Spice Up Your Thanksgiving

The Sensational Singing Chef Neil Fuentes is back in the Connecticut Style kitchen making your Thanksgiving meal is wonderful.

 

Creamed Yuca:
1 & 1/2 lb of Yuca. You can find Yuca in two places at the grocery store: in the produce area near the potatoes or in the frozen department by all the hispanic and latino products area.
Heavy cream
Butter
Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste.

 

Peel and cut and devein the Yuca.  (Yuca has a thick and tough vein in the middle. VERY IMPORTANT: once the Yuca is soft cut in half and remove the NOW visible vein before mashing)  Boil the Yuca until soft.  Once is soft take off stove and drain water.  Add buttter and cream and mash until the yuca has a creamy consistency. Then add 2 cups of parmesan cheese.  Place in a baking pan. Top with more parmesan cheese and bake in the oven until the parmesan cheese is nice and bubbly.

 

 

Sweet Potatoes with Caramelized onions, sweet plantains and bacon.
for 4 people
3 medium size sweet potatoes.
1/2 lb of bacon
1 large onion
2 plantains (Ripe)
1 cup of brown sugar
1 cup of parmesan cheese
1/2 cup butter
1 cup of cream
Marshmallows
Olive oil

 

Place olive oil in a frying pan to a medium low. Peel and dice the plantain and fry until golden. Take the plantains out to rest.  In a second frying pan, dice the bacon and put it to fry until crispy. Take out of the pan and preserve the fat.  Peel and slice the onion and put them to fry in the bacon fat at a medium low heat until soft and caramelized.  Peel and dice sweet potatoes and put them to boil.  Once the potatoes are soft, mash together with the bacon, the onions, butter, brown sugar, cream and cheese. Finally fold the plantains in.  Place the mixture into a baking sheet. Cover with the marshmallows and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until the marshmallows are golden!

 

Arroz con Gandules
2 cups of rice
4 cups of water
1 can of Gandules
1 small onion
1 small bell pepper
1 garlic clove
2 tbsp of adobo
1/4 cup of olive oil
Cilantro for garnish

 

Cook the rice according to the package instructions. In a frying pan place the oil. Mince onion, garlic and bell peppers and put the to sautee with the adobo until soft. Add the can of gandules with the liquid and let it cook until the liquids are almost evaporated. Add the cooked rice and mix. place on a serving tray and garnish with chopped cilantro.

 

Orange parsnips and carrots
4 parsnips
4 carrots
1/2 cup of brown sugar
a pinch of nutmeg
a pinch of cinnamon
a pinch of clove
a pinch of salt
3 oranges

 

Peel and slice the carrots and parsnips.  Extract the juice of the oranges into a frying pan on a medium high heat. Once the orange juice is boiling add the sugar and spices, then add the carrots. Once the carrots are soften place them on a baking sheet and bake the in the oven for about 20 minutes or until they are golden.

String beans with almonds, bacon almonds and dried cranberries.
6 bacon strips
1/2 cup of dry cranberries
1/2 cup of almonds
1 garlic clove
1/2 lb of string beans
salt and pepper
balsamic vinegar

 

Dice the bacon and place on a frying pan and let them crisp up, mince and add the garlic. Blanch the string beans and then add them to the frying pan with the bacon. Toast the almonds and add to the beans along with the cranberries. Season with salt and pepper and finish the dish with balsamic vinegar.