ALT-4 Food Ideas for a non Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner
Every year, Americans everywhere celebrate Thanksgiving with the traditional Thanksgiving dinner. The old familiar dinner is typically turkey and/or ham, dressing (or stuffing,) potatoes, cranberries and a host of other dishes. The meal is topped off with traditional pies that might include mince meat, pumpkin, pecan or apple, as well as other pies. Perhaps this year, it is time for a change, and you still want to have a festive dinner, but you're looking for something different.A non traditional Thanksgiving dinner might incorporate elements of a traditional Thanksgiving meal, but with an entirely different spin or flavor. Here are some ideas for foods that can be incorporated into a more untraditional Thanksgiving meal.
The Pilgrims had a "harvest celebration" that first fall after their arrival at Plymouth Colony. Our traditional Thanksgiving meal bears little resemblance to what they would likely have served. It would be quite fitting to serve some of the things that the Pilgrims might have served.
SEAFOOD -
- Clams
- Eel
TURKEY -*Tofurkey -Vegetarians will eat tofurkey instead of regular turkey. It is tofu that is supposed to taste like turkey. Many vegetarians swear by it.*Turducken -This is a partially de-boned turkey that is stuffed with a partially de-boned duck that is then stuffed with a small de-boned chicken. What you wind up with is turkey, duck and chicken. The turkey juices will baste the duck and chicken. People might want to try this because of the novelty of it.*Fried turkey -The difference here is that the turkey is deep fat fried in a special turkey fryer. Because the cooking process involves so much hot cooking oil, there is a huge potential for fire, so many people opt to do this outdoors, minimizing the potential for accidents. For a Cajun twist on fried turkey, rub the turkey with a Cajun spice rub before cooking it. Then serve it with a Cajun glaze.
- Wild Fowl -
The Pilgrims might have eaten wild turkeys, ducks, swans and eagles. Duck is a perfectly acceptable alternative to turkey. Instead of swans or eagles, consider pheasant or other game birds that one might be able to hunt, provided they can be hunted in season.
WILD GAME -
We know from a letter written by Edward Winslow that the Pilgrims ate venison for their "harvest celebration." The Indians who joined them in their celebration hunted for the deer and contributed that.
SOUTHERN SPECIALTIES -*Delta Pride Salad -This is a salad that is made from red and green lettuces that are tossed with blue cheese, dressed and then dotted with cherry tomatoes.*Sweet Potato Pecan Balls -Instead of sweet potato or pecan pie, make sweet potato pecan balls. Start by baking and mashing sweet potatoes and then mixing them with egg yolk, butter, brown sugar, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, roasted and chopped pecans and blackberry jam.*Southern Style Pumpkin and Pecan Bread -Instead of making pumpkin or pecan pie, put the pumpkin and pecans in a sweet bread.Tarte a la Bouie -A specialty of bayou country, the crust is not at all like a regular pie crust because it is made with butter, eggs, sugar and vanilla. The filling is a custard type of filling.INTERNATIONAL FLAVORS -*Caribbean Ginger Turkey -This is a typical Caribbean way to infuse flavor into the turkey, which is made from a skinless and boneless breast. A marinade of water, soy sauce, ground ginger, garlic, dry sherry, brown sugar, lemon juice, vegetable oil and apricot jam is thoroughly blended before it is put into a plastic bag. The turkey is put in the bag with the marinade and allowed to marinate overnight.*Mediterranean Style Bread Salad -This salad is made with day old toasted bread. The best bread to use for it is Foccacio, but French bread will work, too. The bread is put in a salad bowl where it is then mixed with Romaine lettuce, red onion, cucumber, plum tomatoes, feta cheese, basil and a vinaigrette dressing.*Black Beans and Yellow Rice -This is a spicy version of beans and rice that uses cumin, chili powder, lime juice and cilantro. Saffron creates the yellow in the rice. The dish is topped with sour cream and green onions.*Cuban Bread -Cuban bread is simply a different kind of yeast bread.*Hawaiian Succotash -This is a very different spin on succotash that uses peas, carrots and rice. The rice is cooked in water, brown sugar and coconut milk. The peas, carrots and mint are then added for the last five minutes of cooking.*Pumpkin Eggnog Pie -Not unlike the traditional pumpkin pie, this pie adds egg nog to the pumpkin custard.
- Pumpkin soup -
For a first course, consider serving pumpkin or squash soup. This can be served in place of some of the starchier stuff. It will make for a much healthier meal, to be sure.Although there will undoubtedly be people who want to do something a little bit different with their Thanksgiving dinner menu, they probably won't want to do away with everything. Cooking turkey in a different way, and adding some different dishes or ways of using the traditional basic holiday ingredients is a great way to make a change without losing the true feeling of the holiday. No matter what you opt to do, Thanksgiving should always be a special time for family and friends.SOURCE:Thanksgiving menu ideas
