Thanksgiving 2012
Tips and tricks from the Food section on cooking a turkey, White House recipes and more.
Stuffed: a familiar condition at the holiday table shared among vegetables, turkeys, vegan alternative turkeys and the people who eat lots of all of those.
Pumpkins are subjected to such treatment. Scrape out the seedy innards of a 16-pounder and you’ve got a vessel for cooking a bready, cheesy goulash. The exterior will suffer a bit in the oven, though, darkening and softening on at least one side in a way that often suggests imminent cave-in.
Spirits columnist Jason Wilson suggests modestly priced options for bars that create a range of cocktail possibilities for the holidays.
Leave it to a resourceful cook to improve on tradition. For the past eight or 10 years, Lisa Jorgenson has taken a layered approach to stuffing a big squash for Thanksgiving. No sugar pumpkin or cheese pumpkin will do. She tracks down a big-bellied Hubbard, whose lovely blue-green color deepens after hours of low heat.
The Kalorama resident and mother of three grown children is an international water specialist. Her job requires quite a bit of travel, but that only increases her desire to cook a meal for her husband, David Doniger, and friends when she returns.
“I love having people at our house,” she says. “Sometimes I’ll try to make what I had wherever I was. I can be experimental, or we can throw steaks on the grill and bake potatoes and make a salad. It’s important to connect with people — especially, that’s good here in Washington.
“Cooking at home makes everybody feel good — including me,” Jorgenson sums up as her expressive hands outline a small universe in front of her.
A dear family friend who puts on a Thanksgiving feast for 75 at her family’s mountain cabin told Jorgenson about the pumpkins she stuffs with ratatouille each year. Intrigued, Jorgenson tweaked the recipe to make it her own. It’s a project, she admits, but one with benefits. A filled squash covered with clean towels will stay hot for several hours. In the Thanksgiving prep kitchen, that means a side dish or entree is out of the way so a la minute items can be cooked and other foods can fit in the oven. It’s also a relatively inexpensive way to serve a crowd.
With years of carving experience behind her, Jorgenson can hollow out a 23-pound Hubbard in under 10 minutes, leaving a five-inch access hole and reserving its “lid.”
“It’s kind of pleasant work, actually,” she says.
Jorgenson seasons the 3 / 4- to 1-inch-thick squash walls with garlic salt and white pepper because they will be the edible base of a beautifully layered portion.
She makes her own simple risotto with chicken broth and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese or uses a good-quality boxed mix. About six cooked cups of it constitutes the most substantial layer, which firms up in the oven and later takes on the role of tasty insulation. Next, she adds a layer of just-roasted eggplant slices; overlapping is okay, but it’s crucial to make sure the eggplant reaches all the inside edges. Then comes a sprinkling of fresh thyme, followed by a layer of roasted zucchini or golden squash slices. That layer gets its own herb garnish: fresh oregano. Pressing and compacting each layer during the process ensures a good result at serving time.
It's not Tex-Mex as advertised, but El Paraiso sometimes hits the mark.
1369330279000Tom Sietsema talks with the “front-of-the-house sous-chef” at the new Red Hen
1369240873000
Safeway earns slightly higher scores than Raulin's Bakery of Beltsville.
1369219515000
WhyFoodWorks healthful dinner parties wrap nutrition lessons into an intimate evening with friends.
1369176360000
So many choices, so many brands fail to impress.
1369171240000
The Weeknight Vegetarian gives eggplant the schnitzel treatment.
1369169369000
We might just want a cocktail, period. Mostly, we want the experience on our own terms.
1369165874000
Adventurous younger vintners are turning out bottles that are worth tracking down.
1369162140000
Old vines and Mediterranean aromatics such as lavender and thyme characterize this group.
1369161869000
Events include wine festivals, a farm day and a bread-baking class.
1369160821000
Vacuum-packed beets give this main-course pasta its brilliant color and vibrant flavor.
1369130700000
This isn’t your mother’s bacon-dressed version: It clocks in at just 260 calories per serving.
1369130400000
The Alexandria shop breathes new life into the historic D.C. roaster, which was founded in 1916.
1369081089000A reader wants advice on what basics are best to grow in a balcony box.
1368626730000The Post Most: LifestyleMost-viewed stories,videos, and galleries in the past two hours
Recipe Finder
Plan dinner, try new foods or explore cuisines with Recipe Finder, a database of recipes tested by The Washington Post.
DC Restaurant Finder
By Tom Sietsema Rating
See how critic Tom Sietsema rated D.C. restaurants in the Going Out Guide.
Best Bets Dining Lists
Loading...
Comments