I love artichokes; in fact the other day I bought a can of artichoke hearts from Trader Joe’s and just ate the whole thing out of the tin, with a fork. So for my staycation, ergo, my “date with Tuscany” I decided to create:

RISOTTO AI CARCIOFI (Artichoke risotto)

WHAT YOU NEED:

• 1 1/2 cups + 2 tbs of rice
• 6 Globe Artichokes
• 3 Tbsp of Butter
• 7oz boiled, unsmoked ham
• 1 onion
• 1 Lemon
• Parmesan cheese
• raisin wine
• parsley

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO:

1. Trim the artichokes:discarding the tough leaves and CUT into THIN wedges.

2. Place in a bowl with water and the lemon

3. Chop up the onion and sautee slowly in the butter with the ham in strips.

4. Add Artichokes.

5. Brown for 10 minutes, THEN add rice and a glass of raisin wine.

6. Stirring with a wooden spoon, cook the rice over medium heat.

7. Begin adding the boiling water(about 3 1/2 cups)

8. When the cooking is done (20/30 min), season with salt and pepper

9. At the moment of serving beat the rice, pouring in a handful of parsley and LOTS of grated Parmesan cheese.

Now, all you have to do is find your favorite wine, put on some beautiful Italian Concerto, and imagine being in a vineyard in Tuscany. Ahhhh, now isn’t that nice?

If you enjoyed this recipe or have any suggestions please write or comment, we always love to hear from you!

In the meantime, buon appetito!

~FoodDiva

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Holidays, especially a holiday surrounding a big meal like Thanksgiving, can be stressful and expensive for the host, but it doesn’t have to be. Plan your meal ahead of time, incorporate ingredients that are seasonally available in your area and keep an eye on grocery store sales to keep yourself on budget. I normally prepare a little extra food so that I have leftovers to keep my freezer stocked for weeks.

Synonymous with the holiday itself, the roast turkey is the big-ticket Thanksgiving item. I ordered a15 lb. fresh free-range turkey in advance. Since they were fresh, not frozen, I didn’t have to sacrifice half my refrigerator for a week while the frozen bird thaws out. Along with the turkey I served dishes with common fall ingredients: potatoes, squash, cabbage and a chutney made from the green tomatoes that didn’t have time to ripen on the vine before the first frost.

The recipes below will make enough food for an average of 10 people.

The Thanksgiving Menu:

1. Roast Turkey with Bread Stuffing and Gravy
2. Orzo Stuffed Bell Peppers
3. Garlic Mashed Potatoes
4. Whipped Acorn Squash
5. Marno’s Quick Kapusta
6. Marno’s Green Tomato Chutney

Roast Turkey with Bread Stuffing and Gravy

Stuffing:

What You Need:
1 small onion, finely chopped
5 Cremini mushrooms, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
4 cups breadcrumbs
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1 tsp Italian seasoning blend
2 tbsp olive oil
1 to 1½ cups chicken or vegetable broth
Salt and Pepper to taste

What You Need to Do:
Sautée onions, mushrooms and celery in olive oil on medium heat for approximately 5 minutes or until tender. Let cool in pan.

In a large bowl, mix breadcrumbs, poultry seasoning and Italian seasoning. Add in the onions, mushrooms, celery and any remaining oil from the pan to the mixture. Add in stock a half cup at a time and mix well until the stuffing is moist throughout, but not mush.

Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.

Turkey

Baste liberally and regularly to keep the turkey moist and give it a nice golden color. Factor approximately 1.3lbs per person to leave some leftovers.

What You Need:
1 turkey
Olive Oil
¼ cup unsalted butter
¼ cup warm water
3 tbsp poultry seasoning
1½ tbsp Italian seasoning blend
1½ tbsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
1 tsp garlic powder (use roasted garlic powder for a fuller flavor)
1 heel from a loaf of bread (optional)

What You Need to Do:

Pre-heat the oven to 350°F

Thoroughly rinse the inside and outside of the bird and pat dry with paper towel and set the bird in a roasting pan breast up.

Loosely stuff the turkey with the stuffing prepared earlier. Place the heel of the loaf of bread over top of the stuffing at the cavity and truss the bird. The heel acts as a door to help keep the moisture in the stuffing and should be removed prior to serving.

Drizzle olive oil on top of the bird and rub with a basting brush until the skin is evenly coated. Evenly sprinkle the bird with the poultry seasoning, Italian seasoning, paprika, cayenne pepper and garlic powder and place in oven.

Melt the butter in a bowl in the microwave and mix with the water. Baste the turkey every 30 minutes to prevent the skin from drying out until there are enough juices in the bottom of the pan to baste with those. Factor in 15 minutes of cooking time per pound of turkey, allowing for the bird to rest for approximately a half an hour after roasting for juices to re-distribute.

Once the turkey is done, remove from pan to rest and pour roast drippings through a fine sieve into a medium size pot and set aside for the gravy.

Gravy:

Roast turkey and mashed potatoes just aren’t the same without a good gravy. I make my gravy with the roast drippings for added flavor.

What You Need:
Roast drippings (reserved from roast turkey, above)
Plus enough chicken broth to equal about 3 cups of liquid
1 tsp poultry seasoning
½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
⅓ cup heavy or table cream
⅓ cup white wine
3 tbsp cornstarch

What You Need to Do:
Simmer drippings, broth, poultry seasoning and pepper in a medium pot. Add in cream and stir. In a small bowl or mug mix the white wine into the corn starch. Whisk the corn starch mixture into the pot and stir constantly to prevent clumping. Remove from heat once the gravy has thickened.

Orzo Stuffed Bell Peppers

This recipe is easy to make and can be prepared ahead of time and re-heated in an oven or microwave. Substitute vegetable stock for the chicken stock for a vegetarian option.

What You Need:
6 large bell peppers (green are ok, but red, orange or yellow provide sweeter options)
2 cups orzo
4 cups chicken stock
1 can whole roma tomatoes
2 zucchini, shredded
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup parmesan cheese, finely shredded (use freshly shredded Parmigiano Reggiano cheese for a fuller flavor)
Salt and pepper to taste

What You Need to Do:

Pre-heat oven to 400°F

Bring the chicken stock to a boil and add orzo. Cook for approximately 5 minutes, so that the grains are not fully cooked. Drain orzo and reserve stock.

Slice the tops off of the peppers and remove the seeds and ribs. Set peppers aside.

Open can of whole Roma tomatoes (including liquid) to large mixing bowl. With clean kitchen shears or a fork and knife cut tomatoes into bite-sized pieces. Add shredded zucchini, minced garlic, ½ cup shredded cheese, orzo rice and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well.

Spoon the orzo mixture into the peppers and place peppers in a deep baking dish (approximately 4 quarts in size). Pour the reserved stock into the bottom of the baking dish. Cover with a lid or with tin foil if the baking dish does not have a lid and bake covered for 20 minutes or until the peppers are tender. Remove peppers from the baking dish and place in a serving dish. Discard remaining stock once cool. Sprinkle the remainder of the shredded parmesan over the warm peppers

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

A perennial favorite, these are easy and sure to please.

What You Need:
10 medium red or Yukon Gold potatoes, cubed
5 whole cloves of garlic
2 tbsp unsalted butter
¼ – ½ cup heavy or table cream
1 tsp salt
¼ cup chopped parsley

What You Need to Do:
Place salt, cubed potatoes and garlic in a large pot and fill with water until all potatoes are covered. Bring to a boil and cook 10 minutes or until tender. Drain potatoes and garlic, add butter and mash well. Slowly add cream until desired consistency and creaminess is reached. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Whipped Acorn Squash

This recipe easy to make and can be prepared ahead and reheated in the oven.

What You Need:
2 medium acorn squash, halved with seeds and pulp removed
½ cup heavy or table cream
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp fresh ground pepper

What You Need to Do:
Pre-heat oven to 350°F

Place halved squash cut side down in a baking dish and cook for 30 minutes or until tender. Let cool until just warm to the touch.

Scoop the flesh of the squash into the bowl for a stand mixer, being careful that you don’t scoop the peel into the bowl. Mix on low speed for approximately 1 minute until smooth. Add in cream, nutmeg and pepper and mix until thoroughly blended.

If making ahead, place squash in an oven-safe bowl and cover with aluminum foil. Place in oven once you have removed the turkey (at 350°F) and heat for 20 to 30 minutes until warm throughout.

Marno’s Quick Kapusta

Kapusta is a traditional Polish dish served often at family functions. Kapusta can be prepared in a variety of ways, from a thick mash to a thin soup that can be stewed for hours. Here we have a chunkier version with my stepfather’s quick way to make this savory dish that can be made ahead of time.

What You Need:
3 slices of bacon, chopped
1 large yellow onion, chopped
½ green or savoy cabbage, chopped
½ cup chicken broth
½ cup parsley, chopped finely
Salt and pepper to taste

What You Need to Do:
Brown the bacon and onions in a medium pot. Add the cabbage and let simmer for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add chicken broth, parsley and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and let simmer for 20 to 30 minutes until the cabbage is tender.

Marno’s Green Tomato Chutney

Thanksgiving marks the end of the harvest season, and typically there are a few green tomatoes still left on the vine in the backyard garden by the time the weather turns cool. Instead of letting the frost take them, my stepfather harvests what’s left of the garden every year to make a chutney that keeps well in jars throughout the year. This recipe makes a nice alternative to cranberry sauce.

What You Need:
Juice of 1 freshly squeezed lemon
3 garlic cloves, minced
5 cups green tomatoes, diced
2 red peppers, diced
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups apple cider vinegar
½ cup ginger root, peeled and finely chopped

What You Need to Do:
In a large pot brown the garlic in the lemon juice. Add remainder of ingredients and bring to a boil. Turn heat to low and let simmer for 1½ to 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Preserve unused portions in jars for future meals.

Most importantly remember the enriching experience of sharing meals, and enjoying them with others (or even just savoring and enjoying them on your own!)  Giving thanks is a powerfully restorative and empowering act, like a prayer, that reminds us of all that we have in this bountiful life.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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1. Bacon Wrapped Roast Beef with Root Vegetables

There is something about autumn leaves and crisp air that makes me want to curl up in front of a fire with savory foods and spend evenings with my family. But with all the fun activities that fall brings, who wants to be stuck in a kitchen for hours on end?  This is an easy one pot roast beef recipe that is full of color and incorporates seasonal root vegetables that I think is the perfect end to an active day.

We love how the saltiness of the bacon counterpoints the sweetness of the roasted beets.

Bacon Wrapped Roast Beef with Root Vegetables

Serves: 6

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 1 hour, 15 minutes

What You Need:

• 3 lbs roast beef (boneless)
• 6 strips low sodium bacon slices
• 4 medium red potatoes, chopped coarsely
• 4 medium red beets, peeled and chopped coarsely
• 3 medium parsnips, peeled and chopped coarsely
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped coarsely
• 4 cloves garlic, whole
• 1 can chopped tomatoes
• 2 tsp rosemary
• 2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• 1½ tbsp Italian seasoning blend
• 1 tsp salt

What You Need To Do:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Place roast in large roasting pan, sprinkle with rosemary and drape with bacon slices.
• Place bay leaves and garlic in the bottom of the pan and top with the potatoes, beets, parsnips and onion.
• Sprinkle pepper, Italian seasoning and salt throughout.
• Open can of chopped tomatoes over the vegetables only and distribute evenly.
• Bake covered for 30 minutes.
• Remove pan from oven and stir the vegetables to ensure that they remain moist.
• Bake uncovered for 45 minutes or until the internal temperature of the roast reaches 150°F for medium rare or 160°F for medium.
• Remove roast from pan and let sit for 15 minutes to let juices redistribute.
• Remove bay leaves, stir vegetables again and cover until ready to serve.
• Slice roast finely and spoon the vegetables juices over the roast once plated.

Enjoy!

After you have made and enjoyed this delicious dish, let us know what you thought of it!

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