[1] Butternut squash risotto: creamy and toothsome with crunchy pine nuts and notes of sage (photo © DeLallo).

[2] Asiago cheese. Serve extra Asiago on a cheese or charcuterie plate, or on a sandwich (photo © Wisconsin Cheese).

[3] Fresh sage is a favorite fall herb (photo © Good Eggs).

[4] Arborio rice gives risotto its creaminess. See why in the Arborio Rice paragraph (photo © Sassy Radish).

We made this risotto over the weekend because we love both risotto and butternut squash.

An Italian classic, this fall take on risotto is brimming with flavor, adding pine nuts and balsamic glaze.

It’s easy enough to make on a weeknight.

If you can’t find Asiago cheese, you can substitute other Italian grating cheeses: Grana Padano, Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano (here’s more about Italian grating cheeses).
 
 
RECIPE: BUTTERNUT SQUASH RISOTTO

Ingredients For 6 Servings

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 350˚F. Peel the squash, remove the seeds and cut into 1/2-inch cubes.

2. ARRANGE the squash on a baking sheet. Season with garlic, sage, and salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and toss to coat squash.

3. ROAST for about 30 minutes, until the squash becomes tender and golden. Remove from the heat and discard sage leaves and garlic. Purée half of the squash and set the other half aside. In the meantime…

4. COOK the rice. Bring the chicken stock to a slow simmer on low-heat in small, covered pot. In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil on a medium setting. Add the shallots and cook until they become translucent and softened, but not browned—about 8 minutes. Stir the in rice and mix until coated and the grains become clear, about 4 minutes.

5. ADD the wine and continue to cook and stir until the wine has completely absorbed. Using a ladle, add 3/4 cup of hot broth to the rice. Use a wooden spoon to stir the rice constantly. When the rice has absorbed most (but not all) of the liquid and the mixture is just thick enough to leave a clear wake behind the spoon, add another 3/4 cup broth and the squash purée.

Continue to add broth when mixture gets thick, stirring constantly, until all the broth has been used, the grains are al dente in the center and suspended in a liquid that resembles heavy cream— about 18 minutes.

6. TURN off the heat and stir in the butter, squash pieces, pine nuts, and 1/2 cup of Asiago. Once the butter has melted and the ingredients are fully incorporated, remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately, topped with the remaining 1/2 cup of Asiago and drizzled with balsamic glaze.
 

WHY ARBORIO RICE?

Arborio rice is essential for risotto. Arborio rice develops a creamy texture around a chewy center and has exceptional ability to absorb flavors.

The creaminess comes from a high starch content. Arborio is a japonica cultivar, the same variety that produces the other “sticky rices,” including mochi and sweet rice.

Primarily used in risotto, this medium-length, round-grained rice is named after the town of Arborio, in Italy’s Po Valley, where it is grown.

The grains have a more tan color with a characteristic white dot at the center of the grain.
 
 
> THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF RICE

Newby Tea is a British brand that puts fine tea in bags, just right for tea lovers who don’t like to deal with loose tea.

Newby is one of the newer tea companies, founded in London at the turn of the millennium with a clear mission: to revive the world’s love for quality tea.

Newby’s fine teas and tisanes can be found globally in five-star hotels, Michelin-starred restaurants, high-end stores and heritage venues.

With more than 140 awards to date, including the Global Tea Championship, Newby Teas is world’s most highly-awarded luxury tea company (wow!).

The company is a member of the Ethical Tea Partnership, a global, not-for-profit organization committed to improving the lives and environment of tea workers throughout the world.

Newby also shares the ETP’s aims of making tea production better, fairer and more environmentally sustainable.

Newby’s regular tea bags have been certified as being biodegradable, made from wood pulp and abaca. The silken pyramid bags are made from biodegradable cornstarch.
 
 
WHAT MAKES NEWBY TEAS SO GOOD?

The tea leaves used are among the finest available. Only first and second flush leaves, those picked in prime season from March to July go into Newby products.

Newby chooses only the leaves from the season’s best harvests. Highly skilled tea tasters test thousands of cups before selecting the leaves for blends.

The leaves are then shipped directly to Newby’s state-of-the-art preservation, storage, blending and packing facility in India.

The facility is strategically located in the heart of the fine tea-growing regions of the world, thus reducing transit time to preserve quality.

It is the only facility of its kind in the world for tea, and receives the highest accreditation in safety and quality by BRC Global Standards and HACCP, year after year.

The close location minimizes the exposure of the leaves to negative influences. Mechanisms that control temperature and humidity levels guarantee that each blend is painstakingly protected from environmental contaminants.

It’s all about the craft of fine tea, from field to cup.
 
 
EVERYDAY BOXES & BEAUTIFUL GIFTS

You can treat yourself to boxes of Newby Teas (photo #2), and give beautiful gift boxes (photo #1) to tea-loving friends.

There are also handsome metal tea caddies filled with loose leaf tea in black, green and tisane blends.

In addition to black tea, green tea and fruit and herbal tisanes, there are:

 
For the health-minded, the different teas have been grouped into a page of more than 30 “immunity boosters.”
 
 
READY TO DRINK A CUP OR GIVE A CUP?

Head to NewbyTeas.us.
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF TEA
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF THE TEA BAG
 
 
> TEA TERMS & THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF TEA

[1] Beautiful gift boxes are available in black, green and tisane teas. (all photos © Newby Teas).

[2] Ready to trade up to better tea for yourself? Buy standard boxes of Newby Teas.

[3] Relax with a tranquil cup of tea.

[4] Whether for breakfast, a tea break or an after-dinner cup, you’ll relish the flavor of Newby.

[5] Add a sprig of evergreen or holly to cup at a holiday meal.

Because Thanksgiving is the American holiday, we always serve American wines.

If you pour just one white wine and one red wine at Thanksgiving, that’s O.K.

But for those who want to up their wine-pairing game, here’s a Thanksgiving food and wine pairing guide.

Of course, you don’t need to serve a different wine with every course as shown below. Only wine nerds do that (guilty!).

But we hope this inspires you to consider different pairings with your feast.
 
 
HOW MANY WINES ARE “TOO MANY?”

If you think the following amount of wine is “too much” for one Thanksgiving meal…well, it depends on how much of a wine-aholic you are. We’ve been serving different wines with every course of a big dinner for decades.

That’s no judgment on anyone who doesn’t. It’s just an aspirational comment for those who might like to try.
 
1. Apéritif & All-Purpose White: Chardonnay

For those who want a white wine apéritif, Chardonnay is a popular choice. At the table, it pairs with all the traditional dishes.

Chardonnay really shines with green bean casserole, mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes, which is why it’s also the go-to for vegetarian meals.

2. Seafood & All-Purpose White: Pinot Gris

Pinot Gris (pee-no gree) can be your white wine aperitif, or wine of choice for anyone who only drinks whites.

But it shines with shellfish dishes, especially those with olive oil. Its acidity cuts through the rich fats and enhances the crustacean flavors.

Most people don’t serve seafood at Thanksgiving dinner, but we have friends who start the meal with oysters on the half shell. It’s historic:

The Pilgrims ate plenty of them, gathered from the ocean, and oysters may have been part of the original feast. America’s coastline was teeming with clams, lobsters, mussels, and oysters reefs.

3. Apéritif & All-Purpose White: Albariño

Here’s another all-purpose white wine. This grape from Spain is not as well-known in the U.S., but is is now being planted by more American growers. It’s an excellent apéritif, a touch more aromatic than Pinot Gris.

It’s an excellent alternative to Pinot Gris for seafood and vegetarian/vegan dishes.

4. Turkey: Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir is the go-to wine for the main course. It is the perfect pairing for turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce. If you choose one wine for the dinner table, make it Pinot Noir.

5. Beef: Cabernet Sauvignon

If your Thanksgiving dinner includes prime rib, Cabernet Sauvignon is a heartier wine that stands up to beef, and more substantial dishes and sides like stuffing with with sausage or dishes with spicy ingredients like chiles.

6. Beef, Ham & Turkey: Zinfandel

Zinfandel is the happy medium when serving turkey or a roast, and is also a perfect pairing with ham. Its spiciness complements ham’s cloves and a sweet or savory glaze.

7. Dessert

Dessert wines are made to be drunk with the dessert, and the sweetness goes with any dessert. We even like it with a cheese course.

But for those who are stuffed from dinner but still want to end with something sweet, dessert wine is just the ticket.

Quady Winery in California makes several dessert wines, the most familiar of which are Essensia and Elysium.

But there are quite a few fine American dessert wines. Look for Late Harvest Riesling, Ice Wine, Orange Muscat.

You may come across Bonny Doon’s Viognier Vin de Glacière, one of the first California dessert wines.

Many dessert wines come in half bottles. Don’t hesitate to ask for guidance from the wine store staff.
 
 
In Vino Veritas, and for Thanksgiving, In Vino Americae Veritas.

[1] So much to eat, so many wines to pair (photo © Fairmont Hotel | Chicago).

[2] If your crowd are wine enthusiasts, treat them to wine pairings for Thanksgiving (photo © Cameron Hughes).

[3] How about this cranberry-walnut stuffing? Here’s the recipe (photo © Go Bold With Butter).

[4] There’s even a wine for pumpkin pie and other Thanksgiving desserts (photo © Williams Sonoma).

[1] Oven-baked nuggets served Buffalo Wing style. Here’s the recipe from Every Last Bite (photos #1 and #2 © Every Last Bite).

[2] Don’t like blue cheese? Serve chicken nuggets with your favorite dips.

[3] Vegan nuggets: Alpha Foods used its Chikn-Nuggets to make a Buffalo Chickn hero/sub, with all the fixings: blue cheese dressing, onion, pickles, shredded lettuce and tomatoes. Here’s the recipe (photos #3 and #4 © Alpha Foods).

[4] We like chicken nuggets (here, vegan Chick’n Nuggets) with three dips: blue cheese, Russian dressing and good old ketchup.

[5] Here’s a recipe for chunky blue cheese dressing. Reminder: Use good blue cheese! (photo © Perfect Meals).

November 13th was National Chicken Nuggets Day, and we tried a new recipe (below and photo #1) to celebrate.

Almost everyone knows that a chicken nugget is a bite-sized piece of chicken, coated in batter and then deep fried (although the recipe here uses baked nuggets, for ease of prep and fewer calories).

For vegetarians and vegans, there are excellent vegan nuggets from companies like Alpha Foods and Quorn.

In the world of chicken nuggets, better nuggets are made by cutting up chicken breasts. Cheaper versions are made from ground chicken or a meat slurry*. If you care, check the ingredients.

And check out who invented chicken nuggets, in the history below. (Hint: It wasn’t McDonald’s.)

Today’s recipe idea is for Chicken Nuggets Buffalo Wing Style (photo #1).

Buffalo Wings are fried chicken wings served with hot sauce, a blue cheese and celery. Here’s the story of their impromptu creation.

Buffalo Wings have their own national holiday, on July 29th.

But on to the fusion of Buffalo Wings and chicken nuggets: Buffalo Nuggets.
 
 
RECIPE: BUFFALO CHICKEN NUGGETS

For this recipe, you can make chicken nuggets from scratch or buy them frozen.

You can also buy takeout nuggets from a fast-food restaurant or deli, but that will cost you more.

The great thing about this recipe is that you can buy all the ingredients and just assemble.

The recipe uses blue cheese dressing, which is the prevailing way to serve Buffalo wings. Originally, a hunk of blue cheese was served.

On the sandwich version (photo #3), we used a commercial blue cheese dressing, but crumbled some Bayley Hazen Blue on top of the dressing. We really enjoyed the added piquancy of the crumbles.

We always have some great blue cheese in the fridge. We created a hero sandwich with Bayley Hazen Blue from Jasper Hill Farm.
 
Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. PREPARE the nuggets according to the recipe or package instructions.

2. PLATE with the blue cheese dressing and celery sticks.

3. SANDWICH: Pile the ingredients onto the bread. For a variation, toast the bread.
 

THE HISTORY OF CHICKEN NUGGETS

The chicken nugget was invented in the 1950s by Robert C. Baker, a food science professor at Cornell University. He created more than 40 poultry, turkey and cold cut innovations.

Here’s more about him.

In the 1950s he created chicken pieces that were breaded or battered, then deep-fried. It was called the “Chicken Crispie” by Baker and his associate.

Two problems facing the meat industry at the time were the ability to clump ground meat without a skin, and produce a batter coating that could be both deep fried and frozen without becoming detached.

Baker’s innovations solved these problems and made it possible to form chicken nuggets in any shape by:

 
His findings were published as academic papers, but not patented [source].

Who Created Chicken McNuggets?

The product that became Chicken McNuggets was conceived by Keystone Foods, a supplier to McDonald’s, in the late 1970s (the company was acquired by Tyson in 2018).

In 1981, McDonald’s launched Chicken McNuggets in select markets. They were in McDonald’s worldwide by 1983.

Why the delay?

McNuggets were so well-received that every franchise wanted them, and there wasn’t a system to supply enough chicken [source].

Following suit, other chains introduced chicken nuggets, as did frozen food manufacturers and restaurants.

Here are the ingredients. The Chicken McNuggets formula was changed in 2016 to remove artificial preservatives and improve the nutritional value†.

Here’s more about Chicken McNuggets.

Some fast food restaurants have launched vegan alternatives. McDonald’s is testing vegan McNuggets in Europe. They’re made from chickpeas, carrots, potatoes, cauliflower, corn, and onion, and are coated in a crunchy breading [source].

Modern chefs, who grew up loving McNuggets, have created their own creative, fusion and gourmet versions, from pretzel-coated chicken nuggets to Korean chicken nuggets to zucchini and parmesan-crusted chicken nuggets.

Have fun with your nuggets. As we celebrated Chicken Nuggets Day, we also served them on skewers with cherry tomatoes and celery chunks—and blue cheese dip, of course!
 
________________

*A meat slurry is reconstituted chicken meat designed for chicken nuggets, dog food, and other industrial uses. Here’s more about it. A study published in the American Journal of Medicine analyzed the composition of chicken nuggets from two American fast food chains. It found that less than half of the material was skeletal muscle (i.e., chicken flesh), with fat occurring in an equal or greater proportion.

†As of August 1, 2016, the ingredients within the U.S. are as follows: White boneless chicken, water, salt, seasoning (yeast extract, salt, wheat starch, natural flavoring, safflower oil, lemon juice solids, dextrose, citric acid), sodium phosphates. Battered and breaded with water, enriched flour (bleached wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), yellow corn flour, bleached wheat flour, salt, leavening (baking soda, sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium aluminum phosphate, monocalcium phosphate, calcium lactate), spices, wheat starch, dextrose, corn starch. Prepared in vegetable oil (canola oil, corn oil, soybean oil, hydrogenated soybean oil) with citric acid as a preservative [source].

Sometimes the food adventure takes you to new countries and new cuisines. You may discover new must-have favorites.

That’s what happened to us with bureks (BOO-rek, also spelled börek and other variations), when we discovered Balkan Bites, a New York-based family business that bakes bureks from generations-old recipes handed down from great-great grandmothers in Albania. (More about them below.)

Bureks a Southeast European comfort foods a portable stuffed phyllo swirl.

Delicate pastries made of thin, flaky hand-stretched phyllo dough, traditionally they are filled with cheese, meat or vegetables—or a combination.

Modern bakers have created sweet options as well: everything from the classic cinnamon-sugar, sweetened cheese and sweetened yogurt, to Nutella.

Bureks may be prepared in a large sheet pan and cut into portions after baking, like baklava; or as individual pastries.
 
 
WHO EATS BUREKS?

For centuries, burek had been the food of nomads and wanderers: carried in knapsacks from Beijing to Barcelona, from Modena to the Maghreb, cooked over campfires.

So delicious, however, borek found its way onto the table of khans and kings. It is a culinary witness to generations of migration, conquest and displacement.

Here’s more on the history of borek.

Working their way into the diet of everyday folks, bureks have long been served as a popular street food, a home snack or a part of a sit-down meal.

They’re part of the cuisines of the former Ottoman Empire: the Balkans* (image #8), the South Caucasus, the Levant, North Africa and other parts of Eastern Europe and Western Asia.

Originally introduced by the nomadic Turks of Central Asia, the flaky phyllo swirl travelled across borders for centuries, adopting different names and shapes [source].

The Southern Slavic cuisines make derivatives of the burek. And it’s also Jewish comfort food—though not European Jewish but eastern Jewish.

 
For breakfast, lunch, appetizer or dessert, there’s a reason to eat bureks. You can even have them as a main course with a green salad.

In the Balkans, burek is traditionally eaten with a side of yogurt or ajvar, a roasted pepper spread that goes with everything.

It’s “the ketchup of the Balkans,” says Balkan Bites (you can make it or buy it online).
 

BALKAN BITES BUREKS

Balkan Bites sells frozen, ready to bake bureks, in packages of four (photo #7), that make a delicious snack or an easy meal for the whole family.

Frozen bureks last for one year in the freezer.

At Balkan Bites, everything is made from scratch. The phyllo dough uses unbleached flour, extra virgin olive oil, real butter “and a lot of love, says Balkan Bites.”

“We believe in simple, high-quality ingredients and we never use palm oil, soybean oil, or margarine.”

We pop one into the oven for a snack, or heat more for a meal of different flavors of burek.

It’s easy cut them in half and share the flavors.

While the top of the börek is occasionally sprinkled with sesame or nigella† seeds, or both (photo #3).

But Balkan Bites expands the traditional menu with these combinations:

 
…and for dessert:

 
Serve them with:

 
…and our American additions:

 
Is it time to treat yourself to something special?
 
 
>> GET BALKAN BITES HERE.

Please note that if you search online, there’s a London company with the url BalkanBites.COM. This is BalkanBites.CO.

________________

*The Balkans is a geographic area that lies on the southeastern edge of Europe. Known for its diverse cultures, traditions, and ethnicities, it is the shared love of food, like the Burek, that brings people together.

†Nigella seeds are often incorrectly referred to as black caraway, black cumin, fennel flower and onion seeds, among others. However, nigella (kalonji in Hindi) is none of these.

While it is not an aromatic spice—it has just a hint of savory scent—it is very flavorful. Nigella seeds have an oregano-like quality with herbaceous notes, a slight bitterness and a warm, toasted-onion flavor.

They are as adaptable as most spices. Add them salads, sauces and as a garnish for soups and other foods [source].

[1] Bureks are often served with yogurt (above) and ajvar roasted pepper dip (below—all photos © Balkan Bites).

[2] Bureks with ajvar, “the ketchup of the Balkans.” You can buy it or make it, and make it as smooth or chunky, as mild or hot as you like.

[3] Bureks with the classic topping of nigella and sesame seeds.

[4] Mushroom-Onion Burek.

[5] Nutella Burek.

[6] Pumpkin Spice Burek.

[7] Balkan Bureks arrive frozen. Each package contains four bureks.

[8] The Balkans.