That Was the Week That Was – Some Soothing Ingredient-Driven Gestures for Thanksgiving

 David Frost circa 2005

Sunday is the beginning of a new week, right?  Couldn’t come fast enough.

That Was the Week That Was – Whew you said it!  Who remembers this?  I know, I keep tipping my hand at my age and keep on reverting to music, memories and words from the 1960s.  Some day, I’ll figure out what that means.  Perhaps it’s just normal to consistently revert to that period in your life when the foundation was just building up, things seemed simpler and our psyches weren’t crowded out with all the buzz, fog, pollution and distracting noise that swirls around in these decades.

That Was the Week That Was was a tv show on BBC in 1962 and 1963 that featured David Frost.  Remember him?  He’s perhaps most famously known for his 2007 interviews with Richard Nixon, where he is credited with getting him to apologize for his, um, infractions. (is it curious that I harken back to another character of choice here?)   http://splitsider.com/2012/05/that-was-the-week-that-was-brings-political-satire-to-america/  While I can think of a number of other scandalous “character actors” (sic) who have risen to the pinnacle of national politics in various countries in my own lifetime, I’m not going to go there in this blog post.  Yes, there have been many, some of them completely heinous on many levels, and the world has survived.  Sigh.

Well anyway,  I’m sitting here and trying to get my bearings and let at least some of this past weeks’ events recede before all my hair falls out.  Try as I might to focus purposely upon Thanksgiving, as I think this should be the obvious “next” thing to do, and getting off the senseless-ruminating thing I’m stuck on, I find myself with surprisingly little enthusiasm and worse, scarce energy for it.  But, I’m going to push forward anyway.  This moniker, up top, which popped into my head this morning, seems to be the best one suited for the days of this past week, no?  I’m sure I will remember it always.

But, let’s move on now.  Yes, let’s talk Turkey – and stuffing, and mashed potatoes and vegetables and cranberries and desserts.  Let’s try, shall we?

Today, instead of rehashing the menu or trying to jazz it up to something over the top that neither I nor my family want it to be, I’m going to be just plain ingredient-driven.  Rather than a giant overhaul which is always something I’m tempted to do after being inspired by a zillion fab recipes I’ve seen in and around (curiously, there has been a distinct lack of these this year up to this point) and yet I never do, I’m going to try to focus instead on the specific ingredients and flavors that make or break each of the fundamental dishes of the table.  These items may seem insignificant in and of themselves, but forgotten or underutilized, you will notice and feel underwhelmed with your dishes.  You can surely make your own list, but here is mine.

Here is my list:

1. Sage – I had a delicious Veal Saltimbocca on Friday night at Via Veneto in Santa Monica, Ca.  While lapping it up, I realized clearly the importance of the whole sage leaves, while subtle yet definite, to the flavor of this dish when prepared impeccably well. This is true in the preparation of your turkey and stuffing recipe, too.
2. Bay Leaves – I like these arranged around in the roasting pan, sparingly of course, with some
3. lady apples and
4. shallots and cipolini onions (I actually think the roasting pan can be quite a beautiful site, even photo-worthy, if you arrange it so – and you can transfer all to your platter just as ornately.)
5. chestnuts – use purée in desserts, search out bottled and make chestnut dressing or just roast some for the table if you can find them (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/19/chestnut-recipes_n_2303868.html) see below for exclusion
6. Common Yellow Onion – Is there any vegetable out there that is as under appreciated as the onion?  Honestly, if you think about how many dishes start with onions, including soups, pot roasts, omelets, gratins, quiches,  etc, you really won’t be able to end the list.
7. Salt – unsalted or under salted food is flat and has the affect of having you want to push away from the table.  On the other hand, over-salted food tastes like salt and not the food, which, can be worse.
8. Pepper – I have begun to use pepper with a heavier hand over the past few years and find I am really enjoying it.
9. Garlic – once an item I thought unsuited to the American Thanksgiving table, I now, thanks to the emphasis emanating from my son, have come to always roast garlic for the mashed potatoes in our house.
10. Orange – I like orange in my cranberry sauce and as an underpinning for several dishes on this day, including my wild rice pilaf and sweet potato rolls.
11. White Wine and Sherry – White wine goes into my stuffing and Sherry goes into my gravy

Alternately, here’s a list, albeit short, of food items that don’t belong on my table at Thanksgiving.  Here, you’ll see that I can be quite the traditionalist, even if it is only on this particular day.

1. Chocolate
2. Unseasonal dessert items – all should be in the warm category, bolstered by spices – I don’t push the envelope on this day
3. green salad – I reserve this for any other occasion

Here’s a list of ingredients I would like to add onto my table:

1. pomegranate seeds – added to a cocktail of Prosecco or spooned atop your pumpkin soufflés
2. fennel – in a gratin
3. celery root purée
4. lobster – cocktail or bisque
5. figs – these are going into my compote this year

Well, I actually made it though some semblance of thinking about food and Thanksgiving today.  I consider this a big step forward in my recovery.  I’ll try to post some great new recipes over the next 20 days.

Remember – Deep abdominal breathing.