Sunday, November 23, 2008
Food, Recipes

The comfort food of Thanksgiving

Everything about Thanksgiving spells comfort

Spark St. Jude

Everything about Thanksgiving spells comfort to me. The chill in the air, the smell coming from the chimney, the gathering of family and friends and especially an autumn-inspired menu, all evoke a sense of nostalgia and warmth on one of my very favorite holidays.

The flavors and aromas of Thanksgiving food in my family’s kitchen are unmistakable. I come from a long line of food lovers, with many cooks in the bunch. I particularly love the smells of butternut squash soup simmering with a hint of cinnamon, woody mushrooms cooking and that mixture of celery, thyme and onion that is the start of so many stuffing recipes. Believe it or not, turkey is my least favorite part of the meal!

My family has outgrown even the largest of our homes, so a few years ago, we began a new tradition of celebrating Thanksgiving at my second home: Souper Jenny restaurant in Buckhead. In the true spirit of the holiday, it gives us the space to welcome friends and family without abandon and give thanks for our many blessings.

Since the shopping, cooking and clean-up of Thanksgiving can be a source of stress for many of my friends, customers and even those in my family, I offer an “Everything but the Bird” Thanksgiving take-out menu at Souper Jenny. It’s a way for me to share my love of wholesome, home-cooked, holiday dishes with my extended family.  SP
Souper Jenny’s “Everything but the Bird” menu is available at Souper Jenny, 56 E. Andrews Drive or by calling 404-237-7687. Orders are accepted through Nov. 24. www.souperjennyatl.com.

JENNY'S VEGETARIAN APRICOT & HERB STUFFING

Serves 8 to 10

• 1 day-old baguette, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1/3 cup chopped celery leaves
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
• 1 cup turkey stock or chicken broth
• 1 egg
• 1 cup sun-dried cranberries
• 1 cup sun-dried apricots, chopped
• 1 cup toasted pecan pieces

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a heavy skillet, cook onion and celery with five tablespoons butter until soft. Transfer to a bowl and toss with bread cubes, celery leaves and sage. Cool for five minutes. Gradually add stock and egg, followed by sun-dried fruit and nuts. Transfer to a baking dish, and dot the top with butter. Bake covered for 30 minutes, and then uncovered for an additional 10 minutes.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND PUMPKING SOUP WITH POINT REYES BLEU

Serves 8

Ingredients:

• 6 pounds peeled-at-cut butternut squash
• 1 12-ounce-can pumpkin puree
• 1 sweet yellow onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
• 12 cups low-salt vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 piece point reyes bleu for crumbling on top
• 1 cup macadamia nut pieces, toasted

Instructions:

Heat soup pot. Sauté onion and rosemary until soft. Add all the other ingredients except the bleu cheese, and bring soup to a boil. Lower to a simmer, and let cook for one hour.
Turn heat off. With a hand blender, blend soup right in the pot. Salt and pepper if needed. Serve and top with a small amount of bleu cheese and toasted macadamia nuts

SUPER GREENS

Serves 8

Ingredients:

• 2 bunches fresh kale, taken off the main rib and chopped
• 2 bunches swiss chard, taken off the main rib and chopped
• 2 bunches asparagus, trimmed, two inches from bottom
• 12 ounces green beans, cleaned and cut at each end
• 2 bags of fresh, cleaned baby spinach
• 3 shallots, peeled and sliced very thin
• Extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup fig vinegar

Instructions:

Heat sauté pan. Put in two tablespoons olive oil, and start wilting all the greens in bunches. As soon as leafy greens are wilted, remove to warm platter. Asparagus and beans will take longer. You may add tiny bits of olive oil as needed. You may also salt and pepper now or at the end. In a separate smaller pan, heat pan and add olive oil. Sauté sliced shallots until they start to soften. Add the brown sugar, and sauté more until they are a nice caramel color and soft. Arrange all green vegetables on a warm platter. Sprinkle shallots on top and then slowly drizzle the fig vinegar over the platter.