The Annual All American Thanksgiving post

If you're really giving thanks next week, you might want to remember that what we have to be most thankful for are the astounding foods of the American continents that were discovered by Columbus and have ever since sustained the entire world. Thanksgiving is the perfect time to flaunt what we've got, to showcase the foods unique to North America. Just to remind and show you that's hugely impressive, here they are, in alphabetical order--North America only:
Avocados, thank Mexico
Beans: pinto and red (kidney)
Buffalo meat
Chili peppers of every kind and heat
Chocolate, a bean from Mexico
Clams, soft shells from New England
Cod fish, especially salted because that's what caused the discovery of America
Coho salmon, from the Northwest
Corn in every form and every color including popcorn and especially blue corn in the Southwest
Crabs, soft shells from the Chesapeake
Cranberries
Homarus Americanus, aka Maine lobster
Maple Syrup
Molasses, byproduct of sugar refining in the Caribbean and source of rum
Pecans
Pumpkins
Tomatilloes
Tomatoes, thank Mexico

Turkey 
Vanilla, the bean of a rare orchid that grows in southern Mexico
Wild Rice, a gluten-free grain of the Great Lakes
Winter squash, in its many forms

Try to imagine a month of meals without any of those ingredients: it will make you instantly thankful. So it isn't hard to build a celebratory meal out of genuine American food.

You can start with salt cod fritters or brandade (French salt cod with potatoes) or lobster bisque or stew or clam chowder, and/or guacamole with tortilla chips. You can continue with turkey, wild rice, cranberry, corn in any form including succotash which is corn and beans, maple syrup baked or roasted squashes
You can end with pecan pie or pralines and/or something lusciously chocolate as well as good old pumpkin pie or mousse and of course Indian pudding, which is cornmeal with molasses.

Here are a few glamorous yet easy ways to be all-American this year. Most of these recipes are reprised because they're perennial and can't be bested.

BRANDADE

This is the French version of salt cod and it's a please make it again favorite in my house.

Serves 8-10 as a first course

1 lb skinless, boneless salt cod

1c milk

1 thyme sprig or 1/4 tsp dried thyme leaves

2 bay leaves

5-6 peppercorns

1/2 tsp ground allspice or 2 allspice berries

2 whole cloves

1 lb boiling potatoes, cut in 1” cubes

6 lg garlic cloves, peeled

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/3-1/2 c olive oil

Pinch cayenne or red pepper flakes (1/4 tsp if you like this tangy)

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp grated lemon zest

1/2 c crème fraiche plus another 3 tbsp

3 tbsp butter

1/2 c bread crumbs (coarse is preferred but fine works)

Rinse salt cod carefully, rubbing off any noticeable salt. Soak in a large bowl of water at least 8 hours, changing the water every four hours or leaving it overnight.  Drain and rinse again when ready to use.

In a medium/lg saucepan, heat milk with 1 c water. Add salt cod, thyme, bay leaf, peppercorns, allspice and cloves. As soon as the pot wants to boil, reduce heat to simmer and cook until the fish falls apart and flakes, about 15-20 minutes. Remove fish from the pot.

While the cod is cooking, put cut potatoes in another pot with a good pinch of salt and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Add the garlic cloves.  As soon as the potatoes are soft enough to mash, remove from heat and drain. Keep both the garlic and cooking liquid; you’ll need them.

Put the garlic in a small saucepan and crush or smash it lightly. Add the olive oil and over medium heat, warm the garlic. Don’t fry, just warm it.

In a large mixing bowl combine the cooked potatoes and flaked salt cod. Use a potato masher to blend them. Drizzle in the warm garlic and oil and keep mashing toward the look of mashed potatoes. Add the cayenne, nutmeg and lemon zest, thoroughly blending. Stir in 1/2 c crème fraiche and mash to blend.

Now using an immersion blender or hand mixer or your masher, add about 1/2 cup potato cooking liquid to thin the brandade into a soft mash. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to your taste. 

Grease a shallow 1 qt baking dish or pie plate with 1 tbsp butter. Fill the dish with the brandade, leveling it with a spatula. At this point, you can refrigerate the mix overnight if you need to.

Heat oven to 400º. Bring the brandade to room temperature if you refrigerated it. Paint the top with those 3 tbsp crème fraiche and sprinkle on the breadcrumbs. Dot the surface with bits of the remaining 2 tbsp butter. Bake until golden on top and bubbling around the edges, about 20 minutes.

Serve immediately with toast. 

Pumpkin Pancakes (also made with winter squash)

This recipe is in Veggiyana, the Dharma of Cooking, and even though it's Turkish, it showcases American pumpkin.
Serves 15 as hors d’oeuvres

4 c peeled, seeded and grated sugar pumpkin or butternut squash

1 medium onion, peeled and finely diced*

2 eggs

1 c soft Ricotta or a similar spreadable cheese

1 c chickpea flour (or regular white or fine grain whole wheat)

½ -2/3 cup fresh dill, finely chopped*

1/8 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. ground Cayenne pepper

Freshly ground black pepper to your taste

Pinch of ground nutmeg

1 c corn oil for frying

*You can mince these two together in a food processor bowl, no problem

Combine all ingredients but the corn oil in a large bowl-- eggs last, and blend well to incorporate. Be sure the mix is reasonably dry, and add a tsp of flour if it seems too drippy to mold into a pancake. 

Cover the bottom of a large frying pan or skillet with oil, a little more than 1/8” deep—not too skimpy and definitely not deeper than ¼”.  Heat the oil over medium high heat.

To make small bite-sized cocktail fritters, take enough mixture to make a golf ball sized ball, then flatten it with your hand into a small pancake.  To make a meal-sized fritter take twice that amount and flatten it into a pancake with a diameter of about 2 ½ inches.

Fry the fritters in the hot oil in batches so they do not touch each other in the pan and you have room to flip them over with a flat spatula. Add oil as you need it. Fry about 2 minutes on each side, or until golden brown with crisp crust. Fry for a shorter time if they are starting to get burned. Remove and drain on paper towels before serving.

Herbed Popcorn

serves 8

1 c popcorn kernels  or One large bag plain popped corn already popped

2 oz Parmesan, finely grated (1/2 cup)

2 tbsp unsalted butter

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp dried thyme leaves

1 tsp dried dill

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp sea salt

Melt better with olive oil in a sauté pan. Add spices and cook 1 minute until they are fragrant.

Pour over the popcorn. Add Parmesan cheese and salt in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly.

That’s it!

Tomatillo/Avocado Sauce for your turkey
This Mexican green sauce is addictive but not to worry: it goes on just about everything worth eating. It will definitely embolden turkey, especially the next day.
 serves 6

4 tomatilloes, husked and quartered
1/2 med/lg avocado, out of the skin
1 garlic clove, smashed
1-2 sm Serrano pepper, seeded and chopped, depending on how much spice you like
salt to your taste
 2 tbsp onion, diced
juice of a lg lime
1/4 c cilantro leaves (a handful)
enough olive oil to attain the consistency you want

Put everything but the olive oil in a blender, food processor or bowl you can use with an immersion blender. Combine everything into a thick puree/soft paste. With a spatula or spoon stir in a bit of olive oil and keep going until you get the thickness/thinness you want. If it isn't spicy enough, you can toss in a pinch of red pepper flakes.

Wild Rice with Mandarins, Cranberry and Pecans

serves 6

4 cups cooked wild rice hot from the pot

1 cup toasted pecan halves (can be warm or room temperature)

2 seedless mandarins or clementines, peeled and segmented

½ cup fresh cranberries OR 2 tbsp. dried cranberries

1/3 cup finely chopped fresh parsley leaves (about 6 sprigs)

1/8 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. orange juice or 1/8 tsp. orange flower water

1 tsp. raspberry vinegar or Spanish sherry vinegar

¼ cup fruity olive oil or walnut oil

Combine the wild rice, toasted pecans, citrus segments and cranberries in a serving bowl.

 Combine in a small bowl the orange juice or flower water, vinegar, oil and salt. Whip to blend.

 Pour the dressing over the rice mixture and carefully blend.  Garnish with the chopped parsley to serve.

Cranberry Pecan Chutney

This will make enough to preserve, maybe 4 pints worth. It's one of the easiest recipes and very tasty without being cloying.

1 lb cranberries, cleaned          

1½ c granulated sugar

1 tbsp orange peel

1 c water                                   

1 c dark raisins or currants

1/3 c orange juice

1 c toasted pecan pieces         

¼ tsp ground cloves

 ¼ tsp ground allspice

Combine cranberries and water in a large saucepan and cook over medium heat until the cranberries burst. Add sugar, raisins, spices, orange peel and juice. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally until mixture is as thick as jam, about 10 minutes. Stir in the nuts. Remove from heat. If serving soon, refrigerate covered in a serving bowl. If saving, ladle into hot sterilized jam jars, seal and put in a water bath for 10-15 minutes depending on size of the jar. 

Grits Souffle 
A Southern recipe I put in Veggiyana, the Dharma of Cooking. 
You can slip it into the oven just as the turkey comes out because the turkey needs to rest before it is carved.

Serves 8

1 tbsp finely grated Parmesan cheese

1 c grits (raw or quick cooking but not instant)

4 c milk (can be no fat)

½ tsp ground chili powder

1 c (2 oz.) grated cheddar cheese

1 tsp salt

1/8 tsp ground cayenne pepper

8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut in 6-8 pieces

4 extra large eggs, separated

Preheat oven to 375º. Butter a two-quart soufflé dish and sprinkle the grated Parmesan around the bottom and sides.

Put the milk in a large saucepan and over medium heat bring to a slow boil. Just as it starts to boil, stir in the grits, salt and chili powder. Continue stirring until the grits thicken into porridge. Remove from heat.

 Stir in butter, cheese and cayenne.  Carefully stir in the egg yolks, not stopping the stir until they are incorporated.  Let the mixture cool.

Beat the egg whites into very stiff peaks. When the grits are warm but not hot, carefully fold in the egg whites.

 Pour the contents of the pot into the soufflé dish, being sure the top is level.

 Bake in the center of the oven at 375 for 25-30 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. This will not rise as high as other soufflés so don’t worry.

Granny Smith Indian Pudding

This is about as fancy as simple Indian Pudding can get and people just love it because it presents like a cake. You serve it iced in whipped cream or thick yogurt. The recipe is in Veggiyana, the Dharma of Cooking.

Serves 12 (cut in half for 6) T

5 cups milk

1 cup yellow cornmeal

2 extra large or jumbo eggs

2 tbsp butter

1/3 cup light brown sugar (use ¼ if you half the recipe)

½ cup molasses

3 tbsp real maple syrup

pinch of salt

¼ tsp ground ginger

1 tsp nutmeg

½ tsp ground cinnamon

1 cup raisins (dark ones show up easier)

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and diced

Optional: fresh whipped cream or thick honey yogurt

Preheat over to 325º. Butter a 3 quart soufflé dish or Charlotte mold or other deep ovenproof baking dish. (Use a 1½ quart if you half the recipe.)

In a very large saucepan or medium casserole, scald milk. (This means bring it to a boil fast over high heat so a skin forms and bubbles appear.) Whisk in cornmeal and over medium or medium high (depending on the strength of your stove) heat, continue to whisk until the mixture thickens (90 seconds-3 minutes).

Remove from heat.  Whisk in butter, then carefully eggs.  Whisk in brown sugar, molasses and maple syrup. Whisk in salt and spices.  Stir in raisins and apples, distributing evenly.

Pour mixture into baking dish, shake and level.  Bake at 325º in the center of the oven for 40-50 minutes, or until the center of the pudding is firm when you shake the pan.  Remove from oven and cool.

To serve: invert the pan onto a cake stand or serving platter and “ice” with whipped cream or thick yogurt. Sprinkle with cinnamon or freshly grated ginger to serve.

Other thoughts: corn pudding, maple syrup glazed baked winter squash with your favorite spice mix on it (chermoula, berbere, garam masala), clam chowder, succotash, pumpkin mousse for the gluten-free.