Harmons Chef Casey Bowthrope is mixing up the traditional Thanksgiving meal and making instead some unique and delicious sides. Check out some of the great ideas below:
Savory Caramel Carrots
Serves: 6
Ingredients:
2 tablespoon butter
1 small shallot, chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped
6 sprigs thyme
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon Worcestershire
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup water
Canola oil for sautéing
1 lb. baby carrots, halved lengthwise
Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium-high. Add shallot, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper and cook stirring occasionally until browned 6-8 minutes. Stir in Worcestershire and vinegar scraping up any brown bits. Add in sugar and water and bring to a boil; cook stirring occasionally until water evaporates and sugar caramelizes, about 8-10 minutes. Strain sauce into a medium bowl, discard solids and let sauce cool.
Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add in enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Working in batches, sauté the carrots until tender seasoning with salt and pepper. After all the carrots are done, toss with the caramel to get evenly coated.
Winter Squash and Wild Rice
Ingredients:
1 ½ pounds winter squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed
1 cup wild rice (3 cups cooked)
4 cups chicken or turkey stock
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Oil
1 medium red onion, diced
2 sticks celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ teaspoon fresh sage, minced
1 ½ teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced
1 ½ teaspoon fresh thyme, fresh
2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce, or to taste
1 cup pecans, toasted & chopped
1/2 cup cranberries, dried
2 tablespoon Italian parsley, minced
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 375˚.
Place wild rice, stock, and ½ teaspoon salt in a large pot and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to simmer and cook until rice kernels are open and just soft and chewy, approximately 45 minutes. Drain excess liquid with a strainer.
Toss the squash with oil, salt and pepper. Lay the squash out on a baking sheet and roast until fork tender, about 30 to 40 minutes.
While squash and rice are cooking; oil a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Add onion and celery to cook for about 5 minutes. Add garlic, sage, rosemary, and thyme and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the Worcestershire and the soy sauce, deglazing the pan. Turn the heat off and add the remaining ingredients stirring to combine. Place in a large bowl with drained wild rice and squash once finished. Toss together and serve hot or at room temperature.
*Note: To use Harmons` steamtable butternut squash. Microwave squash for 5 to 6 minutes in the bag. Then add to the onions and celery when cooking in the pan.
