"sides" news and stories

If, by chance, you're firing up the grill for game day, this corn salsa is too easy to not be on your menu. If you've made fresh corn on the grill before, you know how simple it is. Grilled corn is great on it's own, with some butter, salt and pepper, or better yet, mayo, Parmesan cheese, lime juice and chili powder (seriously, try it).

The ingredients in this salsa are easy to vary and I generally just eyeball the amounts as I make it. A good place to start is:
8 average-sized ears of corn
1 medium red onion, sliced into 1/2" to 1" thick rounds (A few tooth picks or skewers in each will help to hold them together on the grill.)
the juice of 2-3 limes
a good handful of cilantro, finely chopped
olive oil

Husk the ears of corn, giving them a rinse to get any last bits of silk off and grill them over fairly high, direct heat, turning them until the kernels begin to blister and darken all over. Brush the onion slices with a little olive oil and grill them as well. Once the corn is done and cool enough to handle, cut the kernels from the cobs with a sharp paring knife and put the kernels in a large bowl. When the onions have softened and taken on some color, pull them off the grill and chop them so they're about the same size as the corn kernels.

What we're eating has put an amazing twist on a favorite Thanksgiving side dish, making Bleu Cheese Candied Yams that sound like they would be a perfect addition to just about any winter meal. The recipe is very easy and just uses yams, molasses, honey, sage and blue cheese, with a bit of butter added for good measure. Yams (or sweet potatoes) are naturally sweet, and while it might sound as though the sweetness would be overwhelming with the addition of honey, the salty and strongly flavored blue cheese cuts that sweetness and balances the dish. The flavors work in reverse, as well, with the honey and molasses slightly tempering the strong cheese. All things considered, this would make a great addition to your menu for Thursday if you are still looking for sides. It doesn't take too much work and you and your guests will be delighted with the results.

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Mark Bittman,the minimalist, talks about stuffing versus dressing for a Thanksgiving dinner. Dressing is what Southerners call the bread-based mixture when it is baked outside of the turkey. Dressing can be veg-friendly, gets crisper at the edges for a lovely textural addition, is easy to make and there are no cooking temperature/bacteria problems to worry about, as there are when the stuffing is in the bird. Bittman uses a James Beard recipe, and there is a video how-to here.

One of the Times' writers tests a whole variety of different fats in pie crusts. She liked various animal fats. She doesn't say what her baking background is, but Rose Levy Berenbaum (author of the Pie and Pastry Bible) recommends a combination of mostly butter with a bit of shortening, much like this recipe.

Using colorful vegetables to dress up the Thanksgiving table is a great idea, as the soft textures and bland colors of mashed potatoes, gravy and turkey are uninteresting, to say the least. Try Stir-Fried Cabbage With Cumin Seeds , Hashed Brussels Sprouts With Lemon Zest , Wilted Chard With Pickled Red Onions and String Beans With Ginger and Garlic .

Have you tried Fragrant pears? They're one of the most recently exported fruits from China to the US and really make other Asian pears pale in comparison. They are small and oval, with long stems and light green or yellow skin that will sometimes have a red blush. "The flesh is extraordinarily tender, crisp and juicy.... the flavor is delicate."

Add corn to Thanksgiving dinner. Did you know that corn in mashed potatoes can give it a rich, creamy taste that will fool people into thinking that you've used a ton of butter and cream, but without the fat?

Frank Bruni dines at The Lonesome Dove Western Bistro and gives it a "satisfactory" rating.

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The first installment in this series of Thanksgiving ideas from around the blogosphere introduced us to some turkey and stuffing recipes. Now, we're moving on to side dishes, many of which are even more beloved than the turkey itself. There are way too many sides to list here, since there is no limit to what can be served with a turkey dinner, but these are fairly standard (or twists on a standard) recipes that everyone is sure to enjoy.

• If you thought brussel sprouts were boring, you havent tried the deliciously caramelized Garlic Roasted Brussel Sprouts from Bunnyfoot.
• The Bourbon Baked Sweet Potatoes at 101 Cookbooks are easy to make ahead and can be a side or a vegetarian main dish.
• The secret to making the perfect mashed potatoes from Simply Recipes is to use Yukon Gold potatoes.
• Roasted Butternut Squash with Rosemary and Balsamic vinegar from Kalyn's Kitchen is the great choice for squash fans, as well as for anyone who wants a lighter side.
• We've already seen a Veggie Venture's world's best green bean casserole, which updates a traditional recipe to the best it can be. Incidentally, most of Alanna's other veggie recipes will work well as sides, too.
• Chubby Hubby made a comforting, tasty creamless creamed corn that uses frozen, not fresh, corn.
• Berries? Booze? The Cranberry Bourbon Relish from Sorry Fugu sounds like a winner already.
• Cranberry Satsuma Relish, from Brownie Points, unlike the sauce mentioned above, is uncooked and made in seconds in the food processor. The Wednesday Chef has a cooked Cranberry Orange Sauce for a different combination of the flavors.

If your family is anything like mine, you probably have at least one member of the extended family (perhaps a somewhat elderly member) who feels that Thanksgiving is no time to be messing with flavor fusions or untraditional side dishes. Relatives of this type want their turkey with gravy, potatoes, cranberry sauce and green bean casserole. Fortunately, you'll be able to find the very best versions of those sides, and many others, in Cook's Illustrated's Best American Side Dishes. In keeping with their usual style, the more than 500 recipes and the related background information is all exhaustively researched and pretty much guaranteed to turn out well. There are step-by-step diagrams and taste tests along the way to help you put forth the best finished product. And, for those not entirely inclined to stick with tradition, they provide variations and updated takes on many of the included dishes, so there will be things to please every member of the family in here. The recipes include Blanched Kale with Shallots and Cream, deviled eggs, potato salad and Savory Noodle Kugel with Caramelized Onions & Cauliflower.

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