Team Biaggi's Favorite Holiday Recipes
November 19, 2020
SWEET POTATO SOUFFLE
Serves 8-10
Ingredients:
- 3 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled, and cut into cubes
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup finely packed brown sugar - divided
- ½ cup (1 stick) butter, melter - divided
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup orange juice
- 1 cup pecan halves
- Mini marshmallows
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375°
- In a large saucepan over high heat, bring the potatoes, and enough water to cover, to boil. When boiling, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes.
- Drain
- In a large bowl, beat the potatoes with an electric mixer until they are smooth.
- Beat in the eggs, ¼ cup of brown sugar, ¼ cup of the butter, salt, and cinnamon.
- Beginning with ¼ cup orange juice, add to make the mixture moist and fluffy.
- Put mixture into a 2-3 quart baking dish. Make sure the top layer is smooth.
- Arrange the pecan halves over the top. Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup of brown sugar over the pecans, and remaining ¼ cup of melted butter.
- Bake 25-30 minutes or until top is bubbly. Add marshmallows at the end and bake until brown.
OPEN FACE APPLE PIE
Ingredients:
- pie crust ingredients (ingredients and recipe found here)
- 2 lbs of apples
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 tbs unsalted butter
- 3 tbs apricot or quince preserves
Directions:
- Follow these directions for a flakey pie crust. Roll out the dough to fit a 9″ or 10″ pie pan. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 425°.
- Peel the apples. Cut them in half and use a melon baller to scoop out the cores.
- With the cut side down, cut the apples into 1/8″ slices and place them in a large bowl.
- Add sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and lemon juice and use your hands to gently toss and coat the apples.
- Allow the apples to macerate for 30-40 minutes.
- Drain the apples through a sieve, reserving the liquid.
- Simmer the liquid with the 2 tbs of butter until it’s reduced to at least half to thicker consistency.
- Meanwhile, overlap the slices in the pie shell, starting from the outside edge and spiraling towards the center.
- Once you’re done, insert apple slices into any gaps with the tip of a knife. The slices should be packed rather tightly in the pie shell.
- Pour half of the reduced liquid over the apples. Dissolve the preserves to the remaining liquid and keep warm.
- Cover the pie with foil and steam vents and bake for 30-40 minutes until the apples are tender.
- Remove the foil and brush the top of the pie for the preserve mixture. Bake for another 10-15 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the pie is bubbling.
- Allow to cool and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
WILD RICE & MUSHROOM STUFFING (VEGAN, GLUTEN-FREE)
Ingrediants:
- 1 cup brown & wild rice blend
- 2 1/4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion , chopped
- 3 celery stalks , chopped
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 8 ounces mushrooms , sliced
- 3 tablespoons fresh chopped sage
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped thyme
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 apple , cored and diced (optional)
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries (optional)
- 1/3 cup chopped pecans (optional)
Directions:
- Combine the rice and vegetable broth in a large saucepan, bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer and cover for 35-40 minutes, cooking until the broth is completely absorbed. (Alternatively, you can use half the broth and cook the rice blend in the Instant Pot at high pressure for 25 minutes, with a 10 minute natural release.)
- While the rice is cooking, melt the olive oil in a large deep skillet over medium heat and saute the onion and celery until tender, about 8 minutes. Add in the garlic, mushrooms, sage, thyme, and salt, and saute another 8 to 10 minutes, until the mushrooms are tender.
- Combine the cooked rice and mushroom mixture, and stir in the apple, cranberries, and pecans, if using. Adjust any seasoning to taste, and serve warm.
- Leftovers can be stored in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 3 days.
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp tahini, see notes
- 2 tbsp water
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 large head of cauliflower
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF or 180ºC.
- Mix all the ingredients in a bowl (except the cauliflower) until well combined.
- Trim the base of the cauliflower to remove any green leaves and the woody stem.
- Rub the marinade all over the cauliflower, then place onto a lined baking sheet and bake for 50-60 minutes or until golden brown. I don’t like my cauliflower super soft, just al dente, so feel free to bake it longer if you want.
- Remove from the oven and allow to slightly cool before serving. I added some chopped cauliflower on top, but it’s totally optional.
- Keep leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Ingredients:
FILLING
- 1 medium onion (diced)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 1/2 cups uncooked brown or green lentils (rinsed and drained)
- 4 cups vegetable stock (DIY or store-bought)
- 2 tsp fresh thyme (or sub 1 tsp dried thyme per 2 tsp fresh)
- 1 10-ounce bag frozen mixed veggies: peas, carrots, green beans, and corn
MASHED POTATOES
- 3 pounds yukon gold potatoes, partially peeled (thoroughly washed)
- 3-4 Tbsp vegan butter
- Salt and pepper (to taste)
Directions:
- Slice any large potatoes in half, place in a large pot and fill with water until they’re just covered. Bring to a low boil on medium high heat, then generously salt, cover and cook for 20-30 minutes or until they slide off a knife very easily.
- Once cooked, drain, add back to the pot to evaporate any remaining water, then transfer to a mixing bowl. Use a masher, pastry cutter or large fork to mash until smooth. Add desired amount of vegan butter (3-4 Tbsp as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size), and season with salt and pepper to taste. Loosely cover and set aside.
- While potatoes are cooking, preheat oven to 425 degrees F (218 C) and lightly grease a 2-quart baking dish (or comparable sized dish, such as 9×13 pan. An 8×8 won’t fit it all but close! // as original recipe is written // adjust number or size of dish if altering batch size).
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, sauté onions and garlic in 1 Tbsp olive oil (amounts as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size) until lightly browned and caramelized – about 5 minutes.
- Add a pinch each salt and pepper. Then add lentils, stock, and thyme and stir. Bring to a low boil. Then reduce heat to simmer. Continue cooking until lentils are tender (35-40 minutes).
- In the last 10 minutes of cooking, add the frozen veggies, stir, and cover to meld the flavors together.
- OPTIONAL: To thicken the mixture, add 2-3 Tbsp (amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size) mashed potatoes and stir. Alternatively, scoop out 1/2 of the mixture and whisk in 2 Tbsp (amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size) cornstarch or arrowroot powder and whisk. Return to the pan and whisk to thicken.
- Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Then transfer to your prepared oven-safe baking dish and carefully top with mashed potatoes. Smooth down with a spoon or fork and season with another crack of pepper and a little sea salt.
- Place on a baking sheet to catch overflow and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the mashers are lightly browned on top.
- Let cool briefly before serving. The longer it sits, the more it will thicken. Let cool completely before covering, and then store in the fridge for up to a few days. Reheats well in the microwave.