Not sure what to cook this Thanksgiving?

Many people grow up with turkey for Thanksgiving and we were no exception. In our case it was not always the star, it was always about all of the other stuff, which when all put together made for one of the most enjoyable holidays of the year.

My mom, God bless her heart and soul, did not make the best turkey but her flavors were always great, so after my years of experience in kitchens in Italy and here, I have evolved a turkey procedure that recalls those flavor memories from my mom but with better technique and few added enhancements thanks to my Italian experience.

The mysteries of the universe always need pondering, but in this case, you can’t have real gravy without the turkey. Now that we have settled that heavy matter, lets see what real gravy is about.

When asked what some of the most fundamental differences between French and Italian cuisines are, my answer is quite simple (for liability reasons, subject to my being in left field); while both cuisines developed with many parallels, Italian cuisine tends towards dishes that are whole products of very few ingredients, for example braised meat-the sauce comes from the braising. So what does that have to do with the cost of tea in China? The pan drippings make the gravy, not a packet, not a jar. You roast the bird with all of the giblets, vegetables, herbs and then add a little flower, stock, seasoning and next thing you know you have “gravy”

My mom made plenty of great versions of scallop potatoes, however, this version has an altogether different origin-Gary Mennie, our executive chef at il Giallo.

As chefs, we are always trying different spins on the classics-it’s just what we do, but Gary made this one about a month ago and it was of the charts so I have concluded to incorporate this version into all subsequent Thanksgiving meals. Mom made a mean sweet potato souffle and this sort of harkens back to that, a little sweet, very creamy but no weird marshmallows on top!

This is a  staple of the Adams household was neither from my mother’s Irish grandmother nor her New Orleans upbringing, but rather from and old restaurant institution in Atlanta, where my parents settled after WW2. She would make it with yellow squash most of the time but many times with its cousin the zucchini. Like so many other of her dishes, she would start with a recipe but then tailor it to her own likes and dislikes and this one was no exception. As with the cauliflower the squashes were usually boiled but I like to brown the zucchini in a large sauté pan with onions and garlic before mixing with a little cream and eggs. This one was always a very close second to the cauliflower.

My mom’s cauliflower was always the number one fav for the whole family. It was probably right out of one the cookbooks that were the staple of American households from the 40’s and 50’s, but she would always put in her own interpretation and spin to make them her own. It was amazingly simple, boiled cauliflower, bechamel and cheddar cheese, mixed all together and baked. Now bear in mind that my mom was born in New Orleans and raised by her Irish immigrant grandmother, so that equals a clash of monumental proportions-New Orleans flair and Irish, well, not so much flair. The result was that some kind of magic happened when my mom’s hands got on those simple ingredients, or it might have been a little paprika…

Whatever it may have been, I have evolved it using a different technique of roasting the cauliflower and instead of bechamel, I use heavy cream and different cheeses like asiago. The best part always was and always will be that baked cheese on the top!

A simple and easy Thanksgiving staple.

We will be cooking this live with you in the group!