Last week was an “off” week for my column, but I offered to do a longer piece about choices for Thanksgiving sides: something traditional, a variation on something traditional, and something simpler and less rich. As mentioned below, it joins various other Thanksgiving columns I’ve written!

THANKSGIVING COLORS PART III

by Elizabeth Baer

It’s time to plan the Thanksgiving menu!

My very first column for the Berkshire Eagle in November 2020 offered three ideas for using Thanksgiving leftovers; the following year I wrote a column with three ideas for an orange side dish; then in 2022, I offered three ideas for something green. I know I had it in my head to finish the series with three options for white side dishes, but somehow got distracted around this time in 2023 with a column on things to do with hard cider (including a recipe for my favorite gravy), and last year, in 2024, with an idea for a colorful showstopper vegetarian option for the Thanksgiving table. Also last year in November I shared my kids’ favorite apple pie recipe. So this year, finally, to finish the color trifecta, here are three white-ish offerings.

For our family, turkey, stuffing, cider gravy, and cranberry chutney are non-negotiables. Everyone loves my stuffing, so much so that what fits in the bird is not nearly enough to go around, so I also fill a baking dish with the mixture, at which point it technically becomes dressing. My family’s traditional recipe is included below.

I know for many people mashed potatoes are a sine qua non, but perhaps give the purée here a try, which, like mashed potatoes, is delicious with gravy poured over. If you’re reading this while actually in Berkshire County, you can go to Guido’s and buy one of my favorites, Cape Cod turnips. I first tasted this vegetable many years ago on Nantucket, where the farm stand called them Nantucket turnips. Many years later, I noticed the same root at Guido’s, but with the Cape Cod toponym. They are like rutabagas but sweeter, and are only in the store for two or three months a year. I like to sauté some leeks and combine that with steamed Cape Cod turnip for my purée, but this works just as well with parsnips if that’s what you can access.

When I did the orange and green columns previously, I made a point to include something simpler and less rich, in case that was important to readers or their Thanksgiving guests, so the final recipe below is roasted cauliflower with toasted nuts. (When I decided to include this recipe and thus had to measure everything, my husband and I found a ginormous cauliflower at the Great Barrington Farmers Market, almost 4 pounds, which fed us for days, but the recipe can be adjusted depending on the amount of cauliflower you have.)

Whatever graces your table, may you have a delicious and colorful Thanksgiving table, perfectly seasoned with the joy of being with those you love.

BAER FAMILY STUFFING / DRESSING

Serves 4, can be doubled or tripled

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon neutral oil such as canola
½ medium onion, diced
1 stalk celery, trimmed and diced
½ teaspoon kosher salt
4 ounces loose sausage (about 1 standard sausage, removed from the casing); vegan sausage also an option
8 ounces plain bread cubes
1½ teaspoons dried sage
½ teaspoon dried thyme
8-10 ready-to-eat chestnuts, chopped (raw chestnuts are not safe to eat)
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup stock, store-bought or homemade (I use chicken stock, but for a vegetarian stuffing, vegetable broth works), plus more as needed

DIRECTIONS:

Heat canola oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion, celery, and salt, and sauté until softened and the onion is translucent. Add the sausage and continue to sauté until cooked through. If using vegan sausage, follow the package instruction.

Place sausage mixture in a large bowl with the bread cubes, sage, thyme, and chestnuts, and mix to combine. Pour in the butter and stock and stir again.

If desired, place some stuffing loosely in the bird, as much as fits. For stuffing inside the bird, do not stuff the turkey ahead of time, but rather just before you put it in the oven. Then be sure the stuffing reaches 165°F and scoop it from the turkey when it comes out of the oven. Do not allow the stuffing to cool down inside the bird as the turkey rests.

To make dressing (stuffing baked in a pan), place remaining mixture or all of it into a baking dish. Dressing can be made to this point, covered tightly and kept refrigerated, or can even be frozen until ready to cook.

Before baking, if the dressing is especially dry, add some additional stock or even water. (This can depend on how dry the bread cubes are.) Cover the pan tightly with foil and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes. Optionally, if you like some moist bits and some crunchy bits, you can remove the foil for the last 10-15 minutes of cooking time.

ROOT VEGETABLE & LEEK PURÉE

Makes 3-4 cups, can be doubled

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound Cape Cod turnip or parsnips, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces
1 medium apple, about 6 ounces
2 leeks, about 1 pound
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided, plus more as needed
¾ cup heavy cream, plus more cream or some milk as needed
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Few grinds black pepper
Chives or parsley, chopped, for garnish (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Cut the leek(s) in half lengthwise through the root end. Remove the tough, dark green portions and discard, which should yield about 8 ounces of the white and light green parts of the leek(s). Check and rinse any dirt from between the layers. Lay cut side down on the cutting board and slice into half-moons, discarding the root end. Heat 2 tablespoons butter and the olive oil in a medium sauté pan over medium to medium-high heat until butter has melted and is beginning to bubble. Add the leeks and ½ teaspoon salt. Sauté for 5-10 minutes until very tender and beginning to brown.

Bring water in the bottom of a steamer pot to a boil. Place the Cape Cod turnip or parsnip in the steamer basket and steam for about 15-20 minutes. Peel the apple, cut into chunks discarding the core, and add to the steamer basket for the final 5-10 minutes of steaming. Once the the turnip or parsnip can be easily pierced with a cake tester or thin knife, remove from the heat and add to the bowl of a food processor. (You can also try a high-powered blender or an immersion blender.)

Add the leeks to the food processor along with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, remaining ½ teaspoon salt, cream, nutmeg, and pepper. Purée until smooth. Check for consistency, adding more cream (or even milk), if desired. Taste and adjust salt and pepper if needed.

Purée can be made ahead and reheated in the top of a double boiler or in the microwave. The purée may have thickened in the refrigerator, and, if so, thin with more cream or milk. Garnish with chopped chives or parsley and serve with a pat of butter, if desired.

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER WITH PARMESAN AND NUTS

Serves 8-10, can be adjusted depending on size of vegetable

INGREDIENTS:

1 large head cauliflower, 3-4 pounds, cut into florets
2 shallots thinly sliced.
2 teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon granulated garlic
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup grated Parmesan
2-3 tablespoons water
¾ cup nuts (possibilities include pecans, hazelnuts… You may need less with a smaller nut such as pine nuts.)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400°F. (This also works at a different temperature if you have something else in the oven, but the timing will need to be adjusted.) Line a half sheet pan with parchment. (For super easy clean-up, line the half sheet pan first with heavy-duty foil before placing the parchment on top.)

Place the cauliflower, shallots, salt, granulated garlic, olive oil, and Parmesan into a large bowl and mix to combine well. Pour everything out onto the prepared pan and spread into a single layer as much as possible. Sprinkle with the water.

Roast for 30-40 minutes, shaking the pan once or twice during the cooking process.

While the cauliflower is roasting, toast the nuts in a toaster oven, or a dry pan over medium heat. Keep a close eye because they can burn quickly. Once they start to brown, remove from the heat and place in a bowl so they don’t continue to toast with the residual heat in the pan or on the toaster oven tray. If using a nut with skin, such as a hazelnut, remove to a clean dish towel or a small bowl covered with plastic wrap to help loosen the skins. Then rub in the dish towel or between your hands to remove as much of the nut skins as possible Chop larger nuts coarsely.

When the cauliflower has softened and has begun to caramelize on the edges remove from the oven. Place in a serving bowl or on a serving platter and scatter the nuts on top.

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Planning the Thanksgiving Feast!