Thanksgiving Day

Well this would have been week 4 of 4 for soup and stew month, but it just didn’t feel right that the week of Thanksgiving be a soup with all the sides that need to be prepared and enjoyed by many…so I picked one of my all time favorites…green bean casserole. This dish will take a little more time and TLC, but it will be totally worth it…just pour an extra glass of wine.

Thanksgiving is such a special holiday. For some reason it seems calmer and more focused on actually giving thanks with the ones you love than all the other “stressers” of other holidays. Personally I feel a deeper sense of gratitude for this day and the food prepared along with it. We don’t have to look very far for unfortunate reminders of the world we live in. Let’s make a promise to each other that some way some how we will take this year and be particularly grateful and giving to those around us.

I want to give a special thanks to the loyal customers that read our blog, cook our recipes and most importantly appreciate and respect the food delivered. I hope you have a special & memorable Thanksgiving this year.

Cheers!

GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE

for the topping:

~ 2 small onions, thinly sliced

~ 1/4 cup all purpose flour

~ 2 tablespoons panko bread crumbs

~ 1 teaspoon kosher salt

~ 1 tablespoon coconut oil

for the beans:

~ 2 tablespoons salt

~ 1 pound fresh green beans

~ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

~ 12 ounces fresh mushroom, cut into slices

~ 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

~ 2 cloves garlic, minced

~ 1 teaspoon cinnamon

~ 2 tablespoons all purpose flour

~ 1 cup vegetable stock

~ 1 cup greek yogurt

Combine the onions, flour, panko and salt in a large mixing bowl and toss to combine. Coat a sheet pan with coconut oil and evenly spread the onions on the pan. Place the pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake until golden brown, approximately 30 minutes. Toss the onions 2 to 3 times during cooking. Once done, remove from the oven and set aside until ready to use. Turn the oven down to 400 degrees F.

While the onions are cooking, prepare the beans. Bring a gallon of water and 2 tablespoons of salt to a boil in an 8-quart saucepan. Add the beans and blanch for 5 minutes. Drain in a colander and immediately plunge the beans into a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain and set aside.

Melt the butter in a 12-inch cast iron skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms begin to give up some of their liquid, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cinnamon and continue to cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute. Add the broth and simmer for 1 minute. Decrease the heat to medium-low and add the yogurt. Cook until the mixture thickens, stirring occasionally, approximately 6 to 8 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in 1/4 of the onions and all of the green beans. Top with the remaining onions. Place into the oven and bake until bubbly, approximately 15 minutes. Remove and serve immediately.