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Tante Marie’s Other Thanksgiving Ideas

Other IdeasServe a rose champagne or still wine with marinated olives and roasted almonds before dinner. I like the

Mediterranean blend of olives at Whole Foods. To Roast Almonds: Spread a pound of fresh almonds in their skins

on a baking sheet. Melt 4 tablespoons butter, mix with a dash of Tabasco, pour this over the nuts, sprinkle

generously with coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, and bake in a 350 degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes. Serve

warm.

Serve Butternut Squash Soup with Roasted Chestnuts before or instead of the Autumn Salad. To make this soup,

leave the ginger, cinnamon, and star anise out of the recipe of Butternut Squash Soup with Ginger, season to taste

with salt and pepper, add a couple of tablespoons of cream if desired, and serve in warm bowls with a teaspoon of

coarsely chopped chestnuts. To remove the peel of the chestnuts, make a cross in the top of each chestnut, drop

them into boiling water for 2 minutes, then bake in a 350 oven for 15 minutes.

If doing this, you will need to change the vegetables so as not to have two courses with Butternut Squash. How

about California Succatash and Garlic Mashed Potatoes.

It is best to serve a variety of wines with Thanksgiving dinner to suit everyone’s taste —perhaps a Pinot Noir, a

Vigonier, and sparkling French apple cider.

Brine the Turckey

The newest trend is to brine the turkey 24 hours before cooking it — this is to make it juicy and flavorful

when cooked. Here is my adaption of the recipe that the SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE published of the Chez

Panisse method of brining turkey:

Ingredients2 1/2 gallons cold water

2 cups coarse salt

1 cup sugar

2 bay leaves

1/2 bunch fresh thyme

8 parsley sprigs

1 whole head garlic, cut in half

InstructionsDissolve the salt and sugar in a large plastic container of water. Add the bay leaves, thyme, parsley, garlic.

Remove the innards from the turkey, rinse the turkey, and submerge it in the brine. Store in a cool place for 24

hours. Remove the turkey from the brine (discarding the brine), pat the turkey dry, and follow the instructions for

roast turkey.

Calfornia Succatash

Ingredients1 box white or brown pearl onions

So many people have so many ideas of what the best Thanksgiving menu should be that it is impossible to

please everyone. Here are some additional suggestions for Tante Marie's Thanksgiving Menu.

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2 red peppers

3 ears of yellow corn

3 green zucchini

1 cup heavy cream

salt and pepper

Peel the onions.

InstructionsPlace them in a saucepan of cold water. Bring to a boil and boil 5 minutes. Drain.

Cut the red pepper into small dice. Remove the corn from the cob. Cut the zuchini into ovals, about the same size

as the onions, with green on part of each oval.

Place the cream in a heavy saute pan and reduce by half. Add the onions and cook for 2 minutes. Add red pepper

and cook for 5 minutes. Add the corn and and zucchini and cook for 2 minutes. Taste and add salt and pepper to

taste. (This dish can be made ahaad and reheated if not cooked at all after the corn and zucchini are added.)

Mashed New Potatoes

Ingredients2 lb. yellow-fleshed new potatoes

2 to 4 cloves garlic

1/3 cup heavy cream

4 to 8 Tbs. butter

salt and pepper

InstructionsIn a large, heavy pan combine the potatoes, peeled and cut onto 1 1/2 inch pieces, and the garlic with enough

salted cold water to cover the potatoes by 2 inches. Simmer them, for 15 to 20 minutes, or until they are tender

when pierced with a fork. Drain in a colander and shake off any excess moisture. Force the potatoes through a

potato ricer into a bowl. In a small pan, heat the cream and butter, add to the potatoeos with salt and pepper to

taste. Place this mixture in a baking dish, covered, to be reheated in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes before

serving.

Serves 4.

© Mary S. Risley