VERMONT COOKING: Savory Side Dishes for the Holidays

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IN THE FARMHOUSE KITCHEN:
Savory Side Dishes
For Your Thanksgiving Feast

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Holiday Side Dishes

Brussels Sprouts with Lemon-Mushroom Sauce

1 box frozen baby Brussels sprouts
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp. mushroom powder
1 tsp. butter
Freshly ground pepper
1 bouillon cube
Scant 1/2 cup water
Heavy cream
In a saucepan, place all ingredients except sprouts and cream. Bring to a boil. Add the sprouts and bring to a second boil, cover pan, reduce heat and simmer gently 5 to 7 minutes. A minute or two before sprouts are tender, stir in enough heavy cream to give the sauce body. Finish cooking uncovered; do not over-cook. (Salt is not necessary.)

Green Beans with Almonds

6 Tbsp. butter
1/4 cup slivered, blanched almonds
1 lb. cooked French-cut beans
Melt butter in a skillet. Add almonds and allow them to saute gently in the butter. Add French-cut beans, mix well with almonds, and correct the seasoning. Serve at once.
Serves 4.

Mashed Sour Cream Beets

12 fresh beets
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 medium size sweet pepper, minced
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 cup sour cream
Garlic
Buttered fresh bread crumbs
Boil beets until tender. (Takes longer than you think.) Press through ricer. Add seasonings and sour cream. Pour into baking dish that has been rubbed with garlic. Cover with buttered crumbs. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
Serves 8.

Hot Herb Bread

4 ounces sweet butter
2 tsp. finely chopped onions
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh tarragon
1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1/4 tsp. powdered sage
1/4 tsp. powdered rosemary
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. fresh black pepper
1/2 tsp. French mustard
1 loaf small square rye bread, sliced
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Beat butter until very light and fluffy. Add all seasonings, mixing well. Spread evenly between slices of rye bread. Wrap in foil and heat 10 minutes. Serve hot.

Holiday Sweet Potatoes

6 large sweet potatoes, cooked
1 cup sugar Pinch salt
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1 cup milk
1/8 tsp. ginger
8 oranges
1/3 cup broken pecans or walnuts
1/3 cup butter, melted
Maraschino cherries
Peel the cooked potatoes and whip them until all lumps have disappeared. Add all remaining ingredients except the oranges, nuts, and cherries. Halve the oranges, remove fruit, and stuff the shells with potato filling. Top with nuts and cherries and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. These may be prepared ahead and frozen.
Yield: 16.

Pumpkin Fritters

1/4 lb. butter
1/2 cup sugar 1 egg 1/2 tsp. vanilla 1/2 lb. pumpkin, cooked
1 Tbsp. flour
1 in. cooking oil in skillet
Maple syrup
Cream butter and sugar, add egg and vanilla. When cooled, mash the steamed pumpkin (canned could be used) and add it to the creamed mixture with 1 tablespoon flour. Heat 1 inch oil in heavy frying pan and drop pumpkin batter into it by spoonful. Fry until golden brown on all sides. Drain on paper towels. Serve hot with maple syrup.
Serves 3 or 4.

Mushroom Soup

2 cans consomme
1 1/2 cans water
Slice of lemon
6 whole cloves
1 cup chopped mushrooms
2 Tbsp. butter
2 green onions, minced
2 Tbsp. sherry
Salt and Accent
1 cup sour cream
Simmer consomme, water, lemon, and cloves for 5 minutes. Strain. Saute mushrooms and onions in butter for 7-8 minutes. Add to consomme and puree the whole mixture in blender. Season to taste with salt and Accent. (This much may be done ahead and refrigerated or frozen.) Just before serving, add sherry and beat in sour cream. This makes a creamy, delicious soup. If you prefer to serve the soup clear, float a spoonful of whipped cream on top. Sour cream will not float.
Serves 6.

Rice With Almonds

3 Tbsp. butter
3 cups long grain rice
6 cups chicken broth
Salt and pepper
1 cup thinly sliced almonds
In a heavy saucepan, saute rice in butter, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes or until rice is golden. Add chicken broth and salt and pepper to taste; cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and cook 15 minutes, or until broth is absorbed and rice is tender. Saute almonds in 2 tablespoons of butter until crisp. Stir into rice.
Serves 12.

Sorrel Soup

1 jar (10 ounces) cooked sorrel
4 Tbsp. butter
1 small onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
6 white peppercorns
2 bay leaves
2 whole cloves
1 quart chicken broth (fresh or canned)
3 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced
Salt
2 cups light cream
3 egg yolks
In large saucepan saute onion and celery in butter until soft. Add peppercorns, bay leaves, cloves, broth, potatoes and salt. Cover and simmer until potatoes are tender. Remove bay leaf. Add sorrel. Puree in blender or rub through sieve. Whip in egg yolks and cream which have been beaten together. Short cut: Substitute 1 cup mashed potato (instant) and simmer with broth and seasonings for 10 minutes, then proceed as above. Serve in hot cups.
Serves 8.

Spiced plums
1 1-lb., 14-ounce can purple plums
2 Tbsp. light raisins,chopped fine
2 Tbsp. blanched almonds, chopped fine
1 Tbsp. corn syrup
3-in. piece of cinnamon stick
4 whole cloves
2 Tbsp. cider vinegar
Drain and pit plums. Reserve 1 cup syrup. Keep the plums whole. Combine raisins, almonds and corn syrup and stuff the plums. Arrange them in a shallow baking dish. In a small saucepan put the reserved plum syrup, cinnamon stick, cloves, and vinegar. Boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, cool a bit and pour over plums. Refrigerate covered, overnight or at least 8 hours.
Serves 12.

Spinach and Rice

2 medium onions, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1 lb. spinach
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup raw rice, washed
Salt and pepper Saute onions in 2 tablespoons olive oil. Wash spinach and drain well. Put onions, spinach, and broth in a pot with remaining olive oil and bring to a boil. Add rice, stir, add salt and pepper to taste, and allow to simmer for 25 minutes, or until rice has absorbed broth and is tender and fluffy when stirred.
Serves 6.

Spinach on Artichoke Bottoms

1 can large artichoke hearts
1 lb. fresh mushrooms
2 Tbsp. butter
4 packages frozen spinach
1 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup milk
Garlic powder, salt, pepper to taste
Sour cream
Lemon juice
Line a shallow glass baking dish with large artichoke hearts, well-drained. Clean mushrooms, keeping caps whole and chopping the stems. Saute stems in butter and put aside. Cook and drain spinach. Make a roux of flour and butter. Add milk and stir to make cream sauce. Combine spinach, chopped mushrooms and cream sauce, and season to taste. Spoon creamed spinach over artichoke bottoms. Decorate top of spinach with whole mushroom caps topped with daub of sour cream mixed with a little lemon juice. Bake in 375 degrees oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Can be prepared ahead and baked 20 minutes before serving.
Serves 6.

Steamed Cranberry Pudding

2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup boiling water
1 1/3 cups sifted flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 cup fresh cranberries
Add soda to molasses in a small bowl and stir in boiling water. Sift flour again with baking powder and combine with molasses mixture. Mix the cranberries lightly with 1 or 2 tablespoons of flour and mix into batter.
Use a small decorative mold with tight fitting lid. Grease mold well and sprinkle with sugar; fill with cranberry mixture to only 2/3 full. Place on a trivet in a steamer or heavy kettle over an inch of boiling water. Cover tightly and steam over high heat until steam begins to escape. Lower flame and cook about 2 hours.
Serves 6.