Chilly days call for warm and cozy gatherings with family and friends. They will be well fed and happy with this slow-cooked brisket, a bowl of mashed potatoes, and a salad. The cook will be happy too. After a few minutes of browning, the meat goes into the oven for the afternoon; it will be ready to slice and serve when you are ready to eat. It is even better a day later after resting in the fridge overnight. If you are lucky enough to have leftovers, they make terrific sandwiches on soft rolls, or shred the meat and toss into pasta with some of the sauce.
Serves 6
1 (3½- to 4-pound) flat-cut brisket
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 large onions, halved and sliced
½ cup sherry vinegar
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup canned crushed tomatoes
3 cups (12 ounces) fresh or frozen cranberries
3 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons chopped parsley (for garnish)
Heat oven to 325ºF. Sprinkle the brisket on both sides with salt and pepper.
In a large pot with a lid, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the brisket and brown for 4 to 5 minutes on a side. Transfer to a platter.
Add the garlic and onions to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
Stir in the vinegar, brown sugar, tomatoes, cranberries, and stock. Bring to a boil. Return the brisket to the pot, cover, and transfer to the oven. Cook for 3½ hours. Remove the lid and continue cooking for 30 more minutes, or until the meat is tender but not falling apart.
Transfer the meat to a cutting board. Cover loosely with foil and let rest for 20 minutes.
Set a strainer over a bowl. A few ladles at a time, strain the sauce, pressing the sides of the strainer with a rubber spatula until the pulp is almost dry. Discard the pulp. If necessary, skim the fat from the sauce.
Slice the brisket and set it on a platter. Spoon some sauce over the top, and sprinkle with parsley. Serve with more sauce on the side.
To cook a whole duck feels like a “project,” but sautéing a duck breast can be accomplished in half an hour. The breast, called magret produces almost steak-like red, juicy meat. In fact, this simple preparation is much like that of steak except the duck is seared on the fat side over low heat, so that the fat slowly renders as the skin crisps and browns before slipping the skillet into the oven until the meat reaches the desired temperature.
Serves 4
FOR THE APPLES
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons sugar
2 Honey Crisp or Pink Lady apples, cored and cut in ½-inch thick wedges
2 tablespoons lemon juice
FOR THE DUCK
2 Moulard duck magret half-breasts (each about 1 pound)
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 small shallots, finely chopped
¾ cup red wine
¾ cup chicken stock
½ cup dried cranberries
½ teaspoon sherry vinegar
¼ teaspoon sugar
1½ teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
⅓ cup dried cranberries
In a non-stick skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the sugar and apples. Cook, swirling the pan from time to time, for about 3 minutes, or until the apples brown on one side. With tongs, carefully turn them and cook for 2 minutes more, or until they are golden and caramelized. Stir in the lemon juice. Set aside in a warm place while you cook the duck.
Heat oven to 350ºF. Have on hand a large, heavy skillet with heatproof handles. Pat the breasts dry with a paper towel. Use a sharp knife to score the skin of each breast in a diagonal crosshatch pattern of cuts about ¾ inches apart. Sprinkle them generously on both sides with salt and pepper.
Set the skillet on medium-low heat, and heat for about 2 minutes, or until hot. Place the duck, skin side down, in the skillet. Cook for 10 minutes, or until the skin browns. When an abundance of rendered fat accumulates in the pan, temporarily transfer the duck to a plate and spoon off and discard the excess fat. Return the duck to the pan and continue to brown it. If the fat begins to smoke or the skin starts to burn, lower the heat. With tongs, turn the breasts in the pan and sear for 2 to 3 minutes more, or until browned.
Place the skillet in the oven. Roast for 5 to 15 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the center of the breast registers 135ºF for medium rare, 140ºF for medium. Transfer to a plate, cover loosely with foil, and let rest for 8 minutes.
Spoon off all but a thin layer of fat from the pan. Return to medium heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring for 30 seconds. Add the wine, stock, and cranberries. Bring to a boil and cook for 4 minutes, or until the liquid reduces by about half. Stir in the vinegar, sugar, and rosemary. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper, if you like.
Over medium heat, warm the apples for about 1 minute. Divide them among 4 plates. Cut the duck on the diagonal into thin slices. Place one-fourth of the duck slices on each plate and drizzle with the pan sauce.
If you are looking for a barbecue sauce that is tart and sweet and a bit out of the ordinary, make it with cranberries. Although grilling season and cranberry season don’t coincide on the calendar, frozen berries are perfectly acceptable here.
Unlike some long-simmering homemade barbecue sauces, this one takes less than 20 minutes and produces stellar results. In this kebab recipe, the sauce is not really a marinade because you toss the beef with a small amount of sauce before skewering, and apply the rest at the end. If you add more initially, it will burn off on the grill.
You would be hard-pressed to find a better alternative for beef kebabs than sirloin tips if you are looking for a cut that will deliver lots of flavor and still be relatively tender. Tenderloin, an expensive cut, is easy to overcook and becomes dry. Though cheaper and more flavorful, chuck will be too chewy. Sirloin tip is also known as flap steak outside of New England (cut from the bottom sirloin butt.)
Serves 4
FOR THE BARBEQUE SAUCE
2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
½ medium red onion, chopped
½ cup orange juice
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons molasses
¼ cup sherry vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 jalapeno pepper, stemmed and sliced
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon salt
FOR THE KEBABS
2 pounds beef sirloin tip steak, cut into 1½-inch cubes
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 large red onion, cut into 1½-inch pieces
Cilantro leaves (for garnish)
Lime wedges (for garnish)
In a small saucepan over medium heat, stir together the cranberries, onion, orange juice, brown sugar, molasses, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, jalapeno, paprika, and salt. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover the pan, and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the cranberries soften. Cool to room temperature.
In a food processor or blender, pulse the sauce until it forms a coarse puree. If you would like a smooth sauce, puree a little longer.
Have on hand 12 metal skewers, or 12 bamboo skewers soaked in warm water for 20 minutes.
About 20 minutes before grilling, heat a gas grill to medium high, or light a charcoal grill. When the top coals are partially covered with ash, spread them evenly over the coal grate, and set the cooking grate on top. Heat the cooking grate for 5 minutes.
In a bowl, toss the steak with salt and pepper. Add ½ cup of the barbecue sauce and toss to coat.
On each skewer, thread 3 to 4 cubes of beef, alternating with the onion pieces.
Grill skewers for 2 to 3 minutes on a side, or until they are well seared and the center of the beef registers 125 to 130°F on an instant read thermometer. Brush with more barbecue sauce at the end of grilling.
Transfer to a platter and brush generously with the barbecue sauce. Let the kebabs rest for 5 minutes. Serve with cilantro, lime wedges, and extra sauce.
Once cool weather arrives, I regularly roast a chicken on Sunday nights. There is something comforting and satisfying in that routine. The leftovers go into soup, salads, or stir-fries during the week. My go-to method is to roast the chicken with lemon, as in this recipe, and throw some potatoes and root vegetables on another sheet pan to roast at the same time. Sometimes, though, I like to have a special meal, and that is where the cornbread and cranberries come in. If I happen to have leftover cornbread (even slightly stale is fine) I will use that, or I might just buy a few squares of cornbread at the market when I pick up the chicken. The pecans and cranberries go into the oven while the chicken is roasting, and the cornbread pieces toast in the oven while the chicken rests before carving.
Serves 4
FOR THE CHICKEN
1 (3½- to 4-pound) whole chicken
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 lemon, quartered
3 garlic cloves, lightly smashed with the side of a knife
4 fresh thyme sprigs
2 tablespoons room temperature, unsalted butter, sliced
FOR THE CORNBREAD SALAD
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper, to taste
6 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup pecans
1 cup whole fresh or frozen cranberries
1 teaspoon honey
2 cups ½-inch cornbread cubes (from 2-3 pieces cornbread)
4 large handfuls of arugula, watercress, or other green
Heat oven to 400°F. Have on hand a roasting pan or baking dish that is just large enough to accommodate the chicken snugly, and a 12-inch length of kitchen twine.
Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Rub the outside all over with oil. Sprinkle the chicken liberally with salt and pepper inside and out. Place 2 lemon quarters, the garlic, and thyme inside the chicken cavity. With kitchen twine, tie the legs together snipping off the excess twine.
Set the chicken in the roasting pan with the breast side up. Squeeze the juice from the remaining 2 lemon quarters over it. Press the butter slices over the top of the breast and thighs. Wedge the spent lemon quarters under the chicken.
Roast the chicken for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh registers 165°F and the skin is golden and crisp.
Remove the chicken from the oven and transfer it to a warm platter. Drape it loosely with foil and let rest in a warm place for 15 minutes to allow the juices to settle.
While the chicken is roasting, assemble the salad dressing. In a bowl, whisk together the vinegar, salt, and pepper. Gradually whisk in the oil and taste for seasoning. Add more salt and pepper, if you like.
On a small baking pan, spread the pecans. Toast in the oven (while the chicken roasts) for 3 to 4 minutes, or until fragrant. Remove and cool.
In a small baking dish, mound the cranberries. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of the salad dressing, the honey, and salt and pepper. Toss together and spread in the dish. Bake for 15 minutes (while the chicken roasts). With a slotted spoon, transfer the cranberries to a bowl, and reserve the cooking juice.
When the chicken is done, turn oven up to 450ºF. Pour the pan drippings into a clear measuring cup. Skim the fat from the top.
On a baking sheet, spread the cornbread cubes. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons of the skimmed pan drippings. Bake for 10 to 13 minutes, or until browned. Remove and cool briefly.
On a large platter, toss the greens with dressing. Sprinkle with the toasted cornbread, cranberries, and pecans.
Carve the chicken into serving pieces. Arrange on top of the salad. In a small pitcher, combine the skimmed pan drippings and the reserved cranberry juice. Serve with the chicken.
You couldn’t ask for a more festive vegetarian alternative at your Thanksgiving table than these squash halves packed with flavor and mounded high with wild rice, farro, dried cranberries, and pecans. Be sure to look for quick cooking (pearled) farro, or be prepared to cook it much longer according to the package directions. Don’t just make these once a year; you will want to eat them all through the fall and winter with a bowl of soup or salad when meat takes a back seat at a meal.
Serves 6
4 acorn squash (about 1 pound each), halved crosswise
Salt, to taste
⅔ cup wild rice
½ cup pearled (quick cooking) farro
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 apple, peeled, cored, and cut into small dice
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage leaves
½cup dried cranberries
½ cup fresh or frozen cranberries
½ bunch lacinato kale, stemmed, rinsed, and cut into thin ribbons
¼ cup water
½ cup coarsely chopped pecans
Black pepper, to taste
Heat oven to 375ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly oil a baking dish large enough to accommodate the squash.
On the baking sheet, place the squash halves with their cut sides down. Roast for 30 to 35 minutes, or until tender. Remove and let cool for 15 minutes. Scoop out the seeds and pulp. Cut a sliver from the bottom of each squash half so that it will stand upright, and place the halves in the baking dish with the hollowed sides up.
Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add a pinch of salt and the wild rice. Lower the heat, cover the pan, and simmer for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the rice is tender. Set a large strainer over a bowl and drain excess liquid from the rice.
Bring a separate saucepan of water to a boil. Add a pinch of salt and the farro. Lower the heat, cover the pan, and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the farro is tender. Set a strainer over a bowl and drain.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, apple, sage, and salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes, or until the onion and apple soften. Stir in the cranberries, kale, and water. Cook, stirring often, for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the kale is tender. Stir in the cooked farro, rice, and pecans. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper, if you like.
Spoon the filling into the squash halves in the baking dish. Loosely cover the pan with foil and bake for 20 minutes, or until it is hot all the way through. Arrange on a platter and pass around the table, or serve each squash in a wide bowl.
Stuffing pork tenderloin and roasting it while potatoes crisp at the same time is easier than you may think, and is a terrific party dish. Don’t rule it out for a weeknight though, because both the roast and the potatoes can be prepared in under an hour. Instead of tying it with string, wrap it in bacon, an added bonus for bacon lovers. The cranberries add a perky, tart surprise. The bacon wrapping adds flavor and moisture to the meat.
Serves 4
2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ medium onion, finely chopped
½ fennel bulb, finely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
½ cup coarse fresh breadcrumbs
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 (1- to 1¼-pound) pork tenderloin
⅓ cup fresh or frozen cranberries, coarsely chopped
8–10 strips of bacon (about 12 ounces), cut in half
FOR THE POTATOES
1½ pounds small red or yellow potatoes, halved
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and pepper, to taste
Heat oven to 450°F. Have on hand a rimmed baking sheet.
In a skillet over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the onion and fennel, and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, or until softened. Stir in the rosemary and thyme and cook 30 seconds more. Remove the pan from the heat, and stir in the breadcrumbs, salt, and pepper. Set aside to cool briefly.
Cut a deep lengthwise slit down the center of the tenderloin but not all the way through. Open it up like a book. Cover with a piece of plastic wrap, and with a mallet or rolling pin, gently pound it until it is of an even thickness. Remove the plastic. Spread the stuffing in a line along the center of the meat and top with the cranberries. Bring the edges of the meat together to return it to its original shape. Secure with toothpicks.
On a cutting board, lay out the bacon slices overlapping them slightly. Place the tenderloin on top with the toothpicks facing up. Removing the toothpicks as you work, wrap the bacon slices around the pork to form a log. Place the tenderloin, bacon seam side down, on the baking sheet.
Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, or until an instant read thermometer inserted into the center of the meat registers 145 to 150° and the bacon browns and crisps. If the roast is ready before the bacon browns, remove it from the oven and turn on the broiler. Broil for 3 to 5 minutes to brown the bacon. Remove and let rest for 10 minutes before cutting into slices.
On a rimmed baking sheet, mound the potatoes. Drizzle with the oil. With your hands, rub the oil into the potatoes so they are completely coated. Sprinkle with thyme, salt, and pepper and toss together. Spread on the baking sheet, cut sides down. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, or until tender and golden brown. Serve alongside the pork.
While a rack of lamb may be in the Hall of Fame for fancy dishes, it is surprisingly easy to prepare. Spread a crust of mustard, herbs, and garlic over the lamb, pop the racks in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, and your elegant meal is done. Brighten the rich flavor of the lamb by serving a refreshing cranberry and mint relish with it.
Serves 4
FOR THE RELISH
Makes 2 cups
½ navel orange, ends trimmed, quartered and thinly sliced
2 thick slices lemon, cut into quarters
1½ cups (6 ounces) fresh or frozen cranberries
⅓ cup sugar
½ apple, cored and cut into small dice
2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
½ teaspoon salt
1 handful mint leaves, torn into small pieces
FOR THE LAMB
2 Frenched racks of lamb (about 1½ pounds each)*
3 large slices country bread, crusts removed and torn into pieces
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
3 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
Salt and pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons grainy mustard
3 tablespoons olive oil
In a food processor, pulse the orange and lemon slices until finely chopped (but not pureed). Add the cranberries and pulse again until they are coarsely chopped and a little chunky.
Transfer to a bowl. Stir in the sugar, apple, vinegar, and salt. Refrigerate for at least one hour, or until the sugar dissolves. Just before serving, stir in the mint.
Heat oven to 425ºF. Have on hand a rimmed baking sheet. If there is a lot of fat on the lamb, trim it with a sharp knife, but leave a thin layer of fat intact.
In a food processor, pulse the bread, garlic, rosemary, parsley, salt, and pepper until the bread forms coarse crumbs. Add the mustard and oil and pulse again to mix.
Place the lamb racks with the fat side up on the baking sheet. Sprinkle each rack all over with salt and pepper. Distribute the breadcrumb mixture over the top of the meat and press it lightly with your hands to firm it into place. Roast the lamb for 25 to 30 minutes, checking after 20 minutes, until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the rack registers 125°F for rare, 135°F to 145°F for medium-rare.
Remove the pan from the oven and let the meat rest, covered loosely with foil, for 8 minutes while you warm the dinner plates. Carve the lamb by inserting a knife between the ribs to make chops, and set four on each plate. Serve with the cranberry relish.
* A rack of lamb is a series of ribs, usually 8, from the center of the animal. In most markets, a rack of lamb is sold as “Frenched,” that is, the fat cap and the fat and tissue between the bones have been removed and it is ready to cook. If it is not, ask the butcher to do it for you. New Zealand and Australian lamb dominate the market, and their taste is considered by some to be a little gamier than American lamb, perhaps because they graze on green pastures for their entire lives. American lambs are often grain-fed for a short time after grazing, and the racks are larger and pricier. Both are good.
The classics never go stale, especially when you tweak them a bit. Dried cranberries and a tangy buttermilk dressing add a modern feel to this old-fashioned salad that is truly an entrée more than a salad. It is also ideal for a beach picnic or a mountain hike where you can place a scoop on top of an avocado half or spread the salad on slices from a wholesome loaf of multi-grain bread for a satisfying lunch with a view.
Serves 4
FOR THE DRESSING
1 tablespoon finely chopped shallots
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice, or more, to taste
⅓ cup mayonnaise
⅓ cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
Salt and pepper, to taste
FOR THE SALAD
¾ cup broken walnut pieces
3 cups cooked and diced white chicken meat
3 stalks celery, diced
1 apple, cored and diced
½ cup halved seedless red grapes
⅓ cup dried cranberries
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
4–8 large leaves of radicchio
In a large bowl, combine the shallots, vinegar, and lemon juice.
Gradually whisk in the mayonnaise and buttermilk. Stir in the chives, salt, and pepper. Taste for seasoning and add more lemon juice, salt and pepper, if you like.
Heat oven to 350ºF
On a baking sheet, spread the walnuts. Toast for 8 minutes, or until fragrant. Cool.
To the bowl of dressing, add the toasted walnuts, chicken, celery, apple, grapes, cranberries, and parsley. Stir to coat with the dressing. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper, if you like.
On each of 4 plates, set 1 or 2 radicchio leaves. Top with a scoop of salad, and sprinkle with parsley.
You can have Thanksgiving any day of the week with miniature sliders. Turkey burgers can be a bit dry and tasteless, but moistened with grated zucchini and flavored with stuffing herbs, they come to life in these small bites. You can mix the ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer if you want to just throw the burgers together in a hurry. This recipe will make 4 large burgers or 12 sliders. You really won’t be able to find anything on the healthy spectrum that compares to these for watching a big game on TV with friends. Sometimes I double the batch, shape them, and freeze half for a later meal.
Makes 12
1 pound ground turkey
2 cups grated zucchini (1–2 medium zucchini, about 10 ounces total)
½ cup soft, fresh breadcrumbs
¼ medium onion, finely chopped
1 egg
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
¾ cup fresh or frozen cranberries, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2–3 tablespoons olive oil
12 small, soft rolls, split in half
¼ cup mayonnaise
3 fresh plum (Roma) tomatoes, cut into slices
⅓ head of lettuce, leaves torn
In a large bowl, mix together the turkey, zucchini, breadcrumbs, onion, egg, lemon zest, lemon juice, rosemary, sage, parsley, poultry seasoning, cranberries, salt, and pepper.
Form the turkey mixture into 12 golf-ball-size balls, and flatten them into 2½-inch wide patties.
In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the patties (if they don’t all fit, you will have to do this in batches). Lower the heat to medium-low and cook for 2–3 minutes on a side, or until browned on the outside and the interior temperature registers 165°F on a meat thermometer.
Spread 1 teaspoon of mayonnaise on each of the rolls. Top each with a turkey patty, a tomato slice, lettuce, and the top half of the roll.