As you gather around the table with family and friends this Thanksgiving to enjoy good food and each other's company, try some different recipes this year to spice up your traditional feast.
MICHELLE BERNSTEIN
James Beard Award-winning chef Michelle “Michy” Bernstein, owns Michelle Bernstein Catering, Café La Trova, Sweet Liberty, and La Cañita with her husband, David Martinez. Bernstein, born and raised in Miami of Jewish and Latin descent, is the author of “Cuisine À Latina: Fresh Tastes and a World of Flavors from Michy's Miami Kitchen.”
(Michael Pisarri)
Chef Michelle Bernstein
“My favorite Thanksgiving dishes are the stuffing and the gravy, and of course, the pies,” Bernstein said.
Along with the traditional Thanksgiving dishes, Bernstein includes Latin dishes, such as chorizo stuffing, mojo marinated turkey, congri (Cuban black beans and rice), and pumpkin flan.
“I really have fun making stuffing” she said. “It adds more creativity to the mix of a classic table of food. And Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad is one of my favorite things. It's a lot to do for a salad but so worth it."
Shaved Brussel Sprouts Salad
Serves 8-12
INGREDIENTS
2 quarts brussels sprouts, shaved on a Japanese mandolin
2 cups golden raisins
3 cups green grapes, quartered
2 cups light colored yellowish green celery leaves, chiffonade
1 1/2 cups finely grated grana Padano or Reggiano cheese
1 cup finely chopped Italian parsley
1 cup fresh chopped dill
Vinaigrette
(Courtesy Michelle Bernstein)
Michelle Bernstein's Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad
1/4 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1 cup olive oil
1/4 cup brunoised shallots (diced into cubes of about 1⁄8 in. or less)
Good amount of salt and a little black pepper
PREPARATION
Saute raisins in 2 tablespoons olive oil over low heat until the raisins turn a little darker and plump up. Cool to room temperature. Toss everything together with enough of the vinaigrette to taste delicious.
CAROLE KOTKIN
(Courtesy Carole Kotkin)
Cookbook writer Carole Kotkin
Carole Kotkin's syndicated food column appears in the Miami Herald and 400 newspapers nationwide. Along with Kathy Martin, Kotkin is co-author of “MmmMiami Tempting Tropical Tastes for Home Cooks Everywhere.”
"For me, it’s all about the turkey," Kotkin said. "Depending on the crowd, I buy a 20-pound bird and dry brine it. I plan ahead. A dry-brined whole turkey must sit in the refrigerator for 12 to 72 hours. The brine mixture I use is 1 tablespoon of kosher salt for every 5 pounds of turkey, 1 teaspoon white or brown sugar, freshly ground black pepper to taste, and dried herbs such as rosemary, thyme, sage, celery seeds, etc.
"Last Thanksgiving we invited new friends to our table and asked them to bring their favorites from their family holidays.” Kotkin said. “We added arroz con gandules (Puerto Rican rice and pigeon peas), shrimp creole from New Orleans, and pastelon (sweet plantain lasagna) from the Dominican Republic.”
Carambola Cranberry Sauce, a dish from Kotkin’s cookbook, is a refreshing alternative to traditional cranberry sauce, and adds a Caribbean tropical twist to make Thanksgiving dinner extra special.
Carambola Cranberry Sauce
Serves 8-10
INGREDIENTS
4 sweet carambolas (star fruit)
2-1/3 cups orange juice
2 cups sugar
2 12-ounce bags cranberries
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
PREPARATION
Trim ends of carambolas. Set one aside. Slice remaining three carambolas into 1/2 inch crosswise slices, remove seeds, and dice.
Combine orange juice and sugar in a heavy large saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.
Add carambolas, cranberries, and ginger and cook until berries begin to pop, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat. Cool, pour into serving dish.
Peel away any brownish skin from the remaining carambola and slice into 1/4 inch crosswise slices. Arrange in a decorative pattern on top of sauce. Refrigerate. Serve either cold or at room temperature.
SARA LISS
(Courtesy Sara Liss)
Sara Liss
Sara Liss is a freelance writer who's been published in an array of publications, including the Miami Herald, Conde Nast Traveler, Fodor's Travel, Michelin Guide, and Miami.com. She is the author of “Miami Cooks,” a cookbook featuring the chefs and recipes of Miami's best restaurants.
“I'm all about the classic dishes but I love when hosts bring something personal to the menu, like a dish from their family's tradition,” Liss said. “Since we usually do Thanksgiving with my parents or my in-laws, there will inevitably be something from our joint Middle Eastern heritage. My mother is Persian, so she sometimes makes kuku sabzi, which is a green herb frittata, and goes well with all the savory dishes. I know turkey is the star, but I love all the iconic sides.”
A dish on her Thanksgiving menu from her “Miami Cooks” cookbook is this Persian Carrot Stew from Fooq's, a Persian restaurant that closed in 2021 during the pandemic, but is reopening later this year in Miami's Little River District.
“Always a great addition to the Thanksgiving table, the tart cherries and spicy carrots add a nice complexity to the turkey and rich sides,” she said.
Havij Ba Aloo
(Courtesy Sara Liss)
Havij Ba Aloo
(Persian Carrot and Sour Cherry Stew)
Serves 10
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons cooking oil (canola/vegetable/grapeseed)
2 large onions, julienned
3 lbs. carrots, about 15 medium, peeled and julienned, 2 inches long by ¼ inch thick
3 garlic cloves. sliced thin
1 1/2 cups dried sour cherries
4 tablespoons Havij Spice (recipe below)
Salt to taste
PREPARATION
In a medium, heavy-bottomed pot, add cooking oil and bring to a medium high heat.
Add onions and a pinch of salt. Allow onions to caramelize, stirring every so often until they are a deep brown.
Add carrots with another pinch of salt and let them sweat until slightly cooked, while still retaining their texture, about 5 minutes.
Stir in garlic and spice mix and cook until fragrant, about 5 minutes.
Add water to cover and the sour cherries, reduce by 3/4.
Havij Spice
Yield: 1 Cup
INGREDIENTS
4 cup, garam masala, available at Publix, Target, and Walmart
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon turmeric
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
PREPARATION
Pulse all ingredients in a spice grinder until well combined.