I’ve been wanting to try this “onion pizza” since the day I saw it on The Cooking Ninja’s blog. No sauce, no cheese, just a ton of caramelized onions, some herbs, tomatoes, and anchovies. Simple and amazingly tasty. We love onions, so I knew this would be a hit.

Lisa says:

Holy mackerel it smells good in here.

Chris says:

Actually those are anchovies, and it should smell good — I caramelized four whole onions for this pizza!

Lisa says:

Yum! This is delicious — even with the anchovies!

Chris says:

I thought you would like them; that’s some salty goodness. 😉

(Later…)
Thad and Abbie say:

Why do your clothes smell like onions?

La Pissaladière
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(courtesy The Cooking Ninja)
1 pizza dough
4 large onions, sliced (I used 3 yellow, one red)
4 tomatoes, thickly sliced
1 can of anchovies
Herbs de Provence

Preheat the oven to 410F, or use the instructions on your pizza dough. Heat some oil in a pan over medium-high heat and sauté the onions until they start to turn golden brown; sprinkle with salt. On a floured board, roll out your dough into a 12-14″ circle, then move to a pizza pan or baking sheet. Lay the onions onto the dough, then layer with tomatoes, some herbs, and finally, the anchovies. Cook for 25-30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.

Lisa has been trying to convince me to make this brussels sprouts dish that she found on Heidi’s 101 Cookbooks site, and since we had at least one other sprout-lover (Abbie) coming over for Thanksgiving, I decided to give this one a try. The verdict? Pretty gouda! The sprouts never get mushy and don’t really have that bitter taste. However, in my stubbornness to continue hating brussels sprouts, I’m just going to refer to these as tiny cabbages instead.

Abbie says:

Look at you makin’ brussels sprouts — I’m so happy and proud!

Lisa says:

I think this was my favorite dish of the night!

Golden-Crusted Brussels Sprouts
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24 small brussels sprouts
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for rubbing
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup grated gouda

Wash the brussels sprouts, removing any wilted outer leaves. Cut in half lengthwise and rub each half with olive oil, keeping it whole.
Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in your largest skillet over medium heat. Place the brussels sprouts in the pan flat side down in a single layer, sprinkle with salt, cover, and cook for about 5 minutes, or until lightly browned and just tender.
Uncover, turn the heat to high, and cook until the flat sides are deep brown and caramelized. Use a spatula or shake the pan to get a couple of the rounded sides browned. Season with more salt, pepper, and the grated cheese. Serve immediately.

4 Servings

Hooray, an excuse to make Sangria — friends coming over for some early-afternoon eatin’ on Thanksgivin’!

Chris says:

Hey, this hits the spot! More please.

Lisa says:

Wow, I love that picture you took! By the way, make sure people know I doubled the recipe shown below.

Sangria
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1 orange
1 lemon
1 lime
1/4 cup sugar
1 750-ml bottle chilled red wine
2 cups orange juice
1/4 cup triple sec
1/4 cup brandy

Slice the fruit, then mash at the bottom with the sugar. Add the wine, orange juice, triple sec, and brandy, and chill. Serve over ice, and garnish with additional fruit.

Makes 5 1/2 cups

The first dish of the day for our Thanksgiving feast was Borani, a Persian spinach and yogurt dip. This recipe comes from The Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home cookbook.

Lisa says:

This is delicious! And even better after it’s been chilled.

Chris says:

Yeah I really like this — next time we have people over I’ll have to make it again, but double the recipe. Hey, I’m thirsty.

Lisa says:

Good thing I made Sangria!

Borani
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1 bunch fresh spinach, well rinsed, stemmed, and chopped
1 cup chopped onions
3 scallions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tbsp minced fresh dill
1/3 cup feta cheese
2 tbsp light plain yogurt
salt and ground pepper to taste

After rinsing the spinach, cook for a few minutes over medium heat in a covered sauce pan until wilted but still bright green. Drain the spinach and press in a colander or sieve to squeeze out the excess moisture.
Saute the onions, scallions, and garlic in the olive oil. When the onions are soft and translucent, stir in the spinach and dill and heat for about 2 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to press out any extra liquid and transfer to a bowl. Stir in the feta and yogurt and add salt and pepper to taste. Chill for at least an hour.
Serve with bread or pita.

Makes approx. 2 cups

With the impending move and my taking evening classes, we haven’t had a lot of time to cook at home as of late. Lisa did, however, have the time to whip up this hearty, beany (ahem) chili last week. The recipe comes from Elise’s site, with a few small changes, as shown below:

Spicy Vegetarian Chili
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1 1 lb eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 medium portabello caps
Olive oil
2 yellow onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium zucchini, diced
2 large red bell peppers, seeded, diced
1 jalapeño peppers, seeded, finely minced
1 28 oz can Italian plum tomatoes
1/2 cup red wine
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp fennel seeds
2 tsp dried oregano
1 1/2 cup cooked white beans (1 15-ounce can, drained and rinsed)
1 1/2 cup cooked kidney beans (1 15-ounce can, drained and rinsed)
zest of one lemon
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp sugar
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Place the eggplant and mushrooms in a roasting pan and toss with a tablespoon of olive oil. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes, stirring once. Remove from oven.
2. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil on medium heat in a large saucepan. Add onions and cook for 4 minutes. Add garlic, cook for a minute more. Add zucchini, red bell peppers, and jalapeños. Cook 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Coarsely chop the canned tomatoes, and add them to the pot, including their liquid. Add the wine, cumin oregano, fennel, and chili powder. Stir in the eggplant and simmer for 20 minutes over low heat.
4. Add beans, lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, and cilantro. Add the salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Serve with sour cream and top with chopped green onions. Get your beans on.