Thanksgiving, Generally. Also: Thanksgiving Planning. Last but not Least: Bottom of Barrel Almost Reached.

end of quince in sight

I grew up in a Moroccan-Jewish family that loved food.* Like many immigrant families, we clung to our foodways as some of the most easily transportable aspects of the old country. I grew up with couscous, dafina, tagines, and countless different kinds of Moroccan-Jewish sweets and delicacies.

Thus it should come as no surprise that I adore Thanksgiving and Christmas. (Also the various ceremonies: midnight mass etc, but that's another post.) Come the holidays, away goes the hand of fatima, I want a tree. With presents under it. I want a turkey. I want wreathes, ribbons and bows. I want stuffing and mashed potatoes. I don't just want Thanksgiving and Christmas, I want "Thanksgiving" and "Christmas."**

Having grown up with it all T. could (naturally) care less about Thanksgiving and is downright hostile to a lot of it, especially on an animal rights level. Presents: a waste of money. Meals: a waste of food. The tree: whatever. When asked what he'd rather do on Thanksgiving, here's what he says: "Climb a mountain. A tall mountain."

So how do we reconcile our differing approaches?

We don't. He humors me.

***

In my defense, although I am ordering an organic, free-range, heirloom turkey, everything else will be vegetarian, except the turkey gravy. For the vegetarians, if there are more than one, I'm thinking of making vegetable pot pie. It can bake while the turkey rests.

We're having about 8 people this year, give or take. If more show up, I'm renting plates, if less, we can finally pull out the wedding china and use it. Yippee! (When asked if he is excited about pulling out the wedding china, T. says: no.)

Anyway, I'm sitting here staring down this month's panoply of food mags and trying to decide which way to go with this year's (American, not Canadian) Thanksgiving. Obviously this is all made more complicated by our own little omnivore's dilemma: how do we keep the veggies and the omnis happy?

Specifically, if you want to have a centerpiece dish for the vegetarians and the omnivores, and you only have one oven, what do you cook, and when? I mean, it really isn't fair to the vegetarians to only get by on the side dishes, is it?

Minimal solutions from the magazines, but many excellent recipes:

Gourmet offers four different menus: a formal, traditional menu, an Asian-inspired menu, an Italian menu and a vegetarian menu. The vegetarian menu has a pumpkin stuffed with vegetable stew that I may use, if I don't decide to do a vegetable pot pie. I think I could coordinate the pumpkin with the turkey if I prepare the whole thing ahead of time and then assemble and roast the turkey while the turkey is resting. I sent them an email to ask.

Real Simple, the domestic porn of the post-Martha generation (though I'm still a huge fan of Martha, did you see her recent show with Maya Angelou?) has an article about staying organized at Thanksgiving. The totally enjoyable website has a section on Thanksgiving shortcuts, and a search thereon produces 115 solutions, 84 recipes and 8 websites, all geared at making your life stress-free.

Saveur has an article called A Splendid Feast by Lynn Rossetto Kasper and Sally Swift of the similarly-named radio show, but also a wonderful article on leftovers. I have to say that I'm the most excited about this turkey recipe, which is flavored with calvados, apple cider, chile powder and apples. The picture of the bird is marvelously caramelized. Caramelization is the way to my heart. I love the taste of burnt sugar.

I picked up Cook's Country for the first time ever this week and I'm not sure I get the shtick.
I'm a huge fan of Cook's Illustrated - the editors - but this seems a bit bizarre. Like a strangely-styled, semi-nostalgic, fifties-kitchen throwback. Well, whatever, the Herb Butter-Roasted Turkey and Gravy look awesome, even if I'll never cut out the recipe cards. (Recipe cards!)

Vegetarian Times disappoints with a roasted fall vegetable medley, no contest for Gourmet's crazy roasted pumpkin but the pear salad looks really good.

More planning notes, later.

***

From the Ministry of Quince comes this dispatch: we have almost reached the bottom of the barrel. Yesterday saw your heroine put up a record five pints of quince sauce, which will be delivered to the Little King of Hayes Valley, whom I will be babysitting this afternoon.

*-- This is not entirely true: I also got my taste for baking and preserving from my Irish grandmother, but for the sake of narrative flow, just go with me.
** - Though not Christmas music. At least not of the mall variety. One hundred towheaded English schoolboys singing hallelujah: yes. Bacharach/those irritating animated squirrels via elevator/mall speakers: no.