SIDE DISHES

Sweet Potato “Pancake”

Cornbread Sausage and Stuffing

Broccoli Casserole

Zucchini Casserole

Spinach Casserole

Venice (California) Apple Casserole

Pesto


Back to Food...........................................................................Home Page


Sweet Potato “Pancake”

A new Thanksgiving classic. Substitute butternut squash for sweet potatoes or apples for pears, if you wish.

Preheat oven to 400° with a rack in the lower third of the oven. Melt the butter. Peel and thinly slice sweet potatoes. Peel, halve, core and thinly slice the pear. Butter a 9-inch cake or pie pan. Arrange a layer of sliced sweet potatoes in the pan, overlapping them slightly in a neat pattern.

Gently press layer with your hands to flatten it slightly. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and drizzle with a little melted butter. Top with half the pear slices, sprinkling them with 1 T. maple syrup and more butter. Add a layer of sweet potato, then the remaining pears then the remaining sweet potato, each time pressing gently and seasoning as directed. Drizzle top with the rest of the melted butter. Cover the dish with foil and then cover with a lid. Bake in the lower third of oven for 40 minutes. Remove lid and foil and bake until lightly golden and

1/2 c. unsalted butter, melted

5 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 pound 10 ounces)

3 firm, ripe pears

salt and white pepper (to taste)

3 T. maple syrup

Back to Side Dishes


Cornbread Sausage and Stuffing

Makes 2 quarts (enough for a 10-12 pound turkey).

Saute sausage slowly, breaking it up with a fork, until lightly browned and thoroughly cooked. Transfer to large bowl using a slotted spoon. Drain all but 1/4 cup drippings from skillet. Add onion and celery. Saute until golden. Add to sausage with remaining ingredients and toss lightly. (This can be doubled.) If not stuffing a bird, put in a casserole.

Cover and bake at 325º for 45 – 60 minutes. Baste with turkey drippings or broth frequently to blend juices and prevent sticking.

1 1/2 lbs. sausage meat

1 c. minced onion

1 c. minced celery

1 16-oz. pkg. Pepperidge Farm cornbread stuffing

1/2 t. sage

1/2 t. thyme

1 t. Bell’s seasoning

1/4 t. pepper

1 c. melted butter

Back to Side Dishes


Broccoli Casserole

Cook broccoli for 5 minutes and drain. Mix remaining ingredients cracker crumbs and paprika. Add broccoli and spoon into a casserole dish. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes. Sprinkle cracker crumbs and paprika on as topping.

2 pkg. frozen chopped broccoli

1 c. mushroom soup, undiluted

1/2 c. mayonnaise

1 t. finely chopped onion

1 c. grated cheddar cheese

2 eggs, beaten

cracker crumbs

paprika

Back to Side Dishes


Zucchini Casserole

Grate zucchini, put in colander and sprinkle on 1 – 2 t. salt (this will cause zucchini to ooze its liquid). Meanwhile, saute sliced onions in olive oil. Squeeze the zucchini dry (reserve some of this liquid) and add to onions. Continue to saute until both are tender. Add 2 – 3 T. flour. Stir in to cook flour. Add a bit of milk and some of the zucchini liquid if desired. Put in casserole dish and sprinkle cheese on top.

Place under broiler until cheese melts. Can be made ahead and reheated.

1 1/2 c. sliced onions

3 c. zucchini shredded

2 – 3 T. flour

milk

shredded cheddar cheese

Back to Side Dishes


Spinach Casserole

Preheat oven to 350°. Cook the spinach as per package directions and drain well. Lay hot, cooked spinach into a 8 x 10-inch baking dish. Spread bacon then sour cream over, then sprinkle with cheese.

Bake 20 – 30 minutes or until cheese is melted. Makes 4 – 6 servings.

3 pkg. frozen spinach

8 slices bacon, diced and cooked

10 T. sour cream or plain yogurt

8 oz. mild cheddar cheese, grated

Back to Side Dishes


Venice (California) Apple Casserole

Mix all ingredients together. Lay in oiled 9 x 12-inch casserole. Cover. Bake at 350° for 40 minutes. Uncover for last 5 minutes. Makes 8 – 10 servings.

6 green apples, washed, cored and sliced

1 1/4 c. oatmeal

1 1/4 c. brown sugar

4 T. cooking oil

nutmeg and cinnamon (a couple of dashes each)

1 c. crushed walnuts

1 c. raisins

1/3 c. whole wheat flour

3 eggs

Back to Side Dishes


Pesto

Coarsely chop basil leaves into food processor. One at a time, add garlic, pine nuts, and parmesan, mixing after each addition. The mixture will be very thick. Continue mixing and slowly add olive oil until mixture is the consistency of creamed butter.

Pour pesto into storage container and cover with thin layer of olive oil. Cover tightly and refrigerate or freeze.

2 c. fresh basil leaves, washed thoroughly

2 – 4 cloves minced garlic

1/2 c. pine nuts

3/4 c. parmesan cheese

3/4 c. olive oil

Back to Side Dishes