Mise En Place

Mise en place (meez ahn plahs) is a French term referring to having all the ingredients necessary for a dish prepared and ready to combine up to the point of cooking.

Ingredients for Veal with capers and lemon, polenta with arugula and brussel sprouts with pistachios

If you have taken one of my classes the term will be familiar to you. I am all about the mise en place.

If you have been a guest in my home you will recognize all the little prep bowls lined up on my counters.

Everything I need is measured, chopped, squeezed and ready to cook before hand. Yes, you will have a few more bowls and dishes to wash, BUT

mise en place makes life easier and allows me to chat and visit with my students, guests, friends and family while I'm busy putting a meal together.

Try mise en place the next time you are cooking or baking. Simply measure out all the ingredients before hand and set aside. Wash and chop everything you may need to combine. Make yourself a cocktail and relax.. having everything on hand will reduce your stress, enhance your cooking experience and guarantee you don't forget to add an ingredient to the recipe.

Thanksgiving Side Dishes

Okay.

You have the turkey.

You have the stuffing recipe.

Corn - check.

Dinner Rolls - check.

Sweet Potatoes - check.

Mashed Potatoes - check.

Seems there is more starch on a Thanksgiving table than at a Chinese Laundry. But we still need more don't we?

Herewith my family favorites as contributions to the already groaning table:

Peas with Bacon, Turnips and Dill (serves 6 - 8)

1 package frozen peas (16 ounces) cooked to package directions

6 strips bacon - fried crisp and drained on a paper towel. Reserve bacon grease.

1 small turnip, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch pieces

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 teaspoons dill

Fry bacon, drain on paper towel and set aside.

In bacon fat, brown and saute the turnips until soft and golden - about 5 to 7 minutes.

Mix dill with softened butter in a small dish.

Cook peas according to package directions. Drain.

Toss the turnips into the peas, add dilled butter and stir to coat peas and turnips. Season with pepper. Crumble bacon over top and serve immediately.

Roasted Butternut Squash with Cranberries, Walnuts and Wilted Spinach (serves 6 to 8)

One butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into 1 inch cubes

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup walnuts

2 cups fresh spinach

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

Kosher Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Place the butternut squash cubes in a heavy, oven proof casserole (with a lid if you have one, if not, you will use aluminum foil).

Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat. Add the butter. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Put a lid on the casserole and place in the center of the oven. Roast for 30 minutes. Uncover and stir. Toss the walnuts and cranberries in with the squash and stir to mix around. Put back in oven and roast for another 20-30 minutes until nicely browned and soft. Stir once or twice while checking for doneness.

Remove from oven and toss in spinach leaves. Cover for 5 minutes to wilt the spinach.

Serve.

Cranberry Relish with Oranges and Walnuts:

1 package (16 ounces) fresh cranberries

1 cup water

2 small naval oranges, cut into eighths

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup (optional) Grand Marnier or other orange flavored liquor

2 tablespoons chopped walnuts, toasted

In a heavy saucepan combine cranberries, water, oranges, sugar and liquor. Cook over high heat until mixture reaches a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until cranberries begin to burst and liquid is slightly thickened. Remove from heat, transfer to bowl with lid and chill thoroughly. Top with chopped walnuts just before serving.

Pomegranate Spiced Apples: serves 6 to 8

4 Large Granny Smith Apples

1/3 cup Pomegranate Molasses

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

rind of 1 small orange (or clementine)

juice of 1 small orange (or clementine)

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Peel and core apples, then cut into wedges about 3/4 inch thick.

Melt butter in heavy saute pan. Add pomegranate molasses, then apples, toss to coat. Sprinkle orange rind and juice over apples. Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon and toss again to coat. Saute over medium heat until apples are semi soft and liquid is syrupy. Serve warm.

I chop the leftover apple mixture and add them to wild rice the next day and warm... ummm.. a yummy, sweet, nutty, side dish with leftover turkey or chicken.

Lemon Brussel Spouts with Pistachios:

One basket of brussel sprouts (about 10)

1/2 lemon, juiced and zest removed

1/4 cup shelled pistachios (unsalted if you can get them)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

Cut the bottoms off the brussel sprouts and separate all the leaves. This takes a little time but you want brussel sprout leaves, not bundles.

Heat the oil and butter in a medium saute pan. Add the brussel sprouts and saute over medium high heat. Add the lemon juice and continue to saute until sprouts are beginning to wilt. Add the lemon zest and pistachios and toss around to heat the nuts.

Season with salt and a few good grinds of pepper. (if you are using salted pistachios, omit salting or taste to test.

Serve piping hot and don't tell me you don't like brussel sprouts again.

What are you favorite side dishes?

Candlepin Bowling, Ashfield and Lemon Brussel Sprouts

After dinner one night at Martin's Cafe in Shelburne Falls (Pumpkin Martinis, Haddock Almondine, sweet potato puree, homemade ice cream).. we decided to check out the 100 year old bowling alley in town. As kids both TBHITW and I had bowled in Saturday morning leagues. But neither one of us had ever seen bowling pins or bowling balls like these.

Click to enlarge to see pins

The bowling alley shoe lady told us that back when bowling was invented there were two versions of bowling. The one we are familiar with that uses big balls with finger holes and bowling pins that look like this:

And Candlepin Bowling that uses small balls and pins that look like this:

Seems that Candlepin Bowling is a Massachusetts favorite!

Anyway, TBHITW and I decided to give it a try. What fun! You get three balls per frame and the pins don't reset between throws so you get a lot of pin action from the fallen pins. It is much harder than "regular" bowling and scores are pretty low. At least they were for TBHITW... I am happy to report that The Good Cook beat him all three games. Maybe it was the two Pumpkin Martinis with dinner?

Anyhow... the next day was MY big day - Cheesemaking Workshop with Rikki Carroll in Ashfield.

There are two distinct properties in Ashfield (population: densely settled) and if you are looking for either one you can't miss them. One is the General Store and the other is Rikki's house, home of New England Cheesemaking:

The house is eclectic and extraordinary as Rikki herself. The workshop was awesome - I learned so much and have already made several of the cheeses and some Greek style yogurt using the techniques I learned that day. I've been hinting to TBHITW that I may need a cheese cave added on in the future.. what are the odds of that happening?

Anyway, my New England postings wouldn't be complete without one more picture. This is Shelburne Falls library... if this was the library in my town I would go every day.

Brussel Sprouts get a bad rap. No one ever liked them as a kid and as adults many people still carry that distaste around with them. Brussels are all over the markets right now, fresh, bright green and packed with nutrition. Pick yourself up a basket and try them this way:

Lemon Brussel Spouts with Pistachios:

One basket of brussel sprouts (about 10)

1/2 lemon, juiced and zest removed

1/4 cup shelled pistachios (unsalted if you can get them)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

Cut the bottoms off the brussel sprouts and separate all the leaves. This takes a little time but you want brussel sprout leaves, not bundles.

Heat the oil and butter in a medium saute pan. Add the brussel sprouts and saute over medium high heat. Add the lemon juice and continue to saute until sprouts are beginning to wilt. Add the lemon zest and pistachios and toss around to heat the nuts.

Season with salt and a few good grinds of pepper. (if you are using salted pistachios, omit salting or taste to test.

Serve piping hot and don't tell me you don't like brussel sprouts again.