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Tasty Tidbits Tuesday
Now that I have OD’d on Reese’s peanut butter cups, malted milk balls and eaten more than my share of snack-size Snickers, I figure it’s time to start planning the Thanksgiving Day meal. I came from a family who served the same side dishes year after year (TRA-DISH- UN)! During the years my kids were growing up and Thanksgiving was a meal shared with the extended family, TRA-DISH-UN again ruled and certain sides were absolutely mandatory. Now you may be thinking I’m talking about Candied Sweet Potatoes or Giblet gravy or well you know…but what I mean is stuffed artichokes, stuffed mushrooms and a certain bread stuffing. That was how the first 40 Thanksgivings went down. I’m not criticizing those meals because I loved some of the family traditions we had; Like sitting at the table from 1pm till 9pm. After the main course, we would put a big bowl of grapes, apples and tangerines on the table and a bowl of mixed nuts (in the shells of course). Then the coffee was brewed and the pies came out. And once those dishes were cleared off the table, we played games. It could be anything from Monopoly, Family Feud or Trivial Pursuit ( you can see the chronological progression in the choice of games).
Fast forward and for the last 20 years or so, I have let my autonomy and creativity take hold. It’ has resulted in a file folder chock full of assorted recipes for a Thanksgiving dinner. Stuffing has evolved through sausage, chestnut, cornbread and herb. Depending on who’s at the table, the sides might include an old favorite such as string bean casserole known in my house as White Trash Casserole (my kids term, not mine) or even (yuk) canned cranberry sauce.
All of this distertation is not really digression but rather a lead in to my idea of posting several dishes from Thanksgivings past and present over the next couple of weeks. Maybe it’s a warning to those of you who don’t cook or who don’t like to vicariously cook through reading recipes. So you have been forewarned and let the recipes begin!!!!
ROASTED PARSNIPS with ORANGE ZEST
2 lbs. parsnips, peeled and cut into large match sticks
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
Grated zest of one orange
Heat oven to 500 degrees. Place parsnips in a large bowl; drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Turn parsnips into large roasting pan and roast, shaking pan occasionally, until golden, 10 -15 minutes.
Remove from oven, add juices and zest, and toss to coat. Return to oven and roast until parsnips have caramelized, 5 – 10 minutes. Transfer to warm bowl and serve.
Serves: 6-8 Time: 15-20 minutes
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