Thanksgiving Approaches

Are you pumped? I am pumped. I thought I’d hit you all with a bit of a roundup of Thanksgiving coverage from here, from Bittman, and from around the web.

–Make vegetable stock to cook with, if you’ve got vegetarians in the family. The farmer’s market is a great place to get cheap veggies for stock; look for “seconds” or other bruised produce to use, since aesthetics aren’t as important as flavor. Or you can always make chicken stock. It seems like a lot of work, but it goes a long way to upping the flavor of your dishes. It’s also cathartic to make a big batch of stock, trust me. I use Michael Ruhlman’s method.

-Check out my Thanksgiving stuffing chronicles. This year I’m using the How to Cook Everything recipe, which is based on James Beard’s recipe. I’m tweaking it, though: its’ really dry unless you cook it inside the bird, so I add a ton of liquid (mostly stock) to moisten it before baking in its own dish. I guess what I’m making is technically dressing, but in my family we call it stuffing.

–Over at Serious Eats, they are positively killing it with turkey day coverage. Kenji got down on deep fried turkeys, but then saw the light. He also dropped mad mashed potato science on us, with two killer recipes. Maggie highlighted this Alton Brown recipe, which inspires fierce loyalty. Maggie’s also been delivering side dishes like there’s no tomorrow, from the simple to the more complicated (if anyone tries bringing Parmesan Artichoke Sourdough Stuffing to my table, I will cut them, but that’s just me). Head over to the main site for all their coverage, including more recipes and taste tests if you’re not looking to make everything from scratch. If you’re eating out, Carey rounded up Thanksgiving menus at NYC restaurants. Nowhere to go? Ed’s got ten tips for getting invited to someone else’s feast. There’s so much more, just head over there and check it out.

-The New York Times’ Dining section released its annual Thanksgiving issue yesterday, and it is chock full of great stuff. John T. Edge on smoked turkeys, Sam Sifton delivers tips from restaurant pros, and a ton of other great stuff resides on their Dining home page. And of course the archives are chock full of recipe ideas.

-Last year, Bittman dropped this monster on us: 101 simple side dishes that you can make ahead of time, some even days before the big day. Bittman’s also got this Minimalist Thanksgiving menu, which he claims can get the feast on the table in three hours, from scratch. My favorite Bittman turkey recipe, though? This one for braised turkey parts–the thighs turn into this tender, pulled pork-like treat. It’s not traditional, but if you can detach yourself from the expectations of a whole roasted bird, it’s super tasty.

Vegetable Stock and Chicken Stock [bce]
Mark Bittman Does Not Want To Stress You Out [bce]
Bittman’s Favorite Bread Stuffing, Round Two [bce]
The Food Lab: OK, Deep Fried Turkey Is Awesome [serious eats]
The Food Lab: Mashed Potatoes [serious eats]
Thanksgiving Sides [serious eats]
How Are You Making Your Turkey? Try Alton Brown’s Recipe [serious eats]
More Thanksgiving Menus! [serious eats:ny]
Ten Tips to Getting a Thanksgiving Invitation [serious eats]
The Dining Section [nytimes]
101 Head Starts on the Day [nytimes]
Give Thanks: In Three Hours, From Scratch [nytimes]
A Great Turkey, Piece by Piece [nytimes]