This winter salad is delicious with cold hardy greens, still pretty easily available from local farms. Use a salad mix if you can, or just a bed of baby spinach or arugula. You can assemble the salad in a single bowl or platter if you like, but I suggest composing individual servings on on small plates for each diner. My sister and I made this salad as a first course for Christmas dinner. You can serve it with whatever kind of dressing appeals to you, but I recommend a balsamic vinaigrette or a Dijon apple cider vinaigrette.
Salad greens
Caramelized Roasted Butternut Squash, room temperature
Walnuts, pecans, or slivered almonds, lightly toasted and cooled
Dried cranberries
Goat cheese, crumbled
Make a bed of greens on each plate. Top with a small mound of cubed squash, then sprinkle with nuts, cranberries, and goat cheese. Dress at the table.
Showing posts with label cranberries. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cranberries. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Friday, December 21, 2012
Cranberry-Lime Braised Pork Chops
This came of an inspiration to use up the last of the cranberry sauce left in the fridge from Thanksgiving. But since you probably don't have the same thing in your fridge, it's still easy to make from scratch.
3 good sized pork chops
1 1/2 tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Olive oil
1/2 - 3/4 cup Cranberry Sauce with Lime
1 1/4 - 1 1/2 cups chicken broth, warm
Get out the chops an hour or so before you plan to start cooking them, if you can manage it. Combine the salt and black pepper and mix well. Sprinkle this all over the chops and let sit for a while.
Preheat a braising pan or large skillet over medium heat for a few minutes to get it nice and evenly hot. Add just a little olive oil and turn to the heat to medium-high. Place the chops in the pan, close together but not overlapping. Cook without touching for 2-3 minutes, until nicely browned on one side. Turn over and cook on the other side for another 2-3 minutes. Remove the chops to a plate.
Stir together the cranberry sauce and chicken broth, then add to the hot pan and deglaze it, scraping up all the browned bits stuck to the bottom, which will be full of flavor. Simmer the sauce over medium heat until reduced somewhat, then add the chops back in. They should be no more than about halfway covered with liquid. Turn to the heat to low and simmer for 10-12 minutes, turning the chops once halfway through. Remove from liquid and let rest for a few minutes, then serve.
The braising liquid is delicious. Spoon a little over each chop when serving, and if desired, also over mashed potatoes, polenta, or whatever other accompaniment you have.
Serves 3.
3 good sized pork chops
1 1/2 tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Olive oil
1/2 - 3/4 cup Cranberry Sauce with Lime
1 1/4 - 1 1/2 cups chicken broth, warm
Get out the chops an hour or so before you plan to start cooking them, if you can manage it. Combine the salt and black pepper and mix well. Sprinkle this all over the chops and let sit for a while.
Preheat a braising pan or large skillet over medium heat for a few minutes to get it nice and evenly hot. Add just a little olive oil and turn to the heat to medium-high. Place the chops in the pan, close together but not overlapping. Cook without touching for 2-3 minutes, until nicely browned on one side. Turn over and cook on the other side for another 2-3 minutes. Remove the chops to a plate.
Stir together the cranberry sauce and chicken broth, then add to the hot pan and deglaze it, scraping up all the browned bits stuck to the bottom, which will be full of flavor. Simmer the sauce over medium heat until reduced somewhat, then add the chops back in. They should be no more than about halfway covered with liquid. Turn to the heat to low and simmer for 10-12 minutes, turning the chops once halfway through. Remove from liquid and let rest for a few minutes, then serve.
The braising liquid is delicious. Spoon a little over each chop when serving, and if desired, also over mashed potatoes, polenta, or whatever other accompaniment you have.
Serves 3.
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Cranberry Sauce with Lime
Just made this for Thursday. Cranberry and lime make a nice flavor combination. While straight up cranberry sauce is delicious on its own, I usually like to add a little dash of something - more ideas here.
1/2 lb whole cranberries, rinsed and picked over
Zest of one lime
1/2 - 3/4 cup sugar
Splash of water
Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the berries have all popped and the sauce has thickened to a consistency you like. Remove from heat, let cool, and refrigerate until ready to serve. Sauce will keep for at least several days in the fridge.
Serves about 6.
1/2 lb whole cranberries, rinsed and picked over
Zest of one lime
1/2 - 3/4 cup sugar
Splash of water
Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the berries have all popped and the sauce has thickened to a consistency you like. Remove from heat, let cool, and refrigerate until ready to serve. Sauce will keep for at least several days in the fridge.
Serves about 6.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Cranberry Sauce Ideas
Cranberries available around here aren't strictly local, but it's not hard to find ones grown in Massachusetts at least. And Thanksgiving without cranberry sauce just wouldn't be right.
I like to make whole berry sauce, the kind where you dump fresh or frozen whole berries into a saucepan with a little water and some sugar and cook until they pop and become a chunky jelly. It's great just like this, but I have trouble resisting the urge to jazz it up at least a little. My favorite thing to do is add a little grated fresh ginger - maybe a tablespoon or so to a pound of berries.
Other ideas:
1. Add some other fruit(s), like blueberries
2. Cook the berries with some whole spices, like cloves and cinnamon sticks - remove the spices later. Or try whole star anise for something a little different.
3. Use orange juice instead of water or add some citrus zest.
4. Add chopped dried fruit and/or nuts.
5. Any combination of the above.
I like to make whole berry sauce, the kind where you dump fresh or frozen whole berries into a saucepan with a little water and some sugar and cook until they pop and become a chunky jelly. It's great just like this, but I have trouble resisting the urge to jazz it up at least a little. My favorite thing to do is add a little grated fresh ginger - maybe a tablespoon or so to a pound of berries.
Other ideas:
1. Add some other fruit(s), like blueberries
2. Cook the berries with some whole spices, like cloves and cinnamon sticks - remove the spices later. Or try whole star anise for something a little different.
3. Use orange juice instead of water or add some citrus zest.
4. Add chopped dried fruit and/or nuts.
5. Any combination of the above.
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