Thanksgiving Sides

[stefanyb]

I have a few family faves that the kids love but others at my usual 10-14 person group would like some infusion of newness.  Do you have a particular favorite for veggie sides in the traditional mode?

[NewYorkTexan]

I was never a big fan of cranberry sauce, it was often too sweet for my taste.   A few years ago I experimented and started making a cranberry salsa.  It has become a big hit.  

I make it a day in advance so the flavors can meld.

[tommy]

Quote: from NewYorkTexan on 8:47 am on Oct. 30, 2001

A few years ago I experimented and started making a cranberry salsa.  It has become a big hit.  

weeeeeeeeeelllllll....??????!!!!

care to share the specifics?

[Jason Perlow]

Well I mean you can do anything with veggies.  I would say get a sphagetti squash in there with lots of butter and parmesan, really good creamed spinach, fresh string beans sauteed in olive oil with tons of garlic. Baby vegetables if you can find them like miniature squashes that have been grilled with just a little salt and pepper added. A chinese green like a Gai Lan or a water spinach perhaps in sauteed garlic or oyster sauce. Perhaps squashes and green beans with onion in a spicy tomato sauce. I dont know what they feel about brussel sprouts, but with a ton of butter and garlic they are some of the best sides you can have -- put them in a wrapping of aluminum foil, a lot of butter and olive oil and sliced garlic, throw it in the oven or on your weber for 30 minutes, you got good eatins).<p>People also overlook their potato preparations as well. Mashed potatoes whipped up with a lot of premium olive oil and stock added can be great but nothing beats going whole hog for the butter and cream and lots of cracked black pepper. ####, its thankgsiving, dont look at me that way. :) Rachel takes mashed potatoes mixed with cheese and stuffs them into big cooked idaho russet potato halves that have had their insides scooped out (to make the mashed potatoes) and bakes them in the oven, these are fantastic. Use different kinds of cheese and spices mixed with the mashed potatoes for different flavors (parmesan, romano, oregano, basil for italian, cheddar, jack, chopped bell pepper, ground beef, taco seasoning for mexican). Or perhaps consider a gratin of some sort.

[NewYorkTexan]

weeeeeeeeeelllllll....??????!!!!<p>care to share the specifics?

<p>I never really had a receipe that I followed.   You can make this as spicy or sweet as you want.  I like mine to have a kick to it.  <p>1 lb bag of fresh cranberries-coarsely chopped

juice of a lime

half of a poblano chile

half of a roasted jalepeno chile (you can mix and match the chiles to personal taste)

1/2 cup (ish) of an asian pear--adds a nice crunch

1/2 cup of walnuts, or any nuts

chopped fresh cilantro

honey to taste--not to make it sweet, but to balance out the heat of the chilies.

a little olive oil<p>

[tommy]

Quote: from Jason Perlow on 11:24 am on Oct. 30, 2001

Rachel takes mashed potatoes mixed with cheese and stuffs them into big cooked idaho russet potato halves that have had their insides scooped out (to make the mashed potatoes) and bakes them in the oven, these are fantastic.

commonly known as "twice-baked potatoes"?  ;)<p>and yes, they are just fantastic.  it's like having mashed potatoes and a baked potatoe all at once.  doesn't get much better.<p>my in-laws make creamed onions (the little ones).  i'm not sure if this is a tradition outside of their family or what.  

[Rosie]

Quote: from NewYorkTexan on 8:47 am on Oct. 30, 2001

I was never a big fan of cranberry sauce, it was often too sweet for my taste.   A few years ago I experimented and started making a cranberry salsa.  It has become a big hit.  

I make it a day in advance so the flavors can meld.

PLEASE--give me the recipe. I love the idea!

[Rosie]

Rutabaga--I just made this today as it freezes beautifully. Buy small rutabagas asa they are easier to cut. Peel and dice 2 rutabagas. Cook with 3-4 diced carrots till tender.About 45 minutes. Put into a food processor with a stick of butter. Add salt and pepper to taste. Whisk and add cream or milk. Put into a pie plate or dish for the freezer. Take out Thanksgiving morning and heat about 45 minutes. All of these times are approximate.

[Sandra Levine]

Last year I made a melange of caramelized onions, chestnuts and prunes that looked very autumnal and tasted delicious.

Caramelize peeled, small, flat onions (cipolline) by braising them in some chicken stock, butter and a little sugar until the liquid evaporates and the onions are brown.  Add the contents of a jar of cooked whole chestnuts and 6 - 8 oz. of pitted prunes and cook until heated through.  Transfer to serving dish and de-glaze the pan.  Pour the sauce over the onions.  

[Holly Moore]

Two dishes

My mother would saute chopped onions and mushrooms in butter, mix them in with mashed potatoes and bake them.  

I'm partial to old fashioned cranberry sauce, made from scratch - cranberries, water and some sugar.  It does the job it's supposed to do without any aspirations of grandeur.  There is nothing more gullet satisfying than a forkfull of turkey, giblet gravy, stuffing and real cranberry sauce coming together in one's mouth.

(Edited by Holly Moore at 10:38 pm on Nov. 2, 2001)

[yvonne johnson]

I love having two sorts of potatoes: mashed and roasted.

Roasted parsnips (they caramelize pretty easily)...and don't forget the Brussels sprouts.

[mamster]

Last Thanksgiving I brought a big bowl of homemade potsticker filling and a couple packs of wrappers and made everyone help me stuff them, then fried batch after batch and watched them disappear.  Best side dish ever.

As far as veggies go, I have baked broccoli and a sauteed broccoli staples.  For baked, put the florets in a baking pan, drizzle with olive oil and a bit of chicken (or turkey, of course) broth, dot with sliced garlic, and salt and pepper.  Bake covered for 20 minutes, then uncover, top with parmesan, and bake another 5-10.  (Thanks to Mark Strausman for that one.)

For the sauteed broccoli, peel the stalks, cut into quarters or smaller, and steam a few minutes, then brown in a pan with lemon zest.  Serve at room temp.

I'm not a fan of any of the traditional Thanksgiving dishes, but I'm proud to say that nobody ever complains about the stuff I bring.

[girl chow]

Well, this post might be too late for this year's Thanksgiving, but .... <p>In lieu of the standard cloying sweet potatoes, a few years ago I started making roasted sweet potatoes with garlic and rosemary.<p>Despite the name, I usually wind up making these with yams because it seems I can always find better yams than sweet potatoes :)<p>I slice the yams diagonally and place in a glass casserole dish, season, then drizzle with olive oil, and add 5 or 6 cloves of garlic that have been halved (don't mince or chop, the garlic will burn while cooking) and then add fresh, chopped rosemary. I roast at about 425 degrees until half cooked, then flip the yams and stir them around and cook until the yams begin to caramelize. The garlic cloves should have a roasted, caramelized quality. <p>Mamster, what's your recipe for homemade potsticker filling?

:)

[mamster]

Quote: from girl chow on 7:31 pm on Nov. 21, 2001

Mamster, what's your recipe for homemade potsticker filling?

I use the recipe from Eileen Yin-Fei Lo's The Dim Sum Dumpling Book, which was recently reprinted in John Thorne's Pot on the Fire.  Off the top of my head, I believe it contains pork, bok choy, sesame oil, oyster sauce, soy sauce, scallions, and ginger.  You can make the filling ahead, bring it over to someone's house with the wrappers, and make your friends and family help stuff them.  Bring more than you think you'll need.

I was going to do it again this year, but they were out of wrappers at my local store.  I do keep threatening to teach my dad how to make tom yam....

[shugga]

I agree with the fact that canned cranberry sauce is too sweet, so I make a cranberry relish every year.  I take a bag of fresh cranberries, 2 oranges and 2 apples and blend them in my blender or food processor, then add approx. 1/2 cup honey, to taste.

Yum!

[steffie]

I make cranberry waldorf salad with grapes, apples, cranberries and walnuts.

[nyfirepatrolchef X]

eat out

(puts on fire helmet and ducks under table)

[Jaymes]

I hope this board reappears sometime around the first of next November...  too many good ideas and I'll never remember them all!

[tommy]

I hope this board reappears sometime around the first of next November...  too many good ideas and I'll never remember them all!

jaymes, i know you're new, so i'll let you in on a little secret:  we talk about the same shite pretty much month in and month out.  not to worry young grasshopper...we'll be going over all of this again...and again...and again...and...

when in doubt, check out a balic's bio.  that's where really *really* get to the heart of all issues.

sort of.

[Jaymes]

jaymes, i know you're new, so i'll let you in on a little secret:  we talk about the same shite pretty much month in and month out.  not to worry young grasshopper...we'll be going over all of this again...and again...and again...and...

when in doubt, check out a balic's bio.  that's where really *really* get to the heart of all issues.

Thank you for the tip, Wise Master.  I especially appreciate guidance from the Augustonians...

As for A Balic...actually, I did wade in briefly, along about page 31 or so.

eGullet is grand fun, but addictive.  I'm going to need to join some sort of support group...  when I get the urge to serial post, I'll call a fellow eGullet addict instead.

[SobaAddict70]

some favorites:

roasted vegetables with lemon-balsamic viniagrette

sauteed brussel sprouts with garlic and pancetta

gratin of potatoes with gruyere, Canadian bacon and

caramelized onions

baked squash (or pumpkin) with dried fruit chutney

mashed potatoes with LOTS of sweet unsalted butter, cream and chives

turnip, squash, and apple puree

roasted sweet potatoes dusted with homemade garam masala

[Jaymes]

I make cranberry waldorf salad with grapes, apples, cranberries and walnuts.

Remembered this post from last year -

Wanted to tell you that I made your cranberry Waldorf salad last night. We barbecued a half-turkey on the grill and I wanted something good to go with it.

This was a real winner.

Thanks....

[CathyL]

I made this last year (found it in Fine Cooking) and thought it was an excellent foil to all the richness on the table:

Warm Salad of Autumn Greens with Plum Vinaigrette

A traditional side for us is several varieties of little potatoes, roasted with whole peeled shallots and baby carrots.

[kitwilliams]

Pan Roasted Balsamic Onions (my favorite leftover, eaten a la Nigella).

Baked Sweet Potatoes with Lemon Pepper Butter

Haricots Verts with Shallots and Hazelnuts

Sweet Potatoes with Caramelized Apples. Sweet and rich, yes, but thanks to fresh orange juice, calvados, butter and cream. And the caramelized apples, of course.

Parsnip Pie. A savory pie. Fried parsnips layered with tomato, Teifi cheese and moistened with a tad of cream. I tried this for the first time on guests at a St David's Day party. Was everybody's favorite dish. Definitely a must on our Thanksgiving table this year!

Let me know if you want recipes for any of the above.

[Shermar]

Fresh cranberry sauce with minced ginger, diced granny smiths and orange zest.

Warm brussel sprout slaw with bacon.

For color: sliced baby carrots with ginger and shallots

Confit of onions and red wine

Lentils with port-glazed shallots