Thanksgiving Menu 2 for Two to Four People

As I promised yesterday, here is the second version of a Thanksgiving menu for two to four people. This one doesn’t look anything like a “traditional” Thanksgiving meal, but it’s yummy and very colorful

Whatever your Thanksgiving looks like, remember to count your blessings!

Thanksgiving Menu for Two to Four People (version 2)

Turkey Cutlets with Cranberry Orange Glaze
Harvest Moon Risotto
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta
Waldorf Salad (recipe not provided)

Turkey Cutlets with Cranberry Orange Glaze

I used the same technique I use for my chicken picatta. I just changed the flavor from lemon to the more traditional Thanksgiving flavors of orange and cranberry. It was a real winner. This was very easy, had a short cooking time, was very tasty, and the turkey was incredibly moist and juicy.

Ingredient:

• 1 package of 4 turkey cutlets
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil (divided)
• 2 tablespoons butter (divided)
• ½ cup dry white wine
• ¼ cup chicken stock
• ¼ cup orange juice
• 1/3 cup whole berry cranberry sauce
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
• Fresh cranberries for garnish (optional – I had them leftover from making cranberry sauce.)

In a shallow dish, combine the flour, salt and pepper. Dredge the cutlets in the flour mixture, shaking off any excess.

Pour 1 tablespoon of the olive oil into a large heavy skillet and place over medium-high heat. Add one tablespoon of the butter. When the butter is melted and the pan is hot, arrange two of the flour-coated cutlets in the skillet and cook for two minutes on each side or until golden brown. Transfer to a plate while you brown the second batch.

Add the remaining olive oil and butter to the skillet and brown the remaining two cutlets. Transfer to a plate.

Add the wine to the skillet and bring to a boil. Scrape to remove any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Reduce heat and simmer for two minutes and then add the chicken stock, orange juice, and cranberry sauce. Stir to combine.

Add the turkey cutlets back to the skillet along with any accumulated juices. Spoon some of the sauce over the cutlets and then cover the skillet and simmer gently for five minutes.

Serve with sauce drizzled over the cutlet and garnish with fresh cranberries, if desired. (You can also garnish with a slice or wedge of orange… or both for spectacular color!)

Harvest Moon Risotto

Ingedients:

• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• ½ of an onion very finely chopped
• 1 cup Arborio rice
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup dry sherry
• 1 cup pureed pumpkin or butternut squash (frozen winter squash or canned pumpkin are great short cuts)
• ¼ teaspoon white pepper (use black pepper if you don’t have white)
• 2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage leaves, divided
• Salt only if needed!
• Nutmeg for garnish (optional)

Bring chicken stock to a boil and then reduce so you have a very low simmer.

Coat the bottom of a large saucepan with olive oil and place over medium-high heat. Add butter. When the butter melts, add the onion. Cook and stir for 2-3 minutes or until onions are translucent. Reduce heat to medium and stir in the rice and the garlic. Cook, stirring constantly for two minutes. Add the sherry and cook, stirring constantly, until sherry is absorbed.

Begin adding chicken stock to the rice, 1/3 cup at a time. With each addition, cook and stir until liquid has been absorbed. You will need between two and three cups of the stock. After 15 minutes, stir in the pumpkin or squash and the pepper. Taste the rice to see if it is tender. If it still has a bite to it, continue the process. I find that it takes an additional 5 minutes or so from this point. I end up using around 2 cups of the chicken stock, sometimes just a little more.

As soon as the rice is tender, remove from heat and stir in the butter and the cheese. As soon as the butter and cheese are melted, gently stir in 1 tablespoon of the sage leaves.

Taste before adding any salt as the parmesan cheese is already salty. Salt according to your taste.

To serve, transfer to serving dish and top with remaining tablespoon of sage leaves and sprinkle with a very light dusting of nutmeg. (I love nutmeg so I am a bit heavy handed with it but… I’ve had complaints so you probably want about half as much as you see in my photo!)

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta

Totally serious… these are the best Brussels Sprouts I have ever had. This is my favorite way to make them. The only problem is that there aren’t enough left to serve as I can’t stop eating them! You can substitute bacon for the pancetta but I really recommend using pancetta if possible.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb Brussels Sprouts, trimmed and cut in half lengthwise
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ¼ lb pancetta, chopped (you can use bacon)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• Black pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a shallow baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

Coat the bottom of a large skillet with the olive oil and place over medium-high heat. Add pancetta to the pan and cook, stirring frequently, until crisp. Remove to paper towel lined plate, leaving any drippings in the skilled. (Note: bacon has much more fat than pancetta so, if you are using bacon, remove all but 1 teaspoon of the drippings before continuing.)

Add the butter and shallots to the skillet. Cook, stirring constantly for one minute to begin to brown the shallots. Add the Brussels sprouts and stir to coat. Transfer to prepared baking dish and bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes.

Remove from oven and sprinkle with pepper to taste. Do not add salt!

To serve, place in a shallow serving bowl and top with pancetta. Taste at this point and add salt only if needed.

Sweetest Blessings,
LeAnn