Dancing round the kitchen in the refrigerator light
Dancing round the kitchen in the refrigerator light
Thanksgiving reads & recipes, cheese puffs, and very good pasta
Hello there,
It’s a big week around here! The gift guide is coming on Thursday (!) and Erica and I have more cooking classes coming up in the new year. We hope you’ll join us for these two hour meal prep classes, which feature original recipes, GF & vegetarian options, and tons of meal prep tips and tricks, including remix ideas. You can cook along live or watch the on demand replay, which is included with your ticket. Each class is $35 or you can join for all four for just $99, which saves you more than 30%! Get more details (the menus are so good) and sign up on our fancy new website (huge thank you to Zoe for her hard work on this).
Today’s links have a special Thanksgiving section, which includes articles and some of my favorite recipes for the day. Last year, many of our usual traditions were disrupted and maybe this year they’re back on (or not, I think we’ve all changed a bit in the past year). Whether you’re trying something new or sticking to familiar favorites, remember there are no rules, besides creating a safe and joyful space for you and your guests and finding ways to give back throughout the year and especially during this season.
Now, let’s dive in.
Something to cook:
I dramatically undersold this recipe by telling Dale we were having beans for dinner. This baked rajma from Tejal Rao is so flavorful and keeps well for leftovers (not that we had many). We used mozzarella, which is great because you get little chunks of melty cheese and served with warm bread and a side salad.
My parents made a chicken dish on Saturday and were going to buy flatbreads to serve with it. Instead, I made some yogurt flatbread dough for them to cook right before eating and it got great reviews. They topped them with olive oil and some of the spices from the dish.
We went to New Jersey yesterday to see family friends and Jill cooked up a storm. We started with these cacio e pepe cheese puffs from Ina Garten (inspired by Missy Robbins) which are so delicious, especially hot out of the oven.
Jill taught me how to make apple crisp (here’s her recipe which is what I always use) and she made a delicious rendition last night. It’s more of a method than a recipe and you can scale up or down as needed. Vanilla ice cream is a must.
Something to order:
Dale and I were missing Brooklyn and craving pasta so we headed to Faro for a date night on Thursday. It’s such a gorgeous space and their ricotta cavatelli with broccoli, lemon and almond breadcrumbs is so good. I also got a glass of their chilled red from Portugal which was unbelievably good (I found it by the bottle and want to get a few).
Leslie is back in New York and we caught up at Ground Central coffee shop near Grand Central. It’s got a lot of seating, wifi, and some very good pastries if you’re looking for a central meeting spot.
When Red came out in 2012, Tilden and I were avid listeners. We reunited to discuss (Taylor’s version) at Lamano in the West Village which is a pretty good tapas place for track by track analysis. Get the churros and the artichokes if you go.
I grew up going to Dani’s House of Pizza in Kew Gardens, which opened in 1959 and is known for its sweet sauce and old school charm. Dale and I swung by for slices and he was a fan, especially of the crust. I’m always happy to eat Dani’s and hope it never closes.
On Saturday night we headed back to Brooklyn to see Julianne, Ian, Julia and Julianne’s dad who was in town. We started at duckduck, a forever favorite, and then went to Carmine & Sons for an Italian American feast (there’s a pizzeria and then an attached restaurant/sports bar). My favorite dish was the eggplant parm, served with spaghetti, and the Montepulciano is so good and well priced.
Something to read:
Thanksgiving Stuff:
The history of Thanksgiving, which was first celebrated on a national level during the Civil War
How Liberian-Americans celebrate Thanksgiving and honor their complicated history
Rachel Miller’s Thanksgiving post is really excellent, covering recipes, where to donate, education, readings, and tips for entertaining.
Nisha Chittal’s Thanksgiving recipe roundup is great and she is a big advocate for doing what you want on Thanksgiving, especially food wise.
On Pumpkin by Alicia Kennedy
We all live on Native land. Here’s a map to learn more about the place you live.
For Native Peoples, Thanksgiving Isn't A Celebration. It's A National Day Of Mourning (this is a 9 minute radio segment you could pair with this Code Switch episode on Blood Quantum for a Thanksgiving morning walk)
How to talk to kids about Thanksgiving
How to support Indigenous People on Thanksgiving
My Mother & I Don’t Talk. But on Thanksgiving, We Make Russian Pie Together.
Recipes I love for the holiday: pumpkin fudge torte, cranberry sauce, cranberry banana nut bread, kale and caramelized onion stuffing, kale and brussels sprouts salad with parmesan dressing, tortilla española (a perfect appetizer cut into squares), seedy crackers
Recipes I want to try: The Kitchenista’s mac and cheese (she suggests using lactaid milk and low lactose cheeses if you struggle with dairy), green bean casserole, spicy carrot dip (video here), pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, creamy pumpkin pasta
Other Stuff:
Bartenders share their favorite peelers
Good news: New York City’s tree canopy is growing slightly
The blue mushrooms of New Zealand
A rare instance where this headline is not an exaggeration: The Scientist who saved the world
Taylor Swift’s Chai Sugar Cookie Recipe
Do you judge a restaurant by its green salad?
The last diet book I ever bought
As temperatures rise, farmers are at risk of heat related death
Black gardeners find refuge in the soil
From Delia, A good newsletter exit strategy is hard to find
Rebecca from The Practical Kitchen has a great roundup of plus size aprons
The fallacy of eating the way your great-grandmother ate
Now, I’m sharing a few Thanksgiving recipes and traditions from you!
Erica’s is really funny: Our strange Thanksgiving tradition is that every year for the past 15-or-so, we make sweet potato soufflé— it’s a delicious dish that we all devour, but the kicker is that the recipe comes from the mother of a young man I had a fling with in high school and we talk about the fling every year when we make the dish. Strange, but true!
Julianne has me excited to try my first green bean casserole: I LOVE a green bean casserole. Nothing too fancy, just the French's recipe with the fried onion pieces on top & cream of mushroom soup mix. It's just so soothing!
This week, in TNHS tradition, I’d like you to share something you’re grateful for. I’ll share your answers next week to kick off the Thanksgiving week.
See you later this week for gifts galore and thank you for reading!
xo, Abigail
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