Thanksgiving Menu + Recipes

I've never been a huge fan of Thanksgiving--in terms of symbolism it is unusually creepy even for a holiday, in terms of timing it should be in October instead, and in terms of food tradition it isn't very vegetarian friendly--and what's left after the turkey is pretty bland. For this year's thanksgiving, my stepmom and I teamed up to make a lovely, Indian-inspired meal with way m0re flavor, and we came out happy. I don't think the meat-eaters were too cut up about it either.

Appetizer
Emma's signature Fresh Avocado Salad*
Ryvita and bean chips

Main Course
Tofu and sweet potato in a spicy garam-masala'd garlic tomato sauce

Cabbage and sweet potato stir-fried with hot pepper, whole mustard seeds, and much lemon juice

Jasmine rice, yellow daal, pappadam toasted over gas flame
Cranberry-orange bread and cranberry sauce

(deli turkey for the meat-eaters)

Dessert
Pumpkin ricotta cheesecake (crustless)**

*Emma's signature Fresh Avocado Salad
Important: Avocado Choice. You must choose a just-ripe avocado, barely yielding to thumb pressure. You can use slightly riper avocados for guac, but that's not a good idea here. Pick two. (If you get them unripe ahead, you can hurry them up by putting them in a paper bag or wrapping in newspaper, and slow the ripening again if need be by putting them in the fridge).

Crush 1 tsp. whole cumin seeds lightly with a mortar and pestle, or put them in a paper bag and crush with a rolling pin or a hammer or what-have-you. No need for powder, just a little crushing to release the flavor.

Put the crushed seeds in bottom of serving bowl, add 1/2 Tbs oil, 1 small clove of garlic minced very fine, and a shaking of red pepper flakes.

Take 2 avocados. Cut each in half, remove stone. Take each half and score it in a grid pattern, then run your knife around the edge to detach it from the peel. Same technique you might use to dice a cantaloupe easily. Shake out the diced bits into the serving bowl.

Toss all together. Squeeze half a lemon over it all, add a pinch of salt (a coarser grain is nice), toss again, and serve with crackers or as a side dish.

Pumpkin Ricotta Cheesecake
I improvised this, wanting a lighter cheesecake so it wouldn't be too intimidating after stuffing myself with the main course, and being a huge fan of ricotta cakes. Measurements are hence a little rough, reconstructed from memory. It came out great, though, indicating that the basic idea can be stretched more in one direction or the other--more egg white for fluffier, different cheese ratios for different intensity levels, probably more or less squash depending on what you have, and it'll end up thicker or thinner depending on the size of your pan, but it'll be great no matter what.

Separate 3 eggs.

Beat egg yolks in one bowl with 2/3 c. brown sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla, and 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spices (I used a tsp of ginger and shakings of cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and nutmeg. Or there's the premixed spices) until homogeneous and until beaters leave the characteristic scalloped trail in the mixture.

Add 4 Tbs cream cheese and beat until well incorporated

Add 1 can cooked pumpkin (or 1-2 c pureed orange winter squash of your choice), and 4 Tbs. flour, beat well.

Add 2/3rds of a large container of ricotta, about 1 1/2 c., stir in with a wooden spoon. Set bowl aside.

Take egg whites, add pinch of salt, and beat till soft peaks form.

Fold egg whites into the main batter in two batches, being especially gentle with the second batch.

Butter and flour a springform pan. Pour batter in. Bake for about 40 min (check at 30 and evaluate). Consult an expert about what a finished cheesecake looks like when it's done.

Cool 5 min on rack in pan, then run knife around edge and remove springform sides. Let cool completely, then refrigerate 4 hours or more for best results.

You can see I omitted the crust this time, but of course all it takes is stirring a couple tablespoons of butter into crushed cookies of your choice and covering the bottom of the pan to get a graham-style crust. Whipped cream and crushed gingersnaps are good on top. Bourbon caramel might be a good bet too, but I haven't actually tested that hypothesis yet...