America has come a long way from a small settlement at Plymouth Rock. Our nation contains multitudes – in cultures, in people, in geography – beyond what the Pilgrims ever dreamed.
And our foods have certainly evolved beyond what the Pilgrims had on their first Thanksgiving. Each region of the country has developed its own flavors, so we asked for your best regionally inspired recipes, and you delivered. From pork stuffing to acorn squash with apple cider, your recipes showed us just how experimental a “traditional” Thanksgiving meal can be. Who says you need to have turkey when you can try bacon-wrapped venison?
NEW ENGLAND
Roasted Apple Soup with Cider and Gruyere
Jillian and Malcolm Bedel of From Away will help you beat the chill
What you’ll need:
4 Honey Crisp apples, peeled, cored and cut into pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 yellow onion, diced
3 garlic cloves
minced Kosher salt
freshly ground pepper
⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup sweet apple cider
1 cup whole milk 1
cup Gruyere, grated
1 tablespoon spicy Dijon mustard
Here’s what to do:
Preheat oven to 400F. Toss apples with olive oil on a baking sheet, pop in the oven for 20 minutes, turning them after 10. In a large soup pot heat vegetable oil over medium-low heat. Add onions and garlic and season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg; sauté slowly, about 10 minutes. Stir the roasted apples into the vegetables. Pour in broth, cider, and milk. Stir in cheese and mustard. Bring to a rolling boil, turn down the heat and simmer on low, 15 minutes. Allow the soup to cool then blend until very smooth with an immersion (or in a regular) blender.
Amy’s Pork Stuffing
What you’ll need:
Minced onion
Ground pork
2 teaspoon rubbed sage or Bell’s poultry seasoning (an herb mix)
1 cup mashed potatoes or 3/4 cup bread crumbs
chopped celery (optional)
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
Tweak sage, cayenne, and salt to taste
Here’s what to do:
Over low heat, add minced onion, celery and pork. As fat starts to accumulate in the bottom of the pan, turn up the heat to medium. Pull pork and onion to the side, add cayenne to oil, simmer for a few minutes and then stir it all back together again. Cook, breaking up the pork, till cooked through, about 12 minutes. Drain any excess oil from the pan. Stir in sage and potatoes or breadcrumbs and milk. Simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. Some families stuff the turkey with this, some just serve it in a bowl with the rest of the dinner.
MID-ATLANTIC
Blue crab dressing
Elizabeth from Three Beans on a String shares this Maryland cornbread dressing
What you’ll need:
1 cup cornmeal
½ cup all purpose flour
½ cup buttermilk
2 eggs
3 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
½ of a large onion, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
1 green pepper, cored, seeded and diced
Breadcrumbs from 3 pieces of toast – dense, white bread works best
1 lb blue crab meat, picked and steamed
2 eggs
5 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon Old Bay
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon powdered sage
1 teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon sea salt
Here’s what to do:
Preheat the oven to 350F. Combine the cornmeal and flour in a large bowl. Stir in the buttermilk, eggs and two tablespoons of the olive oil. Pour the cornmeal mixture into a greased 8x8 baking dish and bake it for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Crumble the cornbread into a large bowl and add the breadcrumbs from the toast. On the stovetop, sauté the onions, celery and green peppers in the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the sautéed vegetables to the cornbread mixture and work it through with your hands. Add the blue crab meat to the cornbread mixture and continue to combine the ingredients using your hands. Stir the broth into the cornbread mixture and add the Old Bay, dijon mustard, oyster sauce, powdered sage, black pepper and salt. Pour the mixture into a greased 9 X 13 casserole pan. Bake for 1 hour 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
THE SOUTH
Nash County sweet potato chess
Elena Rosemond-ho*rr of Biscuits and Such wants you to try this irresistible dessert
What you’ll need
Crust: 1 1/4 cups flour
1 tbsp shortening
1 stick butter
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup cold water
Filling: 1 cup mashed sweet potato (this was about 1/2 a medium size sweet potato. Either get a small sweet potato or do as I did and feed the other half to your pup)
5 eggs
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 stick butter, melted
1/2 cup cornmeal
Topping:
1 cup chopped pecans
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp ginger
Dash of cinnamon
Here’s what to do:
Start with your pie dough, about two hours before you plan on making your pie. Stir together sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Work in shortening with your hands. Cube butter and work that in until the consistency is like cornmeal or sand. Stir in water until a ball forms, then wrap the ball in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour. Peel and boil your sweet potatoes until soft. Combine in a mixer with remaining ingredients and blend until smooth and fluffy. Heat your oven to 350F and press your pie dough into your pie pan. Pour in filling and bake for 40 minutes or until the top has browned. Let cool until solid. Combine pecans, butter, and sugar in a skillet and cook over low heat until caramelized. Slather on top of the pie and give it all about an hour to settle. This pie is best served at room temperature.
MIDWEST
Sarah Lohman’s bacon wrapped venison roast with sweet dressing
What you’ll need:
6-8lb venison roast
2-4 tablespoons butter, room temperature
8-12 slices bacon Fresh Cracked Pepper Jelly or Jam (currant is traditional, but many deeply fruity jams would be good)
Here’s what to do:
Remove roast from refrigerator, rinse, pat dry and bring to room temperature. Preheat oven to 325F. Rub venison with butter and sprinkle with cracked pepper. Wrap with bacon. Roast 18 minutes per pound, turning once during cooking. Meat should still be rare in the middle. Remove to a cutting board and allow to cool at least 20 minutes before carving. Serve with currant jelly or other jam.
Susan LaRosa’s family corn casserole
What you’ll need:
1 can of corn (don’t drain)
1 can of creamed corn
1 stick (8 tablespoons) of butter
1 8 ounce carton of sour cream
1 box of Jiffy corn bread mix
1 beaten egg
Here’s what to do
Melt butter. Mix all together and place in a greased 9 x 11 inch pan. Bake at 350F for 45 or until top is golden brown.
MOUNTAIN
Guinness pecan pie
Heather Blake of Rocky Mountain Cooking gives this iconic dessert a boozy twist
What you’ll need:
1 1/2 sticks butter
1 cup dark brown sugar
3/4 cup light corn syrup
2 teaspoon vanilla
1 Guinness beer
2 tbs sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 cups toasted pecans
1 prepared pie shell
Here’s what to do:
Place pecans on a cookie sheet and brown in a 350F oven. Pay attention so they don’t burn. Brown for five minutes turning a couple of times. In a small saucepan add the Guinness beer and 2 tablespoon of sugar. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat until you have 1/2 cup of the beer syrup. It takes about 10 minutes.
In another, larger, saucepan, add the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, vanilla and salt. Melt down and whisk ingredients well. Add the Guinness beer syrup and stir until combined. Place the prepared pie shell in a 9-inch pie plate. Add the browned pecans to the bottom of the pie shell. Whisk the eggs and whipping cream together in a medium size bowl. Slowly add a couple of tbs at a time of the syrup mixture, whisking constantly to avoid “scrambling” the eggs. Continue until all the syrup is incorporated.
Pour the egg/syrup mixture over the pecans. Place the pie in a 350F oven for 45 minutes. It will still be “loose” when you remove from oven but will set up in about a half hour. Let the pie sit for a least an hour or covered overnight before serving.
WEST COAST
Brussel sprouts caesar
Erin Gleeson of The Forest Feast will make you want to eat your veggies
What you’ll need:
1lb brussels sprouts (shredded)
⅓ cup of pine nuts
⅓ cup of parmesan
Here’s what to do:
Toss all ingredients with your favorite caesar dressing. Simple, right?
