Thanksgiving is a time of food. It’s a celebration of the Pilgrim’s early successes in America, won through hard work to tame the land in what was for them a new world. The menu is usually the same. Turkey, sometimes ham, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, rolls or bread, pumpkin pie and apple pie, and a variety of other trimmings adorn the holiday table. Families gather not only to celebrate the historic event, but just to catch up with everyone’s lives. The food may be similar, but Thanksgiving dinner recipes have as much variety as the colors of the leaves on the November trees.
How about this Thanksgiving dinner recipe for a delicious appetizer? Move the pumpkin from the pie to the soup. Heat a tablespoon each of oil and butter over medium heat. Add three sliced leeks (only the white) and saute until the leeks are soft. Pumpkin puree, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, and salt join the party. Now stir in some vegetable broth. Next comes brown sugar. Use low heat to simmer it for 10 minutes. Once in the bowl some cream or half and half and another pinch of cinnamon can be added. That soup is a real treat.
For the main course try frying the turkey instead of broiling it. Don’t worry, fried turkey isn’t greasy. The oil is so hot it sears the skin, thus the oil can’t penetrate it. For this task a big oil pot and propane burner are used. Turkey fryers can be found in stores like Walmart. A meat thermometer is also needed, along with a deep fry thermometer to check the oil for the correct temperature. Make sure to fry outside in a clear area. Heat the oil to between 325 degrees and 350 degrees F. The turkey takes about three minutes per pound to fry to about 170 degrees F in the breast. It’s common to inject spices into the turkey during frying, but the dressing is usually not fried along with the turkey.
For some other Thanksgiving dinner recipes for soup, try curried pumpkin apple soup, butternut squash soup, or pumpkin and sausage soup. But there are other good appetizers for the meal. Give cheese wrapped asparagus a try. This calls for both a sliced cheese and a soft cheese spread. A blue cheese spread over slices of swiss can be good. Spread the soft cheese on the slices, wrap it around a few asparagus spears, then cook in a 230 degree C oven for about 15 minutes, or until the asparagus is soft. The asparagus prepared this way loses its health appeal. But Thanksgiving isn’t a time for a diet. Live a little!
Many more delicious Thanksgiving dinner recipes are available on the Internet.
