Thanksgiving @ Chef Bolek's House

Hellu! I im vriting a pust ibuout vhet I im gung to cuok fur Thuonksgeefing. I hefe-a a reelly beeg tuorkey. I im guing to prepere-a a rub vit luts ouff fennell seeds, rusemery, gerleec, und sume-a pinches ouff clufes and lemun zest. I im zee-a guing tu stuoff zee-a tourkey vit luts ouff chestnuots, ouniuns, celery, cerruts, und, ouff, course-a luts and luts of breed. 

Bork! Bork! Bork!

(translation of English to Swedish Chef courtesy of https://funtranslations.com/chef)

Sometimes, especially around events when I am cooking for people other than myself and my immediately family, I can feel a little like the Swedish Chef. Things go wrong. Sometimes they go very wrong. (Like, the oven going kaput and me having to break down a turkey and microwaving it to a finish. If only I channeled the Swedish Chef at that moment in time, I could have at least injected some humor into that catastrophe.)

Those thoughts always hide in the recesses of my mind. I worry about whether the meal that I am about to prepare will be the best that I can make. We are hosting Thanksgiving this year and it is the first one that we are having with guests since 2019.   

To put my mind somewhat at ease, I am preparing a turkey in a style that I have done for recent Thanksgivings. I will be preparing a Turkey in the Arista Style. An Arista is a traditional recipe from Tuscany, Italy, for a pork roast. Records of the recipe go as far back as the beginning of the 13th century.  However, the story about how the dish got its name dates back to the early 15th century, when it was served to a visiting Byzantine patriarch. The visitor was so pleased with the dish, he cried out, "aristos!" The Tuscans looked puzzled and thought their visitor proclaimed "pork." Apparently, they did not understand Greek very well, because the patriarch proclaimed that the dish was "excellent." 

The ingredients that make this dish excellent can be found in the rub.  An arista is heavy on the rosemary and garlic.  Some recipes, including the one that I use, add additional flavors, such as cloves, fennel and lemon zest.  I think these flavors provide for a more interesting and tasty dish. I also think that all of these ingredients work very well with the mild taste of a turkey. That is the main reason why I have taken this pork recipe and turned into a turkey recipe.

In the past, I have prepared a Tuscan chestnut stuffing to complement this Tuscan-style turkey. However, this year it appears that chestnuts are in short supply. My local grocery store has unfortunately let me down, even though in past years it used to have a bin full of chestnuts. I would buy a pound or two of chestnuts, roast them and chop them up myself. No bin this year.  It took visits to four stores before I could find some packaged chestnuts. I guess it will save me some time because I will not have to roast them. However, I think I may experiment a little by mixing in some pecans or pistachios into the stuffing. Both of those nuts have more flavor than chestnuts and I think they could work fairly well with the other ingredients.  That might be a last minute call as I get ready to make the stuffing.

I will be preparing one other dish for this dinner:  cranberry sauce.  I had initially thought of making a Chianti Cranberry Sauce, something along the lines of this recipe. I was simply trying to build on the whole Tuscan theme. After some thought, however, I decided that I would return to a recipe that has served well at Thanksgiving: Cranberry Orange Relish. This recipe has historical roots in the United States, as it is based on recipes prepared in the taverns of colonial Williamsburg.  I found the recipe in a cookbook, entitled, Colonial Williamsburg Tavern Cookbook, which I purchased years ago when we visited the area. The recipe is clearly intended for adults, because one of its ingredients is Cointreau. I say that it is intended for adults because nothing is cooked, so all the booziness of that liquor will be present in the sauce when it is served.  The Cointreau macerates the cranberries as the dish rests in the refrigerator overnight. I have since adapted the recipe to make a kid-friendly one, substituting orange juice for the Cointreau. My kids have eaten this version during past Thanksgiving meals and they have liked it.  In the end, this dish usually makes everyone happy. 

Well, that summarizes the dishes that "Chef Bolek" will prepare this Thanksgiving. It is a lot less than a typical Thanksgiving holiday. In the past, I prepared some potato dish (such as my Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Ginger, Cardamom and Honey) and a roasted vegetable dish (like my Roasted Fall Vegetables). However, for this Thanksgiving, I am thankful that our guests will be providing those dishes and more (like an oyster stuffing, gravy and bread). It will give me more time to focus on the tasks ahead.

With that said, I hope everyone has a safe and happy Thanksgiving or should I say ...

I hupe-a iferyune-a hes a heppy thuonksgeefing! Bork! Bork! Bork!

ENJOY!