South Indian style Curried Pumpkin
Submitted by Sumukha Ravishankar
 
3 cups of pealed and cubed pumpkin
2 long green chilies split length wise
1 cup tap water
1/4 inch piece of fresh ginger grated
Salt to taste
Pinch of Turmeric powder
2 tsp oil
1/2 tsp of mustard seeds
1/2 tsp of split yellow peas (dry)
1/4 cup of dry un-roasted shelled peanuts
1 tbsp of fresh or dry unsweetened grated coconut
A few springs of curry leaves
1 tsp chopped cilantro (optional)

Heat a deep dish pan, add one cup of water, Turmeric, salt, ginger and cubed pumpkin. Let the water come to boil, close the pan and bring down the flame to low. Cook the pumpkin until just done and the water is evaporated.

In a separate non-stick pan, heat oil. When the oil is quite hot, add the mustard seeds. When the seeds start to splutter, add the dry split peas, peanuts, green chili and curry leaves. Roast for 1 minute on medium high heat until the peanuts are golden, add the coconut and for 1/2 a minute let the coconut roast in low flame. Stir constantly.

Now add the cooked pumpkin, give it a stir. It is all right if some of the pumpkin pieces are mashed up. Roast the curry for a minute or two. Garnish with cilantro and serve. This is a south Indian style curried pumpkin dish, mildly flavored. One may add green chilies and may also add a pinch of asaphoetida (if one knows what it is and likes the flavor) along with the coconut.

 

Whipped Parsnips with Roasted Garlic
Submitted by Linda Wexelblatt

1 medium head garlic
1 pound parsnips, peeled, coarsely chopped (about 3 cups)
1/4 cup whipping cream
2 tbsp butter
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cut 1/4 inch off top of garlic and discard. Wrap head tightly in foil. Place on rack in oven; roast until tender, abut 1 hour. Cool.

Press garlic to release from skin. Mash. Cook parsnips in pot of boiling salted water until very tender, about 25 minutes. Drain well, reserving 1/2 cup of cooking liquid. Return parsnips to pot.

Add cream, butter, nutmeg, and mashed garlic. Beat with handheld mixer until smooth, thinning with some of reserved cooking liquid if too thick. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Makes 4 servings.

Smoking Bishop Cranberry and Fig Compote
Submitted by Helen Conroy

The other day, I was heating a cup of Smoking Bishop—a  citrusy, spiced red wine and port warm punch—while pondering what to do with the bag of organic cranberries I’d purchased that day. The aroma of the punch reminded me of a tasty dessert from Alice Waters’ "Chez Panisse Fruits," made simply by poaching figs in a lightly spiced red wine syrup, then serving them with coffee ice cream. Problem solved! I immediately combined the basic formula for the Smoking Bishop, plumped up a few figs in it and added my cranberries and a tart apple, to create this compote. This needs at least a few days to mellow before it’s at its best. Once it’s ready, however, you’ll be glad you waited.

Grated zest and juice of 1 orange
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon crushed anise seeds (I prefer ones from Spain)
1/3 cup apple brandy
¼ teaspoon salt
3/4 cup red wine (I use a vin ordinaire from southern France)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
8 dried black mission figs, chopped into 6 – 8 pieces each
2 tablespoons regular molasses
8 ounces organic cranberries
1 tart apple that's been peeled, cored and grated
½ cup ruby port

Combine in a heavy saucepan over medium heat all of the ingredients except the cranberries, apple and port. Simmer for about 10 minutes over very low heat, stirring frequently. Add the cranberries and apple and simmer, stirring occasionally, for another 15-20 minutes, until thick and jammy looking. Add the port and simmer for another two minutes. Cool and then put in a jar and refrigerate, covered, for at least 2 days before serving. Enjoy! Serves 4 - 6


 

Pickled Cucumbers and Radishes
Submitted by Louise Flax
1 English cucumber
1 bunch radishes
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 tbsp oil

Cut cuke in half, slice 1/4 " thick.
Cut radishes into 8 wedges.
Boil vinegar and sugar, salt and pepper until sugar dissolves. Add oil, pour over cut vegetables. If you allow it to sit in fridge, it softens and melds like a mild kimchi. A nice fresh taste. It’s a variation on an Epicurious recipe.


 

Barbara Dominianni’s Spaghetti Stuffing
Submitted by Claudia Ocello

This is the stuffing that we have every year with our turkey. My grandmother came to the US from Italy in 1935, and when she found out she had to stuff a turkey for Thanksgiving, her mother-in-law taught her this recipe, which she used in Italy to stuff capretti, or goat. I think it’s a great example of an ethnic influence on an American holiday.

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, removed from casing
1 pound spaghettini, broken into small pieces about 1” long
6 eggs, beaten
1 ½ cups grated Parmiggiano-Reggiano cheese
1 pound mozzarella, diced
½ pound sharp Provolone cheese, diced
½ pound sliced Genoa salami, cut into small pieces

Heat olive oil in large skillet and sauté onion and sausage. Let cool.
Cook spaghettini according to package directions and drain.
Combine all ingredients into large bowl and mix well.

We usually don’t stuff the turkey with this, just spread it in a 9 x 12 lightly oiled glass pan and cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 350 degrees for about 60 minutes. My mother and I will make the stuffing this year, because my grandmother passed away in July at age 98. She was cooking until 2 months or so before she passed away.