Browsing Tag

apple

Indian Recipes Side Dish Recipes Thanksgiving Recipes

Spice up your Thanksgiving holiday with these cranberry chutney recipes!

Cranberries really are given a bad rap. Memories of the canned version at Thanksgiving, reminiscent of jello are partially to blame, and sadly, this side dish has been discarded from many a modern Thanksgiving holiday.

We say give chutney a chance! What is chutney, exactly? Originating in India, chutney is typically defined as a sweet and spicy condiment made of fruits or vegetables, vinegar, sugar and spices. Chutney can be made with mango, apricots, tomatoes or coconut, and spiced with spices such as nutmeg, coriander, or mint, just to name a few of the thousands of ingredient variations. Typically made fresh in India, the type of chutney that is made depends on the ingredients in the local harvest, and they were often not cooked, but infused in the hot Indian sun for several days until the desired flavor and texture were reached. This method is known to still prevail in today’s Indian kitchens that do not have stoves.

Recently we’ve discovered a delightful Indian Chef by the name of Sanjay Thumma, who is quite the celebrity in India. Thousands of his recipes and videos can be found on his site here, and we especially love his version of cranberry chutney in this video. 

Cranberry Chutney

INGREDIENTS:
1 pint of fresh cranberries
3 to 4 chopped green chillies
2″ piece of ginger sliced
2 cloves of garlic chopped (optional)
3 to 4 sprigs of green coriander finely chopped
1-2 tbsp of jaggery or sugar (this is an unrefined cane sugar common in India, you may substitute with brown sugar.)
1 tsp of cumin seeds
Salt to taste
1 tbsp of oil

DIRECTIONS:- Heat some oil in the pan and add cumin seeds. When they crackle, add the sliced ginger
and chopped garlic. Then add the cranberries and green chillies.
Let it cook on medium heat until they are completely cooked and cranberries are softer. Now add the chopped coriander.
Cover the pan with a lid and let it cook. Add some water in between as needed.
Add the salt to taste and the jaggery (or brown sugar) to taste.
When completely cooked put the mixture in the blender and blend it to fine paste.

Also be sure to see our other posted cranberry chutney recipe from Chef Chef Suvir Saran of Dévi restaurant in NYC.

Also spotted in the blogosphere: a delicious cranberry apple chutney recipe here, from Think Inside The Icebox. The famous food blogger Orangette has a cranberry, ginger, and dried cherries version found here, which received rave comment reviews. Whichever recipe you choose, cranberry chutney will be a shining star on your table served as a side dish, over turkey slices, or over warm bread.

Soup Recipes Thanksgiving Recipes

Butternut squash and apple soup with Chef Keith Snow

Although winter squash can be purchased year round in markets, now is the peak squash season for most of us with gardens. When harvesting winter squash, look for heavy squash with a skin that is glossy and free from cuts or soft spots. Most winter squash (with the exceptions being acorn, dumpling, and delicata) will benefit from a curing stage, which is simply a room temperature storage for ten to twenty days.

Winter squash is high in vitamins A, C, potassium and fiber, as well as the antioxidant lutein.

(As with pumpkin, the seeds of most winter squash can be roasted for an excellent snack! Known as Pepitas in Mexico, you can make these by rinsing the pulp from the squash or pumpkin seeds and allowing them to dry. Add butter or oil to a skillet on medium low heat, add the seeds, chopped chipotles or chipotle powder, and a dash of brown sugar, and stir frequently for about 5 minutes until the seeds puff. Serve with salt and a squeeze of fresh lime. )

Now onto the recipe! Chef Keith Snow from Harvest Eating shows you how to make a hearty butternut squash soup using apples, chicken stock, fresh nutmeg, celery, and onions, garnished with chopped chives.

[pro-player width=’550′ height=’353′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkVzExp8428[/pro-player]

Chef Snow does have a full written recipe for butternut squash soup on his site which you can view here, which is slightly different from the video recipe.

We’ve transcribed the video recipe instructions as follows:

Butternut Squash Soup

1/2 diced onion
1 small diced apple
1 stalk of celery chopped
2 cups of water
fresh nutmeg, one pinch
raw butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1 garlic clove chopped
(optional: 1 tbs fresh ginger grated)
organic heavy whipping cream 1/2 cup
2 cups of organic chicken broth
3 tbsp of organic butter
chopped chives for garnish
salt
pepper

Melt butter in a saucepan, add the chopped celery, onion, garlic, ginger if desired (optional), salt, and pepper. Sweat this mixture over medium low heat while stirring for approximately 5 minutes. Add the diced apple and squash, water, and chicken stock. Simmer the mixture for 20 minutes until the squash is softened. Add the cream and a pinch of nutmeg, taste and adjust the salt and pepper as needed. Use a stick blender, and blend until smooth. Ladle into bowls, and add a dollop of chopped chives for garnish.