Thanksgiving food -- advice sought

[gnomi]

So...for the first time in a while, my parents are hosting Thanksgiving dinner. So that my mom doesn't have to do all the cooking, I'm pitching in to do side dishes and the other guests are bringing dessert. But I'm still waffling on which side dishes. Here's the current dinner menu (not counting dessert) as I know it:

Mom-of-Nomi (AKA Ima AKA lcNlc) is making:

-- Turkey
-- Rice stuffing
-- Some roasted beef-type thingy (I think she said she was making London Broil, but it depends on what the butcher has available)

mabfan has already requested:
-- Bread stuffing (recipe already set)
-- Mashed potatoes (recipe already set...what recipe one needs for smashed potatoes)
-- Vegetable stew (from the first Moosewood Restaurant cookbook)

My brain keeps telling me that perhaps I also should add in something sweet-potato related (because it's Traditional) and perhaps something squash-like (because squash says Fall to me).

Opinions? Favorite recipes people want to suggest (keeping in mind that anything I make needs to be kosher and pareve(neither meat nor milk) or fleishig (meat)?

(mind you, providing enough food for an army -- even though the guest list is all of 8 people long including the hosts -- is not a problem; any Thanksgiving leftovers can easily become Shabbat food)

Comments

[stakebait.livejournal.com]

In my family mashed turnips and baked acorn squash filled with maple syrup are both traditional, and baked onions glazed with honey are a recent addition. (The onions take butter, but I imagine the usual substitutes could be, er, substituted.)

Mom also has a baked sweet potato and butternut squash, because she likes them and is therefore Strange. :)

Cranberry sauce? Something green?

[gnomi.livejournal.com]

Your traditional dishes both sound yummy, as do the onions. I shall have to contemplate all of them.

Cranberry sauce is a favorite of Abba (AKA Dad-of-Nomi); I'll have to ask him what his plans regarding it are.

And, yeah -- green's a good way to go. But I'm conflicted as to what green kind of thing. And I don't want to default to salad.

green things

[(Anonymous)]

I haven't read all the way down, so someone else might also have suggested: green beans (and walnuts!), broccoli, asparagus. I think all of those manage to be tasty without dairy.

marymary

Re: green things

[gnomi.livejournal.com]

Ooh - asparagus! A favorite of my parental units. I could even bring it raw and just steam it at Chez Parental Units. :-)

[magid.livejournal.com]

Cranberries in some form or another (sauce or relish or chutney or...). I use the recipe for relish on the cranberry bag, cutting the sugar some (ie, a bag of cranberries and an orange put through a food processor/blender, with some sugar added.), which is not only something I like, but needs to be made ahead and sit awhile.

I'm of the opinion that the meal is an either/or situation for sweet potatoes and winter squashes, especially given stuffing and mashed potatoes. One of the things I like doing is mashing them with salsa, rather than the predictable sweet stuff. Depends on your eaters' preferences, though.

Oh, and I like having something green (broccoli, or salad, or asparagus, or...), just to balance colors.

Um, Shabbat? Plans?

[gnomi.livejournal.com]

Um, Shabbat? Plans?

Yeah -- mabfan and I were just talking last night about how we have to talk to you and figure things out. If we were going to see you tonight, we were gonna talk then about it. But expect e-mail or some such on the subject when I have brain that isn't going "Implement the edits in the Technical Reference, OK, kid?" (so, like, tonight)

[magid.livejournal.com]

E-mail is good, or we can talk a bit on Sunday.

[gnomi.livejournal.com]

Sounds like a plan to plan to me. :-)

[gnomi.livejournal.com]

Cranberry relish...interesting. But not so much a vegetable, yes?

Doing both sweet potatoes and squash is unlikely; you're right that they kind of cancel each other out in this situation. It's just that my brain keeps coming up with what's traditional and making suggestions along those lines.

Ooh -- broccoli's an idea; I have some interesting broccoli recipes I've been waiting to try, and this might be a good opportunity. Thanks for the suggestion!

[magid.livejournal.com]

Cranberry relish: not a vegetable, but a side dish.
(I have a friend who wants to serve pumpkin pie with the turkey, since it's obviously a vegetable dish...)

*nod* about multiple orange starches. I've gotten to the point of only making stuffing and one other starchy side dish, and filling out the meal with other veggies (roasted cauliflower, or mashed neeps, especially the Japanese ones). And I'll admit to liking salad on the menu, too, not just for greenery, but the texture contrast; nothing else crunches.

Mmm... broccoli. I'd love to hear what you end up using.

[gnomi.livejournal.com]

One recipe I'm considering for the broccoli is Ginger and Garlic Broccoli (http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/10098). I'm quite fond of both ginger and garlic, so I found the recipe intriguing.

broccoli

[magid.livejournal.com]

Definitely a keeper; thanks again for sharing it.

Re: broccoli

[gnomi.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad you liked it. I'm definitely making that one again.

[tsuki-no-bara.livejournal.com]

i'm a huge fan of the traditional mashed sweet potatoes with marshmallows on top, but i don't have any kind of recipe other than "put it in a glass baking dish in the oven until the marshmallows melt." my sister makes brussels sprouts with a raspberry vinaigrette which i'm pretty sure is pareve, and while i don't like brussels sprouts and have never tried it, everyone else who's ever eaten it has loved it, and it's nice and green and kind of festive, and if you want i can ask her for the recipe.

[gnomi.livejournal.com]

That brussels sprouts with raspberry vinaigrette sounds intriguing (I'm a fan of brussels sprouts, though I know I'm in a minority on that one). I'd love to have the recipe, if she'd be willing to share it.

[tsuki-no-bara.livejournal.com]

cool. she'll be pleased someone else wants it. :D since she's had to put up with me going "no thanks, i don't like brussels sprouts, i don't care if you made them with love and your own two hands" for three thanksgivings now....

[eal.livejournal.com]

Not too much in the minority as I, too, am a fan of brussel sprouts.

Now, you could do the italian thing and have a lovely red sauce ready for some pasta. But that's P's side of the family.

M

[gnomi.livejournal.com]

Nice to know I'm not the only one. :-)

And pasta's an idea I hadn't even contemplated. Interesting thought (unlikely for this particular food event, but good to ponder for future).

[sharonaf.livejournal.com]

Well, my mom has a really great cranberry sauce recipe -- it's all fruit plus something like 2 tsp. of sugar in the whole thing. I'm sure if you call her she'll be happy to give it to you.
As for squash, there are two ways I particularly enjoy it.

1) Buy spaghetti squash. Cut in half (do you know how to do this without endangering a finger? I've discovered the secret and am happy to share) lengthwise. Remove seeds. Plant seeds, if desired. If planted in window box, be aware of need for larger window box in near future. Heed the voice of experience. Place each half, facing up, in COVERED dish in oven with some water on the bottom of the dish. When it takes a fork, take it out. Let cool for a bit before you scrape out inside (another trick to save your limbs). Scrape out inside. Add salt and black pepper. Serve.

2) Buy acorn squash. Cut in half, top to bottom. Remove seeds. Chop up an apple with skin into fairly large pieces. Place apple pieces in cavity of squash. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Place each half, facing up in COVERED dish in oven with some water on the floor of the dish, as above. When not only the apple but the squash takes a fork, remove from the oven, let cool a bit, and serve.

If neither of these sounds right for Thanksgiving, they're also fun and fairly easy for during-the-week foods.

[gnomi.livejournal.com]

Oh, good suggestions! Thanks!

And I'd be thrilled to hear your method of preserving fingers & other limbs when opening squash (I use a not-lcNlc-approved method, and while it's dramatic and involves my cleaver, I'd like a method that doesn't seem so barbaric).

[sharonaf.livejournal.com]

*giggles*
*imagines cleaver method*
However, the secret is as follows: When you set your oven to preheat, stick the uncut squash inside. In a pan, or whatever. When the oven's about up to heat, remove the squash, let it cool slightly or hold it with a towel, and slice. It should be far, far easier to cut when heated. Isn't that cool?!
Have fun!

[tanaise.livejournal.com]

Hmm. The cook here makes a lot of vegan dishes, which are automatically pareve. Off hand, I'm thinking carrot salad (he makes his with ginger, which is soo yummy, and you could add a little purple cabbage for some color contrast) Butternut squash soup (with soymilk). We had a butternut squash/apple soup two days ago. So far as green goes, we're also really big on the kale in this household--cooked with honey mustard or tomatoes and basalmic vinegar. Oh, and last night there was brocoli with garlic, lemon zest, and lemon juice. I was on dish crew and kept stealing bits.

[gnomi.livejournal.com]

Oh, those all sound yummy to me. I'll have to consider them all closely! Is his carrot salad based on cooked carrots or uncooked (I have recipes for carrot salads both ways)?

[tanaise.livejournal.com]

his is raw, shredded in the food processor. Though he's also made some good things with cooked carrots, most recently little rounds of carrot cooked lightly with hoison sauce and parsley. Though I don't actually eat cooked carrots, so I'm just taking other people's word for it.

[teddywolf.livejournal.com]

Sweet potato kugel? Or latkes?

[gnomi.livejournal.com]

Too much of the starchy, not enough of the veggie in this case. But thanks for the suggestions!

[xavcat.livejournal.com]

Okay, this may sound kind of dumb and not nearly as traditional as it should be, but...

Sweet potato fries. Large wedges, fried and then LIBERALLY doused in cinnamon and sugar. If you can find adobo cinnamon, that's amazing. Add a bit of nutmeg and you've got one of the yummiest uses of sweet potatoes ever.

[gnomi.livejournal.com]

Those sound delicious. I'll have to make them for something where I'm not already starch-heavy. Thanks for the suggestion!

[mabfan.livejournal.com]

Yes, yes! gnomi, make this! Yum!

[magid.livejournal.com]

And invite me over! :-)

Recipes? Oh, honey!

[scarlettina.livejournal.com]

Why didn't you drop me a note? Here are some ideas:

Cranberry and apricot chutney: The recipe suggests you serve this with all sorts of very unkosher things, but the recipe itself should serve your needs just fine.

Bourbon mashed sweet potatoes: This page includes an Emeril Lagasse recipe for what looks like an amazing way to serve sweet potatoes. Sadly, I'm not quite knowledgeable enough to know whether or not the bourbon affects whether or not this would be kosher, but it looks okay otherwise, and it would certainly make the meal more...festive.

As for sweet potatoes, how about this:
Candied Sweet Potatoes with Apples
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients
3 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 pound)
1 large cooking apple
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
11 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon margarine or butter
Dash ground cloves
1/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted

Preparation
1. Wash and peel sweet potatoes. Cut off woody portions and ends. Cut potatoes diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Place a steamer basket in a saucepan. Add water to just below the bottom of the steamer basket. Bring to boiling. Add potato slices. Cover and reduce heat. Steam for 10 to 15 minutes or until just tender; cool.

2. Meanwhile, core the unpeeled apple and cut into 12 wedges. In a greased, two-quart casserole combine potato slices and apple wedges.

3. In a small saucepan bring the brown sugar, water, margrine or butter, and cloves to boiling. Drizzle the mixture evenly over potatoes and apples.
Bake, uncovered, in a 350 degree F oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until potatoes and apples are glazed, stirring twice. Sprinkle potatoes and apples with toasted pecans or walnuts.

There's more where that came from....

Re: Recipes? Oh, honey!

[gnomi.livejournal.com]

Hee! You? Are a doll. I didn't want to impose and beg for recipes. But these all look wonderfully tasty.

And the bourbon doesn't de-kosher-ify as long as I use kosher bourbon (what do I know from bourbon? but it's grape-based, so I'd figure they make in kosher varieties).

[somehedgehog.livejournal.com]

Corn fritters! They're not just for breakfast anymore!

Also, if you want to go the green route, I recommend roasting something. Roasted veggies, in my experience, make a better accompaniment to a heavy autumn meal rather than squishygreens. Squishygreens get ignored when everything is covered in gravy, for some reason. I roasted green beans with (I believe) olives and fennel for Thanksgiving one year, and it was fantastic. That recipe should be in The New Basics, if you have it. If not, and you're interested, I can dig it up for you. Roasted mixed peppers are also a good way to go.

[gnomi.livejournal.com]

Mmmmmmmm -- I adore roasted veggies. That's a lovely suggestion. I'd love your roasted green beans recipe (and I can reciprocate with my roasted, marinated green beans recipe, if you want).

[somehedgehog.livejournal.com]

I will get it for you when I go home, then. :)

[csbermack.livejournal.com]

Oh good! someone said green beans. I'm a fan of green beans with garlic and olive oil, but they're a good solid wonderful green thing.

None of this brussels sprouts nonsense! :)

[gnomi.livejournal.com]

Hee! I'm fond of green beans, m'self.

[mabfan.livejournal.com]

Corn fritters! Yum! Hey, gnomi, look over here!

[vettecat.livejournal.com]

Don't know whether you're already set and/or whether this might overlap too much with other suggestions, but this one's fairly friendly...

Carmelized Sweet Potatoes
Put 17 oz. sweet potatoes in pan
Boil 2 cups brown sugar and one cup boiling water for about 10 minutes
Sprinkle 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon over sweet potatoes
Add 1 tbsp. butter/margarine to sauce and pour over sweet potatoes
Bake at 350 until browned... baste occasionally as seems appropriate

[gnomi.livejournal.com]

Sounds very yummy! I'll have to remember this recipe for another meal, most definitely.

Another recipe I need to get from you is That Carrot Thing That Larry Likes. :-) That might be a good thing to go with the turkey and everything.

[vettecat.livejournal.com]

Sure! I'll drop you an e-mail, I don't want to take up too much space on your post...

[knitting-anne.livejournal.com]

I have an even easier sweet potato recepie.

1 large can of sweet potatoes
some brown sugar
small amount of cinnamon

put sweet potatos in a large enough pan that they aren't on top of each other.
sprinkle liberally with brown sugar and a touch of cinnamon
cover with foil
bake (at any temperature) until sweet potatos are soft & easy to cut.
Yum!

Have a great holiday!

[gnomi.livejournal.com]

Oh, cool! Thanks!