How traditional do you want your Thanksgiving meal to be? It’s a good question to ask when planning a menu. The original New World Thanksgiving dinner — a several-days-long feast — was lavish, but it is likely that green vegetables were not abundant.
Gourds, melons, pumpkins and squashes were the vegetables of choice, or carrots and parsnips grown from seed brought by the settlers. Dried native corn was ground, and either baked into cakes or cooked for porridge. Berries and other wild fruits such as plums, gooseberries and grapes were much appreciated.
But mostly there was game to eat, and plenty of it. Wild turkeys and pheasants, ducks, geese and swans were spit-roasted, as was a vast supply of venison. Cod and lobster were plentiful. Shellfish was abundant, too; huge coastal beds were stacked with oysters, clams and mussels, just waiting to be plucked.
Over centuries, the Thanksgiving menu has changed. Giant turkeys and hams now dominate the meal, and vegetables have more real estate on the sideboard. In many respects, however, the repertoire has remained the same — somewhat bland and soft. We put forth mashed potatoes, soggy peas, green-bean casserole, creamed onions, marshmallow-topped canned sweet potatoes and bread stuffing. Salads are shunned by many Thanksgiving cooks. (With exceptions, of course.)
I get it. Nostalgia makes us, myself included, crave these dull and mellow accompaniments. Even so, I’m usually inclined to tinker just a little. I monkey around with the bird’s seasoning, and, for the vegetables, I want some bright flavors and colors to contrast with the generally monochromatic basics. I always turn my cranberries into spicy chutney, for instance. This year, I’m playing with basic vegetables like carrots, cauliflower and brussels sprouts.
For more read the full of article at The Nytimes.
