Cookish: Thanksgiving

Here's a favorite Thanksgiving side dish, introduced to me by one of my college roommates. Who needs marshmallows? This is the best sweet potato casserole you'll ever have.

Sweet Potato Casserole

Filling:
1 40-oz can of sweet potatoes, drained.
1/2 stick butter, softened (original recipe called for 1 stick, but I think it is overkill)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup evaporated milk
3 eggs, well-beaten
2 tsp vanilla
cinnamon, to taste

Topping:
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup pecans (I rough-chop mine)
1 stick butter

Mix together filling ingredients (I use a potato masher for this). Spread in a 9 x 13 pan. Combine the topping ingredients with a fork, pastry cutter, or your fingers and sprinkle on top of the casserole. Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour.

Easy and delicious!

Cookish: Side Dish!

Corn.

'Tis the season, folks. Let's not get into how corn is in nearly EVERY SINGLE THING we eat and is kind of evil...fresh corn on the cob is still delish.

My new favorite way to cook it? Courtesy of Tyler Florence.

You just stick the cobs in their husks in the oven and roast away. That's it. No boiling a pot of water. You don't even need a pan, people. It's a beautiful thing.

It comes out so delicious. You can make yourself a fancy compound butter, or use some lime and chile, or just slap some butter on there and eat it. Use the husk as the holder once you peel it back.

That, my friends, is the taste of summer.

Cookish: Side Dish

Easy "refried" beans

Oil

2 tbs trinity*

salt

pepper

cumin

chile powder

1 can black beans or pinto beans

chicken stock

For an easy side dish to a Mexican meal, it is hard to beat these beans. Add a small amount of oil (or bacon grease, in you're feeling indulgent) to a skillet with the trinity and sweat the veggies. When soft, add salt, pepper, cumin, and chili powder to taste. (I usually do just a couple of shakes of the spices). Drain and rinse your beans and add to the skillet with a splash of chicken stock (or water). Smash about half of the beans to create a creamy consistency. Cover and simmer on low for 10-20 minutes to develop the flavors.

*Trinity is a New Orleans cooking staple consisting of green bell pepper, celery, and onion. The French have their version, mire poix, which substitutes carrot for the bell pepper. I make a big batch, chopping all of the veggies together, and then freeze the extra, so I can use it in recipes like this (In our grocery stores, you can also buy it pre-chopped in the refrigerated section or in the frozen section). If you don't have it on hand, you can just use a small amount of chopped onion or onion and celery, or onion and a jalepeno for some spice. It adds a lot of bang for your buck--you'd be surprised the flavor even a small amount can generate

Cookish: Side Dish

Mexican Rice

I in no way claim this is authentic, but it's pretty yummy and seems somewhat similar to the rice you'd get in a Mexican restaurant.

butter or oil

1 cup long-grain rice

1 packet Goya Sazon con achiote y cilantro

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp chili powder

1 carrot, peeled and sliced

3/4 cup chicken broth

3 tbs tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes

1 bay leaf

1/2 cup frozen peas

Put enough oil/butter into a saucepan to coat the bottom. Add in the rice and seasonings and toast over medium-high heat for a few minutes Add the carrot, chicken broth, tomato, bay leaf and peas. Cover and bring to a boil. Turn down to low and simmer for 20 minutes. If it is still a little liquidy, put a dishtowel between the pot lid and the pot and let sit, covered, off the heat for 5 minutes or until ready to serve. Fluff with a fork.

Cookish: What's for dinner?

Colcannon

This recipe is adapted from Darina Allen's Ballymaloe Cooking School CookbookIB

3 large baking potatoes

1/2 head of cabbage

2 garlic cloves, slightly crushed

1 cup milk*

salt and pepper

butter

Peel potatoes and cut into quarters. Put in a large pot and cover with water. Add some salt. Cover, and while the water is coming to a boil, remove the core from the cabbage and shred thinly. When shredded, add to a steamer basket suspended over the boiling potatoes. If you do not have a steamer set-up like this, you can steam in the microwave in a covered bowl with a very small amount of water. In the meantime, put the milk in a small saucepan with the garlic and warm over medium-low heat. Keep an eye on the cabbage--it will likely be tender before the potatoes are done. When the cabbage is tender, toss with salt, pepper, and butter. When the potatoes are done, drain and mash with the warm milk. Add salt and pepper. Stir in the cabbage and add a little more butter. Yum!

*I only keep skim milk in the house, but I had a small amount of whipping cream, so I mixed the two. Use whatever milk you usually use for mashed potatoes.