In the kitchen with Henny: Foods of gratitude

I fondly remember the family moments when we all gathered together for Thanksgiving at my grandmother’s apartment on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. I remember my father saying that this was not only an American holiday but also a day we could spend time together with family (as there was no work or school on Thanksgiving) – and that’s something to be grateful for. Besides, I’ll use any excuse to eat turkey and all the trimmings any time.

I come from a loud and passionate family (shocking, I know), so laughing, singing, and playing games was always a part of these special Thanksgiving moments that I still treasure.

Orange Glazed Turkey 

I love turkey all year long, but I especially love making it for Shabbat at around Thanksgiving time.

As we know, the word for turkey in Hebrew is hodu – which, coincidentally, also means giving thanks, having gratitude to Hashem. There’s always a time to give thanks, so this “hodu” recipe is good any time of the year!

Yields 8-10 servings.

• 1 whole turkey or turkey breast
• 2 onions, sliced
• 6-8 garlic cloves, peeled

Marinade: 

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 3 tbsp. honey
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1 tsp. garlic 
• 1 tsp. sweet paprika 
• ½ tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 orange, sliced in half with peel

Preheat the oven to 165C/340F.

In a pan large enough to fit the turkey, place the sliced onions, and scatter the peeled garlic cloves. In a small bowl, mix the marinade ingredients together (for a very large turkey, you can double the recipe). Place the turkey in the pan and pour the marinade over it, making sure it gets spread all over the turkey. Take one half of the orange and put it inside the cavity of the turkey, along with 1 or 2 garlic cloves. Slice the other half of the orange into thin slices and place them on top of the turkey.

Cover the pan very well with foil, and place the turkey in the oven.

For turkey breast, bake for two and a half hours, uncover and bake another 15 minutes. For a whole turkey of 7-9 kilos, bake for 4 hours, uncover and bake for another 15 minutes; 10-12 kilos need about 5 hours.

To check if the turkey is done, the juices should run clear when you insert a fork into it.

Remove from the oven and let stand for at least 30 minutes before slicing.

Green Beans Almondine

For a recent simcha, a neighbor made these green beans, and they were so well received that I had to ask her for the recipe. They are quick to make, can be prepared ahead of time, and reheat very well.

Yields 5-6 servings.

• 2 pounds fresh green beans
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• Dash of pepper
• 1 tbsp. lemon zest
• ¼ cup slivered almonds, toasted
• 2 tbsp. toasted sesame seeds

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium to high heat. Add the green beans and garlic, and stir occasionally until a bit of a crispness forms and it’s cooked through – about 6-8 minutes. Add kosher salt and pepper. Turn off the heat and let cool. Before serving, scatter the toasted almond slivers and the sesame seeds over the top. Garnish with lemon zest.

If serving at a later date, reheat the green beans while covered in the oven, and then garnish with almonds, seeds, and zest.

Cinnamon Sweet Potatoes

When you think of Thanksgiving, you think orange, cinnamon, and heart-warming foods. I learned this super-easy sweet potato recipe from my high school friend’s mom, who made it often. Everyone loved it. I sometimes add it to my Shabbat dinner to give my potato kugel a break. It’s a great complement to any Thanksgiving meal.

Yields 6 servings.

• 3-4 sweet potatoes peeled
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. cinnamon
• 1-2 tbsp. honey

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F.

Line a baking tray with baking paper, and drizzle on the olive oil. Cut round slices from the sweet potatoes, about 1 cm. in thickness, and lay a single layer of the sweet potatoes on the baking sheet (you may need two baking sheets if you run out of room). Drizzle the honey slowly over the potato rounds, and then sprinkle on the cinnamon. Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes uncovered.

Serve warm and enjoy!

Pumpkin Brownies (gluten-free) 

I see your face – pumpkin brownies?? How does that go? Yeah, I had that same reaction when this recipe popped up on my screen. But I was so intrigued, I had to try it.

I was pleasantly surprised when I tasted it not long after it came out of the oven, but the real surprise was the next morning when I took it out of the fridge and sliced a piece to have with my coffee. It was delicious and had all the elements that a good brownie needs, even though it was light on the sweet side. I happen to like dark chocolate, so this was really heavenly. I now add 2-3 tablespoons of some kind of sweetener to kick it up just a bit so more of the family will eat it, but it is still low on the sugar content.

Yields 15cm. x 22cm. pan

• 1 cup pumpkin puree (or one can)
• 1 ½ cups fine chocolate (250 gr.)
• 1 tsp. oil
• 2-3 Tbsp. honey/sugar/maple syrup
• 3 eggs

In a small pot on the stove, pour in the oil, chocolate, and pumpkin puree. Let it melt on very low heat, stirring occasionally over about 10 minutes until all the chocolate has melted and has blended in with the pumpkin. Add the honey or sugar and stir well. Let cool for about 10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 170C/350F, and line your baking pan with baking (parchment) paper.

Add the eggs one at a time to the chocolate pumpkin mixture and mix until smooth. Pour the batter into the pan and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes. A toothpick should come out mostly clear with only a few crumbs on it.

Let cool completely, cover, and place in the fridge.

These brownies taste best when served cold.

THERE IS so much to be grateful for even in these very painful times. Find the gratitude, and life will taste a lot better. Here’s to giving thanks to God for all the hidden as well as the revealed miracles we are seeing during this darkness.

May we merit to be the good we want to see in this world. 

The writer is a kitchen coach who teaches women how to meal plan and cook so they get dinner on the table and prepare for Shabbat on time. To learn more about events or one-on-one coaching: www.inthekitchenwithhenny.com