T-Day dishes

[Too Tall]

Slightly OT but here goes. We were at the Urbana, Va Oyster Festival for the first time this year. This is a must attend event if you are into the best oysters in the world and heck it is the home the world champion oyster shucker. She won again this year and got eat the oysters after she finished. Yep, the festival is intimate and massive all at the same time. Do this, see you there.

https://www.urbannaoysterfestival.com/

[rwsaunders]

Mrs. RW has her game-day face on, Mike.

[robin3mj]

We’re headed to my folks with my siblings et al. 16 mouths to feed, and our household is in charge of the turkey, antipast, and Wednesday night dinner

1. Padma Lakshmi turkey recipe. Buttermilk brine 18-24 hrs (though I go easy on the salt), slow roast 3-5 hrs with fennel, apple, orange, onion, rosemary, etc. then mash all down to make the gravy. Broil for last 30-ish minutes to crisp the skin.
2. Mozzarella, salami, provolone, olives, roasted pepper, artichoke, etc.
3. Farfalle in a white wine/butter/veg stock sauce with chicken, Italian sausage, broccolini, and sun dried tomatoes. Pine nuts are a good idea- will bring some of those too.

Same as last year but we’re hosting so the turkey will be smoked.

[Tom]

Kind of low key here. Braised and glazed beef short ribs, colcannon, maple glazed acorn squash. Pumpkin pie a la mode for dessert. I'm all about simple but tasty this time around.

[bigbill]

Post illness here. We normally travel down to PHX to have dinner with one of my old friends, but with the illness and compromised health of some of the attendees, we stayed home. We're having a small plate dinner with a smoked salmon, mushroom, spinach, and cheese fritatta, pecan pie, and buttermilk pie. We'll use a hand torch to caramelize the buttermilk pie. I was never overly stoked about turkey. IMO, Thanksgiving is about pie.

I would have to think about it for a while, but I think I had about a dozen deployed Thanksgivings. I have much to be thankful for.

[rwsaunders]

Progress shots from the “shop”…

[Too Tall]

Off year for sure. Collaboration dinner with neighbors. I'll skip the ubiquitous roasted bird pics. and share a side I made up and it's goooood.

Roasted Acorn Squash with Feta
1. Cut Acorn squash in half. Roast at 325F face down. They are done when you can just put a blunt kife thru easily.
2. Cool than scoop contents into cast iron skillet that you have melted butter.
3. Carefully pan sear until you see good carmelization and finish with cracked pepper and a wee dash of salt.
4. Add squash to a oven proof mixing bowl and fold generous amt. of feta.
5. Bake at 325F for 15 mins.
6. Plate into something pretty and top with freshly toasted pine nuts. Give the dish a couple rounds of your best EVO.

This is a naturally sweet dish and yeah it needs a name ;)

[spopepro]

First time it’s just the lady and me in a while (I had to work yesterday, she has to work tomorrow).
Eggplant nigvzit
Persimmon rocket salad
Chestnut, chanterelles, celeriac in puff shells (I, uh, made the shells to small :/ )

IMG_3642.jpg

[rwsaunders]

Dinner for 9 and that’s a wrap…so much to give thanks for and here’s wishing you folks a good Thanksgiving.

[72gmc]

IMO, Thanksgiving is about pie.

IMO too! Great dinner here, all the usuals, and two pies on the kitchen counter.

Semi-OT: The garbage disposal decided to blow a seal after dinner, rinsing off the under sink storage and rendering the dishwasher unusable. So a handmade dinner, and hand-washed dishes, and handmade pies. Thankful for absorbent towels and a lot more.

[robin3mj]

Do yourself a favor and try Padma Lakshmi’s turkey recipe one year.
Buttermilk brined overnight and then in the roasting pan you put apples, oranges, fennel, ginger, garlic, etc. Strain and mash it through a colander and add to a butter/flour roux and you have by far the tastiest most complex gravy ever.

This year we just did a turkey breast at my wife’s request but I couldn’t help adding two legs as well- might as well have just gotten the whole bird. Three ish hours on the smoker and I pulled the pan fruits about halfway through so they wouldn’t get too smoky. It was just the right amount. If you use an oven you can just do the gravy at the very end as you broil the bird for a few mins to crisp the skin.

The three small pies are store bought but the apple is my Nan’s recipe made the day before. She used to use pure lard and would make them two weeks ahead.

[Too Tall]

Time for turkey soup. In some manner this is what I look forward to the most.

[fastupslowdown]

I keep it simple, no stuffing, no basting, Just roasted turkey, brussel sprouts , butternut squash soup and of course premiere crux(got lucky on the wine. Found a Faiveley Moines for $89 a bottle)


turkey.jpgbutternut.jpgwine_1.jpgwine-2.jpg


Epilogue ,after all these years of Thanksgiving I just found out that one is supposed to remove the turkey from the carcass before refrigerating. I have one more day of leftovers. Tomorrow will be rutabaga fries instead of brussel sprouts, a vegetable i didn't really enjoy until recently