I can feel the ground tremble as traditionalists everywhere begin shaking their heads when they read the title of this article. They're thinking, "why does she need to go messing with a good thing? Thanksgiving is about tradition. It's about all those good recipes that nobody has time to cook the rest of the year. It's about looking forward to tasting, once again, grandma's wonderful stuffing that you can only sample when the big bird makes his annual appearance."
The traditionalists are also thinking, "what is she going to suggest, George Jetson food? Maybe she'll tell us to have some freeze dried meals with a little splash of Tang on the side since we're now in the 21st century."
Well, just relax because I'm not going to be the one who spoils a good tradition. If you have great old family recipes and someone willing to cook them, by all means go ahead and enjoy them. In fact, I'm a pretty strong traditionalist when it comes to Thanksgiving. I believe in pumpkins and fall leaves for my centerpiece, not rocket ships and silver stars. I believe that turkey should still be the centerpiece of the meal, no matter how creative or contemporary you get with your side dishes. I believe that one day a year you should permit yourself to try enough of everything so that you groan a bit as you stand up from the table.
But when it comes to food, we have so many more options than even the generation before us. So, let's open our traditional hearts a teeny bit to see how we can use our expanded culinary horizons to make Thanksgiving better than ever.
Fresh, varied produce is now available year-round. Let's face it, root vegetables used to be the mainstay of side dishes for this holiday. Onions, potatoes, carrots, turnips, parsnips, were the only fresh seasonal ingredients unless you opted for canned or frozen vegetables. What choice did good cooks really have? So keep the sweet potato pie and the glazed carrots, but add a once out-of-season vegetable side dish to update your Thanksgiving table.
Baby Greens with Fennel - A refreshing, updated salad with a festive cranberry dressing, from Good Housekeeping.
Creamed Chayote with Chives - Introduce a favorite food of the Aztecs and Mayans to your guests, if they haven't already discovered it on their own.
Goat Cheese Stuffed Tomatoes - Wow your guests with this recipe reminiscent of the flavors of summer.
We've now been exposed to the many flavors of world cuisine. Spices that were unheard of a generation ago, and novel spice combinations, are now commonplace in our kitchens. They give the creative cook so many ways to jazz up traditional dishes. There has been such a blending of cuisines that it is sometimes difficult to determine the exact origin of a particular recipe. Use this newfound freedom to be creative and add an international flavor to your menu.
Chutneys - Sneak in a few Indian chutneys among your traditional holiday appetizers.
Tapas - Or, how about a few Spanish tapas to whet your appetite?
Antipasti - I'd be in big trouble back home if I didn't hint at a few Italian appetizers to start your meal!
