Thankful for the Grain

I have cooked all sorts of things for Thanksgiving dinner, including turkey with all the trimmings. But because I don’t eat meat, the traditional Thanksgiving feast leaves me feeling very thankful indeed for mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie.

A few years ago I decided that my family, being fairly adventurous eaters, might not mind a little variety, so I replaced the turkey with an 8-pound salmon and preserved continuity by passing cranberry relish on the side.

This break with tradition was met with enthusiasm, so the following year I greeted my Thanksgiving guests with a giant pot of bouillabaisse. While most cooks were calculating the hours of oven time per pound of bird, I was canvassing local markets for fish bones and nine kinds of Mediterranean fish.

Even my mom, the only person I know who eats turkey and gravy even in spring, declared it the best bouillabaisse she’d ever had and has since referred to Thanksgiving as Bouillabaisse Day.

Turkey seemed a thing of the past, and I decided that my family was finally ready for a completely meatless--and fishless--Thanksgiving. The hardest part was deciding on a centerpiece dish around which to build the rest of the meal.

This Thanksgiving menu, like most successful vegetarian meals, focuses on the flavors and textures of produce and grains instead of trying to hide the fact that meat is absent. The main dish is a creamy polenta made partly with semolina flour and served under a sherry-perfumed blanket of slowly caramelized pears and onions. The polenta is accompanied by sharp-tasting winter greens and tiny turnips and parsnips roasted until tender with thyme sprigs and sage leaves.

Before sitting down to dinner, offer wedges of a rustic goat cheese tart with marinated olives and peppers. Not to be left out, of course, is the traditional rich Thanksgiving pumpkin dessert. This cake is a hybrid of spicy old-fashioned gingerbread and moist, sweet pumpkin bread. Serve it in warm squares or wedges with cinnamon-rum custard sauce.

CINNAMON-RUM CUSTARD SAUCE

1 1/2 cups whole milk

1/2 cup cream

3 tablespoons sugar

2 cinnamon sticks

4 egg yolks

2 tablespoons dark rum

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

Heat milk, cream, sugar and cinnamon sticks in saucepan to just below simmer. Remove from heat, cover and let stand 10 to 15 minutes to allow cinnamon flavor to infuse. Return to heat and bring to just below simmer.

Beat egg yolks slightly. Whisk small amount hot cream mixture into yolks, then whisk yolks into hot cream mixture in saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until custard thickens enough to coat back of spoon. Remove from heat and strain. Stir in rum to taste. Chill.

Sprinkle with cinnamon before serving.

2 1/2 cups sauce. Each 2-tablespoon serving:

49 calories; 13 mg sodium; 62 mg cholesterol; 4 grams fat; 2 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 0 fiber.

ROASTED BABY TURNIPS AND PARSNIPS

2 pounds baby turnips

2 pounds parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks

3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil

Salt, pepper

10 whole sage leaves

Sprigs of 1/2 bunch thyme

Toss turnips and parsnips with olive oil to coat and season with salt and pepper to taste. Arrange in single layer in roasting pan with whole sage leaves and thyme sprigs. Roast at 425 degrees until turnips are fork tender, 30 to 45 minutes.

6 servings. Each serving:

205 calories; 158 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 7 grams fat; 35 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams protein; 4.17 grams fiber.

SEMOLINA POLENTA WITH CARAMELIZED PEARS AND ONIONS

Water

Salt

2 cups coarse polenta

1 cup semolina flour

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

1/2 cup cream

3 tablespoons olive oil

8 firm Bartlett pears, peeled, cored and quartered

4 onions, halved and sliced

Freshly ground black pepper

2 shallots, minced

2 cups dry Sherry

1 cup cream Sherry

Bring 14 cups water and 2 teaspoons salt to boil in heavy-bottomed pot. Whisk in polenta and semolina flour. Reduce heat to simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until no grainy particles remain, about 30 minutes. Add 1/4 cup water during cooking if mixture becomes too thick. Remove from heat and stir in 2 tablespoons butter and cream.

Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter with oil in skillet over medium heat. Add pears and onions and stir to coat with oil. Cook 5 minutes and reduce heat to low. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until mixture is well caramelized, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove pears and onions from skillet and set aside.

Cook shallots in same skillet over low heat, adding more oil if necessary, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add dry Sherry and cream Sherry and increase heat to high. Cook until liquid is reduced by 2/3, about 5 minutes. Season with pepper to taste. Just before serving, return pears and onions to skillet and heat gently with sauce.

To serve, mound generous servings of polenta on warmed plates and top with pear-onion mixture. (Soft polenta won’t maintain its consistency if cooled and reheated, so if you don’t use all the polenta at once, keep it warm over simmering water in a double boiler or covered in a low oven.)

6 servings. Each serving:

889 calories; 190 mg sodium; 43 mg cholesterol; 23 grams fat; 101 grams carbohydrates; 10 grams protein; 4.16 grams fiber.

PUMPKIN GINGERBREAD

6 eggs

1 1/4 cups brown sugar, packed

2 cups fresh or canned pumpkin puree

1 cup dark molasses

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted, plus extra for preparing pan

4 cups flour, plus extra for preparing pan

2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1/2 cup buttermilk

Fresh pumpkin puree is easy to make and adds a better pumpkin flavor to this moist dessert. To make fresh pumpkin puree, choose a variety of pumpkin, such as sugar pie, that is grown for cooking rather than carving. Cut in half, remove seeds and place cut-side down in baking pan with 1/4 inch of water. Bake at 400 degrees until flesh is soft, 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on size of pumpkin. Remove skin and puree flesh in food processor. A 1 1/2- to 2-pound pumpkin will yield about 2 cups puree.

Beat eggs with brown sugar until well combined. Add puree, molasses and melted butter and beat until butter is well incorporated.

Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger and cloves. Fold gently into pumpkin mixture. Fold in buttermilk.

Pour into 2 buttered and floured 8-inch square or round baking pans and bake at 350 degrees until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes. Cool slightly before cutting into squares. Serve warm or at room temperature with Cinnamon Rum Custard Sauce.

10 to 12 servings. Each of 10 servings without sauce:

577 calories; 380 mg sodium; 178 mg cholesterol; 22 grams fat; 87 grams carbohydrates; 10 grams protein; 0.96 gram fiber.

RUSTIC GOAT CHEESE GALETTE

This recipe is adapted from Joanne Weir’s “From Tapas to Meze” (Crown, 1994).

PASTRY

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled butter, cut into small pieces

1/4 cup ice water

FILLING

5 ounces goat cheese

4 ounces ricotta cheese

3 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup creme fraiche

3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Salt, pepper

2 tablespoons chopped sage

2 teaspoons lemon zest, minced

1 egg yolk

2 tablespoons cream

PASTRY

Process flour and salt in food processor to combine. Add butter and pulse until butter is distributed throughout flour but small lumps are visible. Add ice water and pulse just until mixture starts to come together.

Remove to lightly floured board and form into ball. Wrap in plastic wrap, flatten into disk and refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour.

Roll dough on lightly floured board 1/4-inch thick. Trim to 10- or 11-inch circle and transfer to baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Chill.

FILLING

Combine goat cheese, ricotta, mozzarella, creme frai^che, Parmesan, salt and pepper to taste, sage and lemon zest. Spread on pastry circle, leaving 1 1/2-inch border with no filling. Fold border toward inside of tart, pleating edge to make decorative free-form edge. Beat egg yolk and cream in small bowl and brush over edge of pastry.

Place tart in 375-degree oven and immediately reduce temperature to 350 degrees. Bake tart until crust in lightly browned, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool slightly and slice into wedges. Serve with olives and Marinated Roasted Peppers.

6 servings. Each serving without olives or peppers:

433 calories; 622 mg sodium; 130 mg cholesterol; 31 grams fat; 24 grams carbohydrates; 15 grams protein; 0.12 gram fiber.

MARINATED ROASTED PEPPERS

6 to 8 assorted sweet peppers, such as bell, Hungarian wax or Italian sweet

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons minced garlic

Salt, pepper

Hold each pepper with tongs directly over high flame of gas burner. Turn until skin is blackened evenly. (Or place peppers on baking sheet and broil until skin blackens. Turn and roast other side until skin is blackened.)

Place peppers in bowl covered with plastic wrap or in paper bag and let cool completely. Remove blackened skin from peppers. (Holding peppers under cold running water may make removing skin easier.)

Toss with olive oil, vinegar and garlic and season generously with salt and pepper. Serve at room temperature.

6 servings. Each serving:

108 calories; 51 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 9 grams fat; 6 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 0.35 gram fiber.

SAUTEED GREENS

Use a variety of greens, substituting the greens listed here for whatever is readily available.

2 bunches red chard

2 bunches kale

2 bunches spinach

1/2 cup olive oil

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons lemon juice

Salt, pepper

1 cup white wine

Use a variety of greens, substituting the greens listed here for whatever is readily available.

Wash chard, kale and spinach separately. Remove stems and tough ribs and tear into bite-size pieces. (Blanch tougher greens like kale in boiling salted water until crisp-tender, 1 to 2 minutes.)

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon minced garlic and cook about 1 minute; do not let brown. Add 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste and 1/4 cup white wine. Add 1/4 of chard, turning with tongs so that it wilts evenly. Add 1/4 blanched kale and continue turning. Add 1/4 spinach and cook until spinach is barely wilted. Remove greens from pan and repeat with remaining 3 batches of greens. Drain in colander before serving if necessary. Repeat with remaining greens to get four batches.

6 servings. Each serving:

224 calories; 180 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 18 grams fat; 8 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams protein; 1.26 grams fiber.

COUNTDOWN

The day before: Make custard sauce. Make pastry dough and refrigerate. Roast pumpkin and puree. Roast and marinate peppers. Bake gingerbread, cool completely and wrap in plastic wrap. Mix goat cheese filling and refrigerate.

Thanksgiving morning: Wash greens. Wash and cut turnips and parsnips and roast. Roll out pastry dough; trim into circle and refrigerate.

Up to 5 hours before: Caramelize pears and onions. Mince garlic and shallots. Blanch kale. Assemble tart and refrigerate.

1 1/2 hours before: Preheat oven for tart.

1 hour before: Bake tart. Begin cooking polenta.

30 minutes before: Saute greens. Reheat root vegetables in oven.

15 minutes before: Make sauce for polenta.

10 minutes before: Rewarm pears and onions.

Just before serving: Heat plates.

Ingredients

Shopping List

1 pint buttermilk

2 bunches red chard

1 (5-ounce) log goat cheese

1 (15-ounce) container ricotta cheese

1/4 pound fresh or regular mozzarella cheese

1 pint heavy cream

1 (6-ounce) tub creme fraiche

1 (1 pound 12-ounce) bag semolina flour

2 bunches kale

1 pint mixed marinated olives

2 ounces grated Parmesan cheese

2 pounds parsnips

8 firm Bartlett pears

6 to 8 sweet peppers, such as bell, Hungarian wax or Italian sweet

1 (1-pound bag) coarse polenta

1 (2-pound) sugar pie pumpkin or 1 (15 1/2-ounce) can pumpkin puree

1 bunch sage

2 bunches spinach

1 bunch thyme

2 pounds small turnips

Staples

Baking soda

Balsamic vinegar

1 pound butter

Brown sugar

Cinnamon

Cinnamon sticks

Ground cloves

1 dozen eggs

Flour

Garlic

Ground ginger

1 lemons

1 pint whole milk

Dark Molasses

Nutmeg

4 onions

Pepper

Dark rum

Salt

Shallots

Cream Sherry

Dry Sherry

Sugar

Olive Oil

White wine