New exciting sides for turkey day
Regina Murphy
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Have you sent in your Turkeybiter yet? The newsroom would love to hear from you and what your plans are for the annual gathering of thankfulness.
It’s a long-standing Gazette tradition to share your plans with the community, and the Turkeybiters are often quite charming and humorous, especially when the kids write them.
If you are staying in town, your Turkeybiter will come out during the holiday; if you’re leaving, we will hold it until you return. Want more information? Call the Gazette at 342-4800.
This first Thanksgiving recipe may seem odd, given that there could be snow (or ice) by Nov. 22, but “Down South” there’s just as much of a likelihood that you’ll be wearing shorts on Thanksgiving day. So, instead of a hot pie with hot coffee, how about a frothy, creamy cold pumpkin treat?
SOUTHERN PUMPKIN SMOOTHIE
2 cups canned pumpkin
1/2 cup vanilla soy milk
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
1 Tbsp. pumpkin spice
1/2 lemon, juiced
Vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups crushed ice
2 naval oranges
1 cup low-fat whipping cream
5 tsp. powdered sugar
Cinnamon sticks, for garnish
In a blender, combine pumpkin, soy milk, yogurt, pumpkin spice, juice of half a lemon, and 1 dash of vanilla extract. Blend together until smooth, and begin adding the ice while continuing to blend. When mixture is thick and creamy, stop and hold in refrigerator at least 30 minutes.
Cut off the top 1/3 of each orange. Remove the insides and keep the resulting orange rind cup. In a medium mixing bowl, combine cream, powdered sugar, and two more dashes of vanilla extract; then whip on high until a stiff peak forms.
Transfer the smoothie into the orange rind, and garnish with extra whipped cream and cinnamon sticks. Yum!
Judy Conway sent this next recipe a few months ago and I didn’t have room for it at the time. She says: “This recipe always makes the receiver a very, very happy person! So delicious and so easy to make.” She’s right!
JUDY’S ULTIMATE CHOCOLATE
TRUFFLE PIE
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
1-1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup sifted confectioners’ sugar
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1 (9-inch) prepared chocolate cookie crumb crust
Combine chocolate chips and 1/2 of the cream in a microwavable bowl. Cook on high for one to two minutes, stirring every 30 seconds until smooth. Cool to room temperature. Stir in sugar and vanilla. Set aside.
Beat the rest of the cream in a small bowl until soft peaks form. Beat in chocolate mixture on high speed a third at a time. Mix well and spoon into crust. Refrigerate at least 8 hours before serving. What could be simpler?
Connie Fairbanks e-mailed me a lovely northwestern recipe. It’s from a sizable island off the coast of Washington state called “Lummi”. She’ll be coming back to town this spring to do a book signing at the Town Crier, so keep your ears open! Candied ginger can be a little hard to come by, but if you’re in one of the big towns (or better yet, at Penzey’s Spices in Overland Park), you can get just enough for the recipe without spending a ton of money. There’s really no substitute, so don’t skip it.
LUMMI ISLAND-STYLE YAMS
4 large garnet yams or sweet potatoes, washed with skins left on
3/4 - 1 cup coconut milk (shake the can before using)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon, or to taste
1 Tbsp. candied ginger (chopped), or to taste
Roast yams in a 400 degree oven until fork tender. Cool and remove skins. Place the pulp in a medium saucepan and add the rest of the ingredients. Mash and mix together until combined. Place over low heat and simmer until the ginger has melted, and the mixture bubbles. Serves four!
Connie says, “Coconut milk can be found in the Asian section of your grocery store.” I had the honor of attending a fabulous Octoberfest party at David and Su J Mai’s house the other weekend. It was a potluck, and the food was so darn good! Tracey Graham brought these cabbage rolls and they were delicious — you’ll love them, plus they’re vegetarian! She adapted this from the cookbook “Tofu Goes West” by Gary Landgrebe. You have three things to do: a filling, a topping and a sauce.
TRACEY’S TOFU
CABBAGE ROLL
1 medium cabbage
FILLING:
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
4 large cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 lbs. tofu, squeezed dry and crumbled
1 15-oz. can tomato sauce
1/2 cup okra, roasted and chopped
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup cooked rice
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. paprika
GARNISH:
1 medium onion, sliced into half-rings
1 medium bell pepper, chopped
4 large cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup golden raisins
SAUCE:
1 15-oz. can tomato sauce
1/4 cup water
1/4 tsp. ea. salt and pepper
Remove the core from the cabbage and steam over boiling water for 5 minutes. Carefully peel off 10 or 12 outer leaves. Sauté the onion, bell pepper and garlic for the filling in the olive oil until tender. Remove from heat and stir in the remaining filling ingredients. Toss together the garnish ingredients and build the sauce.
Lay out the cabbage leaves and place 1/2 cup filling in the center. If the leaves are small, you can use two to make the roll. Fold the ends over the filling and roll the sides around to make a package. Place seam side down in an oiled casserole dish.
Spread the garnish over the rolls and top with the sauce. Bake, covered, at 350 degrees for one hour. Dish them out with a big spoon and enjoy!
Next week we have some talented youths from a local 4-H Club. They get together every year to make something special for everyone to share!
It’s time for me to challenge you. I know it’s tough. I know its Thanksgiving. Regardless, we must publish a food column on Nov. 14! It just so happens that Nov. 17 is Handmade Bread Day, and handmade bread is a delicious accompaniment to the holidays, so how about it? What’s your best (not TOO hard to make) handmade bread recipe?
The address is Murphy’s Menu, The Emporia Gazette, P.O. Drawer C, Emporia or e-mail to murphysmenu@yahoo.com. The deadline is 5 p.m. Tuesday. Let’s get cooking!