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Many thanks to our friend Eve Fox for inviting us to post a few recipes for classic Thanksgiving dishes from her fantastic site, The Garden of Eating.  For more mouth-watering inspiration, check out her website.  Yum.

Gingered Winter Squash

(This first was originally published last spring as part of Eve’s fabulous CSA series.)

It may be spring but there are still winter squash in the CSA produce box. And, as such, there is still a need to come up with yummy new ways to eat them.

This recipe was included in the farm’s newsletter last week (adapted from Lorna Sass’s Complete Vegetarian Kitchen.) It reminded me of this delicious recipe for cider-glazed delicata squash with rosemary and sage I’d posted about last fall so I figured I’d give it a try.

It’s a nice dish — slightly spicy from the ginger, sweet, hearty, and very open to your own interpretation. For example, you can use any kind of winter squash you have on hand and then stew it in either apple cider, apple juice, or orange (or some other sweet citrus) juice, depending on what flavor you feel like or what you happen to have in the kitchen.

I served this for dinner along with a pot of long grain rice pilaf, winter greens braised in a little broth with a lot of garlic and onions (so good!), and a big pan of roasted new carrots. Not only was the meal delicious (if I do say so myself), it was also healthy, seasonal, and completely vegetarian and vegan-friendly.

Gingered Winter Squash
Serves 4

Ingredients

* 1 winter squash (butternut, delicata, acorn, etc., if you’re using a smaller squash, you may want to use two)
* 1/2 tsp grated ginger
* 1-2 cups apple cider or orange juice
* 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
* Splash of maple syrup
* Pinch of sea salt

Directions

1. Wash the squash then pierce the skin all over with the top of a paring knife. Trim both ends off the squash, then cut it in half length-wise and scoop out the seeds and any strings with a spoon. Cut each half into 1/2-inch wedges.

2. In a 2-quart saucepan, combine the juice, ginger, cinammon and salt and bring to a gentle boil.

3. Toss the squash wedges into this mixture, return to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer until the squash is tender but firm. You can add more juice or cider if you need to.

4. Once squash is cooked to desired consistency, arrange them on a plate, drizzle with maple syrup and serve.

Like this recipe? Click here to browse through more Eatwell Recipes.

Zesty Cranberry Sauce With Lots of Orange

Though cranberries are decidedly NOT local when you buy them here in northern California, there was no way I was going to skip the cranberry sauce at our Thanksgiving dinner. I consider that bowl of sweet, tart goodness to be the jewel on the Thanksgiving table. Food miles be damned this once!

I had never made cranberry sauce before and was pleasantly surprised by how simple it is. After looking at a bunch of recipes online and in cookbooks, I settled on one that is a mix of a recipe from Elise at Simply Recipes and the good old standby, The Joy of Cooking. Although it’s pretty simple, this one sounded the best to me as I always like the zesty orange flavor and I don’t personally care for nuts, raisins or spices in my cranberry sauce (though go for it, if you do!)

I’m afraid the photos don’t do the beautiful, jewel-like quality of the cranberries or the resulting sauce justice at all. I was hoping for sun today but it’s been rainy and dark all day so flash photography it is… Luckily for my family, the lack of natural light won’t affect the taste at all…

Happy Thanksgiving!

Auntie Katy’s Classic Stuffing

Can anyone tell I have Thanksgiving on the brain? My aunt Katy who is considered the “stuffing queen” in my husband’s family just shared her basic recipe with me. It’s simple and delicious.

Auntie Katy’s Classic Stuffing

Ingredients

• 1 lb white bread — use a firm white bread; a good baguette will work well
• 3 cups chopped onions
• 1 cup finely chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped white mushrooms (optional)
• 1/2 cup chopped chestnuts (optional)
• 1/2 cup minced parsley
• 2 tsps minced fresh sage (you can use more or less, depending on your taste)
• 1 tsp miced fresh thyme (you can use more or less, depending on your taste)
• 1 cup chicken stock
• Butter

Directions

1. Cube it and let it sit for a day or two, or toast it in the oven.

2. Sauté 3 cups chopped onion and 1 cup finely chopped celery in butter.

3. When onion is translucent, add a bunch of chopped white mushrooms and/or chestnuts and sauté until softened.

4. Remove from heat and stir in the minced parsely, fresh sage and thyme to taste.

5. Add salt and pepper to taste.

6. Toss with the bread cubes until well blended.

7. Moisten it all with the stock (you can also substitute an egg, if that sounds better to you.)

8. Then either stuff the bird loosely (with the stuffing in a removable cheesecloth bag) just before you are about to roast the bird, and not a moment sooner, or put it in a greased pan, dot with a boatload of butter, and bake.

9. If you bake the stuffing in the bird, you must be sure that it reaches 165 degrees (the temperature at which bacteria are killed) before you serve it. This may require additional cooking outside of the bird, hence the removable cheesecloth bag.