Thanksgiving Preview
Banging Chestnut Soup, Ecom Update and more
Greetings,
Turkey Day is 13 days away 👀
Say wuuuuut?
Never fear, Octopod is here.
Next week Paid subs will get TWO drops with a Thanksgiving menu, shopping list, and prep schedule to help you have the most stress-free and delicious Thanksgiving ever!
There’s no way to cover every recipe so here is the Menu that will be dropping:
Roast Turkey
Chestnut Stuffing
Citrus Cranberry Sauce (not out of a can 😏)
Mashed Potato w/Turkey Gravy
Green Beans Viennese
Best Pumpkin Pie Ever (dough and filling)
Bourbon Whipped Cream
You can prepare this entire menu and be completely satisfied; also allows you to include some other family-favorites that are special for you and yours.
In all, 9 recipes with tips, tricks, and pitfalls to avoid!
The Tuesday of Thanksgiving Week, the free post will have some beverage suggestions both alcoholic and n/a for your consideration!
Are You Nutz?
Chances are you’ve heard about chestnuts but seldom eaten them. Holiday songs of “chestnuts roasting on an open fire… Jack Frost… tiny tots…”. Nostalgic memories, possibly, but the humble is chestnut is packed full of warm, nutty, cozy cool weather-friendly flavors.
Chestnuts are a very traditional culinary ingredient in many parts of the world. In the last few decades they’ve largely fallen out of the rotation due to availability and can time-consuming/finicky to roast and peel yourself.
Given the hassles there are some easy work arounds to get Chestnuts on your radar for Fall/Winter cooking.
If you’re lucky enough to be in an area that has a vendor roasting fresh chestnuts, definitely take advantage and scoop some up. Many will also have roasted and peeled on offer, but expect to pay a mark up
If no fresh options around, chestnuts are available roasted, peeled and jarred to pick up off the shelf; ready to be used. This is usually the most efficient option between time, cost and flavor. *Note: You can also keep an eye out post-holidays, most of these jars get heavily discounted and you can put up in your pantry to store for later use.
This recipe today is the perfect intro to Chestnuts.
-It can be served as a full meal in-and-of-itself with some roasted vegetables or salad on the side.
-You could serve this as a first course for a dinner party, or to start your 🦃 Day Meal
-Also, one of my favorites, you can use this as a base to serve Maple-Roasted Quail to impress any friends around the holidays.
Whatever you decide, you’ve got multiple options.
The magic lies in the umami bump from the mushrooms, compiling an aromatic broth and then simply simmering the chestnuts until fully tender. Blend with a little cream (only a half cup in the entire batch) to enrich and you’ve got a luscious, velvety stunning Chestnut Soup.
This is a deceivingly simple soup; a little sauté, deglaze, add aromatics, add chestnuts/broth, simmer… blend… done! It’s very easy to prepare because you will blend everything together so rough chop on all the vegetables is quick.
The soup can store well for 3-5 days in the fridge, or you can portion out, freeze, and thaw on demand.