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Thanksgiving


thistle

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Indian Thanksgiving for two went well.  So well we had time for a pre-dinner trip to see the Vermeer & co. exhibit at the National Gallery.  (Photo exhibit — Posing for the Camera — was also good).

Watching veggie college kid’s two Thanksgiving feasts (food service-provided and DIY residential college version) from afar, I realized that one nice thing about my Indianized version is it doesn’t feel like there’s a sides vs mains distinction and, therefore, there’s no missing middle for vegetarians (and thus no obligation for the cook to produce a rival veggie centerpiece).  Win-win.  Looking forward to doing a bigger version next year in Chicago (with a co-conspirator and in a great area to shop for ingredients).  But probably still can’t get my head around Indian desserts.  Hey, my pumpkin pie has cardamom.... 

Big surprise was my husband’s wild enthusiasm for the cranberry chutney.  Usually he’s insistent on the Ocean Spray version where you can see the rings from the can. NOTHING ELSE WILL DO!  (As in “May I bring my own can to a friends house?”) Not this year! 

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My oven hasn't been working right for some time. On the conventional side, the temperature starts dropping as soon as it finishes preheating. The convection side works, though--except the broiler. The broiler doesn't heat properly on either setting.  So everything was done convection this year.  The probe that came with the oven told me that my 11 3/4 lb.  turkey was at 140F after 1 hour on convection roast 350.  Nuh-uh. It was, however, already a gorgeous dark bronze on top, so I tented it with foil at that point.  I tried in different spots, but the probe was telling me the turkey was beyond fully cooked (185) after 90 minutes.  Every way I had calculated it, the turkey (which was stuffed) should have taken 3 hours and maybe a few minutes more.  I finally resorted to a Polder we have for the grill, and that was giving much more sane readings. At 2 hours, I turned the temperature down to 325.  After 2 hours and 55 minutes (which included the multiple temperature checks and basting), I removed the turkey from the oven.  Carved about 45 minutes later, it was pretty much perfectly cooked, moist and juicy, with crispy skin and flecks of herbs inside from where I had spread herb butter under the skin.

Menu for the 2 of us (the sides - except stuffing, which also went into a casserole--and gravy) made about 4 servings or so, so that helps limit the leftover situation):

Cranberry-Orange-Walnut Bread
Roasted Onion Salad with Arugula and Walnut Salsa
Roast Turkey with Herb Butter and Bread Stuffing
Giblet Gravy
Cranberry Business*
Roasted Squash with Pancetta and Brussels Sprouts
Baked Spinach, Mushrooms, and Cream

*A recipe Wonkette has been running annually for years now.  I've made it the last several Thanksgivings I've prepared, and it always comes out well. I did a  smaller amount this time.  It makes a fairly tart whole berry cranberry sauce.  I increase the sugar by a little but not a whole lot.  

Come to think of it, the preparations that were not my mother's (turkey, stuffing, gravy) and/or ones I've made for years (bread from Ocean Spray cranberry package), were all from the internet.

 

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Reviving this old thread as I'm menu planning for Turkey day this year. I would love to hear about people's go to side dishes as we have a larger crowd than usual and probably will make extra dishes. So far our menu is:

Whole turkey and extra turkey breast since we have white meat lovers. We usually make it per Ina Garten's recipe with fennel, onions, and other veggies cooked underneath the whole bird soaking up the schmaltzy goodness.

Homemade cranberry sauce - usually I drop the bag in with water, sugar and maybe some orange peel if it is available. Very simple, straightforward. Anyone else have a favorite?

Cornbread muffins,

plain green beans for the kids,

Stuffing (or actually dressing since I cook it in a separate pan) (I usually use one of those pre-made mixes of dried bread white/wheat from whole foods and add lots of margarine/butter, poultry seasoning/sage, and sauteed onions/peppers/mushrooms),

a homemade pickle bar of the 5-6 different pickles I have on hand,

roasted brussel sprouts,

Potato knishes - I make my own using the Smitten Kitchen recipe online. I like them big but will probably make mini small hand sized vs. big doorstop ones so people aren't overwhelmed. I usually make caramelized yukon gold potato filling, but I may add poultry/sage seasoning too and possibly some sweet potato ones too.  These knishes make a great leftover open-faced sandwich - split the knish in half horizontal and layer on turkey, roast veggies, and anything else you like.

I need a vegan protein dish. I'm thinking some type of bean salad but open to suggestions.

There will be lots of dessert too but my wife is handling that part.

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1 hour ago, KeithA said:

Reviving this old thread as I'm menu planning for Turkey day this year. I would love to hear about people's go to side dishes as we have a larger crowd than usual and probably will make extra dishes. So far our menu is:

Whole turkey and extra turkey breast since we have white meat lovers. We usually make it per Ina Garten's recipe with fennel, onions, and other veggies cooked underneath the whole bird soaking up the schmaltzy goodness.

Homemade cranberry sauce - usually I drop the bag in with water, sugar and maybe some orange peel if it is available. Very simple, straightforward. Anyone else have a favorite?

Cornbread muffins,

plain green beans for the kids,

Stuffing (or actually dressing since I cook it in a separate pan) (I usually use one of those pre-made mixes of dried bread white/wheat from whole foods and add lots of margarine/butter, poultry seasoning/sage, and sauteed onions/peppers/mushrooms),

a homemade pickle bar of the 5-6 different pickles I have on hand,

roasted brussel sprouts,

Potato knishes - I make my own using the Smitten Kitchen recipe online. I like them big but will probably make mini small hand sized vs. big doorstop ones so people aren't overwhelmed. I usually make caramelized yukon gold potato filling, but I may add poultry/sage seasoning too and possibly some sweet potato ones too.  These knishes make a great leftover open-faced sandwich - split the knish in half horizontal and layer on turkey, roast veggies, and anything else you like.

I need a vegan protein dish. I'm thinking some type of bean salad but open to suggestions.

There will be lots of dessert too but my wife is handling that part.

Vegan dish:  cook a wild rice blend (Lundberg is pretty good and easy to find), add toasted pecans, sautéed onion + mushrooms, squeeze of lemon, herbs of choice.  Use as a bed for wedges of roasted pumpkin or butternut squash.  A tahini dressing is nice, but might not go with the other Thanksgiving food. 

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17 hours ago, KeithA said:

Reviving this old thread as I'm menu planning for Turkey day this year. I would love to hear about people's go to side dishes as we have a larger crowd than usual and probably will make extra dishes. So far our menu is:

Whole turkey and extra turkey breast since we have white meat lovers. We usually make it per Ina Garten's recipe with fennel, onions, and other veggies cooked underneath the whole bird soaking up the schmaltzy goodness.

Homemade cranberry sauce - usually I drop the bag in with water, sugar and maybe some orange peel if it is available. Very simple, straightforward. Anyone else have a favorite?

Cornbread muffins,

plain green beans for the kids,

Stuffing (or actually dressing since I cook it in a separate pan) (I usually use one of those pre-made mixes of dried bread white/wheat from whole foods and add lots of margarine/butter, poultry seasoning/sage, and sauteed onions/peppers/mushrooms),

a homemade pickle bar of the 5-6 different pickles I have on hand,

roasted brussel sprouts,

Potato knishes - I make my own using the Smitten Kitchen recipe online. I like them big but will probably make mini small hand sized vs. big doorstop ones so people aren't overwhelmed. I usually make caramelized yukon gold potato filling, but I may add poultry/sage seasoning too and possibly some sweet potato ones too.  These knishes make a great leftover open-faced sandwich - split the knish in half horizontal and layer on turkey, roast veggies, and anything else you like.

I need a vegan protein dish. I'm thinking some type of bean salad but open to suggestions.

There will be lots of dessert too but my wife is handling that part.

Another great vegan protein side dish is a French lentil salad. I make it with lots of garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, and tarragon. It’s actually better if it sits overnight, so you could make it the day before. 

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We are doing a Cuban leaning Thanksgiving- among the sides, we are going to do a vegan version of frijoles negros and we are including plantains.  Only if your vegans want to really go off roading.

I like though how the lentil/tarragon dish links to the fennel in the turkey.  It might be a keeper based on continuity alone.  

Another idea is if there is a side that "behaves" or "serves" like a main protein- festive presentation.  Some layered vegetable thing that is served lasagna or pomme anna style, stuffed vegetable thing.  Braised leeks or endive.  I was also considering a winter salad- kale, pomegranate, pistachio, radicchio, yellow raisin if you want (a bean could go here if you want).  

I do like the idea of something of an acid pop.  Thanksgiving can get muddy, heavy- so this really helps with menu balance.

 

Happy holidays 

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Rhone1998- that is a beyond respectful vegetarian main!  That is a full on, winter formal dish.  (disclaimer, got paywalled so was reading "behind" the messy stuff up front).  They were getting down and trimming mushroom gills (which I was worried about for retaining moisture and sogging up the crust)!  Do this, please!  It looks like holiday level work, not heck ya wednesday lets knock this out!  Seriously, if people need animal, just throw some turkey stuff in the oven and let the Wellington Rule!!  

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With the turkey shortage, the options weren't so great for a two-person meal this year. Didn't want to do a whole turkey. Considered a breast, but there weren't many I could find and they were too big. I wanted to make braised thighs but no store had them. They appeared to be available for delivery from WF and Giant, except none of the 3 WF stores I went to had them and neither did the only nearby Giant. Giant's sub for if they didn't have them was drumsticks, which I didn't want. The H Street Giant only had drumsticks, so...I concluded thighs were not a possibility.

I punted and made a pork tenderloin from Red Apron that I had in the freezer. I marinated it in pineapple juice, bourbon, lots of garlic and black pepper, and a little bit of bottled vinaigrette. I made a cranberry - clementine compote, also with a little bourbon.

The turkey component of the meal was InstantPot black-eyed peas, collards, and smoked turkey wings. (This kind of dish is one of the really good timesaving features of an InstantPot and delicious.) The appetizer component was a plate of cubed cheddar cheeses; the clementines that gave their peels for the compote; stuffed grape leaves from Wine and Butter*; and, Belgian endive spears stuffed with feta or blue cheese, a bit of ranch, and crumbled rosemary pecans. We had cheddar scallion biscuits from Souk and were supposed to have a Nightingale salted caramel ice cream sandwich and pecan-bourbon mini-pie (theme!) from Souk as well but never got to dessert. Maybe tonight.

 

*One of the previous owners has a catering business and several of the prepared foods the current owners sell are still from him, so far as I know. They seem the same.

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