Thanksgiving Recipes 

In autumn, the Southern Appalachians produce an abundance of the ingredients of traditional Thanksgiving fare. What better way to give thanks and celebrate the harvest than feasting on seasonal, local food?

Here are recipes for special dishes built around local products—sweet potatoes, squash, peppers, apples, greens, onions, molasses, maple syrup, honey, cornmeal, eggs, butter, and cheese—all of which you can find at farm stores and farmers markets this month.

 Most local turkeys have sold out, but lamb, sausage, and other local meats such as trout are still available. Try these options for entrées: honey glazed rack of lamb; a chicken a that, thanks to sausage stuffing, can stand up to larger birds; and an elegant vegetarian soufflé. 

We suggest several side dishes too. Each recipe serves about four.

Sweet Potatoes Baked with Apples and Molasses

4-6 sweet potatoes

2-4 apples

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons

3 tablespoons butter

1 cup molasses

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot half filled with water to boil.

Wash sweet potatoes and place in boiling water.  Boil for about 15 minutes, or until they just begin to soften.

Meanwhile, core the apples and cut them in thick slices. Add lemon juice and salt to the slices.

In  a skillet, heat the butter until it melts and sizzles.

Add the apples to the skillet and cook them, stirring frequently, until they soften.

Remove the apples, but reserve the butter in the skillet. 

Drain the sweet potatoes, peel, and cut them into roughly 1/2-inch thick rounds.

Place the apples and sweet potatoes in a casserole dish.

Add the molasses to the skillet. Bring to a boil. 

Pour the boiling molasses mixture over the apples and sweet potatoes. Spread the coating out evenly with a spoon or spatula.

Bake for half an hour, or until the top browns and bubbles.

Baked Squash with Maple Syrup

You can also use this preparation for the squash in the soufflé recipe. Omit butter and syrup. Remove squash from skin and mash.

1 acorn squash per 2 servings, or 1 butternut squash per 4 servings

Butter

Maple syrup

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Wash squash. Pierce in several place with a knife.

Place on a baking dish and bake for 1 to 2 hours, depending on size. The skin will be tender and easy to pierce when ready to eat.

Slice squash. Scrape out seeds and string.

Top with butter. Pour maple syrup into the cavities.

Honey Glazed Rack of Lamb

Adapted from a recipe by the American Lamb Board

2 lamb racks, trimmed

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/3 cup honey

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup sherry or apple juice

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

2 teaspoons chopped mint

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place lamb on rack in shallow roasting pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

In small bowl, combine honey, soy sauce, sherry or orange juice, garlic, dry mustard and ginger.

Baste lamb with the mixture. Continue to baste with the honey mixture throughout cooking.

 Roast rack for about 30 minutes or until desired degree of doneness.

Sprinkle with chopped mint before serving.

Roast Chicken with Sausage, Cornbread, and Apple Stuffing

Whole chicken, weighing at least 6 pounds

Salt

3 table spoons butter, melted

Oil

Stuffing (see recipe below)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a baking pan with oil.

Remove the giblets and neck.  Rinse and dry the bird.  Place it on the baking pan.

Rub with salt.  Brush with butter.

Loosely fill with hot stuffing. (Reheat the stuffing in the oven or add hot stock if you made the stuffing in advance.)

Close the body and neck openings with toothpicks.

Roast in the oven for an hour and a half or more. Figure out the cooking time based on the bird’s weight. Allow an hour for the first 4 pounds, plus about 8 minutes for each additional pound and about 15 minutes extra for the stuffing

Sausage, Cornbread, and Apple Stuffing

Can’t find local poultry? Stuff a pumpkin.

Or, as many Southerners who call this dish dressing know,  stuffing stands on its own and can be served in a dish, rather than a bird. To make dressing, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the ingredients below in a baking dish and add up to an extra cup of liquids such as cream, stock, or wine. Bake for half an hour or more.

1 pound sausage

Cornbread (see recipe below)

4 tablespoons butter

2 cups onions, chopped

Bell pepper, diced

Apple, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

½ cup parsley, minced

1 teaspoon dried sage

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup stock

2 eggs, beaten

Crumble and fry the sausage in a pan until just done. The pieces should be brown throughout, but not well done.

Break cornbread into small pieces with your fingers or cube it with a knife. Toast until golden. 

Heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat until liquefied.

Cook onions, pepper, apple,  and garlic in butter about 5 minutes. 

Remove from heat and mix in parsley, sage, thyme, and salt and pepper.  Then add cornbread.

Depending on taste, add as much or as little of the stock and eggs as you like. The stuffing should be moist but not soggy.

For a variation on cornbread stuffing, take a cue from The Joy of Cooking and  make your stuffing with cumin and hot chili peppers.

Cornbread

Crumble this cornbread for stuffing. Or, to make a vegetarian entrée, add some of the following just before pouring the batter into the skillet:

1 cup diced sweet peppers. For festive color, use red, green, and yellow bell peppers.

Diced jalapeno or other hot peppers to taste

1 cup grated cheese

1 cup cooked corn kernels

¼ cup browned onions

2 tablespoons oil

1 cup cornmeal

1 cup flour

1 ½ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon baking powder

2 eggs

1 ¼ cup milk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Pour oil in iron skillet and place it in the oven to heat.

Combine cornmeal, flour, salt, and baking powder. 

In a separate bowl, beat eggs and milk.

Add dry ingredients to wet and mix. Pour in hot oil and mix.

Pour batter into heated skillet. Bake for 15 or 20 minutes, until the cornbread begins to brown on top.

Squash Soufflé

Adapted from a recipe by The American Egg Board

Oil

Sugar

1/3 cup butter

¼ cup onion, chopped

1/3 cup all purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 cup milk

2 tablespoons packed brown sugar

2 ½ cups mashed, cooked acorn squash ( see recipe above)

¼ cup apple juice or cider

6 eggs, separated

¾ teaspoon cream of tartar

Preheat  the oven to 350 degrees.

Grease the bottom and sides of a 12 x 71/2 x 2 inch baking dish with oil. Sprinkle with sugar. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, cook onion in butter until tender but not brown, about 2 minutes.

Blend in flour, salt, and nutmeg. Continue to cook over medium, stirring constantly, until mixture boils. It should be smooth and thickened.

Stir in all the milk. Add brown sugar. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture boils again.

Remove from heat. Stir in squash and juice until blended. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl at high speed,  beat egg whites with cream of tartar until stiff but not dry. The egg whites should no longer slip when the bowl is tilted.

Stir yolks into the squash and flour mixture until well blended.

Gently but thoroughly fold yolk mixture into the whites.

Carefully pour into prepared baking dish. Smooth the surface with a utensil.

Bake until puffy and delicately browned, about 40 to 45 minutes. A soufflé that is ready to eat should shake slightly when the oven rack is move gently. Serve immediately

Greenery

Oil

Greens

Onions

Red, green, and yellow bell peppers, diced

Lemon or vinegar

Salt

Pepper

Wash the greens.

Cut or tear out the stems.  Chop the stems, if you wish to eat them. You may also want to tear or cut large leaves into smaller pieces. But remember that greens shrink substantially when cooked.

Warm a splash of oil in a pan over medium heat. Add onion, peppers, and stems, if using, to the heated oil.

Sauté for about a minute. Then add the greens and cook until wilted. Stir and check consistency frequently. Cooking times vary somewhat depending on the texture of the greens. Softer spinach takes much less time than tough kale.  Sautéing takes only a few minutes. 

Flavor to taste with lemon or vinegar, salt, and pepper.