Looking for a turkey twist? Try a roasted chicken roll
As a child, I could tell Thanksgiving was approaching without looking at a calendar, because my mom would start saving dried heels of bread, or the ends of a loaf, for her sage stuffing.
We always ate a very traditional meal that included a gigantic stuffed turkey, so as an adult, it was a bit of a surprise to learn not everyone serves the traditional bird. It makes sense though, not everyone likes turkey, so why not? After all, the purpose of Thanksgiving is to give thanks, not just eat turkey.
The smell of celery and onions simmering on the stove will always remind me of Thanksgiving morning. Sometimes it seemed my mom started cooking before I even woke up, but her efforts were always greatly appreciated when it came time to eat dinner. We would feast on warm stuffing cooked inside a huge golden brown turkey, mashed potatoes, homemade cranberry sauce and often the jellied can variety too, along with corn casserole and always a relish tray with olives, pickles and cream cheese stuffed celery, and I almost forgot — the best gravy I've ever tasted.
This traditional meal has followed me to my own family Thanksgiving table with a few changes here and there, but always featuring a roast turkey.
One year, after watching every holiday cooking television show I could, I decided to “shake things up a little” and substituted some updated recipes to replace our more traditional side dishes.
Martha Stewart's cornbread stuffing with cranberries and pecans took the place of our traditional sage version, green beans sautéed in a little olive oil and topped with crispy pieces of prosciutto instead of green bean casserole, roasted root vegetables instead of mashed potatoes, and a pumpkin cheesecake stood in for pumpkin pie.
It sounded good to me, but my family staged a small revolutionary war at our dining room table — they wanted the food they looked forward to eating every year, and often only once a year, so you know what I will be making, but for those of you looking for a change, I have some ideas for you.
Food & Wine magazine suggests trying smoked pork sausage with hard cider, maple glazed pork belly, or maybe a pomegranate brisket with cranberry succotash instead of turkey.
Perhaps you are looking for a turkey twist? You might consider a Turducken, boneless chicken stuffed inside a boneless duck, all inside a turkey or the British variety that replaced the turkey with a goose known as a Gooducken.
If a meatless option is what you are craving try a tofu turkey.
I cannot imagine Thanksgiving without stuffing, so my suggestion is to serve a roasted chicken roll, inspired by a turkey roulade created by Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa.
Boneless chicken breasts are carefully pounded to an even thickness and placed together to form a “chicken rectangle” upon which stuffing made with sweet figs, dried cranberries, savory Italian sausage, and herb stuffing mix is mounded before being wrapped in the chicken and roasted to perfection.
The finished roast features perfectly cooked chicken, filled with moist delicious stuffing that includes traditional flavors with a few twists, and a presentation worthy of any Thanksgiving table.
If chicken doesn't sound right to you, try filling a butterflied pork loin, or pounded pork tenderloins, with this or your favorite stuffing. Personally, I think the stuffing is so delicious I would eat it out of a bowl!
Thanksgiving is the time of year to be thankful, so thank you to those you who will be serving others.
Whether it is by stuffing your own turkey, creating some other holiday worthy creation, or helping to provide Thanksgiving dinner for those who might not otherwise be able to enjoy a feast, I hope you have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving.
• Penny Kazmier, a wife and mother of four from South Barrington, won the 2011 Daily Herald Cook of the Week Challenge.