Thanksgiving trial run

I spent all of Sunday cooking, testing recipes for Thanksgiving and making a bolognaise sauce. Here’s the rundown.

Roasted Carrot and Beet Salad
Toss carrots cut diagonally with some olive oil and salt. Put them on a baking sheet to cook in the oven for about 40 minutes, until they come about tender and sweet. (I couldn’t help eating almost half of them.)

Wrap the beets in some wax paper and then in foil. Place them in the oven to roast with the carrots for about 50 minutes. When they’re cooled, peel and dice them into large cubes.

Make a quick vinaigrette with lemon juice and olive oil. Chop some cilantro. And toss all the ingredients together.

A good salad, but not all too Thanksgiving-y.

Roasted Acorn Squash
Cut the acorn squashes into wedges, drizzle with a little bit of olive oil, and sprinkle with a touch of salt. Place them in the oven to roast for about 35 minutes and then brush with some melted butter.

The squash was tender and sweet but the peel, which I didn’t take off, tasted just vaguely bitter. And, the squash wedges were not so good after being heated in the microwave the next day.

Brussell Sprouts with Toasted Walnuts
Score the brussel sprouts at the bottom and boil them for about seven minutes. When they’re done, drain them well. Then, melt some butter and toss in some minced garlic. Add the brussel spouts, a squeeze of lemon, and some toasted walnuts. Stir.

This one was a disappointment, but mostly because the brussel sprouts were undercooked. My fear of overcooked and soggy vegetables got the better of me. However, I did try this again later in the week, this time cutting the brussel sprouts in half and cooking them fully. Much better the second time around.

Buttermilk Onion Rolls
I forgot what went into this, the proportions, and the order but when it all was finished the rolls looked like cinnamon rolls with cinnamon swirl replaced by caramelized onions.

I was quite impressed with this. I don’t attempt breads much as yeast scares me slightly but this was came out better than I would have hoped for, except that the bottoms were a little bit too toasty brown. They looked light and fluffy, and they were too.

Chocolate Ginger Cake
Once again, I don’t remember what went into this and of what proportions but there was chocolate, ginger, flour, butter, molasses, brown sugar, cinnamon, and the other usual baking suspects.

I didn’t have a bundt pan so used a 13x9 Pyrex dish instead. The cake looked very flat, no taller than your standard brownie, and sad. The ginger was rather overwhelming too but that was probably because I was overzealous grating the ginger into the saucier. It was also a bit grainy and medicinal tasting. It wasn’t totally bad but will need some adjusting if I’m planning to serve this to friends on a non-trial run basis.

Bolognaise Sauce
Basically, it’s celery, carrots, mushroom, onions, garlic, a touch of milk, white wine, ground beef, and tomatoes cooked together for hours. (Yes, bolognaise is traditionally a meat sauce but I like mushrooms. And, yes, the milk sounds a bit odd, but it adds a touch of creaminess.)

This wasn’t a Thanksgiving trial run but was something I knew I would have to the time to let simmer away for hours as I cooked around it on the back burner. And it simmered for five or six hours, creating a lush texture and rich flavors. The meat and vegetables simmered so long, releasing their natural flavors and melding together that I barely had to add any salt. I stood by the oven spooning sauce into my mouth.