Thanksgiving Special - How Artists Would Plate Thanksgiving Dinner by Hannah Rothstein

Repost of : Thanksgiving Special: How 10 Famous Artists Would Plate Thanksgiving Dinner by Christopher Jobson on November 26, 2014 on This is Colossal.

Piet Mondrian

René Magritte

Vincent van Gogh

Pablo Picasso

Jackson Pollock

Georges Seurat

Andy Warhol

In this fun series of photos titled Thanksgiving Special, San Francisco-based artist Hannah Rothstein imagines Thanksgiving dinners as plated by famous artists throughout history. Gravy, corn, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce, and even the plate itself is used as a medium for edible artworks in the style of Jackson Pollock, Cindy Sherman, Georges Seurat, and Vincent van Gogh. To see all 10 artworks head over to Rothstein’s website. Prints of the artistic plates are available, and Rothstein is donating 10% of the profits to the SF-Marin Food Bank. (via Coudal, Quipsologies)

Sweet & Savory Rice

This sweet and savory rice dish is perfect for serving as a side dish at Thanksgiving, even if you are serving stuffing. It's a delicious gluten free, vegetarian alternative. Serves 8-10

 Ingredients

2 Cups Brown Rice, long grain
3 Tablespoons, Vegetarian "Better Than Bouillon"
4-1/2 cups Water to cook rice
1 cup Onion, chopped
1/2 cup Green Onion, chopped
1 cup Butter, or substitute
1/2-1 cup White Wine
1 cup Dark Raisins
1 cup Golden Raisins
6 tablespoons, Slivered Almonds or Pine Nuts, toasted
1 teaspoon Salt
1/8-1/4 teaspoon  Cayenne Pepper

Directions

Let the raisins soak in the wine, while you are preparing the rice and other ingredients for cooking.

Steam the brown rice in the vegetable bouillon until done. I use a rice steamer, but stove-top method is fine too.

 

In a deep skillet, saute both onions in the butter until soft. Stir in the wine-soaked raisins with all the liquid, toasted almonds, salt, cayenne pepper and cook for 5 minutes over medium heat. Add the parsley.

 When the rice and raisin mixture is ready, combine and serve warm, or cool to room temperature, refrigerate and reheat to serve as desired. This is a moist rice, so if you want it dryer, use less water to cook the rice of add less wine to the mixture.

Enjoy! And Happy Thanksgiving!

Prickly Pear Aguas Frescas and Thanksgiving

This has been a year, not just a season, of great transition... an epic relocation back to Oregon from the far reaches of Washington. It took us months to accomplish our move with a husband who suffered an injury, required surgery and a long stretch of recovery time. Transitions into new jobs, new opportunities, putting down roots, networking for business, and yet another move, have kept my dance card pretty full.

I don't wonder where the time went, that's pretty clear, but as I reflect on how much has been packed in to this year, I'm going to take some time here to be thankful for all blessing packed in to this year too. Surviving and thriving, I'm amazed and thankful for all.... after all, everything leading up to right now has brought me here. "Here" is good, and it's right here that I attend to my languishing food blog, and that's another good thing!

Oh yes, my food blog has seriously languished... my last post was in April, like seven months ago! A quick post about the marvels of peeling an egg. Wow! During these past months, there were so many meals shared, and mostly prepared by family, who are far better cooks than me; quite a few meals on the go, and with so much on my plate, there has hardly been room for food.

I may not post as often as I have in the past, but I do want to play catch up during the winter and share some tasty recipes that are creations of my daughter and her husband (at one time a chef). Hopefully, we can get some good photos of our fare and feasts, and I'll try to get back in my kitchen as my own creative juices start flowing again...

And speaking of juice... Fantastic to serve at Thanksgiving, here's my daughter Effie's recipe for her non-alcoholic Prickly Pear Aguas Frescas:

Ingredients:

4 prickly pears (available fall/winter seasons), peeled with a knife and rubber gloves (a must)
1/4 cup white sugar
2 limes, juiced plus 1 lime for slices to garnish
1/4 teaspoon ground canela (Mexican cinnamon) or regular cinnamon
2 cups ice

Directions:

1. Puree the prickly pears in a blender.
2. Pass through a fine sieve or mesh strainer in to a bowl to strain out ever seed; use rubber spatula.
3. Puree the pear liquid again, adding in the sugar, lime juice and ice in a blender for 1 minute.
4. Pour into glasses and garnish with lime.

“I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Novembers.”  

Cheers!

Thanksgiving Dinner that Your Mama Didn't Make

Creating a sauce that tastes of warm carmel apple with the pleasant and not so over-powering tang of cranberry, was the beginning of putting together a semi-non-traditional Thanksgiving dinner that taste better than any traditional meal I've made in the past. According to my husband, the best ever!

Don't wait until next Thanksgiving to try these recipes - Christmas is just around the corner. Enjoy!

Our Gluten-Free Holiday Menu

• Garlic Mashed Potatoes with Tamari Gravy 
• Tempeh and Sage Loaf with Cranberry Maple Cider Sauce
• Ginger-Glazed Parsnips & Carrots
• Romaine, Red Onion & Orange Salad with Lime Dressing
• Cranberry-Apple Pie

So, let's go through the ingredients and directions for all the recipes. Click here for the cranberry sauce.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes with Gluten-Free Tamari Gravy

Since you probably already know how to make garlic mashed potatoes, I'll only share that we boil white potatoes until soft, then mash them with freshly minced garlic, a cup of non-dairy sour cream, along with some of the reserved potato water in the pot, with sea salt to taste.

Tamari Gravy

You'll love the ease and simplicity of this one!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup Tamari, organic and gluten-free soy sauce (San-J)

1/4 cup Olive Oil

1/4 cup Water

1/4 cup Nutritional Yeast

Directions:

Pour all of the ingredients into a blender and blend until a smooth consistency. While preparing the rest of the meal, I leave the gravy mixture in the blender to give one final blend until ready to pour into a small gravy bowl or pitcher as dinner is about to be served. Yields 1 cup.

Tempeh and Sage Loaf

I thank my daughter for this fabulous gluten-free entree, which she found in the cookbook Casseroles (and Loaves) You Wish Your Mother Had Made (page 99). My husband says it's an excellent alternative to both turkey and stuffing all in one. What I love about this recipe is that you mix the ingredients a day ahead and then on the day you serve it, it slow cooks in a crock pot while you busy away in the kitchen making the side dishes to accompany it.

Ingredients:

1 package plain Tempeh, cubed (8 ounces)

1 small Onion

2 cloves Garlic

2 stalks Celery

1 medium Carrot

1 cup fresh, sliced Mushrooms

2 tablespoons Olive Oil

1 cup gluten-free Bread Crumbs

2 tablespoons Flaxseed mixed with 2 tablespoons Water

2 tablespoons vegan Chicken-Flavored Bouillon

1 teaspoon Thyme

1 teaspoon rubbed Sage

1/2 teaspoon Oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried Rosemary

1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt

Directions:

1. The day before, steam the cubed tempeh for 10 minutes and cool.
2. Using a food processor, mince the onion, garlic, mushrooms, celery and carrot. To avoid the mixture from becoming mushy instead of minced into small bits, I pulsed separately first the onion, then the carrot and celery, and lastly the garlic and mushrooms.
3. After heating the oil on medium heat in a skillet saute the vegetables for a few minutes, only until the onion is translucent.
4.  In a large bowl, crumble the cooled tempeh and add the vegetable saute, the bread crumbs, flaxseed mixture, bouillon, herbs and salt.
5. Mix thoroughly, then refrigerate in a sealed container overnight.
6. Planning ahead when you wish to serve your meal, put the tempeh mixture into the oiled crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours (7 is about right). Keep the lid propped open during cooking to keep the condensation from dripping on top on the loaf. You want the top to have a crisp texture; the center will be moist. Use a flat spatula to cut and lift out each serving. Serves 6 

Ginger-Glazed Parsnips & Carrots

This Ginger Glazed Carrots recipe has been one of my favorite holiday side dishes for years; a recipe from Spices of the World Cookbook by McCormick I acquired in 1978. This adaptation includes my other favorite root vegetable, parsnips.

Ingredients:

4 medium Carrots

4 medium Parsnips

1 teaspoon vegetable-based Bouillon, chicken-flavored optional 

1 teaspoon Sugar

1 teaspoon Bon Appetit seasoning, optional

3/4 cup Water

4 tablespoons Butter or butter substitute

1 tablespoon fresh Lemon Juice

3 tablespoons Honey

1/2 teaspoon Ginger powder, or fresh minced

1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg powder, or freshly grated

Parsley

Directions:

1. Wash, peel and slice diagonally carrots and parsnips. 
2. Finely chop some parsley for garnish.
3. In a skillet add the carrots and parsnips, bouillon, water, sugar, Bon Appetit and 1 tablespoon of the butter.
4. Cook covered over medium-high for 10-12 minutes - or until tender, then drain.
5. To the skillet, add the remaining butter, lemon juice, ginger, nutmeg and honey.
6. Cook uncovered over medium heat 2 to 3 more minutes, tossing continually to glaze the carrots and parsnips.
7. Garnish with parsley when serving.
8. Serves 4

Romaine & Orange Salad with Lime Dressing

Dressing - Mix the following ingredients by shaking in a tumbler or by blending in a blender:

2 tablespoons Olive Oil

1/8 teaspoon grated Lime Peel

1 tablespoon fresh Lime Juice

1 large clove Garlic, minced

3/4 teaspoon Sugar

1/8 teaspoon Sea Salt

Salad - Toss together six (6) cups of washed, crisped and torn Romaine Lettuce leaves with 1/2 cup thinly-sliced red onion and 1 can of drained or freshly chopped mandarin oranges. Either drizzle dressing over individual salad servings or toss the dressing with the salad.

Cranberry-Apple Pie

Working with a gluten-free dough can be tricky, especially when trying to make a pie with a lattice top. Photo clearly shows the challenge I had making a "pretty pie". If it's texture and taste you're going for ,bursting with flavor, tucked into a flaky crust... it's so worth the effort.

Start by making the dough for the top and bottom gluten-free pie crusts:

Recipe for 1 crust (for 2 crusts, double the ingredients except for the salt)

Wet Ingredients:

1 Egg

2 teaspoons White Vinegar

Dry Ingredients:

1-1/4 cups Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour*

1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt

1/2 teaspoon Xanthan Gum

Additional Ingredients:

6 tablespoons Butter Flavored Crisco, chilled or frozen

1 teaspoon ice cold Water

Directions:

1. Whisk the egg and vinegar until very frothy and refrigerate while mixing other ingredients.
2. Combine the dry ingredients.
3. Cut the Crisco into the flour mix until a coarse, mealy consistency the size of small peas.
4. Add the egg/vinegar mixture. If the flour mixture is still too dry, add cold water 1 teaspoon at a time until you have the consistency where you can form the dough into a ball (2 balls if doubling for 2 crusts).
5. Wrap dough balls in plastic wrap and refrigerator for an hour.
6. Roll the dough between wax paper or parchment paper until the circle is the size to fit your pie pan.
7. Add the filling** and top second crust. I used a lattice cutter as I found the top too fragile to weave strips of crust into a lattice top.
8. Brush the top with a glaze made of mixing together: 1 egg and 1 tablespoon of milk brush over the top and edges of the crust, then sprinkled with a mixture of: 2 teaspoons sugar and a dash of cinnamon.
9. Bake pie in an oven pre-heated to 400-degrees and bake for 25 minutes.
10. Reduce the oven to 325-degrees and continue baking for another 40-45 minutes.
11. Especially yummy served warm a la mode with vanilla coconut ice cream.

* Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour Mix

Blend together the following ingredients and store in an air-tight container:

2 cups Rice Flour

2/3 cup Potato Starch

1/3 cup Tapioca Flour

** Filling for Cranberry-Apple Pie

In a large bowl, thoroughly mix together the following:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup dried Currants and Raisins

2 tablespoons Dark Rum or Water

1 cup fresh, whole Cranberries, washed and drained

3/4 cup Sugar

5-6 medium Baking Apples - Fuji or Braeburn, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch slices

2 tablespoons quick-cooking Tapioca

1 tablespoon fresh Lemon Juice

1/2 teaspoon ground Cinnamon

Cranberry Maple Cider Sauce

Thanksgiving without cranberries, whether celebrated with a traditional or non-traditional feast, would be to me like taking the "Thanks" out of "Thanksgiving". I've enjoyed serving raw cranberry relish as a healthy and delicious alternative to traditional cranberry sauce or jelly, but this year I created a new recipe that by all appearances looks like traditional sauce, but is a variation with a deeper color along with the combined, naturally sweet and rich flavors of maple and unfiltered apple cider. I call it... wait for it... Cranberry Maple Cider Sauce. It has the tang of cranberries with the warmth of other fall flavors that evoke wonderful memories.

Ingredients:

1 12-ounce bag of whole Cranberries
1 cup Apple Cider, unfiltered (thick)
1 cup Maple Syrup (real maple syrup)
Grated zest of 1 large Orange
1 cup coarsely chopped Pecans

Directions:

1. Rinse and drain the cranberries.
2. In a medium saucepan, combine the cranberries, apple cider, maple syrup and orange zest.
3. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low heat and continue to cook for about another 10 minutes or until all the cranberries pop open. 
4. Use a "potato" masher or fork, to lightly mash the cranberries into the liquid.
5. Stir in the pecans.
6. Serve the sauce warm or cool, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve, no more than a few days  before Thanksgiving. 

Serves 8-12

Sautéed Parsnips & Carrots with Agave

Thanks again to Effie for contributing another wonderful new addition to our family's traditional Thanksgiving meal. I absolutely love parsnips!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound each of carrots and parsnips, peeled and cut into 4-inch sticks, cubed and/or diagonal slices
Sea Salt (or coarse kosher salt) and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
1 tablespoon blue agave sweetener or honey (wildflower) 
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped (optional)


Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a large skilled over medium-high heat.
2. Add the carrots and parsnips.
3. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4. Sauté until the vegetables begin to brown at the edges, about 12 minutes.
5. Add the butter and agave sweetener to the vegetables.

Notes: (1) This recipe can be made a day ahead, covered and chilled. (2) For those who have never seen, eaten or cooked a parsnip, click here. (3) Rosemary is a wonderful, aromatic herb, but we prefer this dish without it. (4) If you are planning on sharing your meal with your baby or toddler, I suggest you read this warning about giving honey to babies.



Serves 6-8

Butternut & Acorn Squash Casserole

Having one butternut and two acorn squash left from our garden harvest, I incorporated them into our Thanksgiving menu as a side dish in lieu of serving our traditional candied sweet potatoes. We all loved the not-too-sweet flavor and lightness of this casserole so much that we have decided to add it to our list of family holiday favorites.

Ingredients:

3 cups butternut and/or acorn squash, mashed
1/2 cup white sugar
2/3 cup butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla, divided
2 eggs, well-beaten

Topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 stick butter
1/3 cup flour (gluten-free: use rice flour)
1/2 cup pecans, chopped

Directions:

1. Place halved and seeded squash face down on a foiled baking sheet in a 350-degree oven.
2. Bake about 45 minutes.
   
3. Remove from the oven and cool before handling.
4. Scoop out the flesh of the squash and mash in a medium-sized bowl.
5. Add to the bowl: white sugar, butter and 1 teaspoon vanilla.
6. Beat the remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla and eggs until well-blended.
7. Add the eggs to the squash and thoroughly combine.
8. Place the mixture in a greased 1-1/2 quart casserole dish.
9. Combine the topping ingredients, mixing well, and crumble on top of the squash.
10. Bake at 350-degrees for 45 minutes.

Serves 6 - 8.

Thanksgiving - To Eat Good Food

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We ate a lot of good home-cooked food and enjoyed quality time together as a family. We always fit in a game or two of "Grandma's International Rummy". Although Effie brought along their lovely collection of Christmas music,  14-month old Sephira was only interested in dancing to Etta James. We missed family that was unable to join us this year, but enjoyed our chats by phone. I hope you had a blessed Thanksgiving with friends and loved ones, and will share one of your favorite holiday recipes or traditions with me!

As usual, we cooked enough food to enjoy seconds, some thirds, another complete Thanksgiving meal the next day and leftovers for another week. I will be posting our family's favorites over the days and weeks ahead.

Our Family's Thanksgiving Menu:

• Roast Turkey Supreme
  
• Savory Chestnut Stuffing
• Mashed Potatoes & Pan-Gravy
  
• Creamed Peas & Pearl Onions
• Green Bean Casserole
  
• Sauteed Carrots & Parsnips
  
• Butternut & Acorn Squash Casserole
• Grandma's Cranberry Salad
• Raw Cranberry Relish
• Wine-Curried Fruit
• Homemade Pumpkin Pie

Did you know?   

USCB Fact: About 769,760 tons of green beans are produced for one of the most popular traditional Thanksgiving Day foods, green bean casserole.

Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy the rest of your holiday weekend and enjoy this video montage on the culture of food as seen in film titled "To eat good food is to be close to God". Thanks, Kate!

Note to vegetarians: there are scenes of meats being prepared and served in some of the film footage.

Wine-Curried Fruit for the Holidays

An elegant casserole to serve dinner guests. I baked this fruit medley to take as a buffet side dish for a holiday party we attended and for the day-after-thanksgiving feast this year. It was a big hit both times!

Ingredients:

2 Bananas
1- 29 oz. can of Peaches, halved
1 - 26 oz. can of Pears, halved
1 - 20 oz. can of Pineapple, chunks
2 - 6.5 oz. cans of Mandarin Oranges
1 - 8 oz. jar of Maraschino Cherries
1/2 cup Butter (1 stick), softened
1/2 Brown Sugar
1 tablespoon Cornstarch
1/2 cup Dry White Wine
1 teaspoon Curry Powder
Pecans, chopped or halved (optional)

Use as many organic ingredients as you can, when making this recipe. Check with your local natural foods market for their selection of organic canned products.

Directions: 

1. Diagonally slice the bananas in 1-1/2 inch chunks.
2. Drain the juice from all the other fruit and arrange all in a 2-1/2 quart baking dish.
3. In a sauce pan, combine the sugar, softened butter, cornstarch, wine and curry powder and cook, stirring continually, until it begins to thicken.
4. Pour the sauce over the fruit.
5. Bake uncovered in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for 15-20 minutes.
   
6. Serve hot.

Serves 12-14