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 [Times photos: Patty Yablonski] |
The savory side dish that became famous for being cooked inside a bird goes by two names and many variations. It was widely called stuffing until Victorian times when "dressing" came into favor as a more delicate label. That name stuck in the South and is preferred today.
Bread, according to Rick Rodgers' Thanksgiving 101 (Broadway Books, 1998), is the most common stuffing ingredient, though regional preferences dictate what kind. Out West, sourdough or whole wheat bread crumbs are popular, the Amish of Pennsylvania often use rye (and potatoes), and in the South, stuffing is nothing without corn bread. Rice-producing states Louisiana and Texas use grains in their stuffing.
Basic stuffing includes bread crumbs, onions, celery, butter, turkey or chicken stock, fresh parsley, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. From that classic recipe come many variations, including giblet, sausage and apple, oyster, mushroom and chestnut.
Stuffing the bird has fallen out of favor among food safety experts recently because bacteria from the uncooked turkey can contaminate the filling. Safe cooking practices, however, should alleviate concern, Rodgers writes.
For stuffing recipes and safety tips, see Take care with stuffing.
constant comment
"Thanksgiving is so called because we are all so thankful that it only comes once a year." -
- writer P. J. O'Rourke
cooking class
Both new and experienced cooks get nervous when entertaining a lot of people. At Thanksgiving, this seems especially so, and the fear of not having everything ready at the same time looms like a bloated balloon in the Macy's parade. Take a deep breath and remember that when the turkey comes out of the oven, it needs to sit for at least 20 minutes. Put an aluminum foil tent over it and it's good for an hour. While the turkey is resting, you can put the finishing touches on other dishes.
this Web site cooks
A wealth of Thanksgiving food preparation information awaits visitors to this all-things-to-all-people site. In the Busy Cooks section, you'll find shortcuts for gravy (use canned or bottled turkey gravy or packages of instant gravy and mix with pan juices instead of water), side dishes and cranberries (open a can of jellied sauce, slice and cut out shapes with cookie cutters; drizzle with balsamic vinegar).
This site is great for beginners and veterans at the turkey game. Not everyone knows you can peel raw potatoes for mashed 'taters the day before they are needed. Cover them in water and refrigerate.
two cute
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Don't you just love those cherub-cheeked little Pilgrims on the Publix Thanksgiving commercial? Now you can own the salt-and-pepper shakers for $4.99 a pair, while supplies last at Publix markets.
relish with zing
The ubiquitous Thanksgiving relish tray of olives, sweet gherkins and celery sticks can be so much more. For a fresh crunch, add jicama sticks. Peel the bumpy round, brown veggie and cut it into strips. It tastes like a cross between an apple and a pear. When it comes to olives, get funky. Besides pimientos, you can find green olives stuffed with garlic, almonds, orange and lemon peel or hot peppers. Consider adding radishes, turnips and pickled asparagus or okra to the mix.
food for thought
Factor in a dose of guilt on the day of gluttony:
- Turkey, light meat without skin, 3.5 ounces -- 157 calories, 3.2 fat grams; dark meat with skin, 3.5 ounces -- 208 calories, 9.7 fat grams
- Cranberry sauce, 1/2 cup -- 209 calories, 0.2 fat grams
- Pumpkin pie, 1/8 of pie -- 481 calories, 23.6 fat grams
If you're counting, the average Thanksgiving diner consumes at least 2,000 calories at the big meal -- some as high as 4,000. Most people eat about 1,500 calories each day. And the fat grams? Probably at least 40 if you have some of everything.
spit and shine
Baking soda, water and aluminum foil will polish your silver as well as store-bought products, according to Learn2.com, an online teaching site. Place your silver in a plastic container with enough strips of aluminum foil so that most pieces of silver touch it. You can also line the pan with foil. Add about 1/2 cup baking soda and then cover with boiling water. The blackest tarnish will disappear almost instantly. You may have to stir the silver and aluminum foil to remove the rest because the method is most effective when the two are in contact.
be thankful
There are many ways to say thanks, be it a religious prayer, a moment of silence or a trip around the table where everyone shares a high point of the last year. If your family or a guest has lost a loved one in the last year, light a candle in remembrance and place it on the table. Those first holidays after a loss are difficult, and recognition of sorrow is an important step in the grieving process. Is your family prone to fighting? Give everyone a job, separating those folks who can't be civil.
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From the Times Taste section
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