Keeping It Simple

Potatoes, Broccoli, Stuffing, Turkey	Dominic Armato

We were unable to spend Thanksgiving with family this year, so we decided to keep it simple. Some roasted potatoes with bacon and sage, my father's pureed broccoli with an obscene amount of butter, cream and parmesan cheese, a no-frills stuffing, and a roasted turkey breast with gravy. Still enough to feed 2-3 more people than we had, but that's kind of the point, huh?

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody... hope yours is happy and delicious!

Comments

[Jon Olsen]

Thanks Dom! Happy Thanksgiving to you too (or as we compulsive eaters say, "amateur day"). I've never had pureed broccoli...we can has recipe pls?

Happy Thanksgiving to all the rest of you too!

[KA]

Broccoli -

Cut up broccoli. Separate flowers from stems. Cut stems into uniform thickness so they require same cooking time. Boil broccoli in batches – do not overcook. Drain broccoli. Place batches of cooked broccoli in a food processor and puree but do not over process. The broccoli should be quite dry and a consistent texture – not smooth, there should be some bite. Transfer to a large fry pan. Heat broccoli with stick(s) of unsalted butter until absorbed. Season the broccoli with fresh ground white pepper and fresh grated nutmeg. After butter is absorbed add heavy cream and cook until absorbed. At this point the broccoli should be somewhat loose but without any butter or cream visible. Add grated parmesan cheese to bind the broccoli. Although many cringe I find Kraft cheese in the green package to be ideal. After adding the cheese the broccoli should only remain over heat long enough to melt the cheese and bind the broccoli. The trick is to not go crazy with the other ingredients. The goal is to taste broccoli and not butter, cream, or cheese. As far as proportions if I have four or five large heads of broccoli – enough to fill a large 12” fry pan after processing I would probably use about 3/4 to 1 pound of butter, 1 to 2 cups of heavy cream and 6 to 8 oz. of Kraft parmesan.

[Skillet Doux]

There you go, Jon... from the source :-)

[Independent George]

I think we should all exchange our thanksgiving feasts.

Chinese Thanksgiving: salted roast chicken, braised pork belly, stir-fried vegetables, ma-po tofu, and a few of my mom's specialties which I frankly don't know the name of.

[zsparks]

I was going to ask for the broccoli, too. Thanks!

[Allison]

Thanks for the broccoli recipe. I remain a fan of a friend's stuffing recipe -- easy, quick & yummy. 1 box StoveTop original prepared according to directions. 1 small onion, diced, a Granny Smith apple, diced, 1 box beef sausage, sliced (she was raised Muslim, but beef works best no matter what). Grand Marnier (~3/8 c.) & Triple Sec (~1/8 c.).

[anon man]

IG, I love me some Ma-po tofu. Its a traditional "Black Friday" anti-turkey meal here. Need to find a new place, though. Old one went out of business and the new place isn't as good.

Dom, nice work. Define "no frills" stuffing/dressing. I did a chestnut one this year; its a keeper.

[paula]

Man, you got pork belly for Thanksgiving? Jealous. My contribution to the family feast was a sausage and chestnut stuffing that I was dreaming about a week in advance. It's my favorite part of Thanksgiving. The next morning I pan-fried the leftover stuffing in a little butter and topped it with a poached egg for breakfast.

[Jon Olsen]

Man, I shoulda made something with chestnuts! I did "sugarless" cranberry sauce (the sugar came from fruits)—"dry raked" organic cranberries from the smallest bog in Wisconsin, fresh orange juice and medjool dates with five spice and mace. I coulda had some chestnuts if I'd been on the ball!