Menu for Thanksgiving

Starter

Pumpkin Cream

INGREDIENTS (serving 4) 

• 400 grams (1 pound) of pumpkin
• 2 large potatoes
• 2 carrot
• 1 large onion
• 1 cup of cream
• 5 cups of chicken broth
• Salt

Peel the pumpkin, remove the sides and cut in cubes.

Peel the potatoes and cut also in cubes. Do the same with the carrots and the onion.

Pour the broth in a casserole - if you do not have broth use water - and boil the vegetables until tender. Remove from fire.

Once vegetables are soft, grind with the blender when they are still hot. Season with the salt.

Then add slowly the crema mixing well with a spoon. Taste the result and add more salt if needed.

Main dish

Turkey

INGREDIENTS (4/6 people) :

• 1 turkey of the necessary weight according to diners (calculate about 250 grams / 9 oz for each one, without bones). The minimum weight turkey is usually about 3 kg (6.5 pounds) being the normal between 4 and 6 kg (9 to 13 pounds). So if your calculations with the lower weight turkey you will have meat left over, be prepared to eat turkey until next Easter.
• Celery
• Carrots
• Red or fresh onions
• Salt
• Pepper
• Bunch of aromatic herbs (optional)
• Chicken soup
• Red wine
• Lard

First of all, we wash the turkey well both inside and out. We wash and cut the vegetables into julienne. I have not given the quantities because they must be enough to fill the bird and also be able to make a "bed" on the tray where we bake it. Once we have filled it - do not forget to season the interior - also introducing the bunch of herbs, we close the opening with the help of wooden toothpicks.

Now we are going to put the lard to the ointment. To do this, we put about 150 grams (5 oz) in the microwave and at maximum power we keep it for a few seconds. The result should be solid but malleable, enough to spread it smoothly on the turkey's skin. The Americans paint it with oil or butter but the lard gives it a very crunchy and tasty touch.

With the help of a brush, we paint the entire skin of the bird with the semi-melted butter or lard and then rub it with plenty of salt and powdered black pepper. If you want - although it does not appear in the American recipe - you can also rub it with minced garlic.

It is likely that if the turkey is large you will need help to paint it well and rub in the salt and pepper, but once it is placed on the tray on the bed of vegetables, no more movement is needed than taking it into the oven.

This next thing is VERY IMPORTANT: 

the turkey is baked with the breasts facing up, never facing down. And while it is baked, logically, due to its size, it does not turn over. This has an important problem and that is that the breast, which concentrates a large part of the animal's meat, can become dry and inedible. 

There are two ways to fix it. The first is the "french" solution. The technique is called "a la poule" and consists of wrapping the breasts with bacon in such a way that its fat prevents the breast from drying out. 

The Americans fix it differently. They carefully separate the skin from the meat in the breast area and fill it with butter (in our case with lard). Then they do the same on the skin and cover the area of ​​the breasts - and only these - with a sheet of aluminum foil. Both systems work and one or the other you have to do if you don't want your turkey to become inedible.

Now we are going to bake it. I have already told you other times that if you like preparations in the oven, it is always best to get a thermometer, but if you do not have one, think that for each kilo (2.2 pounds) of turkey it takes 45 minutes of oven at 190 degrees (375 F), approximately. Therefore, for a 4 kg (9 pounds) turkey, it will take 3 hours. The turkey should go to the center of the oven with heat up and down. If you already have a thermometer, it must indicate 80 degrees (176 F) to consider it well done (which is the only possibility for turkey, there is no other option).

We are going to go by parts. Once we have wrapped the turkey with bacon or butter, we place it with the breasts facing up on the bed of vegetables. We fill the tray with chicken broth - or water - and a cup of wine. This liquid will prevent it from drying out during cooking and we may need to replenish it from time to time. In turn, it is convenient that using a ladle we pour the liquid over the bird from time to time, with the same purpose of avoiding dryness.

We preheat the oven to 190 degrees (375 F) and add the turkey.

About twenty minutes before the end of the cooking time, we raise the temperature to 250 degrees (482 F)  and also connect the grill so that it takes on an intense golden color. If you have put aluminum foil sheets, remove them so that the skin browns evenly.

Once we take it out of the oven, we let it rest for twenty minutes. This is important for the meat to settle and finish. Never take meat to table without resting time. Just protect it to get cold, but resting time is very important.

It is chopped and served on the table, if you like with the vegetables on the bed and those inside, although it is not usually done since they are basically used to give flavor, not to eat them. There are other accompaniments that can accompany the turkey and that are prepared separately.

Turkey meat is slightly dry, so it is usually always served with gravy.

Starters

Gratin Potatoes

These potatoes are used, amongst many other recipes, as side dish for Thanksgiving

INGREDIENTS (6 servings):

• 4 or 5 large potatoes 
• 1 large red (sweet) onion
• 2.5 cups (500 ml) of milk
• 1 cup (250 grams) of cheddar cheese grated
• 3 tablespoons of butter
• A tablespoon of white flour
• Bread crumbs
• Salt
• Pepper

First we are going to prepare the sauce. We melt the butter in a pan and with it we fry the onion that we have previously chopped. When transparent, we add the tablespoon of flour. 

Add little by little, while stirring, all the milk and 3/4 of cheddar cheese and keep over low heat until it thickens. It is time to season and remove from heat. It is basically making a kind of bechamel sauce.

We cut the potatoes into finger-thick slices. We take them to a deep dish and season them. Pour the previously obtained sauce over the potatoes and sprinkle the rest of the grated cheddar cheese and a little breadcrumbs on the surface.

We preheat the oven to 190 degrees (374 F) and put the potatoes in for an hour. After that time we connect the grill for twenty minutes until the top turns brown.

Serve hot.

Gravy

The gravy is used to dip the pieces of turkey in it and thus prevent them from being too dry. It can also be used as a sauce for other meat recipes.

There are many different recipes for gravy. Some use remains of other roasts and other concentrated meat broths mixed with flour and butter. We are going to use a meat concentrate called Bovril to make what the French call Demi Glacé and technically speaking it is about linking a  basic broth, in this case beef, with a roux that is a simple sauce. composed of a fat (butter or lard, also olive oil) with a flour.

A very simple roux is the one that forms the bechamel sauce, among others. I give you my recipe in which I use bovril and, as you know, I always look for speed before orthodoxy. Bovril is a concentrated of beef sauce that is very popular in England and is used to make broths or sauces. If you do not see it clearly, you can use dark meat broth although, of course, it is much more laborious to make.

INGREDIENTS :

• Butter
• 2 carrots
• 1 large leek
• 1 large onion (purple if possible)
• 1 large celery (optional)
• Dark beef broth (two and a half cups) or bovril (1 tablespoon)
• 5 cups of bottled or filtered water (if you use bovril)
• 1 tablespoon of wheat flour (optional)

Cut the vegetables into medium-sized pieces and poach them in a saucepan with two tablespoons of butter over low heat. When they are well browned, add a tablespoon of wheat flour, mixing well. The water and the spoonful of bovril are then incorporated. Leave on medium heat for at least 1 hour or until the vegetables have completely softened. Rectify with salt - be careful! It must be tried before because the bovril has salt - It is passed through the blender and through the strainer. Be careful when passing it through the strainer, especially if you have added celery, the fibers of which should never reach the broth.

With the broth obtained, which is quite thick, the meat is soaked or poured over the typical Thanksgiving mashed potatoes

Mashed Potatoes

A classic Thanksgiving side dish

INGREDIENTS (4 people):

• 4/6 large potatoes
• Half a cup of cream for cooking
• 3 tablespoons of butter
• Half a cup of shredded cheddar cheese
• A teaspoon of salt
• A pinch of nutmeg
• Black pepper

We peel the potatoes and boil them whole until they are soft

When it is possible to cross them with a knife with ease, we remove them from the water but without discarding it, which we reserve.

In a bowl, mash the potatoes that are still hot with the help of a fork, adding the warm cream, the cheddar cheese, the butter, the salt, the pinch of nutmeg and the black pepper according to our taste.

We beat well until it is creamy. If it is too thick we can add the water from the cooking of the potatoes by the spoonfuls, beating after each one of them until it is with the degree of fluidity we want.

Use the gravy recipe seen before to give mashed potatoes an extra flavor.

Green Beans

For Thanksgiving one of the side dishes for turkey that is not usually missing are green beans. Americans have the round type and prepare them with various dressings and always hot.

In this case we present the typical German bean salad, which is served cold or at room temperature.

INGREDIENTS (4 people):

•  500 grams (1.1 pounds) of green beans
•  1 red or purple onion (sweet)
•  4 tablespoons vinegar (apple or wine)
•  6 tablespoons corn or sunflower oil
•  Salt
•  Ground black pepper
•  1 pinch of sugar
•  optional: stems of savory or thyme

We clean and wash the green beans, cutting them in not very large pieces. We boil them in water with a little salt and a branch of savory or thyme, until tender (about 6-8 minutes).

This boiling legumes and vegetables with aromatic herbs is very common in  German gastronomy.  As the savory or caraway are not very common an aroma substitute may be thyme.

While the green beans are cooking, chop very fine the onion and mix it with the vinegar, oil, pepper, salt and a little sugar (a pinch).

We take the green beans from the fire, we drain them and once cold we sprinkle them with the vinaigrette.

As always, it is best to let the salad rest at least a couple of hours but in this case is not very critical, so you can consume it immediately.

If you are curious about the name of this recipe in German, it is called Grüner Bohnensalat.

Brussels sprouts

This is a typical Thanksgiving side dish. It can be prepared in the oven where the turkey is being cooked without problems.

INGREDIENTS (4 people):

• 400 grams (1 pound) of Brussels sprouts
• 1 clove garlic
• Two dozen raw almonds
• Fresh parsley
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt

Make a fine mince with the almonds, the garlic clove, the fresh parsley and half a teaspoon of salt. We wet the Brussels sprouts well with olive oil and roll them over the previous mix that we have prepared so that they are battered.

We put the vegetables in a plate that can go to the oven and put them in for 30-45 minutes (or until they start to blacken slightly) next to the turkey. From time to time we move them so that they are just as golden everywhere.

Serve it hot.

Desserts

Pumpkin Pie

 What would Thanksgiving be without pumpkin pie?

INGREDIENTS

• One or two sheets of shortcrust pasta or breeze (the one that does not rise)
• A pumpkin weighing 1Kg (2.2 pounds), approximately
• 250 grams (8.8 oz) of fresh cheese (cottage)
• 2 eggs
• 50 grams (1.8 oz) cheddar cheese

Cut the pumpkin, peel it and remove all the filaments and seeds, leaving only the meat. In a pot with just enough water to cover, we boil it until it softens.

Once it is soft, we add it to the pot of the blender with the rest of the ingredients.

We grind until a very fine dough remains.

We use an aluminum mold of about 24 cm in diameter (10 inches) of those used to bake cakes. We first place a sheet of baking paper - to make it easier to remove - and on top of it, the shortcrust dough making the shape of the mold.

We pour the dough over the shortcrust pasta and put in the oven at 180 degrees (356 F) , center and heat on both sides, for half an hour or until the surface begins to brown.

We remove from the oven, let it cool and put in the refrigerator until it is very cold. If we wish, it can be eaten at room temperature. If you have a sweet tooth, you can add half a cup of sugar, although in my opinion it is not necessary. Pumpkin is sweet by itself. And a lot.