The True Meaning of Thanksgiving
When we think of a warm house and a huge feast we think of Thanksgiving.
We come together as families and share our time, thoughts and good cheer with each other.
The weather is cold, the year is coming to a close and we each give thanks for or own special gifts,our good fortune and our loved ones.
Our menus are varied and seem to be a little different from culture to culture. I am including some recipes which have their own traditional genesis and have been adopted as Thanksgiving favorites.
TARTE TATIN (French)
Upside Down Caramelized-Apple Tart
INGREDIENTS:
* 6-8 apples (Jonathan, Braeburn, Granny Smith are just some examples to try)
* 12 Tablespoons butter, cut into 1 tablespoon pieces
* 1 cup sugar
For the pastry:
* 1-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
* 6 Tablespoons confectioner's sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 10 Tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
* 1 egg, beaten
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
PREPARATION:
For the pastry:
1. Put the flour, sugar and salt in the food processor and pulse to blend. Add butter and pulse until the mixture looks like fine meal.
CHESTNUT DRESSING (English)
Mushroom Chestnut Dressing
INGREDIENTS:
* 1 lb mushrooms
* 1 onion
* half loaf of sourdough
* 6 tablespoons butter
* 15-20 fresh sage leaves
* 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
* 1 teaspoon dried oregano
* 1 cup vegetable broth
* 4 stalks celery
* 1 pound chestnuts
* 1/2 cup coarsely chopped parsley
* 3 eggs, beaten lightly
* salt and pepper to taste
PREPARATION:
Cut the half-loaf of sourdough into 1/2"-3/4" cubes. Don't trim the crusts. If you have time, let it sit uncovered overnight so it goes a little stale. If you didn't do that last night and want to make this recipe tonight, place the cubes of bread in a 200 F oven for about 15 minutes until they are just dried out, but not toasted.
Cut an X on the flattest side of each chestnut. Place the chestnuts on a cookie sheet in a 400 F oven and roast for about 10-15 minutes.
While they roast, slice the celery into 1/4" wide pieces, clean and quarter the mushrooms, dice the onion, and mince the sage leaves coarsely.
When the chestnuts come out of the oven, let them cool until you are able to handle them, then peel the chestnuts. There is a hard outer shell and a thin, brittle shell that must be removed. Cut away any black spots or you might experience that "bad pistachio" taste in your dressing.
Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Chop up the chestnuts into 1/2" or smaller pieces.
In a large skillet, melt 4 tablespoons of butter. When it starts to foam, add the onion, sage, and celery and toss to coat. Let it simmer a couple of minutes, then add the mushrooms and celery and 1/2 cup of the vegetable stock. Add a generous pinch of salt. Mix well and simmer/sautee for 5-7 minutes, until the mushrooms start to shrink.
Add the tarragon, oregano, parsley, black pepper, and chestnuts and mix well again.
Remove the skillet from the flame. Let cool about five minutes, then stir in the bread cubes and the eggs and mix well. Work quickly in case the mix is still hot enough to cook the eggs.
Spoon the contents of the skillet into a large casserole dish, preferably one with a lid. Dot the top with the remaining two tablespoons of butter. If the mix seems too dry, add up to 1/2 cup of vegetable stock to the casserole.Cover and bake in a 350 F oven for 20-30 minutes.
MULLIGATAWNY SOUP (INDIAN )
Mulligatawny Soup
This is an Indian soup which was adapted to British tastes..
INGREDIENTS:
* 1 (2 1/2 to 3 pound) broiler-fryer chicken, cut up
* 4 cups water
* 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
* 1 teaspoon curry powder
* 1 teaspoon lemon juice
* 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
* 1/8 teaspoon ground mace
* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
* 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 1 medium carrot, thinly sliced
* 1 apple, chopped
* 1 medium green bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
* 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
* Parsley
PREPARATION:
Heat chicken, water, salt, curry powder, lemon juice, cloves and mace to boiling in Dutch oven; reduce heat. Cover and simmer until thickest pieces of chicken are done, about 45 minutes. Remove chicken and broth; skim fat from broth if necessary. Add enough water to broth if necessary to measure 4 cups. Remove bones and skin from chicken; cut chicken into pieces.
Cook and stir onion in butter in Dutch oven until tender. Remove from heat; stir in flour. Gradually stir in broth. add chicken, carrot, apple, green pepper and tomatoes. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer until carrot is tender, about 10 minutes.Serve in shallow soup bowls; garnish with parsley.
WARM POTATO SALAD (GERMAN)
INGREDIENTS:
* 3 pounds small red-potatoes (about 2 inches in diameter), washed well
* 10 slices bacon, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch strips (about 1/2 pound)
* 1 large onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 c)
* 1/2 teaspoon sugar
* 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
* 3/4 cup beef broth
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
PREPARATION:
Cook bacon crispy, drain all fatand combine all other ingredients in a heavy iron pan.
Garnish: chopped fresh parsley leaves
LAMB AND VEGETABLE CASSEROLE (Rumania)
INGREDIENTS:
* 5 lamb chops, cut 1 inch thick
* 1 cup olive oil
* 4 teaspoons salt
* 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 2 cups diced potatoes
* 2 packages frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
* 1 1/2 cups shredded cabbage
* 1 green pepper, cut julienne
* 2 cups diced eggplant
* 1 cup chopped onions
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 2 tomatoes, chopped
* 1/2 pound okra, sliced
* 1/8 teaspoon thyme
* 1 bay leaf
PREPARATION:
Trim the fat from the chops. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a skillet and brown the chops on both sides. Sprinkle with half the salt and pepper.
Heat the remaining oil in a casserole until it bubbles. Add the potatoes, mixed vegetables, cabbage, green pepper, eggplant, onions, garlic, tomatoes, okra, thyme, bay leaf, and remaining salt and pepper. Mix lightly. Cover and bake in a 350 degrees F. oven 30 minutes. Remove cover and arrange the chops over the vegetables. Bake 45 minutes longer, basting the chops occasionally. Discard the bay leaf. Serves 6.
STRING BEANS AND SAUCE (Indonesia)
Tumis Kacang Panjang Bumbu Pedas
serves 6
INGREDIENTS:
* 3 cloves garlic, crush
* 2 cm ginger, crush
* 2 red chilies, grind in a blender
* 50 g onion, chop into pieces
* 150 g beef, chop into pieces
* 800g string beans
* 1 tsp salt
* 1 /2 tsp pepper corn
* 250 cc water
* 1 tsp sesame oil
* 1 tsp corn starch
* 100 g cashew nut
* 2 tbs oil
PREPARATION:
1. Heat oil in a frying pan. Fry garlic, ginger, red chilies and onion until fragrant.
2. Add beef, fry until brown. Add string beans until softened.
3. Add salt, pepper, sesame oil, dissolve corn starch in water and add with stirring until all the ingredients are well cooked.
Serve with cashew nuts on top.
