Family Memories and Giving Thanks

November 21, 2014

Family Memories and Giving Thanks

Wine and aprons, let's make pie!

I am one of those lucky people who has an awesome family, don't get me wrong, they are, for the most part bat-shit-crazy, but like, in the best ways possible. I enjoy spending time with my family, we're fun! And we often try to absorb others into our world. This year, for example, we are having Thanksgiving at my brother Steve and his girlfriend Val's new home. We have already pulled Val into the fold, next up, her dad. He too will find himself assimilated into the Collective, resistance is futile.

Onions get chopped

Earlier this month my mom and I packed our weekend bags and headed East to Augusta, Maine. We were on an important mission: collect Aunt Marcia in Bethel, drive to cousin Lisa's house in Augusta, make Meat Pie's and celebrate Marcia's birthday! We were incredibly successful on all counts, we had a wonderful time at Lisa and her husband Greg's home. Now those of you out there scratching your heads wondering "WTF is Meat Pie?" it is a French Canadian dish that my family has been making for decades. It's a ritual, a deep-rooted tradition that not only yields delicious pie for the holidays, but memories.

Pork in two pots

There is no recipe to give for Meat Pie because it is never the same. I mean, it's the same in the simplest sense: pork, water, breadcrumbs, cinnamon, clove. Some families who this is also tradition for have slightly different methods, some use beef, some add potatoes, all are incorrect though because that's not how we do it. We write down the proportions each year and take notes on what else is going on (who's present, what the weather is like, which thing we forgot to get at the store, how the pastry rolls, etc) so every year before we roll out the dough, we read from years past. We laugh, we reminisce, it's the best part of pie making in my opinion.

Lisa and I roll pastry

I find that this year I have a lot to be thankful for. I have a wonderful, loving family, a warm home, a husband who "gets me" and loves me, a snuggly pup, and a job I love. It makes Thanksgiving really special when you can reflect on all that's good (I reflect best on a full belly with a glass of wine in hand.)

Anyway, I am going to give ya'll some recipes below. A crockpot beef recipe my mom gave me while we were in Maine, it makes a great, easy meal during the busy, bustling holidays. I've also got two Vegetarian dishes, one that makes a nice Thanksgiving dish, either as Vegetarian main or a decadent side, and one that I just love to make when Josh isn't home - squash hater that he is. And a dessert - Moscato Poached Pears which I made for Marcia's birthday - they too make a fine addition to a Thanksgiving spread. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays after all, when you combine copious amounts of food, alcohol, family, and football you've basically described what I think heaven must be like. So enjoy these recipes and some pics of my family making our precious Meat Pies!

Crock Pot French Dip Roast Beef

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 yellow onion

2 cups beef broth

¼ cup soy sauce

1 Tbl Worcestershire

1 Tbl Dijon mustard

3 cloves garlic

3-4 whole peppercorns

1 bay leaf

1 sprig fresh thyme

salt

3 lb boneless bottom round

Slice onion and place in bottom of crock pot. Trim meat of visable fat and place on top of onion slices. Salt both sides of meat. Add remaining ingredients pouring soy and Worcestershire over the beef. If roast isn’t almost covered add some water. Cover and cook 4-6 hours on high or 10-12 hours on low. Remove, let stand 5 minutes and slice thinly.

To Serve:

Pile meat into soft hoagie rolls with provolone (or your preferred) cheese. Serve bowl of broth alongside to dip the sandwiches in.

We decided that though very delicious, this sandwich would benefit from an acidic tang so I recommend serving this with either spicy mustard or horseradish sauce. Also the original recipe says to slice meat thinly, but after 6 hours on high in the crockpot the meat was so tender it just shredded, which was awesome.

Polenta with Wild Mushrooms and Porcini Sauce

Serves 6-8

*Adapted from Bon Appetit (Though I didn't mention it in the recipe, it's worth noting that if you were to accidentally dribble some truffle oil on this dish, it'd be the best mistake you ever made)

For the sauce:

1 oz dried porcini mushrooms

1 Tbl extra-virgin olive oil

1 small shallot, peeled and finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 bay leaf

1 1/2 cups vegetable stock

1 Tbl butter, room temperature

2 tsp all-purpose flour

Salt

freshly ground pepper

For the mushrooms:

1 1/2 lbs mixed wild mushrooms (such as maitake, chanterelle, shiitake); large mushrooms torn into smaller pieces

1 Tbl fresh thyme leaves

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salt

freshly ground black pepper

For the polenta:

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups polenta

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

2 Tbl unsalted butter

preparation

Prep the porcini:

In a small bowl, combine porcini mushrooms and 1 cup warm water. Let stand until mushrooms soften, about 30 minutes. Remove porcini mushrooms from the liquid, strain and reserve liquid. Finely chop the mushrooms and set aside.

Roast the mushrooms:

While the porcini are soaking, set racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat oven to 450°F. On two rimmed baking sheets, gently toss mushrooms with thyme and oil; season with salt and pepper. Roast mushrooms until edges are browned, about 10 minutes. Set aside until ready to use.

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Sauté shallot until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, and sauté for 2 minutes more. Add white wine and bay leaf and increase heat; boil until most liquid evaporates, about 7 minutes. Add reserved chopped porcini mushrooms, vegetable stock, and reserved mushroom liquid. Boil until liquid is reduced to 1 cup, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove bay leaf.

In a small bowl, stir butter and flour together until it forms a paste. Whisk the butter mixture into the mushroom sauce. Simmer until sauce thickens, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.

Make the polenta:

In a large saucepan, bring 6 cups water and the salt to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and whisk in the polenta, whisking constantly to make sure there are no lumps. Cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until thickened and cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in the cheese,and butter. Season with salt and pepper. Serve polenta immediately topped with porcini sauce and roasted mushrooms.

Roasted Spaghetti Squash with Parmesan and Herbs

Serves 4 for a main dish, 6 as a side

1 medium spaghetti squash (2 to 3 pounds)

4 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons finely chopped mixed soft herbs, such as basil, chives, chervil, parsley and sage

1teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F: Preheat the oven while you prep the squash.

Slice the squash in half: Use a chef's knife to cut the spaghetti squash lengthwise from stem to tail. Spaghetti squash are really tough and hard, so be cautious and work slowly. Scoop out the seeds and place the squash in a roasting pan cut-side down. Pour a little water in the pan, enough to cover the bottom.

2. Transfer the squash to the oven and cook for 30 to 45 minutes or until tender. Use a fork to gently pull the squash flesh from the peel and to separate the flesh into strands.

3. Heat a skillet. Add the butter, spaghetti squash, herbs, salt and pepper and toss thoroughly but gently to heat and combine. Serve immediately or cover and keep warm until ready to serve.

Moscato and Apple Cider Poached Pears

Serves 6

1 Bottle Moscato wine, 750 mL

1 cup apple cider

1 Cinnamon stick, broken in half

1 Vanilla bean, split lengthwise

4 Pears, firm and ripe, peeled with stem remaining

Directions

1. Using melon baller, remove core from bottom end of pears. Combine wine, cider and cinnamon stick in large pot. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Bring to simmer. Add pears (liquid should cover pears halfway, add more cider if needed). Reduce heat to medium-low; cook until pears are tender, about 10 minutes, turning pears halfway through. Transfer pears and cooking liquid to large bowl. Cool completely.

2. Plate pears and drizzle with a bit of the poaching liquid. Serve with ice cream, whipped cream, or my favorite, ripe blue cheese.

Bonus Shots of our pie making extravaganza!