Ode to Thanksgiving
Ode to Thanksgiving
(I know it’s not actually poetry)
Thanksgiving. It is a word that means so much to so many: long days cooking a fantastic feast, followed by the epic tryptophan coma. Often, the very smells catapult one back to the past: the smell of celery and onion cooking in butter, and the moment the sage goes into the pan.
For some, the meal must always be the same: turkey, of course dressing (or stuffing, depending on where you live!), cranberry sauce (that very few actually seem to like), mashed potatoes (fluffy clouds of salt and fat!) – and then we must have something green – just to make the table look balanced. And the final reveal: a turkey from a Hollywood movie, golden brown and shiny. (Just the thought makes me smile.)
Others enjoy an offbeat nod to the season, with sophisticated twists on turkey (turkey rolled with ham and cheese a la Cordon Bleu – ugh!) and oh so fabulous Brussels sprouts – every child’s nightmare, but the darling of modern chefs!
But the common thread in this Thanksgiving tapestry is family. Now, family need not necessarily be biological. In fact, we have all heard about Great-Uncle Harold getting drunk and mouthing off! But, I mean the family of the heart. The ones you love and cherish, and choose to have in your life. And isn’t this a reason to be thankful?
A toast to family, on this most familial of all holidays – Happy Thanksgiving.
There’s mashed potatoes, and then there are mashed potatoes. Our version starts with layers of flavors right from the get go: Potatoes boiled with aromatics like celery, bay leaf, and garlic, add a secret umami dimension to the final result. Adding thyme infused brown butter at the end is not a bad touch either.