November 25, 2015

Roasted Beets with Hazelnut Picada + Mashed Potatoes with Olive Oil Majado

Natacha Sanz Caballero Vegetables fall vegetables, hazelnuts, majado, mashed potatoes, mashed potatoes with majado, picada, roasted beets, roasted beets with hazelnut picada, Thanksgiving

Only two more days until Thanksgiving, and planning is underway. You can feel it in the air, and see it on the streets, in the markets and supermarkets, busier than usual. For me, the planning depends on whether I’m hosting or I’m the guest, alternating roles that happen every second year. You see, for as long as I can remember —maybe almost as long as I have been living in America— we have celebrated Thanksgiving with our best friends Shelby and Byron, and their sons Davis and Merritt, our own sons best friends.

Some years, it would be just us, the two couples and children. But for the most part, each year we would have some extended family, grandparents, or siblings, or friends that would join in the celebration with us. Thanksgiving is about opening your table, your house, sharing and giving thanks. For Americans, it’s a long weekend, a four day weekend, one of the rare ones in the calendar year. Something very unique to this celebration is that, unlike Christmas, or Hanukkah, or any other big religious holiday, Thanksgiving is celebrated by everyone, American-born or not. I, as you know, wasn’t born in the United States, but have been an American for a number of years now. I’ve always felt welcomed in this country, and my children were born here, so I feel part of it. As an American, I follow the traditions, and one of them is Thanksgiving, the traditional one. We have the turkey with all the sides and pies, as is the custom. My men would not have it any other way.

However, my friend Shelby —not every year, but every now and again—, will ask the question, “Would you make a paella for Thanksgiving?” I’d smile, and would happily do it, because you know I feel much more comfortable making a paella than a turkey dinner, which in my opinion and experience takes more planning and perfect timing. But my men would not hear of it. I believe it has to do in part with the fact that I make paella often, but turkey only once a year, maybe twice if they’re lucky. I’m sure another reason for their reluctance is that traditions are comforting.

Recently, with the visit of King Felipe VI and Queen Leticia of Spain to Florida, I learned that the city of Saint Augustine in Florida is the oldest established city in the United States. The occasion for the royal visit was the celebration of the 450th anniversary of the founding of the city on September 8, 1565. As I learned more about the city and its history, I found out that the first Thanksgiving (defined as a fraternity meal between European settlers and native people) was celebrated there, 56 years before the celebration at Plymouth Rock that we commemorate as the first Thanksgiving.

Saint Augustine was founded by Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, a Spanish explorer sent there by then King Felipe II. Don Pedro arrived with an expedition of 500 soldiers, 200 sailors and more than 100 farmers and artisans. Many of the settlers brought with them their wives and children. The first celebration with the natives  happened in 1565, while the one celebrated in Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts, between the 102 survivors of the Mayflower and the native people, was celebrated in 1621.

No matter its origin, the spirit of Thanksgiving has endured over the centuries, and now, as then, it’s a fraternity dinner amongst brothers and sisters.

So while I will not make a paella for Thanksgiving (my own family wouldn’t allow it, and records show that the Thanksgiving celebrated in Saint Augustine didn’t count paella as one of its dishes), I’m happy to include some subtle Spanish touches to my dishes: mashed potatoes with olive oil majado, and roasted beets with a deconstructed hazelnut picada, two side dishes —and my own developed recipes— so flavorful that you will want to skip the gravy. I hope you enjoy. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

 

ROASTED BEETS WITH HAZELNUT PICADA

Remolacha al Horno con Picada de Avellanas

2 lbs medium beets

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 sprigs parsley

1 medium shallot

1 Tbs sherry vinegar

1 cup hazelnuts

Salt to taste

 

Preheat the oven to 400ºF.

Wash the beets, pat them dry and wrap them in foil. Place on a baking tray and bake for about 1 hour, or until tender. Unwrap and let cool.

Lower the heat to 350ºF. Spread the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and roast for about 10 minutes, shaking the baking sheet every 3 minutes so the hazelnuts roast evenly. Remove from the oven and let cool. When the hazelnuts are cool enough to handle, remove their papery skin (I haven’t found a better method to do this than rubbing them between my fingers, but I welcome your suggestions!). Place one cup of hazelnuts in a mortar and crush coarsely with the pestle.

Mince the parsley and chop the shallot finely. Place them in a medium bowl and add the sherry vinegar, a pinch of salt and the olive oil. Whisk to mix.

Cut one of the beets into fine slices (I used a mandoline). Cut the remainder beets in to chunks. Arrange the chunks on a platter, folding the slices into florets and scattering them between the chunks. Drizzle with the parsley and shallot mixture and sprinkle with the chopped hazelnuts.

 

 

 

MASHED POTATOES WITH OLIVE OIL MAJADO

Puré de patatas con Majado

2 lbs russet potatoes

1 Tbs butter

1 cup milk

3 sprigs parsley

5 cloves garlic

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

 

Wash, peel and quarter the potatoes. Place the chunks in a large saucepan and add water to cover. Add a generous pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium and continue to cook, until the potatoes are tender, about 40-45 minutes. Drain.

Meanwhile, warm the milk to a simmer and make the majado: in a mortar, pound the garlic, salt and parsley with a pestle until you reach the desired consistency. Add the olive oil and stir to mix.

Return the potatoes to the saucepan over low heat. With a potato masher, mash the potatoes thoroughly. Add the butter, let melt, and stir to incorporate. Add the warm milk, a pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper, and stir to incorporate. Add two thirds of the majado and mix, incorporating evenly.

Transfer to a serving platter and scatter the remainder majado on top. Serve hot (if not eating immediately, heat the mashed potatoes before scattering the majado on top).