A Typical Thanksgiving, With A Few Twists
I love food holidays, especially when I get to cook. Few things make me happier than looking down a table full of beloved family and friends and serving them lovely, wholesome, delicious food. Since my husband died, my holidays have been pretty quiet, but this year, I’m once again hosting a houseful. However, the meal in question is not dinner or even lunch but brunch for 12.
I had a masterful plan for that, until I realized that not only need I make several vegetarian and vegan options, but one of my sons is not currently supposed to eat anything that includes wheat, soy, sugar or dairy (except for a little goat cheese). OK. So. I had a masterful plan for that as well until I realized that my oven had died. Last night, as my housemate was preparing to bake a beautiful load of bread, the oven made a weird humming pop sort of noise and the bake element burst into flames. We looked at the flames and at each other and S. said, “Hmm, should I turn the oven off?” I said “Probably” and that was the end of that.
Third Time’s The Charm
Now the really odd thing about all this is that it is the third time that my oven has died at this same time of year. Once, like this, it was during Thanksgiving week, and the year that Bud died, the oven also went just a few days before Christmas. OK. So. I spent this morning talking with a large array of surprisingly kind, compassionate people at a large array of local appliance stores. Eventually, I found a suitable stove at Lowe’s, where they not only figured out how to get me next-day delivery even though the island is not on their usual Tuesday route, but also arranged to take away the old stove and install the new one for free. Now, THAT is service!
OK. So. Tomorrow, according to my most recent masterful plan (which no longer includes takeout), let the revels begin! Keeping in mind that I am also preparing a modest Thanksgiving turkey dinner, here’s what’s cooking:
This sparkling, tart relish relies on super-sweet oranges for flavor balance, but if need be, add a tad of maple syrup to taste. My daughter-in-law makes hers with pomegranate seeds…
Sugarless Orange Cranberry Relish
2 organic Cara Cara Oranges
1-1/3 cups organic cranberries
few grains sea salt
In a food processor, grind together all ingredients and chill for 2-3 days before serving. Makes about 2 cups.
Strata and Sort-A-Strata
This is the main dish for brunch, plumped out with fruit, rye rolls, and some lovely cheeses. For the smaller, restricted-diet sort-a-strata version, I’ll substitute all-rye bread, plain almond milk, and 2 ounces of goat cheese.
Turkey Sausage & Mushroom Strata
6 slices wholegrain bread, cubed
2 cups milk
6 eggs, beaten
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 bulb fennel with greens, chopped
1 pound (or more) Italian turkey sausage
4 cups mushrooms, chopped
4 cups kale, in thin ribbons
4 ounces mozzarella cheese, grated
1/2 cup grated Romano or Asiago cheese
In a large bowl, combine bread, milk, eggs, and half the salt and pepper, set aside. In a large pan, combine oil, onion, garlic, fennel and remaining salt over medium high heat and cook until barely soft (3-5 minutes). Add sausage, chopping it to bite-sized bits, cover pan adn cook for 5 minutes. Layer in mushrooms and kale, cover pan, reduce heat to low and cook for 10 minutes, remove from heat and layer in a large casserole. When cool, stir in bread mixture and mozzarella, cover with grated cheese and refrigerate overnight. An hour before baking, remove from fridge and let stand. Bake at 350 until bubbly (about an hour). Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serves 10-12.
For the vegan version, more inventive strategies are required:
Mushroom Vegan Strata
2 cups whole grain bread, cubed
10-12 ounces silken tofu, mashed
1 cup plain almond milk
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 bulb fennel with greens, chopped
6-8 ounces tempeh, chopped
4 cups mushrooms, chopped
4 cups kale, in thin ribbons
In a large bowl, combine bread, tofu, almond milk, and half the salt and pepper, set aside. In a large pan, combine oil, onion, garlic, fennel and remaining salt over medium high heat and cook until barely soft (3-5 minutes). Add tempeh, mushrooms and kale, cover pan, reduce heat to low and cook for 10 minutes, remove from heat and layer in a large casserole. When cool, stir in bread mixture and refrigerate overnight. An hour before baking, remove from fridge and let stand. Bake at 350 until bubbly (about an hour). Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serves 10-12.
About Those Pies
For many of us, pies are an important part of holiday meals. Here are a couple of versions that suit several kinds of dietary restrictions without sacrificing fabulous flavor or resorting to icky fake food substitutes.
Andrew’s Pumpkin Pie
This tastes rich and old fashioned, perhaps much like the early Thanksgiving pies made when sugar was scarce.
1/2 cup dark molasses or maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon each cinnamon, coriander and ginger
2 large eggs, beaten
2 cups (15-ounce can) cooked pumpkin pulp
1-1/2 cups plain almond or hazelnut milk
1 unbaked nut crust (see below)
In a large bowl, combine all but crust and blend well. Spoon into unbaked nut crust and bake at 425 degrees F. for 15 minutes, reduce heat to 350 and bake until set (40-50 minutes). Let stand for an hour or more before serving.
This light, fresh tasting vegan version is more like pudding than custard. To eliminate the soy in this one, whip chilled coconut cream and fold into mixture instead of tofu.
Vegan Pumpkin Pie
1/2 cup dark molasses or maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon each cinnamon, coriander and ginger
12 ounces silken tofu
1-1/2 cups cooked pumpkin pulp
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 pre-baked nut crust (see below)
In a food processor, combine all but crust and blend well. Spoon into baked nut crust and chill for at least an hour before serving.
Nut Crust
1-1/2 cups almonds or walnuts
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 tablespoon dark molasses or maple syrup
few grains sea salt
In a food processor, grind nuts coarsely. Add remaining ingredients and process briefly to blend. Pat into a pie dish. For chilled filling, prebake at 350 degrees F until golden (20-25 minutes), cool before filling.
Happy Holiday!