So many reasons to be thankful. Now let’s eat!
I was always taught to be thankful. My grandmother told me to be thankful for all the toys I had and the Chanukah gelt she gave me. My other grandmother told me to be thankful I didn’t live in her old country. My dad taught me to be thankful at odd times, such as when I got sent to my room for 10 minutes and he told me to be thankful it wasn’t 20. My mother tried to teach me to be thankful for my younger brother (like THAT was gonna happen!).
In Hebrew school, I was taught to be thankful for each new day and for the sun and the harvests and the Ten Commandments and the entire Torah that G-d chose to give to us instead of to another group. For a few years, I wondered who those other people might have been and if they would have sent their children to Hebrew school!
Anyway, being fairly bright, I got the idea, and so I said my prayers and the Sh’ma each evening and then listed all the things I was thankful for. I’m sure I never mentioned my younger brother — at least not then.
And then I grew up — a bit — and filed the idea of gratitude in a different place in my mind. I was grateful I passed that final in adolescent psychology, even though I kind of never bought the book because it was so expensive. Or I was grateful the editor printed my article in the college newspaper. Or that I got into the course I wanted, or that I got the job, or didn’t get the one I didn’t want but that my parents wanted me to take.
And then I met my husband and had my three beautiful children and then grandchildren. Being grateful and thankful now has a whole new meaning.
Thanksgiving may not be a Jewish holiday, but to me its meaning is deeply rooted in my childhood and those early days of Hebrew school, when I was taught to be thankful — a lesson I have always remembered.
Plan ahead with these simple recipes that can be made in advance and will save you time on the busy day. All of them store well, and several can be frozen.
Turkey Stock for Stuffing and Gravy (Meat)
Ingredients:
2 packages turkey necks, about 4 lbs.
2 to 3 turkey wings
1 turkey drumstick or thigh
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 onions, cut into chunks
4 to 6 stalks celery, chopped
3 to 4 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 to 2 parsnips, peeled and sliced
1 leek, white and light green parts only, well washed and cut into 1-inch pieces
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with foil or use a disposable half sheet pan. Set aside.
Place the turkey pieces on the prepared baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper and roast in the oven until golden, but not overdone. It is OK if some of the pieces are not completely cooked through.
Fill a large soup pot with water and add the onions, celery, carrots, parsnips and leek. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer.
Carefully add the roasted turkey parts. Use a bit of the water to gently deglaze the foil and carefully pour it back into the pot. Simmer, partially covered, for 3 to 5 hours, skimming off any foam that forms. Add more water, if needed. Add salt and pepper, but under-season, as you will add seasonings in whatever recipe you use the stock for.
When done, let cool and then remove the turkey parts and vegetables with a slotted spoon. Discard or, if your family is like mine, eat and enjoy!
Pour the stock through a fine-mesh sieve into a container and refrigerate.
When congealed, skim off any hardened fat and discard, or save it for a roux for the gravy. Makes 2 to 3 quarts. May be made 2 to 3 weeks in advance and frozen, or 2 to 3 days in advance and refrigerated.
Simple Pomegranate Cranberry Sauce (Pareve)
My family loves simple, no-frills cranberry sauce. The pomegranate juice adds depth, and the vanilla warms the flavor a bit. Use as much or as little sugar as you like.
Ingredients:
24 to 36 oz. fresh cranberries
8 oz. 100-percent pomegranate or pomegranate cherry juice
2 to 3 cups sugar
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Wash and pick over the cranberries and place in a large saucepot. Add the juice, partially cover the pot and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer for about 6 to 10 minutes, or until the berries start to burst and are softened. Add the sugar, mix well and continue at a strong simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring very frequently. Turn off the heat, stir in the vanilla and let cool.
Transfer to a covered container and refrigerate. The sauce will thicken as it cools. Makes about 1 to 1-1/2 quarts. May be made up to 1 week in advance.
Citrus Maple Glazed Yams (Pareve)
Ingredients:
3 to 4 lbs. garnet yams, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 to 2 oranges, peeled, cut in half and segments broken apart
1 lemon, peeled and cut into pieces
2 to 3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 to 1 cup pure dark amber maple syrup
2 to 3 Tbsp. pareve trans-fat-free margarine
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
OPTIONAL: Toasted chopped hazelnuts, pecans or walnuts; dried cranberries or snipped apricots
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Generously grease 2 shallow roasting pans or disposable aluminum half sheet pans.
Place the yams and the orange and lemon pieces in a bowl and drizzle with the olive oil. Toss to coat. Divide between the prepared pans, cover tightly and place in the oven. Cook for 25 minutes, then remove from the oven and carefully uncover. Divide the maple syrup between the 2 pans, toss with a spoon to coat evenly and dot with the margarine.
Return to the oven, uncovered. Roast for about 25 to 40 minutes, until tender and browned in places. Remove from the oven and season with salt and pepper. If desired, sprinkle with the toasted nuts and dried fruit. Serve with or without the citrus pieces. Serves 8+. May be made up to 2 weeks in advance and frozen; add the nuts after reheating.
Super-Fast Sautéed Brussels Sprouts (Pareve)
Ingredients:
1-1/2 to 2 lbs. fresh Brussels sprouts, cleaned and ends trimmed
3 Tbsp. pareve trans-fat-free margarine
1 to 2 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. thick, syrupy balsamic vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Slice the Brussels sprouts using the thin slicing disc of a food processor. You can do this one day ahead; cover and refrigerate.
Heat the margarine in a very large skillet and add the garlic. Stir for 10 seconds and add the sliced sprouts. Cook, stirring often, until the sprouts begin to soften, 4 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle the sugar evenly over the pan and mix well.
Cook another 3 to 6 minutes, until the sprouts begin to turn brown in places. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to a serving platter. Drizzle with the balsamic vinegar. Serves 8+.
May be made up to 2 days in advance; refrigerate in an ovenproof dish rather than on the platter, reheat in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes, then transfer to the platter and drizzle with the vinegar.
Joni Schockett writes for The Jewish Star from her home in New England.
