by Robert Bell
I have saved Thanksgiving recipes from food magazines for decades.
One thing I have noticed is the basic Thanksgiving turkey dinner is no longer basic. Recent magazine recipes are so fussy and complicated novice cooks cannot be bothered with them.
Young chefs and young food editors want to be different. They want their dishes to be their dishes. So, the classic way of cooking Thanksgiving dinners is basically gone, although the aroma of a turkey roasting in the oven still brings back warm memories.
Today, Thanksgiving turkeys are smoked, brined, fried, spatchcocked, or maybe grilled — anything but roasted.
Instead of a traditional pumpkin pie, recipes propose a pumpkin parfait with pecan brittle, caramel and charred meringue. Part of this new movement is the concept of pot luck.
If you are invited for Thanksgiving dinner at a friend’s or relatives’ home and asked to bring a vegetable, for example, you feel silly bringing just simply made green beans. So you bring a vegetable dish with bacon, nuts, cheese and God knows what else.
I believe in the old saying less is more. Especially when it comes to cooking. Good food properly cooked and served at the right temperatures is more important than fancy.
Fancy schmancy, keep it simple and good. Buy good, in season products, cook it well and serve it hot. Do not count on using the microwave. Do not plan for more food than you can cook with on your range.
To add a touch of creativity consider adding one bit of change to each item you bring. But Less is More. Tradition is a good thing.
Stuffing, or as some folks call it, dressing, is my favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal. When the time comes for seconds, my choice is dressing with a bit of gravy.
Although bread-based stuffing is the most common, other ingredients come to mind, mostly grains, such as rice, rye berries and farro quickly come to mind.
The traditional bread stuffing ingredients are celery, onions, butter, winter herbs, and chicken broth (hopefully homemade). The bread should be good, chewy bread that has gone stale or dried in a low oven, not something store bought that was never bread to begin with. You can get a little creative by adding chestnuts, sausage or mushrooms, or maybe all three.
The following will coach you on a good creative approach for your next attempt at making stuffing. Remember to make it a day or two ahead so you have more time to prepare the rest of the meal on Thanksgiving.
If you stuff the bird, make sure the stuffing is not hot when you stuff the cavity. When the bird is ready, remove the stuffing and place it in a baking dish and bake it so the top surface gets a bit crispy.
Use fresh, not dried herbs.
If you need to buy chicken broth, buy refrigerated or frozen. Not a room temperature one.
Creative Ideas for Ingredients:
Stuffing is a great side dish served throughout the year. Make it often. Happy Thanksgiving. Pen
