L ifestyle /C ulture
Thanksgiving Sides — Elegant, Trendy, Kosher
F OO D
LINDA MOREL | JE FOOD COLUMNIST
I’VE ALWAYS LOVED
Thanksgiving because it invites
all Americans to the table,
regardless of their religion or
ethnicity. When I grew up, back in
the 20th century, life was less
competitive than it is now, more
Norman Rockwell than Top
Chef. Because Thanksgiving
recipes were traditional and
wholesome, varying little from
year to year, holiday foods were
welcoming to kosher families.

I recall my mother roasting
a turkey, merely seasoning
it with salt and pepper.

Admittedly, she
served cranberries straight from the
can, but the mushrooms, celery
and onions in her stuffing were
fresh. Early on, she perfected
her baked yams and string
bean casserole, never veering
from these recipes.

No one expected my
mother to regularly reinvent
the Thanksgiving menu and
up the ante every year. No
one expected her to become
a dazzling gourmet chef on a
holiday celebrating the harvest.

However, with the rise
in recent decades of televi-
sion cooking shows and food
magazines featuring gratu-
itously lavish recipes, even
for Thanksgiving, simple fare
is passé. Yesterday’s recipes
don’t impress an audience
hungry to wow the guests at
their table. While many chic
new dishes are resplendent
in cream, butter, cheese and
bacon, causing some people
to swoon, they aren’t practical
for kosher cooks preparing a
turkey dinner.

However, there are foods to
serve on Thanksgiving that are
as mouthwatering as they are
stunning. Try roasting a turkey
sprinkled with rosemary, sage
and thyme. Simmer a pot of
cranberries and oranges, sauté
zucchini in zesty ginger and
garlic, and whip pumpkin
into a soufflé. And yes, in case
you’re wondering, these sensa-
tional recipes are kosher.

plus two 6-cup oven-proof
soufflé dishes or deep casseroles
Nonstick vegetable spray
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin,
divided in half
¾ cup, plus ¾ cup almond
milk ⅛ teaspoon, plus ⅛
teaspoon allspice and
cardamom ⅜ teaspoon, plus ⅜
teaspoon cinnamon
2¼ tablespoons, plus 2¼
tablespoons flour
⅜ cup, plus ⅜ cup sugar
3 eggs, plus 3 eggs
6 tablespoons, plus 6
tablespoons melted
unsalted margarine
Coat the two soufflé dishes
with nonstick spray. Preheat
your oven to 350 degrees F.

You are going to make
two soufflés. Start by fitting a
food processor with a metal
blade. Into the bowl of the food
processor, place half the can
of pumpkin, ¾ cup almond
milk, ⅛ teaspoon allspice
PUMPKIN SOUFFLÉ | PAREVE and cardamom, ⅜ teaspoon
Serves 4-5 per soufflé, or 8-10 cinnamon, 2¼ tablespoons
in all
flour, ⅜ cup sugar, 3 eggs
and 6 tablespoons of melted
Equipment: food processor, unsalted margarine. Process
VeselovaElena / iStock / Getty Images Plus
until all the ingredients are
well combined. Move them
to one of the prepared soufflé
dishes. Then repeat the process
with the remaining half of the
ingredients and fill the second
soufflé dish.

Place both soufflé dishes in
the oven and bake them for 45
minutes or until the edges are
slightly brown and the centers
are cooked through. Serve
immediately. Or to make ahead, cool
to room temperature, cover
with plastic wrap and refrig-
erate. Return the dish to room
temperature. Heat your oven
to 350 degrees F and place the
soufflés inside until they are
bubbling at the edges.

Note: When served immedi-
ately, the soufflés puff up. They
never reach the same height
when reheated.

STUFFING WITH THE WORKS
| MEAT
Serves 8-10 as a side dish
Equipment: 8-cup soufflé dish
or equivalent deep ovenproof
casserole 3 chicken bouillon cubes
Nonstick vegetable spray
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