president of the NH Farm
to Restaurant Connection and helps run the Sanbornton (NH) Farmers'
Market. Along with his wife, Joanne, Charlie grows certified organic herbs,
greens and berries at Weather Hill Farm in Sanbornton, NH.
By Charlie Burke
Printer friendly version with all recipes
A friend recently referred to Thanksgiving as “the holiday of mushy
vegetables”, and, unfortunately, this is frequently true. Previous generations
cooked vegetables until they were soft, and this prolonged cooking not only
resulted in an unappetizing texture but also ruined the flavor of many.
Cabbage, for example, has a sweet and mild taste when briefly sautéed in
butter until just tender and bears no resemblance to the mushy overcooked
version which permeated homes with its unpleasant odor. The same is true of
all members of the cabbage family and turnips, and overcooking is probably
responsible for many growing up disliking broccoli, cauliflower and other
flavorful vegetables.
I first discovered that butternut squash, steamed until slightly undercooked
by usual standards and pulsed in a food processor until finely chopped, had
a lighter, sweeter flavor, and our sons actually ate it!
Now, I “undercook” carrots, squash, parsnips and all members of the
cabbage family and find they just taste better this way. I’m not talking about
the barely cooked crunchy green beans of the “nouvelle cuisine” fad; rather,
vegetables are cooked until they are no longer hard, meaning medium
resistance is met when they are pierced with a thin knife or a fork. I err on the
side of undercooking, because cooking will continue from retained heat, and,
because this technique is ideal for doing ahead, reheating will then result in
the correct texture.
To illustrate this technique, recipes for pureed cauliflower and carrots and for
Brussels sprouts braised with garlic and balsamic vinegar are given, but both
approaches are appropriate for many other vegetables.
For holidays or when entertaining, I do vegetables ahead, leaving them on
the stove if they are to be served within a couple of hours and refrigerating if
done a day or two ahead. For the holidays, doing them ahead frees you to
concentrate on them without distraction and lessens the work on the actual
day.
Cauliflower and Carrot Puree: 4 – 6 servings
1 large head of cauliflower, washed and cut or broken into equal size pieces
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces (cut upper part in half
lengthwise if it is thick)
2 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup water
Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add butter and, when it is melted,
add water, carrots and cauliflower, shaking pan to coat vegetables with
butter. Lower heat so that water is simmering and cover pan. Check after 5
minutes and then every couple of minutes and remove from heat when
cauliflower is slightly softened but some resistance is met when inserting a
knife tip.
Pour vegetables, salt, pepper and any liquid into a food processor and pulse
until vegetables are nearly smooth, but tiny fragments are still seen (see
photo). Add additional salt, pepper and butter to taste.
Braised Brussels Sprouts with Garlic and Balsamic Vinegar: 4-6 servings
1 ½ pound Brussels sprouts, stems and dark outer leaves removed (halve
larger sprouts)
3 tablespoons butter or extra virgin olive oil, or a mixture of the two
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped (optional)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup water
Salt and freshly ground pepper taste
Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add oil or butter. When oil is
shimmering or butter foaming, add Brussels sprouts and garlic and cook,
stirring for 2-3 minutes. Add water and salt and pepper, lower heat to low –
medium and cover pan. Cook, covered for 8-10 minutes then check. Again,
remove from heat when moderate resistance is met when sprouts are pierced.
If in doubt, taste one of the larger ones. Add more butter, salt or pepper, if
needed.
Try these techniques, where shorter cooking times preserve the true flavors of
these great fall vegetables. They are available locally now, and will reward a
little vigilance during cooking with great results. We have had friends say
they never knew that Brussels sprouts had such mild flavor and that for the
first time they had enjoyed eating them. Experiment with other vegetables.
Carrots or parsnips, either combined or cooked individually, are two of my
favorites pureed. In addition to the great flavor these recipes produce, being
able to prepare the vegetables a day or so before Thanksgiving really lessens
the work on the holiday.
A few quick tips for making outstanding mashed potatoes:
Use Yukon Gold potatoes, which already have a buttery richness. Place them
unpeeled into a pot and just cover with salted cold water (leaving the peels
on prevents them from becoming watery). Bring to a boil and cook until just
soft. Drain the potatoes and let cool briefly.
Warm a small pan of milk – do not let it boil. Using an oven mitt or towel to
hold the potatoes, remove peels. Return potatoes to pot and heat for a few
minutes over low-medium heat to remove moisture. Pass potatoes through a
ricer or mash by hand (never use a processor which results in a gummy
paste). With pot over low heat, mix in butter to taste before adding any milk;
this is important because it permits the fat to uniformly adhere to the starch.
Add warmed milk, stirring until desired consistency is reached, and add salt
and pepper to taste. The drier potatoes resulting from cooking them with
skin on, adding the butter before the milk and not cooling them with cold
milk are the keys to making these flavorful, light and fluffy potatoes. This is
one vegetable that does not reheat well, so mashed potatoes should be
cooked just before dinner.
With little effort, using these techniques, our great local fall vegetables can be
prepared to be worthy partners for the turkey, dressing and gravy on this
great family day. We hope these tips will enhance your holiday feast, and we
wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving!
About the author:
An organic farmer and avid cook, writer Charlie Burke is the vice president of
the New Hampshire Farmer'sMarket Association, president of the NH Farm
to Restaurant Connection and helps run the Sanbornton (NH) Farmers'
Market. Along with his wife, Joanne, Charlie grows certified organic herbs,
greens and berries at Weather Hill Farm in Sanbornton, NH.
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