In today's A La Carte section, incomplete credit was given for the props in the vegetarian Thanksgiving photograph. The tableware was provided courtesy of Gallery 1330.
The Sun regrets the error.
Thanksgiving: a beautiful roast turkey sitting in the center of the table, bowls of giblet stuffing and gravy beside it. . . . More than any other holiday, Thanksgiving puts meat at the center of the celebration.
The powerful tradition certainly takes the guesswork out of what to serve . . . unless, of course, you, someone in your family, or one of your guests, is a vegetarian. If everyone at the table is a vegetarian, it's no problem, skip the bird. But what if your son Joe has returned from college a vegetarian, or Aunt Minnie has a new boyfriend who eats no meat, then what do you do?
Relax. The answer is delicious.
"You know how people say, 'Wow, I ate so much turkey I don't have room for anything else?' We're the people who get to eat everything else," said Charles Stahler, co-coordinator of the Baltimore-based Vegetarian Resource Group.
Vegetarians can make a feast of side dishes based on traditional ingredients but jazzed up a bit; and they would certainly appreciate a more elaborate vegetarian dish that the meat-eaters can appreciate as well.
"One thing people like to do is stuff a squash or a pumpkin as a centerpiece," Mr. Stahler said. Every year since 1982 the Vegetarian Resource Group has been holding a pre-Thanksgiving vegetarian potluck dinner, so people can get idea about what vegetarian dishes they might like to serve.
(In general, vegetarians are people who don't eat meat, fish or fowl. There are also vegans, who don't eat animal products or any animal by-products, such as eggs and dairy foods.)
Ten years ago, Mr. Stahler said, it was more unusual to have a vegetarian at the table. "But today, it's almost expected: There's going to be at least one person who doesn't eat meat."
It's true that the traditional accompaniments to Thanksgiving turkey are mostly vegetables, but it's not enough to simply let vegetarians have the first helping of mashed potatoes or cranberry preserves.
"When you look at what the traditional ingredients are, they really don't add up to a complete meal," Ms. Shaw said. "It's a matter of taking those traditional ingredients and thinking of them in new ways."
For instance, her rice stuffing with pine nuts and dried cherries "is actually a very nourishing rice dish," she said. "What I tell
people is make enough to put some in the turkey and bake some separately as a good grain dish. It works better than bread stuffing, which really isn't very nourishing."
"You want this to be a spread where someone who does eat meat can eat everything, and those who don't won't feel left out," she said; that makes it important to pay attention to the appearance of the food too. "Balance for flavor, balance for texture, balance for color," she said. "If you do a terrine, don't serve cheesecake for dessert. If you have pumpkin-y flavors in the meal, maybe you want to make apple pie instead of pumpkin."
Here are some recipes that would make a vegetarian feel right at home at the Thanksgiving table. The first is from Diana Shaw's "Almost Vegetarian."
Winter Squash Gratin Serves 4 to 6
1 pound winter squash, such as butternut, acorn, or pumpkin
1 pound cauliflower, trimmed and cut into florets
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups warm low-fat or nonfat milk
1/2 cup grated imported Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
salt and freshly ground pepper
Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Cut the squash into quarters, scoop out the seeds, and wrap each piece tightly in foil. Bake until tender, about 40 minutes. Let cool, cut off the rind, and cut the squash into small cubes.
Meanwhile, steam the cauliflower until just cooked through.
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. When it starts to sizzle, stir in the flour, and cook over low heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture is bubbling and golden.
Stir in the milk, turn the heat up to medium, and keep whisking until the mixture is smooth and thick, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk in half the cheese and all the nutmeg, salt and pepper.
Place the cubed squash and the cauliflower in an 8-inch square )) baking pan, and pour the sauce over.
Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and bake 15 minutes. Serve immediately.
The next recipe is from "Fields of Greens," by Annie Somerville (Bantam Books, 1993, $26.95).
Phyllo with Spinach,Mushrooms, Goat Cheese Serves 6
16 frozen phyllo pastry sheets
2 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 medium-size red onion, sliced (about one cup)
salt and pepper
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3/4 pound white mushrooms, sliced,
about 4 cups
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 bunches of spinach, stems removed and leaves washed,
2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs: parsley, marjoram and thyme
1 pound ricotta cheese, about 2 cups
2 eggs, beaten
1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated, about 1/3 cup
6 tablespoons unsalted butter or light olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
1/4 pound goat cheese, crumbled, about 2/3 cup
Remove phyllo pastry from freezer and let it come to room temperature while you make the filling. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet; add the onion, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and a few pinches of pepper. Saute over medium heat until the onion begins to soften and release its juices, about 5 minutes; add half the garlic and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until tender. Transfer to a bowl.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the remaining olive oil in the skillet and sear the mushrooms over high heat with 1/4 tablespoon salt and a few pinches of pepper. Cook until the mushrooms are golden brown, about 7 minutes, then add the remaining garlic; saute for 1 minute more. The pan will be browned with the mushroom juices. Add the wine to deglaze the pan and cook for a minute or two, until the pan is nearly dry. Add the mushrooms to the sauteed onions.
Heat remaining oil in skillet. Add spinach, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and a few pinches of pepper. Wilt spinach quickly over high heat, cool and drain it. Squeeze moisture out of spinach a handful at a time; it should be moist but not wet. Coarsely chop the spinach and add it to the onions and mushrooms along with the fresh herbs. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Place the ricotta in a bowl; add the eggs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon of pepper, and the Parmesan cheese. Mix thoroughly.
Heat the oven to 375 degrees. If you're using butter, melt it in a small pan and set it over hot water to keep it warm as you layer the phyllo. Unfold the dough, lay it on the counter and cover with a damp towel to keep it from drying out. Butter the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan and lay down a sheet of phyllo, brushing it lightly with butter and sprinkling it with some of the nuts. Continue layering this way with up to seven more layers of phyllo, using half the chopped nuts. Spread ricotta custard on the phyllo, followed by the vegetables. Sprinkle goat cheese over the vegetables. Layer on 8 more sheets of phyllo, brushing each lightly with butter and sprinkling with remaining nuts. Brush top layer thoroughly with butter.
Refrigerate the phyllo for 10 minutes to chill the top layer. If necessary, cut around the side of the pan to remove excess dough. Cut the phyllo into six squares and cut each square into triangles. (It's best to cut the portions before baking, because the dough will be flaky and difficult to cut afterward.) Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until golden.
The next recipe is from "Roger Verge's Vegetables in the French Style" (Artisan, $35).
Green Beans in Hazelnut Cream Serves 4
1 pound thin green beans
1/2 cup hazelnuts
3 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoon hazelnut oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup chervil leaves (see note)
Trim the ends of the beans and string if necessary. Wash in cold water and drain in a colander.
Soak hazelnuts in warm water for 15 minutes; remove their skins, dry and cut them into slices. Run hazelnuts under the broiler for a moment to toast them, or toast in a microwave oven. Set aside.
Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil and add a handful of coarse salt. Add the beans and cook at full boil for 10 to 15 minutes, uncovered.
When the beans are tender, drain and cool immediately in a bowl of ice water, but do not let them sit in the water lest they begin to lose flavor. Drain the beans and dry in a towel.
In a large bowl mix the cream and hazelnut oil and season it with salt and pepper to taste. Add the beans and mix well. Mound the beans onto four plates and sprinkle with chervil leaves and toasted hazelnuts. Serve quite cool, but not too cold.
Note: You can use dried chervil if you can't find fresh, or you can substitute a fresh herb you like.
The next recipe is from "The Practically Vegetarian Cookbook," by Josceline Dimbleby (Random House, $25).
Bell Peppers Stuffed With Eggplant Puree Serves six
3 yellow bell peppers
1 1/2 pounds of eggplant (approximately)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
8 ounces plain cottage cheese
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 teaspoon powdered sugar
2 to 3 pinches chili powder
1 rounded teaspoon finely chopped fresh mint
GARNISH:
small fresh mint leaves
chopped mint
extra chili powder, to sprinkle
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cut peppers in half lengthwise and carefully remove the seeds and white pith. Put halves into a saucepan of boiling salted water and simmer 10 minutes. Drain and stuff each pepper with a crumpled ball of foil. Pour a large glass of water in a roasting pan, put the peppers in the pan and cook them in the center of the oven 30 to 40 minutes, or until soft. (Add more water if necessary.)
Meanwhile, put eggplant under broiler about 20 minutes, turning once or twice until skin is charred black all over. As they will be very hot, peel off skin under cold water, put flesh into a strainer and press flesh down firmly with a wooden spoon to squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Place hot flesh in a food processor, adding the lemon juice, cottage cheese, garlic, sugar, chili powder and a little salt. Process until smooth, then turn mixture ,, out into a bowl and leave to cool. Stir in the chopped mint.
When the peppers are cooked, take them out of the oven and leave them to cool. Remove the foil. Put the peppers on individual serving plates and spoon the puree into them.
Sprinkle a pinch of chili powder over the top and decorate with chopped and whole fresh mint leaves.