Recipe: Vegetarian Holiday Menu

by Bruce Beaty

When thinking about a theme for November’s recipe column, I was tempted to eschew anything related to Thanksgiving. It seems to me that every magazine, newspaper, or early morning TV program has recipes for the moistest, crispiest turkey, the best cranberry sauce, or a stuffing that can please everyone (even though our mothers make the world’s best stuffing.) So what would be the point?

As I thought about alternatives to Thanksgiving recipes, I kept being lured back in by the sweet, dulcet tones of the siren song of “Turkey Day.” In a moment of weakness, I caved.

I thought I might offer recipes for a satisfying vegetarian Thanksgiving menu, one that may not satiate every carnivore, but would supply some good “sides” to go along with a traditional turkey dinner for those who don’t eat meat. While I’m not at all a vegetarian, I adore vegetables and when in a restaurant, I will frequently choose a main course simply based on what accompanies a given dish. 

As an extra bonus, all of these recipes are good as pot-luck side dishes if you’re going as a guest to someone’s house for T-day. Either vegetable stock or chicken stock is fine where any recipes call for stock, depending on your level of commitment to vegetarianism. All of the recipes here are for 12 or more servings.

Curried Butternut Squash Soup with Apples and Sour Cream Garnish
Makes about 5 quarts, easily 16 servings

This soup has a velvety richness, almost like chowder even without the sour cream garnish. If this is going to be followed by a procession of other rich dishes, you might skip the sour cream. Also, the curry flavor is fairly foreword, so if serving children or adults sensitive to curry or heat, cut the amount in half.

2 granny smith apples, peeled, cored and diced
2 lemons, juiced
¼ cup olive oil
1 ½ cups diced leeks, white and light green parts only
1 ½ cups peeled and diced carrots, about 1 large
3 cups Spanish diced onions, from 2 medium onions
4 cloves peeled garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons madras curry powder
6 cups peeled, seeded and diced butternut squash, about 2 large ones
3 quarts (12 cups) either vegetable or chicken stock
2 russet potatoes, about 12 ounces each, peeled and diced
6 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
2 tablespoons honey, or to taste
Sea salt and pepper to taste
1 cup sour cream

1.    Put apples in a bowl, cover with water and add the lemon juice.
2.    In a 6-8 quart stock pot, heat the oil over moderate heat and add the onion, carrot and leeks, and cook without color until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and curry powder and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
3.    Add the squash, stock, potatoes, and ½ of the apples and bring to a boil, turn down heat to a simmer and cook gently until vegetables are quite tender, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat.
4.    Puree about ½ of the soup in an upright blender and return it to the pot with the unpureed soup. Add the orange juice and honey and return to a simmer. Taste for a balance of sweet, acidity, heat from the curry, salt and pepper. Serve in soup bowls and pass the sour cream on the side, allowing about 1 tablespoon per person.

Green Beans with Red Onion-Ginger Marmalade
Serves 12 as a side dish

This simple side dish is the perfect foil for any holiday main course such as duck, pork, game, filet mignon, turkey or any dish where you want something green to throw rich food into relief. The “Marmalade” is really just a sweet and sour chutney, which also goes well with any roasted meats or on a sandwich. One little trick; whenever boiling any green vegetable, never cover the top of the pot, as this will make the vegetables turn dark, instead of staying a bright green color.

3 pounds green beans, preferably haricots verts, trimmed
2 medium red onions, peeled, halved through root end and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
2/3 cup fresh orange juice
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
¼ teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon honey
1 1/3 cups water
1 teaspoon sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter (optional)
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

1.    Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the red onions and cook 1 minute. Use a slotted spoon or small colander to remove the onions, reserve the hot water for later.
2.    In a medium sized, non-reactive sauce pot, bring all of the ingredients EXCEPT the beans and the butter to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer gently, stirring often to prevent burning, until onions are very soft and the liquid is almost evaporated and syrupy, about 35 minutes. Cool to room temperature.
3.    Re-boil the water, add the beans and cook uncovered until they are tender/crisp, about 4 minutes.
4.    Drain beans well. Put the butter (if using) in the pot the water was in, add beans and enough of the marmalade to give a nice sweet and sour effect, season generously with salt and pepper and when the butter has melted, serve immediately.

Bread Stuffing with Dried Fruits, Pine Nuts, Parsnips and Sage
Serves 12 as a side dish

This handsome “stuffing” is intended as a baked dressing, not as an actual stuffing for the cavity of a turkey or any fowl, a practice that I feel can be unsafe. But for some reason I simply cannot refer to “stuffing” as “dressing” – it just doesn’t sound right.

2 large baguettes (French bread) very stale, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 cup mixed dried fruits, (cranberries, currants, pears, apples) all cut the same size as the          cranberries
2/3 cup toasted pine nuts
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup medium diced, peeled parsnips
2 cups medium diced onion, about 1 large
1 cup medium diced leeks, white and light green part only, washed well
¼ cup chopped sage leaves
¼ cup chopped thyme leaves
½ cup chopped flat leaf Italian parsley
4 whole eggs
2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
6 tablespoons unsalted butter

1.    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. The bread should be very dry, If not, toast it in a low oven ( 200 degrees) for about 45 minutes Place in a large mixing bowl.
2.    Boil enough water to completely cover the dried fruit, and pour water over. Let sit for 10 minutes and drain well. Set aside.
3.    Heat oil in a large sauté pan until hot but not smoking, add the parsnips and cook until just a little soft, about 5 minutes. Add the onion and the leeks and cook until all vegetables are soft, about 7 minutes. Add to the bread.
4.    Add the sage, thyme and parsley to the bread bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs with the stock, salt and pepper, add to the bread mixture, and mix gently.
5.    Butter a 16 inch ovenproof baking dish (Pyrex) with 2 tablespoons of the butter. Add the stuffing mixture and spread evenly. Dot with the remaining 4 tablespoons butter and bake for about 50 minutes, turning pan around after 30 minutes. Stuffing should have a nice golden crust. Tent with foil if it gets too dark before it is cooked. Take a bow.

Cranberry Chutney
Makes about 4 cups
I really like this chutney, because it has a broad flavor profile; it is at once tart, sweet, acidic and aromatic from the cinnamon. I’ve even tried it with freshly ground black pepper for some heat, and mint for a fresh, clean herbal component. Aside from the obvious applications of turkey, chicken, pork or ham, it is killer on French baguette with very cold unsalted butter.

1 ½ pounds fresh cranberries
¾ cups packed dark brown sugar
1 ½ cups sugar
1 ½ cups apple cider
3 cups orange juice
1 cinnamon stick

1.    Combine all ingredients in a non-reactive saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer the chutney until liquid is reduced and thickened, about 50 minutes. Keep in mind that the chutney will thicken when cool.
2.    Cool chutney to room temperature then chill covered. Serve at room temperature.

Mesclun Salad with Stilton Cheese, Spiced Walnuts, Oranges and a Caraway-Walnut Dressing
Serves 12 as an appetizer

This versatile salad is a variation on the classic fall combination of cheese with fruit and nuts. Any blue cheese (Cabrales, Maytag Blue, Roquefort , or Bleu D’ Auvergne) would make fine substitutes, as would goat’s milk cheese, or even Ricotta Salata. Dried cranberries or fresh pears could step in for the oranges. 

1 ½  cups walnut halves
4 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon cumin powder
¼ teaspoon coriander powder
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ cup thinly sliced shallots
2 tablespoons canola oil
3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon water
½ teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/3 teaspoon dry mustard
4 tablespoons + 2 ½ teaspoons walnut oil
½ teaspoon caraway seeds
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 oranges
1 pound mixed Mesclun
8 ounces crumbled stilton cheese
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

1.    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small salad bowl, mix the brown sugar, cayenne, cumin, coriander and kosher salt. Bring a small pot of water to a boil and add the walnuts and boil for 2 minutes. Drain walnuts and add to the bowl with the spices and toss to mix well. Put walnuts on a sheet tray in a single layer and bake in the oven until golden and spice mix has melted on the nuts. Remove from oven and cool. Break up nuts a little bit if they are stuck together. Set aside.
2.    In a sauté pan set over medium heat, get the 2 tablespoons canola oil hot, add the shallots and sauté without coloring the shallots until they are translucent, about 5 minutes, remove from heat and cool.
3.    In a small bowl ( not metal) warm the sugar and water in the microwave until just dissolved, cool to room temp.
4.    Place the sautéed shallots, water-sugar mixture, vinegar, mustard walnut oil and caraway seeds in a blender, and puree until emulsified, about 1 minute, set the dressing aside.
5.    Use a very sharp paring knife to peel the oranges, carefully removing the white pithy part. Carefully cut the orange sections away from the membrane and reserve in a bowl.
6.    Place an equal portion of salad greens on each of 12 salad plates. Sprinkle equal portions of the walnuts, oranges and stilton cheese on top of salad. Drizzle a little of the dressing over each salad. Serve immediately.

Sweet Potato and Maple Puree
Serves 12 as a side dish

12 large sweet potatoes, pricked with a fork
3 tablespoons maple syrup
12 tablespoons softened sweet butter
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees .Place the sweet potatoes on a sheet pan and bake until potatoes are quite tender when pierced with a knife. When cool, peel potatoes, put in a heavy bottomed sauce pot and mash the potatoes with a potato masher until smooth. Add the maple syrup and the butter and whisk over medium heat until very smooth and butter is melted. Season with salt and pepper, keep warm by placing the sauce pot in a large sauté pan of simmering water. Cover with foil.

Pumpkin Brioche Bread Pudding with Vanilla Ice Cream
Serves 12 as dessert

This is a fairly elegant, adult rendition on down home pumpkin pie. Once you’ve tried it, it’s tough going back.

7 cups brioche bread cut into ½ inch dice
1 ½ cups whole milk
1 ½ cups heavy cream
¾ cup plus 1 tablespoons maple syrup
4 whole eggs
6 egg yolks
1/3 cups sugar
1 ½ cups pumpkin puree
Pinch of cinnamon
Pinch of salt
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
¾ cup light brown sugar for dusting (optional)
2 pints good quality vanilla ice cream

1.    Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spread the bread out on a sheet pan and lightly toast in oven until golden, about 10 minutes.
2.    Boil the milk with the cream. In a large whisk together the eggs and the sugar, then slowly pour the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture. Whisk to mix. Add everything except the bread and place the bowl over a pasta pot of gently simmering water, stirring the whole time until steam rises from the surface, about 5 minutes. Add bread and mix.
3.     Generously butter a 9x13 inch oven proof Pyrex glass baking dish, add the pudding mix and bake for 45 minutes in the middle rack of the oven, turn the dish around and bake for another 30 minutes until pudding is set and a knife comes out clean. Let cool for 20 minutes. If desired, you can dust the surface of the bread pudding with brown sugar and pass it under the broiler for a few minutes to caramelize as you would for crème brulee. Spoon equal portions onto 12 plates and top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Comments

[marshal]

Great tutorial.r

[mink]

Thank you for you work! Good Luck.

[dirk]

Thanks a bunch!i

[Katie]

wow nice!