Turkey Day, Part II.

Now that we have the turkey under control, we have to figure out what to serve with it. If you are looking for something new, something out of the ordinary and the same old side dishes, you came to the right place. I am serving a completely different dinner, one with an Oriental twist. We need a couple of vegetable dishes, a rice dish and some salads. And since we don't eat ham, I am serving a meat dish, a very simple one that doesn't require any effort.  Getting the house ready for family and friends is effort enough. So, let's start cooking.

RICE WITH NUTS

This is a traditional recipe in our family. I remember my grandma spending what seemed to be hours literally frying the rice in butter. When I was old enough to help in the kitchen, by the age of eight, I was allowed to do the stirring of the rice. They would let me stand on the kitchen stool, to be able to reach the pot properly, hand me the big spoon and ask me to keep stirring until the rice would turn brown. It was a tedious job, and my arm would hurt for days afterwards. Of course the reward was the delicious rice that was served with "all the works": toasted nuts and sometimes raisins, sauteed chicken livers and gizzards. Since I started cooking I don't add raisins, my sister doesn't like them, and I usually stick to serving it only with nuts. Of course I figured out how to make it with less fat: for 4 cups of rice, I only use 1 tbsp butter and another tbsp oil. As usual I add something else to compensate for the fat I am taking out of the recipe: spices.

For the nuts I use almonds and pine nuts. If you want to use sliced or slivered almonds you can do that, but I always think that these almonds are not fresh enough, maybe they tend to stay for a long time on the shelf of the store, so I use raw almonds and prepare them myself. I also make more than the dish needs because by the time we sit for dinner everybody has already munched on some of the nuts. For this reason and to keep the nuts as fresh as possible, toast them just before you're plating the rice.

This is my secret recipe that I am sharing with you. You'll need:

4 cups of rice (I use long grain)                                        2 cups raw almonds

2 tbsp onion/garlic frozen mixture                                     1 cup pine nuts

1 tbsp each butter and oil (I use canola)

1/2 tsp each cinnamon and ground clove

1/8 tsp paprika

A pinch of nutmeg

Water or stock according to rice package directions

Salt to taste

Rinse the rice several times. In a nonstick pot melt the butter and oil, add the onion/garlic mixture and cook until it is completely caramelized stirring from time to time to make sure that it cooks evenly. Don't be afraid if it turns dark, that's what we want, the darker the better. This will give the rice its beautiful color. Add all the spices, stir, then add the rice. Stir for a couple of minutes to make sure that the rice is evenly coated and it is becoming brown. Add the liquid, stir, add salt and stir to combine everything and make sure that there are no small lumps of caramelized onions sitting here or there in the pot. Cover and let cook as you usually do.

In a large nonstick skillet pour 1 inch of water, add the almonds and cook over medium high heat. You'll notice that the skin of the almonds will shrivel, that's when the almonds are done. Drain the liquid and you can rinse them with cold water or let them cool until you can handle them. Remove the skin by twisting the almond between your fingertips. When all the almonds are done, use a sharp but small knife to slice them along the line separating the two lobes of the almond. Some of them will separate easily, some will need the knife.

In a nonstick skillet heat one drop of oil and add the almonds. Stir frequently until they are toasted and you'll notice that they will have a nice glaze. Remove the almonds to a dish, the toast the pine nuts in the same skillet without adding any oil to it. Stir and make sure that you don't burn them. Pine nuts brown quickly.

When the rice is done, transfer it to the serving dish and top with the nuts.

DELICIOUS BRUSSELS SPROUTS

                                                 

Why delicious? Well I have to confess that I didn't like Brussels sprouts. The first time I had them, it was in the cafeteria of our office building, and they were horrible. They probably let them cook to death until all the sulfur came out and made them stinky and grey. Then four years ago I was in a meeting held at an exclusive hotel, and the chef was standing at the main buffet table serving beef Wellington (the best I had so far). He offered me some Brussels sprouts. I told him that I didn't like them. Many of  the people around me approved. But he insisted, so I didn't want to disappoint him and took some. Of course I kept them politely on the side of my dish. Just before I finished my delicious beef, I thought :"Why not try the Brussels sprouts?" TADAA it was something out of this world: they were creamy, melted in my mouth and not smelly at all. I ran back to ask the chef for the recipe, but he was gone. To tell you the truth, I didn't think of them again, until a couple of months ago when we went to a Lebanese restaurant in Brooklyn: they served delicious caramelized Brussels sprouts with the appetizers. I asked my friend who knew the owner if we can get the recipe, but couldn't get it. I didn't think of it twice. But when I was shopping for our Thanksgiving dinner, I saw some fresh goregeous Brussels sprouts. I said to myself: " So what, let's have some". And we did. They were delicious. I warned my guests that this was the first time for me to cook them. They ate them all.

You'll need:

2 lb Brussels sprouts,  trimmed and halved lengthwise

3 tbsp olive oil (I use extra light)

2 tbsp water

1 heaping tsp granules (chicken or vegetable)

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp toasted pine nuts (I had them already for the rice)

Salt and pepper

In a large nonstick skillet heat 2 tbsp oil on medium high. Arrange half of the sprouts cut sides down. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and let cook until the cut side is browned. Push the sprouts to the sides of the skillet, and add the remaining in the center of the skillet, also cut sides down. When they are browned, toss everything together, sprinkle with the granules and drizzle with the remaining tbsp of oil. Toss again, cover and let cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Uncover, you'll see that the sprouts have a beautiful vibrant green color, drizzle with the water, stir and cover again for a couple of minutes. Uncover the skillet, toss the sprouts with the lemon juice and stir on high heat to make sure that there is no more liquid in the skillet. Adjust the seasoning while stirring to combine. While caramelized, the sprouts should be tender when pierced with a fork. Transfer to the serving dish and sprinkle with the toasted pine nuts.