November begins the official countdown to Thanksgiving. Besides being a great time to catch up on all that reading that you skipped, it is also a time to reconnect with family, visit those friends you haven’t seen in months, and, of course, overeat. If you are going to overindulge though, make sure you have the right items on your Thanksgiving table. Turkey, potatoes, and pie may be obvious, but it’s the starters and the side dishes that really bring the meal together.
Squash soup is a great way to begin any Thanksgiving feast. In addition to its wonderful taste, scooped-out acorn squashes bodies make great bowls for the soup, adding a nice color to the table.
To make: roast around three pounds of squash (I use some combination of acorn and butternut squash), cut in half lengthwise, butter, and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Scoop out the flesh and blend it with vegetable broth, sautéed onions, and roasted garlic. Then heat the mixture after it begins to bubble, turn down the heat, and slowly add some cream. Season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
If you are more of a salad person (or wish to indulge in both soup and salad, since it is Thanksgiving after all), bibb lettuce is a great fall salad green. Consider mixing it with apples or pears, dried cranberries, candied walnut, or your favorite semi-soft cheese (feta, blue cheese, or gorgonzola work great). To finish, either drizzle the salad with a sweet vinaigrette, i.e. raspberry vinaigrette, or a light creamy dressing, such as a creamy poppy seed dressing.
As for side dishes, a mixture of roasted carrots and string beans is a great alternative to the bland vegetable mixes found on your traditional Thanksgiving table. Rather than seasoning them with fresh garlic, butter, salt and pepper, as is traditional, consider lightly dousing them in olive oil, and replacing the garlic and pepper with some cardamom and cumin. In addition to the wonderful aroma that will surprise your guests, these string beans and carrots will be tastier and healthier.
Another side to consider is a cornbread stuffing. The nice thing about this side is that leftover cornbread (or corn muffins) not used in the stuffing can be eaten the next morning for breakfast. To make a cornbread stuffing: sauté some celery, carrots, and onions.
When translucent, mix with several crumbled-up corn muffins or pieces of cornbread. Add some vegetable stock and a couple of eggs to the mixture, and then lightly season with salt, pepper, and sage. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes and enjoy!