What is the essential Thanksgiving dish? Besides Turkey, I mean.
About The Author
BooMan
Martin Longman a contributing editor at the Washington Monthly. He is also the founder of Booman Tribune and Progress Pond. He has a degree in philosophy from Western Michigan University.
Mashed potatoes and gravy.
And football.
Yes, for my husband, it’s all about the gravy and potatoes. For me , it’s the stuffing and sweet potatoes.
I have to admit it was a tough call between mashed potatoes and stuffing. But if I had to choose one, I think I’d have to go with mashed potatoes, in a nice turkey and mushroom gravy.
A 30 pack.
30 pack because of this
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/world/story/0%2C%2C2212865%2C00.html
But I like my turkey with a large dose of DU.
The stuffing, with or without gravy. Especially the way my grandmother made it with lots and lots of raisins.
and thou, with a quiche, mustard greens from a can by a certain Harlem restaurant, salad, a pumpkin pie and ice cream for dessert.
Mellytawn (Mirliton) Casserole
(Follow link to pictures and further info.)
6 medium mirlitons, boiled, peeled, and diced
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
6 toes garlic, minced
2 lbs. shrimp, peeled and chopped
1 lb. ham, small diced
1-14 oz. can diced tomato (you can substitute 1 large fresh tomato if you have some)
1 cup mushrooms, roughly chopped
1/4 cup parsley, minced
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Creole seasoning
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
4 cups seasoned bread crumbs
1 egg, well beaten
1/2 cup buttered corn flakes, crumbled
optional:
1 can chicken broth
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
First, take your mirlitons and boil them whole in lightly salted water until you can pierce them all the way through without using excessive pressure. Then remove them from the pot and set them aside to cool.
In a large saucepan, melt your butter over medium heat and sauté the trinity until slightly wilted. Add garlic and mushrooms and sauté until everything is soft and tender. Slice the cooked mirlitons in half lengthwise, remove the center seedpods, and throw them away. Then take a paring knife and carefully peel the outer skin away from the pulp. Once the skin is removed, dice the pulp into small pieces and set it aside as well.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Add the shrimp and the chopped ham to your sautéed vegetables and turn heat to medium-high. Within 2 to 4 minutes time, the shrimp will turn pink and the ham will brown slightly around the edges. Add to the mixture the mirliton pulp and the diced tomato. Then stir the pot constantly for 15-20 minutes, cooking the pulp and the vegetables together over medium-high heat until a chunky paste forms. Add the spices and herbs and be sure to fold them well into the mirliton, shrimp, and ham blend.
Begin working in bread crumbs into the casserole mixture (this is best done a little at a time). When all the crumbs are added, you should end up with a somewhat dry paste that sticks to the spoon. If it is still too moist, add a few extra bread crumbs, if the mixture it too wet it will run during the baking process. If your stuffing mix turns out too dry, moisten it with a little canned chicken broth. Then when you’re satisfied with the final consistency, quickly stir in the egg to bind everything together (be sure to temper it!).
Finally, transfer the mixture to a large casserole dish. Then liberally top the casserole with the buttered cornflake crumbs, put the dish into the oven on the center rack, and bake it uncovered for about 25 to 30 minutes or until the topping turns a toasty brown. For a little extra, liberally sprinkle the casserole with shredded Parmesan cheese when it has 10 minutes left to bake in the oven. This will form a nice crusty topping on the dish.
Variation: instead of ham, try 1 lb. cleaned crab meat.
Hi blksista, this makes me think we need a recipe diary. All kinds of new recipes to be added and tried and maybe a new dish tradition will be started in some families.
tamales, tortillas and pumpkin pie.
yum. and yes. I would add arroz con leche for my familia’s variant on that.
I’d go with cheese enchiladas, I could eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Whole cranberry sauce, and pearl onions in butter sauce…Now That’s New England T’Day!
PLUS all of the above…I’m ready for a nap already.
The cranberry sauce and I guess the stuffing, most the rest I can live without. Its funny though how around the country many things are very much the same and others strangely and scarily different.
Pizza. It’s always on the menu.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/meagert/sets/72157594510267982/
I’d honestly rather eat pizza than turkey but I don’t think the rest of my family is going to go along with that.
I cannot believe nobody said pumpkin pie.
You can have a ham or a goose, a duck or a roast. Even tacos or a pizza,
but without pumpkin pie it is not thanksgiving.
nalbar
oops, someone did say it. But not as seriously or eloquently as I.
nalbar
don’t forget the cool whip..
Tom Lantos is getting a serious primary challenger. If you want to stop the war and don’t want another one with Iran he is kind of a lynchpin since he chairs the foreign relations committee and serves on the Intelligence committee.
I think this thread is about turkeys you can eat. (As far as that turkey, Lantos goes, I hope Speier roasts him good.)
http://www.calitics.com/frontPage.do
my Granddaughter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tamales for breakfast, and beaujolais nouveau with the turkey.
BUTTER!!!!!
BEER, FISH’N, BEER, FISH’N, BEER, FISH’N, BEER, FISH’N, BEER, oh yeah, did I forget the Beer???? 😉
peace
You go fishin’ for beer?! What kinda bait do you use?
a red/white/blue cooler, filled with ice, and some dollar bills ; )
no fish/beer were harmed in the process…
Warning: Children do not try this process at home ; )
Rolaids.
Pumpkin Pie! (w/ whipped cream)
Tofu Pumpkin Pie (for us vegans)!
Love
It’s the chaos. The numbers have grown so that at the same time the adults are solving the world’s problems the kids are running in circles screaming at the top of their lungs. Getting everyone to sit and eat is only a temporary condition. The kids start in again as soon as one can sneak away; the adults try to get them back by threatening to not let them have pumpkin pie but the kids know they’ve got this situation in their hands. I use to think we should just go out but one shouldn’t miss this madness. I’ll be doing dishes to midnight but I’ll have a big smile on my face during most of this day.
Grampa
What is the essential Thanksgiving dish? Besides Turkey, I mean.
Family!