Sharing Our Staff’s Favorite Holiday Recipes

Posted by Olivia on Thu, December 13, 2012

Everyone loves to cook during the holidays, and here at The Olive Press we’re no exception! This season, we wanted to share with you a few of our staff’s favorites that we cook up in our own kitchens.

Read on for simple recipes that we put on our own holiday menus at home. We hope that you have as much fun with these dishes as we do!

Butternut Squash, Sausage, and Goat Cheese Galette
For the galette dough: Mix together 1 ¼ cups flour and 6-7 teaspoons olive oil in a medium bowl; cut oil into flour with a fork or fingers until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Mix in ¼ cup sour cream, 1 lemon, juiced, anda pinch salt. Mixture will be thick and moist. Form into a ball and wrap in cellophane; refrigerate 1 hour before rolling out to use.

For the filling: Sauté 1 medium peeled, chopped butternut squash in buttery Mission Extra Virgin Olive Oil until just softened. Season with sugar and crushed red pepper flakes to taste. Set aside. Separately, caramelize chopped onions in Italian Blend Extra Virgin Olive Oil for about 20 minutes. Add in crumbled Italian sausage, chopped garlic,and lots of fresh chopped herbs (we prefer sage, rosemary, and thyme, but oregano and tarragon are also good). Combine sausage mixture with cooked butternut squash mixture for the filling.

To assemble: Roll out prepared galette dough. Place prepared filling in the middle of dough (use less filling than you think you should, or else it will overflow as it bakes!). Before you fold the outer edges of the dough over the filling, sprinkle crumbled goat cheese throughout. Fold dough over and bake at 350°F for 30-40 minutes, until the crust is golden brown. 

Shaved Brussels Sprouts With Cheese and Lemon

Shave Brussels sprouts finely with a knife or in a food processor with the grating blade attachment; toss with olive oil and cook in a 350°F oven until lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Toss with lots of extra virgin olive oil of choice, fresh lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Add anywhere from ½ to 1 cup grated parmesan cheese to mixture (or try with crumbled goat or feta cheese), along with minced garlic and crumbled cooked pancetta. Finish off with a few handfuls of slivers of toasted almonds or chopped toasted walnuts.

Leftover Brussels Sprouts Quiche
Combine leftover shaved Brussels sprouts with cooked crab meat and pecorino cheese, then season to taste. Use as the filling for your fave quiche recipe and enjoy with a glass of white wine and salad greens.

Lemon-Baked Salmon With Sautéed Mushrooms
For the salmon: Season fresh salmon filets with salt and pepper, then completely cover with lemon slices. Top with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil of choice and chopped fresh parsley. Place in a deep baking pan and add a few splashes of white wine to pan. Place in oven and bake at 350°F until fish just flakes.

For the mushrooms: While salmon bakes, prepare the mushrooms. Sauté diced shallots and shiitake mushrooms in extra virgin olive oil of choice until soft and lightly caramelized. Add a few splashes of white wine to pan and cook down into a nice sauce. Finish of with chopped fresh herbs. When salmon is done cooking, remove lemon slices and pour mushroom sauce over fish.

Also try: Instead of the mushroom sauce, try this out with a yogurt sauce made of yogurt, dill, fresh lemon juice, and capers.

Butternut Squash Risotto With Sage and Cloves
Following a standard recipe for risotto, add cubed, peeled butternut squash and chopped garlic to the rice early on in the cooking (as the risotto cooks, the butternut squash will also cook down and become wonderfully soft and creamy). Use white wine and chicken stock in this risotto idea, and when it’s almost done, finish off with fresh sage, ground hazelnuts, and a pinch of ground cloves.