A selection of savoury side dishes for the Thanksgiving table, or, for any dinner this fall.
Think cheesy fennel gratin, braised greens, sweet potatoes, beets, a tempting Brussel’s sprout slaw from Ottolenghi and Daniel Costa’s amazing agrodolce squash.
Roast Beets with Fried Sage
| 4 lbs | medium beets, scrubbed |
| ½ c | oil, divided |
| kosher salt and fresh-cracked black pepper | |
| 2 med | shallots, thinly sliced |
| ¼ c | red wine vinegar |
| 6-12 leaves | fresh sage |
Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss beets with about a ¼-cup oil in a 13×9 baking dish; season with salt. Cover the bottom of the pan with water and cover tightly with foil to allow the beets to steam a bit. Roast beets until soft, about an hour.
Let beets cool, then rub off the skins. Quarter beets and transfer to a medium bowl. Add the shallots and vinegar, season and toss. Let sit for at least 10 minutes to allow shallots to soften slightly.
Heat ¼-cup oil in a small skillet over medium. Add the sage leaves and cook, watching carefully, until the leaves crisp up and start to brown, about 15 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels and let drain; season with salt.
Place the beets, shallots and any juices in a shallow bowl or platter.
Top with the fried sage leaves.
Serves 6-8 as a side dish.
Brussels Sprouts and Ginger Slaw
Adapted from a recipe by Yotam Ottolenghi.
This delightful slaw provides bright and fresh flavours in an otherwise heavy holiday meal (think mashed potatoes and gravy). Raw sprouts are a delight, use the freshest sprouts you can find, look at the farmers’ market for sprouts still on the stalk. A mandolin is a handy tool to cut all the veg the same size.
We have included Ottolenghi’s mayo recipe. You could make the dish with commercial mayonnaise, but the extra effort is worth it. The recipe makes about 2 cups of mayonnaise, more than you’ll need for the slaw, but it keeps for at least a week in the fridge and will improve any other dish that requires mayonnaise.
| 300 g | Brussels sprouts, shredded |
| 300 g | carrots, peeled and julienned |
| 70 g | ginger, peeled and julienned |
| 1 | shallot, peeled and thinly sliced |
| 2 | red chillies, deseeded and julienned |
| 100 g | Greek (thick) yogurt* |
| 10 g | coriander, chopped |
| 10 g | tarragon, chopped |
| 2 T | lime juice |
| 2 T | black sesame seeds (or white if you can’t get them) |
| 60 g | roasted and salted peanuts |
| salt |
Put the sprouts, carrots, ginger, shallot and chillies in a bowl with the yogurt and about ½- to ¾-cup, or to taste, mayonnaise. Mix together and refrigerate for up to two hours, so that the vegetables soften slightly. Remove from the fridge and mix in the herbs, lime juice and a large pinch of salt (or to taste). Spoon on to a serving dish. Lightly crush the sesame seeds and peanuts in a mortar and pestle and sprinkle over the salad.
Serves 4-6.
Yotam Ottolenghi’s Mayonnaise
| 1 | egg |
| 2½ t | Dijon mustard |
| 2 t | sugar |
| 3 cloves | garlic, peeled and crushed |
| 2 T | cider vinegar |
| 500 ml | canola oil |
| salt |
To make the mayonnaise, put the egg, mustard, sugar, garlic and vinegar in the small bowl of a food processor and add half a teaspoon of salt. With the motor running, slowly pour in the oil in a light, steady stream and whisk until combined. Keep in the fridge until needed.
* You can find the ultra-rich and thick (10 per cent fat) local Bles Wold Yogurt at the Italian Centre Shops. The extra calories are worth it for the texture.
Glazed Carrots with Orange and Star Anise
Carrots with a bit of the top left on, aka bugs bunny carrots, looks great on the plate.
| 8-12 | smallish carrots, cleaned and trimmed |
| 1 c | water, or so, depends on the size of the carrots. |
| 2 t | butter |
| 1 T | olive oil |
| zest and juice of ½ orange | |
| 1 t | salt |
| 3-4 | star anise, depending on size |
Place butter, olive oil, orange juice, zest, salt and star anise in a pan with a tight-fitting lid with the water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and add the carrots. Cook with the lid on for about 5 minutes, then simmer, lid off, until the carrots are tender and shiny and the liquid is reduced by at least half.
To serve, place the carrots on each plate and pour over the cooking liquid.
Serves 4-6 people.
Zucca Agrodolce with Mint and Chili
“I like to leave squash such as these unpeeled to heighten the flavour, texture and colour. Eat your zucca as is, or pile on a crostini.” Daniel Costa
| 1 med | delicata squash |
| 2 med | cloves garlic, thinly sliced |
| ¼ c | olive oil |
| 1 T | red wine vinegar |
| 1.5 T | white sugar |
| 1 t | dried chili flakes |
| 15 | mint leaves |
| salt |
Rinse the squash under cold water to remove any dirt. Cut off and discard both ends of each of the squash. Halve each and remove the seeds. Slice the squash into 1-inch half moons or any shape you desire.
Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan on medium-high heat. Add the squash to the pan and spread out to ensure each piece of squash is frying in oil. Cook until dark golden. Using tongs, flip each piece over, season with salt and continue cooking until just tender. Lower the heat to medium, add the garlic (try to place the sliced garlic where it will have contact with oil), vinegar, sugar and chili. Cook for an additional 2 minutes, toss a few times to ensure everything is coated. Remove from the heat. Allow to sit for 5 minutes, then toss with the mint. Serve at room temperature for maximum flavour.
Serves 6-8.
Leeks in Vinaigrette with Walnuts
A riff on the classic dish.
| 6 lg | leeks, with tough outer layer removed |
| kosher salt and fresh-cracked black pepper | |
| 1 T | coarsely chopped fresh tarragon |
| 1 c | lightly toasted walnuts |
Trim root ends of leeks and 1 inch from the dark green tops. Rinse well to remove sand. Cut leeks into ½-inch thick rounds and rinse again to remove all sand.
Cook leeks in a large pot of boiling, salted water until tender, about 12-15 minutes. Transfer to a bowl of ice water to shock and stop the cooking. Drain and pat dry.
Arrange the leeks on a platter, drizzle with vinaigrette and let sit at room temperature for at least 10 minutes. Before serving, toss the walnut pieces and tarragon over the leeks along with a good grind of black pepper.
Serves 4-6.
Vinaigrette
| ½ c | extra-virgin olive oil |
| 1 T | white wine vinegar |
| 1 clove | garlic, smashed and chopped fine |
| 1 t | Dijon mustard |
| 1 t | whole grain mustardwater |
Whisk the oil and vinegar until emulsified, whisk in the garlic and mustards until thick and creamy. Season to taste.
Braised Rainbow Chard with Bacon
The surprise is the sweet heat with the bacon.
| 2 lg bunches | rainbow chard, washed and trimmed, leaving stems on |
| 2 T | white wine vinegar or fresh lemon juice |
| 2 T | mild hot sauce such as Cholula |
| 1 t | brown sugar |
| 1 T | canola oil |
| 6 rashers | bacon, finely chopped |
| 1 lg | onion, chopped |
| 8 cloves | garlic, thinly sliced |
| kosher salt, fresh-cracked black pepper |
Tear the leaves from the ribs and stems. Tear the leaves into large pieces. Cut the stems lengthwise and then cut into longish 2-inch or so pieces.
Mix the vinegar, hot sauce and sugar in a small bowl, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Reserve.
In a large pan, cook the bacon in the oil until just starting to crisp. Add the onion and cook, until softened, 5-8 minutes. Add the garlic and chard stems; season and cook, until the stems are crisp-tender, 7-10 minutes. Add the vinegar mixture. Add the chard leaves a handful at a time, letting them wilt slightly before adding more. Cook, turning the leaves with tongs until they are quite limp. Season if needed. Turn out into a large bowl.
Serves 6-8.
Fennel Gratin
Got to have one cheesy, crunchy gratin for the Thanksgiving table. This recipe is adapted from The Barefoot Contessa by Ina Garten.
| 3-4 med | fennel bulbs |
| ½ c | chicken stock |
| ½ c | dry white wine |
| ¼ c | heavy cream |
| kosher salt and fresh-cracked black pepper | |
| 2 T | unsalted butter, diced |
Remove the stalks and outer layer from each fennel bulb and discard. Cut the bulbs in half lengthwise through the core. Remove most (but not all) of the core by cutting a V-shaped wedge, leaving the wedges intact. Cut each piece into 2-4 wedges, depending on the size of the bulb. Arrange the wedges, cut side up, in a gratin dish just large enough to hold them snugly in a single layer (in a cocotte or other baking dish). Pour the stock, wine and cream over the fennel, then sprinkle with 2 teaspoons salt and ¾-teaspoon pepper. Dot with the diced butter. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until the fennel is tender. Remove from the oven and raise the oven temperature to 425ºF.
Crunchy Topping
| 3 T | unsalted butter, melted |
| ¾ c | panko (Japanese bread crumbs) |
| 1 c | freshly grated Grana Padano cheese |
| 1 T | minced parsley |
| 1½ t | grated lemon zest |
Make the topping while the gratin is baking. Combine all the topping ingredients along with salt and pepper to taste and drizzle over the top of the gratin. Return to the oven and bake, uncovered for 30 minutes, until the topping is browned. Serve hot or warm.
Serve 4-6.
Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Onion, Dill and Caraway
Excerpted from In Good Company by Corbin Tomaszeski with Karen Geier, with permission from Figure 1 Publishing.
“Onions, dill, and caraway seeds give flavour to a lot of Polish dishes. The twist with this dish is applying those flavors to a vegetable you don’t often find on a Polish menu: sweet potato. This recipe is very easy to make but feels like a restaurant quality side thanks to a punch of anise flavour from the caraway seeds.” –Corbin Tomaszeski
| 3 | sweet potatoes or yams, peeled and sliced |
| ½ sm | white onion, thinly sliced |
| 2 T | extra virgin olive oil |
| 2 T | caraway seeds, toasted |
| salt and pepper, to taste | |
| 6 sprigs | dill, finely chopped |
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
In a large bowl, combine sweet potatoes (or yams), onions, oil and caraway seeds and season with salt and pepper. Mix well.
Spread mixture on a baking sheet and roast for 30-40 minutes, until lightly browned and tender. Season with salt and pepper.
Transfer sweet potatoes to a serving platter. Garnish with chopped dill and serve.
Serves 4.