IN MY SHOES: Happy Thanksgiving
Writing in The Wall Street Journal that he is “tired” of “dry turkey and ‘candied’ sweet potatoes with marshmallows,” gastronome extraordinaire Raymond Sokolov suggests a French rendering of roast turkey and a Thai twist on the sweet potatoes.
Coming from a multi-cultural family that became multi-ethnic, multi-racial and multi-religion by marriage, The Stiletto has never sat down to the "traditional" Thanksgiving dinner depicted in the iconic Norman Rockwell painting, "Freedom From Want" (for one thing, only an austere Puritan would drink water instead of a fine French wine during a feast).
We always had roast turkey and gravy to be sure - but we prefer Mom's Persian-style holiday pilaf with dried fruit and nuts instead of stuffing and sweet potatoes. And our table always groaned with foods people throughout the Mediterranean, North Africa and Middle East couldn't conceive of going without during any holiday meal: Several varieties of olives and cheese; stuffed grape leaves; taramasalata; a savory, melt-in-your-mouth pastry made from phyllo dough and stuffed with cheese that is variously known as bourekáki by Greeks, bourekas by Israelis and börek by Turks; a type of meatball known as kufta by Arabs and Israelis, and as keftes by Greeks).
For dessert, there’s always a pumpkin pie - but also cream puffs (Julia Child's recipe) and baklava or its variant, bourma. After the table is cleared, the hand carved, exotic wood and nacre chess and backgammon sets come out, and we take turns playing elimination rounds while sipping Italian espresso and Sambuca Romano or Turkish coffee and arak, depending on who is making the coffee (The Stiletto's brother favors the former, The Stiletto favors the latter).
Whether your Thanksgiving table includes turkey or spiral ham, green bean casserole garnished with French’s French Fried Onions or Cajun fried okra, pumpkin pie or pecan pie, The Stiletto hopes you enjoy the pleasures of a well-cooked meal and the company of your family. And whether you say grace or just observe a moment of silent contemplation before digging in, take the time to remember all the things for which you can be grateful just because you’re an American born with certain inalienable rights given to you by your Creator, which are enumerated and enshrined in our Constitution. And give thanks.
Editorial Note: If you’ve eaten too much even after promising yourself you wouldn’t, The Washington Post offers tips to help you get over that feeling that you are about to burst at the seams.
The Stiletto Blog will not publish on Friday, November 28th and will resume its thrice-weekly publishing schedule on Monday, December 1st. Meanwhile, you can keep yourself entertained with these fascinating Thanksgiving-related facts and figures.
Comments