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What Do Turkey-Haters Eat For Thanksgiving Dinner?
By: Kelly Martin
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Turkeys rule the month of November. It’s all about the bird in a month when Americans are thinking about only one thing – Thanksgiving dinner. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, more than 45 million turkeys are cooked and eaten in the U.S. every year on Thanksgiving Day, which is one sixth of the total turkeys sold each year. But in reality, not everyone’s a fan of the bird – including those who don’t eat meat at all. What do you eat for Thanksgiving dinner if the bird is not for you? Here are recipes for alternate main course dishes – including a vegetarian option – courtesy of PBS Food.
Rosemary Roasted Leg of Lamb
Ingredients
1 leg of lamb prepared by the butcher for roasting, about 6 to 8 pounds with the bone in
4 cloves garlic peeled and chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 – 6 canned anchovies drained of oil and minced (about 1 ounce)
3 – 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons cracked black pepper
3 – 4 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon salt
1 cup white wine
1 cup veal stock
1 tablespoon butter
Directions
1. Two hours before roasting, remove the lamb from the refrigerator. Place it in a large roasting pan. Mince 4 cloves of garlic. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the garlic and mash it with the blade of a chef's knife until it is a paste. Put the garlic paste in a small bowl. Add the chopped anchovy, rosemary, pepper, mustard, and olive oil. Mix together with a rubber spatula.
2. Using the spatula evenly coat the meat with the anchovy, mustard, garlic, and rosemary paste. Cover the lamb with plastic wrap and place it in a roasting pan fitted with a wire rack. Marinate the lamb for 2 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.
3. Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees.
4. Remove the plastic wrap from the lamb, place the pan in the oven and cook for 12 minutes per pound, or until the internal temperature is 125 to 130 degrees for medium rare. Remove from the oven and allow the meat to rest for 20 minutes. This allows the juices to relax back into the meat and ensures a juicy roast.
5. Pour off the excess fat from the roasting pan. Place the pan on the stove over a low flame. Add the wine and veal stock. Let it come to a boil. Using a wooden spoon so as not to scrape up any metal, stir the pan to loosen the browned bits on the bottom of the pan.
6. Transfer to a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium and reduce the sauce to 3/4 cup. Add salt and pepper to taste, using a rosemary branch to whisk in the butter. Reserve.
7. Carve the leg of lamb across the grain into thin slices. The outside pieces will be on the medium-well side and the inner pieces will be a perfect rare to medium rare. Serve with a spring salad.
Maggie and Stella’s Hand-Hacked Seafood Potstickers
Ingredients
1 pound of potsticker* wrappers
small bowl of cold water
2 cups of chicken broth
⅓ pound each: lean ground turkey, minced prawns
¼ pound cocktail shrimp
1 cup of Napa cabbage
1 cup fresh spinach
1 green onion, minced
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon fresh ginger
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
½ teaspoon 100% sesame oil
pinch of white pepper
Directions
8. To make the filling: Chop by hand: turkey, seafood, cabbage, spinach, green onion, garlic, and ginger. Place mixture into a bowl, add soy sauce, sesame oil, and white pepper.
9. To assemble potstickers: Spoon 1 tablespoon of the filling into the center of each potsticker wrapper. Fold dough over to make a half-circle, and moisten bottom half-circle with a small amount of water. Pleat edges firmly, forming 3-4 pleats on the top half-circle. Set each potsticker upright on a platter, so a flat base is formed.
10. To cook potstickers: Heat a 12" nonstick fry pan** with 1 tablespoon oil. Place the potstickers close to one another. Brown the potstickers, about 30 seconds. Pour in enough broth to cover potstickers halfway. Cover and cook over moderate heat for five minutes, until liquid evaporates. Use a spatula to remove potstickers carefully. Turn each potsticker over, dark side up, and place on a platter to serve.
Tips/Techniques
Fill little dishes with an assortment of hot chili oil, vinegar, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Mix dipping ingredients to suit individual taste.
* “suey gow” wrappers are recommended, if they are available, as they are lighter, and you can taste more of the filling.
** A non-stick fry pan requires less oil than a cast iron pan, and the potstickers slip out of the fry pan easily.
Autumn Squash Lasagna
Ingredients
1 20-ounce package turkey sausage
1 1/2 cups onion chopped
1 lb. mushrooms sliced
3 cloves garlic minced
2 1/2 tablespoons rubbed sage
3 cups squash cooked and mashed (butternut, Hubbard, acorn, pumpkin, or kabocha)
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese grated
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 to 1 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 lb. Fontina cheese shredded
2 cups mozzarella or pizza blend cheese shredded
1 8-ounce package oven-ready lasagna noodles
1 pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large skillet, crumble sausage and brown evenly. Remove from pan. Add onion, mushrooms and two-thirds of garlic to pan drippings. Saute until onion is clear and mushrooms are limp. Stir in 2 tablespoons sage and return sausage to pan to heat through.
In a large mixing bowl, combine squash with ricotta, Parmesan, 1/2 tablespoon sage, remaining garlic, eggs, salt and pepper. Add enough broth to achieve consistency of a thick sauce.
Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with nonstick spray. Spread a small amount of squash mixture in bottom of plan and top with layer of lasagna noodles. Cover with half of sausage mixture and half of cheese. Repeat layers, and finish by topping with cheese.
Bake covered for 35 minutes. Remove cover and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, or until bubbly and lightly browned.