The first Thanksgiving after I married Mr. Kat we hosted his parents and mine for Thanksgiving dinner in our small apartment. Friends thought I was insane to prepare the holiday meal in such a small space with both sets of parents, which still mystifies me to this day. I love cooking the Thanksgiving feast! The turkey is a cinch, requiring little attention except for the occasional baste to get the gorgeous bronzed skin. I like to focus my attention on delectable side dishes and of course... The Gravy.
Pumpkin is the traditional Thanksgiving gourd, and food good reason. It's delicious, nutritious, and looks beautiful contrasted with the rich browns of the turkey, and the bright crimson of the cranberries. But there are other winter squashes, too. My personal favorites are acorn squash and butternut squash. This year I wanted to find a side dish that would incorporate winter squash, have some creaminess to it, and that could double as a vegetarian main dish. I found a recipe that completely fills the bill. It's Martha Rose Schulman's winter squash gratin.
It's super simple to make, particularly if you roast the squash the night before, scoop it out and refrigerate it. It's a wonderfully creamy custard, and the sweetness of the squash is balanced with the salt from the cheese, and the earthiness of garlic and fresh sage. I did make this a tad less healthy than Ms. Schulman intended, adding a bit more cheese (and I used a combination of Cheddar and gruyere). I also used more sage than she called for because I love the flavor. This made a wonderful mid-week vegetarian supper alongside a salad of arugula, tomatoes, mushrooms, and red onion.
Call me a heretic, but the traditional green bean casserole topped with those French-friend onions has never really done it for me. I love green beans, and a few years back got raves with this recipe for haricots verts with roasted fennel and shallots. By the way, this dish also goes wonderfully well with a beef tenderloin (accompanied by a red wine reduction sauce), which I did one year for Christmas dinner.
This Thanksgiving one of the guests will be my ultra-picky brother-in-law, who eats only plain, canned green beans. So we'll accommodate him, but the rest of us have more adventuresome palates. The other vegetable side dish will be this recipe, another one culled from Epicurious: Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Shallots and Wild Mushrooms. If you've never roasted Brussels sprouts, I encourage you to try it tomorrow. A very simple, easy method is to wash and stem some sprouts, cut the larger ones in half, and place on a generously olive-oiled baking sheet lined with foil. Smash half a dozen peeled garlic cloves, and toss the vegetables with the oil. A sprinkling of Kosher salt, and you're good to go. Roast at 350 about 20-30 minutes, until sprouts and garlic begin to carmelize. Roasting brings out a flavor in vegetables in a way that steaming or boiling simply cannot.
In the comments, I would love to see descriptions (recipes even more welcomed!) of some of your own favorite "alternative" sides.
Now, on to the controversial part of the diary: The Gravy.
Are you kidding me?? No, nay, never!!
For a number of years now, I have been Mistress of the Gravy at family holiday gatherings. Occasionally I will permit a trusted sister to whisk while I get a wine refill, but it is my specialty and I am very persnickety about it. In my not-so-humble opinion, there are a few non-negotiables when it comes to making a really delicious and satisfying gravy:
1. Home-made stock: In the weeks building up to the big day, I generally roast a chicken or turkey breast, primarily to have a carcass to boil down into a rich and flavorful stock. Throw some celery and onion into the pot with the bones if you like, but the key is to simmer and simmer until the liquid has that good poultry flavor. Strain it, let it cool and put in the refrigerator. When the fat has solidified you can skim it off and have a nice, low-fat stock that will give your gravy lots of good taste.
2. Start with a roux; it must be nutty brown!: As your bird is cooking, skim off the rendered fat with a baster. Keep in mind a roux is simply equal parts fat (be that butter, oil, etc) to flour. But in addition to thickening your gravy, a well-prepared roux also gives an earthy, nutty note and gorgeous color.
Disclaimer: this is from Photobucket, and not mine. I forgot to take a picture of the roux I made!
It takes some time to make a nice brown roux like this. I heat the fat (sometimes add butter to the turkey fat if I have a leaner bird) on a medium-low burner and begin sprinkling in the flour. Stirring constantly (I use a wooden spoon at this phase) so you get a nice, smooth, thin paste is key. Have someone bring you a glass of wine and get comfortable, because you're going to be standing and stirring constantly until the flour browns and the roux smells nutty and toasty! Be sure not to try to rush it by cranking up the burner... burnt roux will ruin your gravy!
When your roux is beautiful and fragrant, it's time to add the stock. Which brings us to the third principle of Thanksgiving gravy...
2. LOTS of it! I've always got plenty of stock on hand, because everyone in my family loves pouring generous amounts of gravy over the turkey, stuffing, and potatoes. The next day, I like to reheat slices of turkey in a pan of gravy. I also use gravy as the base for pot-pie fillings. So I need a pretty large quantity.
It is critical to add the stock slowly, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. And the stock should not be hot - warm or room temperature will reduce the risk of lumpage. At this stage I generally switch to using a whisk. After the initial addition of the stock, you can relax a bit. Keep your eye on it so it doesn't get too hot and burn on the bottom, and eyeball it to assess when you need to add more liquid. Don't fret if you think you've added too much stock. Let it reduce, or if you must, make a slurry of flour and water and add that to the gravy. A slurry needs to cook so you don't taste raw flour; and it won't reach its full thickening potential until it hits a boil.
Before you freak out, this Corning Ware is old school, and does not blow up on the burner!
So there you have it. A couple of great sides, and the gravy me Mum taught me to make. I hope you'll stick around to chat and share your own favorite sides, gravy techniques, traditions, etc. Bon appetit, Kossacks!