thanksgiving ideas 2009

little did i know of the dangers that lurked ahead...

We’re pretty much at the homestretch here – Thanksgiving is days (DAYS!) away and tensions are running high. Every year, I freak out that my turkey will be too dry, and every year, just like magic, it comes out perfect, so much so that there are barely any leftovers. And I, personally, love my turkey leftovers. I think I’m just anxious to get into the kitchen and get the actual dinner started. All in good time, I suppose. Until then, I am left to bite my knuckles in nervous anticipation.

escarole & pickled onion salad

Anxiety aside, I love hosting this holiday and cannot imagine not doing it. When we arrived to the US, it was the first real holiday I got to learn about, and I embraced it with a readiness and ardor only a freshly minted immigrant could procure. I wanted to learn everything that was quintessentially American, down to the most minute detail, and nothing screamed America to me more than a table displaying turkey, mashed potatoes, corn, pumpkin and apple pie. If my mother even so much as breathed a suggestion of serving a Russian salad alongside the traditional American dishes, I would shoot her a dirty look. I felt like she was sullying a holiday that was my instant passageway into assimilation and subsequent acceptance. When you’re a teenager and everything about you is awkward, being a foreigner with broken English and an accent is the last nail in the coffin of social suicide. I felt it keenly and perhaps was a bit overly concerned about it, but as we all remember when you’re 13, your issues feel like the weight of the world upon your shoulders. If I only knew then what I know now.

sweet potato salad

In my fervor and push to assimilate and prove my American-ness to everyone, but mostly, really, myself, I hijacked hosting it from the first year. Every year, I made my parents sit through a turkey dinner, tying this holiday upon their necks much a like a boulder-laden bib. Patiently, graciously, they complied with me. But somewhere along the way, we, somehow, grew into this holiday. It stopped being an exercise in trying to belong as the holiday finally grew to belong to us. And one year, and I’m not sure which year it was, the holiday was ours. Really, truly, wonderfully ours. And then we couldn’t remember what it felt like otherwise.

friendship apple cranberry pie with bourbon caramel

And perhaps, this is what I love the most about Thanksgiving – the part of belonging. No matter what religion or cultural background you are, Thanksgiving is for you. Unconcerned with gifts, it’s a holiday to gather with the people you love to celebrate the one thing we should perhaps do consciously every day – practice the act of gratitude. In a country full of immigrants and stories of wandering and arrival, this is a holiday to unite us all. Together, around a table, we partake in meal, share some laughs and hopefully give thanks for our lives. And there are so many things go be grateful for. Each one of us has his own list.

mushroom barley pie

This year, as pretty much every other year, I’m hosting Thanksgiving again (in other words, I am continuing hijacking the hosting duties, just try and pry it out of my hands!) and this time it’s for a party of 11 people (and my doorman!). For the first time since I moved to New York, nearly 9 years ago, my parents will be visiting me for the holiday, thus marking it our first Thanksgiving together in many years! Add to that, my practically next-door neighbor Sharon and her three cousins visiting New York, and my lovely friend Brita and her family and their dog, Oliver. And last, but not least Anna over at Very Small Anna needed someone to babysit her tortoise, Bowser, while she was out of town, and guess who volunteered? Full house, indeed! The heritage turkey’s been ordered months ago, and I can’t wait to pick it up on Wednesday.

sweet potato gnocchi

But, anxiety and dreams of assimilation aside, and many years that have passed, I wanted to share with you this year’s Thanksgiving menu because I’m very excited about it. Maybe it’ll give you a few ideas if you’re still searching for what to make. And if nothing on the menu calls to you, there are a few other suggestions below, which will, hopefully, strike a chord.

IMG_1198

And if nothing strikes a chord, then I want to thank you, my dear readers, for coming here and being my sounding board, my audience, my friends. I love this little space I’ve carved out and in the last 15 months or so it has grown even more dear to me than ever before. I am grateful for all of you and wish you all a lovely, warm, wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

2009 THANKSGIVING MENU
Porcini Mushroom Soup
Alton Brown’s (influenced) Turkey
Stuffing from Gourmet, Unbound (but will be vegetarian)
Olive Oil Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Pumpkin Bread Pudding Souffle
Escarole Salad with Pickled Onions (recipe coming soon!)
Cranberry Sauce (recipe coming soon!)
Julia Moskin’s Corn (as seen on The Wednesday Chef)
Roasted Acorn Squash with Cilantro Dressing
Cream-Braised Brussels Sprouts
Cumin-Roasted Parsnips (recipe coming soon!)
Apple-Cranberry Pie with Honey-Bourbon Caramel
Pine Nut Tart with Rosemary (from Claudia Fleming – recipe coming soon!)

OTHER SOUP IDEAS:
curried carrot ginger soup

Chestnut Apple Soup
Curried Carrot Ginger Soup with Pepitas, Cilantro Oil and a Homemade Spicy Marshmallow
Roasted Pumpkin Soup
Red Pepper Soup

OTHER SALAD IDEAS:
fennel tangerine salad
Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Black Beans and Chili Dressing
Fennel Tangerine Salad
Apple Celery Salad with Candied Pecans

OTHER VEGETABLE DISHES:
roasted acorn squash stuffed with spiced couscous in a wine reduction sauce

Pomegranate Molasses Glazed Eggplant
Cream Braised Cabbage with Leeks
Glazed Pearl Onions in Port
Sauteed Brussels Sprouts with Onions and Lemon Zest
Roasted Acorn Squash with a Wine Reduction Sauce
Spiced Glazed Carrots
Mushroom Farro Pie (at Gourmet, Unbound)
Sweet Potato Gnocchi

FOR THE DAY AFTER:
hazelnut chestnut cake

Hazelnut Chestnut Cake
Pumpkin Swirl Brownies
Turkey Salad (THE best salad for those turkey leftovers!

14 Comments

  • anna

    Ooh everything sounds so good! Too bad Bowser only eats green leafies – he has no idea what he’s missing. Then again I’m not even sure if he’s got tastebuds.

  • Radish

    Jenny – you got it. :)

    Whitney – good luck – you can do it!!

    Anna – we’ll get him some local and sustainable leafies :) i’m sure he’ll appreciate the efforts!!

  • Lucinda

    I can’t believe you’re going to post a RECIPE for pine-nut rosemary tart…I had one at a local (Minneapolis) restaurant about 10 years ago and have literally never forgotten it, it was that good, and I have never been able to procure a recipe for it! (Well, I haven’t looked too hard, but you know). I’m super excited that you’ll be sharing and can’t wait to try making it myself.

    Thanks for the great ideas!

  • Daniella

    Radish, a friend steered me towards your blog the other day (just in time for my Thanksgiving prep!), and I was instantly in love.

    Aside from the just-plain-delicious recipes, pictures, etc…while obsessively searching your archives, I was struck by a few things. The venigret recipe. The appreciation of dill. The fresh ricotta and the reference to farmer’s cheese (something most Americans, having no idea where their dairy products come from, would even think to make). The kitten named Pushkin. The love of root vegetables. And then there it was: you were born in Russia. It all makes sense :o)

    I’m an American, living in Kyrgyzstan. The Russian influence still runs strong here (and so, unfortunately, does the lack of imported/luxury food items). This has had a huge influence on my culinary activities. Making my own cheese has become standard (but I haven’t tried ricotta yet – so excited!); I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to go back to pasteurized butter after this; and beets have become one of my all-time favorite foods. So your blog struck a special little note in my heart.

    Keep up the amazing work, and more Russian-influenced creations are always welcome. I’m forever trying to find new ways to use the endless root veggies, nuts/spices, pumpkins and fresh dairy that come from a trip to the рынок.

    P.S. И, конечно, поздравляю с ‘Thanksgiving’ом :о)

  • Radish

    Lucinda – can’t wait to make it. It looks like such a wonderful treat!!

    Daniela – thank you for your lovely comment – so kind! What brought you to Central Asia – that’s quite a different world, isn’t it? My grandmother grew up in Uzbekistan (Samarkand) so I wound up eating lots of manty and plov and other Uzbek traditional dishes. I’ll be definitely posting more Russian things – it’s on my to-do. Mmm.. unpasteurized butter – lucky you!! Enjoy ricotta – super easy and delicious!! On Pushkin – I sadly had to give him back as I developed terrible allergies :( I miss him so. And happy Thanksgiving to you as well – cute greeting, esp in Russian.

    Amanda – same to you, girl!! I need to get on my holiday card project :)

  • LoveFeast Table

    Seriously, I think I would love everyone of these recipes to sit on my side board at Thanksgiving! But, then, it would be flavor overload! I usually make my apple pie every year, but this bourbon, cranberry number, might just make me change my mind! I’ll let you know!
    Have a great day!
    ~Kristin

  • Marc @ NoRecipes

    What a great essay. Being an immigrant myself, I totally get what you mean about using holidays as an instant ticket to assimilation. This year I reached pretty far and did a chocolate themed dinner with a goose instead of a turkey. It was good and the company was great, but something just didn’t feel quite right. I’ll be going back to a turkey for next year though I’ll happily roast goose any other day of the year.

  • Radish

    Marc – thanks so much! I heart goose, but I do know what you mean about the turkey being just right. Chocolate-themed dinner? That’s just amazing! Wow! I can’t wait to hear what you wound up making!! Hope you had a wonderful holiday week.

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