Give green beans some oomph!

Give green beans some oomph!
By Alison Ladman
Published: November 20, 2015, in the Press Enterprise.

I apologize if you are a huge fan of green beans. I apologize if you are the sort of person who longs for the green beans at Thanksgiving. I think it’s a little strange, but I still apologize.

It’s not that green beans aren’t perfectly delightful. It’s just that with so many far more exciting sides on offer at the typical Thanksgiving feast, it’s really hard to get excited about green beans.

Usually, I don’t even bother to put them on my plate. So why do so many people serve them? It’s probably some combination of tradition (Aunt Susie always serves them!) and guilt (as if eating three green beans atones for your 1,500-calorie gravy-fueled sins...).

Would it be easier to just leave them off this year’s menu? Yup. Will you? Probably not.

So I decided that if you really must clutter up the table with green beans, at least make them truly delicious. Not that you need to work hard to make that happen. In fact, I came up with five delicious and easy ways to dress your green beans. They’re so good I might even eat less mashed potatoes to leave room for them. Or not.

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Green Beans Five Ways

Start to finish: 10 minutes

Servings: 6

2 pounds green beans, ends trimmed

1/2 cup water

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

In a large skillet over medium-high, combine the green beans and water.

Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, or until just tender and bright green.

Drain any water that has not evaporated and stir in the butter. Season with salt and pepper.

Continue the recipe using one of the following variations:

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Herbed

Stir in 2 tablespoons each of chopped fresh thyme, chives and parsley.

• • •

Toasted Crumbs

In a small skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter.

Add 1 cup panko breadcrumbs, a pinch of salt and 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika.

Cook until toasted and fragrant, stirring constantly, 4 to 5 minutes.

Sprinkle over the cooked and seasoned green beans.

• • •

Spicy Garlic Honey

Stir in a hefty pinch of red pepper flakes, 1 to 2 finely minced cloves of garlic and a drizzle of honey.

• • •

Cranberry Nut

Finely chop 1/2 cup dried cranberries and 1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds.

Sprinkle over the top of the cooked and seasoned green beans.

• • •

Maple Soy

Leave off the salt and instead drizzle with a little soy sauce and maple syrup.

Nutritional information per serving (for basic recipe): 80 calories; 35 calories from fat (44 percent of total calories); 4 g fat (2.5 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 10 mg cholesterol; 170 mg sodium; 11 g carbohydrate; 4 g fiber; 5 g sugar; and 3 g protein.

Roasted Spiced Pumpkin/Acorn Squash

Taking an international approach to pumpkin
Published: November 4, 2015

The only time I have celebrated Thanksgiving where I live in London, it was with a couple of incredibly homesick American friends. Hoping to comfort them, I cooked what I felt was a spirit-lifting roasted tandoori turkey, only to receive steely glances, awkward silences and, “No thanks.”

I learned the painful way that the turkey is not the place for trying new things, as tradition rules at Thanksgiving. Luckily, it seems, the side dishes are given a bit more flexibility.

In India, as in the U.S., the pumpkin — or “kaddu” — is a real favorite at the dinner table, with every region having its own take on how best to cook it. In Uttar Pradesh in the North, pumpkin often is transformed into a spiced sweet curry, or “subzi,” that is eaten alongside a sour pickle that counterbalances it wonderfully. In Kerala in the southwest of India, pumpkin is given a more delicate treatment and paired with sweet onions, black-eyed beans and coconut milk.

For Thanksgiving, it’s important to get the balance right, to have a side that will fit in with the mosaic of other offerings at the table and be quick — or at least easy — to make.

Baking your pumpkin with some garam masala, a classic Indian seasoning blend, adds a gentle warmth that is so welcome this time of year. Serving it with this pistachio-cilantro chutney (which can be made ahead of time) will add some brightness in color, freshness and flavor.

• • •

Garam masala is a widely available Indian seasoning blend. Look for it in the grocer’s spice aisle.

Acorn squash also works well in this recipe.

Roast Spiced Pumpkin with Pistachio Chutney

Start to finish: 40 minutes (15 minutes active)

Servings: 6

For the chutney:

1/2 cup unsalted, shelled pistachios, chopped (plus extra to garnish)

11/2 cups chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 cup lemon juice

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

2 teaspoons sugar

1 to 2 green finger or other fresh chilies, to taste

2 tablespoons canola oil

For the pumpkin:

3-pound sugar pumpkin (or multiple smaller pumpkins)

5 tablespoons canola oil

1 tablespoon garam masala

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with foil or kitchen parchment.

To make the chutney, in a blender or food processor, combine the pistachios, cilantro, lemon juice, salt and sugar.

Add one of the chilies to start and about 6 tablespoons of water, or just enough to blend.

Process or blend until the mixture is finely chopped.

Taste and add the other chili if desired, then transfer to a bowl.

Drizzle the oil over the chutney, lightly mix, then set aside.

Cut the pumpkin in half top to bottom, then scoop out and discard the seeds and fibers.

Peel the pumpkin halves, then cut each half into 1-inch-thick slices.

Mound the pumpkin on the prepared baking sheet, then drizzle with the oil and sprinkle with the garam masala, salt and pepper.

Toss to coat evenly, then arrange in a single layer.

Roast for 30 minutes, or until tender and starting to brown.

Arrange the squash on a serving plate and sprinkle with chopped pistachios.

Serve with the chutney for spooning over.

Nutritional information per serving: 250 calories; 190 calories from fat (76 percent of total calories); 21 g fat (2 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 0 mg cholesterol; 560 mg sodium; 15 g carbohydrate; 2 g fiber; 7 g sugar; and 4 g protein.

Thai pumpkin custard

Fall for flavor
Seasonal sweets bring festive tastes to kitchen
Published: November 11, 2015 in the Press Enterprise.

Fall is a great time to start baking for fun and for the holidays. (Thanksgiving is creeping up on us.) So try branching out with some familiar flavors used in different ways.

• • •

Halloween may be done, but pumpkin season rolls on!

You can find kaffir lime leaves in Asian grocers, online and often at natural foods stores. You can find them fresh (they freeze and store well), or even thinly sliced and jarred.

Deliciousness aside, pumpkin is a smart choice for dessert. Canned or fresh, it’s full of carotenoids and fiber, and it boasts more potassium than a banana. And a cup of canned pumpkin has just 80 calories.

Using fat-free evaporated milk gives the dessert a lovely creaminess. Combined with the coconut milk, as it is here, it delivers the kind of creamy texture that defines a custard... without all the fat and calories. In the end, nobody will suspect that they’re digging into a “light” custard.

Thai Pumpkin Custard

Start to finish: 7 hours 30 minutes (20 minutes active)

Servings: 6

3 large eggs

1/2 cup packed brown sugar, preferably dark

1/2 cup lite coconut milk

5 ounces fat-free evaporated milk

2 teaspoons finely minced Kaffir lime leaves (or 11/2 teaspoons freshly grated lime zest)

11/2 tablespoons lime juice

2 tablespoons dark rum (optional)

Seeds from 1 vanilla bean or 11/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon table salt

1 cup pumpkin puree

Chopped crystallized ginger or toasted coconut, to garnish

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Bring a kettle of water to a simmer.

In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the eggs.

Add the brown sugar and beat just until any lumps have dissolved.

Add the coconut milk, condensed milk, lime leaves, lime juice, rum, if using, vanilla seeds or extract, salt and pumpkin puree.

Beat just until smooth.

Divide the mixture between six 1-cup ramekins.

Set the ramekins into a rectangular baking pan (such as a lasagna pan), pour enough simmering water into the baking pan to come half way up the sides of the ramekins.

Carefully transfer the baking pan to the oven’s middle shelf and bake until a knife inserted at the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes.

Remove the ramekins from the water bath and cool on a wire rack.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until well chilled, about 6 hours.

Serve each portion topped with some of the crystallized ginger or coconut.

Recipe from Sara Moulton for the Associated Press.

Nutritional information per serving: 170 calories; 30 calories from fat (18 percent of total calories); 3.5 g fat (1.5 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 90 mg cholesterol; 26 g carbohydrate; 2 g fiber; 23 g sugar; 6 g protein; and 170 mg sodium.