Our Readers’ Favorite Thanksgiving Recipes Shared…Day 2

The response to my question of “What is your favorite Thanksgiving side?” was so amazing. I heard from so many of you. Here are three more favs, including one of my mom’s. So many people said they loved creamed onions. It is such a blast from the past. My mom used to make them every year, so I decided to dig out the recipe for you. We actually made it a couple of Thanksgiving’s ago and it was as popular with the crowd as it had been my mom use to serve it in the 70’s!!!!

Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Garlic and Pancetta from Katie D

adapted from epicurious.com

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved (quartered if large)
• 2 oz pancetta, visible fat discarded and pancetta minced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup water

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. Toss together Brussels sprouts, pancetta, garlic, oil, and salt and pepper to taste in an 11- by 7-inch baking pan and spread in 1 layer.
3. Roast in the upper third of oven, stirring once halfway through roasting, until sprouts are brown on edges and tender, about 25 minutes total. Stir in water, scraping up brown bits. Serve warm.

Baked Farro and Butternut Squash from Lori M

adapted from The Barefoot Contessa

6 thick-cut slices applewood-smoked bacon

2 tablespoons good olive oil

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion (1 large)

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups pearled farro

3 cups good chicken stock, preferably homemade

3 cups (3/4-to-1-inch-diced) peeled butternut squash

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place the bacon on a baking rack set on a sheet pan and bake it for 20 to 30 minutes, until browned (it won’t be crisp). Cut the bacon in very large dice.
2. Meanwhile, in a small (9-inch) Dutch oven, such as Le Creuset, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until tender and starting to brown. Add the thyme, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper and cook for 1 minute. Add the farro and chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Place the squash on top of the farro mixture, cover, and bake in the same oven with the bacon for 30 minutes, until the squash and farro are tender. Check once during cooking and add a little chicken stock if it’s dry.
3. Sprinkle the bacon and parmesan on the squash and farro and bake uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes, until most of the liquid evaporates, the farro and butternut squash are tender, and the cheese has melted. Serve hot directly from the pot.

My Mom’s Traditional Creamed Onions

Adapted from All Recipes

• 1 cup pearl onions (my mom used frozen but its impossible to find them so now we use fresh)
• 4 cups water
• 6 tablespoons butter 
• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 cups milk
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste

• Peel onions, and drop into boiling water. Cook until tender. Drain, reserving liquid. Set onions aside while you make the sauce.
• Melt butter or margarine in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour to make a paste. Mix together cooking water and milk. Add milk mixture slowly to the saucepan, stirring constantly, and cook until thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add onions, and transfer to a serving dish.