VENETIAN ONIONS

Aurora Provisions’ Marika Kuzma says this recipe was given to her several years ago by a Venetian friend, to replace the standard Thanksgiving side dish of creamed onions. “You can’t have cream with peacock!” she quotes him as saying. “Peacock” was how he referred to turkey, which is unheard of in Italy.

Serves 4 to 6

2 pounds cippollini onions

Extra virgin olive oil

1⁄2 cup sherry vinegar

1⁄2 cup red wine vinegar

1 cup brown sugar

1⁄2 cup capers

1⁄4 cup golden raisins

1⁄4 cup toasted pinenuts

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

Peel onions, blanch for 5 to 7 minutes.

Saute onions in olive oil for 5 minutes to achieve good color — golden brown.

Add vinegars and sugar, reduce liquid by half.

Add capers and raisins and cook for another 5 to 7 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Before serving, sprinkle with toasted pine nuts and parsley.

MARIKA’S MOM’S STUFFING

Courtesy of Marika Kuzma, Aurora Provisions

Serves 16

2 large onions, diced

1 shallot, minced

4 medium cloves garlic,minced

6 stalks celery, diced

4 cups dried apricots, chopped

4 cups cooked chestnuts, chopped

3 loaves good quality white and whole wheat bread (we use Rosemont semolina and wheat breads)

2 cups cream

2 cups milk

3 cups turkey or chicken stock

1/4 cup dry sherry

2 cups fresh chopped dill

2 cups fresh chopped parsley

1 cup fresh chopped sage

1/2 cup fresh thyme

5 eggs

Salt and pepper to taste

1 stick butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

1. Saute all vegetables in butter and olive oil until sweet and translucent.

2. Place bread cut into rough pieces and soak in the cream, milk, stock and sherry in larger bowl.

3. Combine with sauteed vegetables.

4. Add fresh herbs, apricots and chestnuts.

5. Add slightly beaten eggs, salt and pepper, taste and mix together well.

6. Smear 3 pieces of parchment paper with some softened butter.

7. Divide mixture into 3 equal parts. Place each amount at the end of narrower end of the paper. Form into a log and roll in the parchment.

8. Place on sheet pan and bake for 35 minutes in a 350 degree oven or until a thermometer reads 160 degrees.

9. Let rest 10 minutes. Unroll the logs and slice onto a platter.

PUMPKIN DOUGHNUTS

Pumpkin puree and classic pumpkin pie spices give these doughnuts a soft, comforting texture and taste. Reprinted with permission from “Holiday Kosher Baker” by Paula Shoyer, Sterling Publishing. Photography by Michael Bennett Kress.

Makes 15

¼ ounce (1 envelope) dry yeast

¼ cup warm water

¼ cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar, divided

2 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup soy milk

2 tablespoons margarine, at room temperature for at least 15 minutes

1 large egg

½ cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3 to 3¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting

Canola oil for frying

¼ cup confectioners’ sugar for dusting

In a large bowl, place the yeast, warm water and one teaspoon of sugar, and stir. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes, or until thick.

Add the remaining sugar, brown sugar, soy milk, margarine, egg, pumpkin puree, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and 2 cups (250g) of the flour to the bowl and mix on low speed with either a dough hook in a stand mixer or a wooden spoon. Add another cup (125g) of flour and mix well. Add more flour, a tablespoon at a time, and mix it in until the dough becomes smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl each time before adding more flour.

Cover the dough with a clean dishtowel and let it rise for one hour in a warm place. I use a warming drawer on a low setting, or you can turn your oven on to its lowest setting, wait until it reaches that temperature, place the bowl in the oven, and then turn off the oven.

Punch down the dough by folding it over a few times and reshaping it into a ball. Then re-cover the dough and let it rise for 10 minutes.

Dust a cookie sheet with some flour. Sprinkle some flour on your counter or on a piece of parchment paper and roll the dough out until it’s about ½ inch (1.25cm) thick. Use a 2½-inch (6cm) round cookie cutter or drinking glass to cut out circles and place them on the prepared cookie sheet. Reroll any scraps. Cover the doughnuts with the towel. Place the cookie sheet back in the oven (warm but turned off) or warming drawer. Let the doughnuts rise for 45 minutes.

Heat 1½ inches of oil in a medium saucepan for a few minutes and use a candy thermometer to see when the temperature stays between 365 and 375 degrees; adjust the flame so the oil stays in that temperature range.

Cover a cookie sheet with foil. Place a wire rack on top of it and set it near your stovetop. Gently slide no more than four doughnuts, top side down, into the oil and fry for 1½ minutes. Turn the doughnuts over and cook another 1½ minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, letting excess oil drip off, and place on a wire rack to cool. Repeat for the remaining doughnuts. Dust with the confectioners’ sugar and serve. Store covered at room temperature for up to one day and reheat to serve.

CRANBERRY RELISH

Courtesy of Aurora Provisions

Makes approximately 2 quarts

6 cups cranberries

2 oranges (zest peeled and chopped)

2 apples, cored and chopped

1 cup chopped white onion

1 cup raisins

1 cup orange juice

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

2 cup light brown sugar

1⁄4 cup cider vinegar

1⁄4 cup minced fresh tarragon

1⁄4 teaspoon powdered ginger root

1⁄4 teaspoon powdered clove

1⁄4 teaspoon allspice

1⁄4 teaspoon cinnamon

Place all ingredients in a heavy bottomed pot.

Bring to a low simmer, stirring frequently.

Reduce heat and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes

Allow relish to cool a bit then spread on cookie sheet and refrigerate to set overnight.