Posted on 11/17/2022 3:10:07 PM PST by nickcarraway
Turkey is a classic main course for Thanksgiving dinner, but that certainly doesn't mean you have to serve it. We've rounded up plenty of alternative Thanksgiving dinner ideas that can take center stage at your table, including Pomegranate-Glazed Salmon with Oranges, Olives, and Herbs, Crackling Coppa Roast with Fennel and Onions, and Garlic-Butter Rib Roast. Need something meatless? We've got veggie "steak" options for that, too. Read on for those recipes, and even more alternatives to turkey for Thanksgiving dinner.
01 of 19 Beef Chuck Eye Roast with Paprika-Herb Rub Beef Chuck Eye Roast with Paprika-Herb Rub © JOHN KERNICK This simple, flavorful beef roast — rubbed with thyme, paprika, and cumin — is made with chuck eye, a cut from the chuck portion of the rib-eye muscle.
02 of 19 Honey-and-Lemon-Glazed Roast Chicken Honey-and-Lemon-Glazed Roast Chicken. Photo © Fredrika Stjärne © FREDRIKA STJÄRNE Inspired by the beautifully browned Peking duck, Piero Incisa Della Rocchetta brushes chickens with a mixture of soy sauce and honey from the beehives in his Patagonia vineyards.
03 of 19 Pork Loin Braised with Mushrooms and Wine Pork Loin Braised with Mushrooms and Wine Recipe GREG DUPREE Fistfuls of fresh herbs, fragrant strips of orange peel, and plenty of garlic perfume in this comforting Corsican dish. The jus is vibrant and richly seasoned; ladle extra over the polenta on each plate.
04 of 19 Buttermilk-Marinated Quail with Herbed Raita and Blood Oranges Buttermilk-Marinated Quail with Herbed Raita and Blood Oranges CHRISTOPHER TESTANI "What I love about this recipe, in terms of the ingredients and method, is that the mint and charred flavors are reminiscent of summertime despite the chill of winter," Maneet Chauhan says.
05 of 19 Roasted Lamb Chops with Brown Sugar-Rum Glaze Roasted Lamb Chops with Brown Sugar Rum Glaze KELLY MARSHALL With plenty of garlic and rubbed sage to brighten savory, gamey lamb, these roasted chops are bold and balanced. If the glaze begins to set before serving, gently warm it over low heat. Chef and cookbook author Alexander Smalls serves these lamb chops at his epic dinner parties at his apartment in Harlem.
06 of 19 Crackling Coppa Roast with Fennel and Onions Crackling Coppa Roast with Fennel and Onions ERIN KUNKEL Ask your butcher for pork shoulder with an untrimmed fat cap (about 3/4-inch thick) for this recipe; the fat renders as the pork roasts, simultaneously getting crispy while basting the meat with its flavorful juices. The fennel cooks down into a rich and jammy condiment that complements every bite.
07 of 19 Herb-Roasted King Salmon with Pinot Noir Sauce Herb-Roasted King Salmon with Pinot Noir Sauce Recipe JUSTIN WALKER Originally served at Seattle's Hotel Sorrento by chef David Pisegna, this throwback salmon dish stands the test of time. We simplified the original recipe but didn't change a thing about the velvety, wine-blushed beurre blanc; keep it warm and serve it immediately for the best results.
08 of 19 King Oyster Mushroom Steaks with Pesto and Almond Aillade King Oyster Mushroom Steaks PHOTO BY DAVID MALOSH / PROP STYLING BY AMY WILSON / FOOD STYLING BY MAGGIE RUGGIERO Chef Julia Sullivan employs a duo of cast-iron skillets to prepare these tender, crispy-edged mushroom steaks; one for cooking the mushrooms, the other for pressing them flat so they cook evenly. Buttery roasted almonds balance the sharper notes of garlic and lemon in this rustic French sauce.
09 of 19 Spiced Brown Sugar Ham with Apple Jus Spiced Brown Sugar Ham with Apple Jus © MARCUS NILSSON The secret to this super-tender ham is keeping it wrapped in foil while it's cooking and resting, letting it reabsorb any moisture released during the cooking process. "If you can't pick up the foil-wrapped ham without burning yourself, then it's not done resting!" says pork pro Kevin Gillespie, chef at Revival in Decatur.
10 of 19 Greens-and-Cheese-Stuffed Cinderella Pumpkin Greens-and-Cheese Stuffed Cinderella Pumpkin PHOTO BY JENNIFER CAUSEY / FOOD STYLING BY CHELSEA ZIMMER / PROP STYLING BY CHRISTINA DALEY Inspired by Cassie Piuma's squash spanakopita at her restaurant, Sarma, in Somerville, Massachusetts, this stuffed pumpkin is filled with a nutty, creamy blend of Gruyère and feta cheeses; sweet, anise-scented fennel; and hearty green lacinato kale for a stunning vegetarian main dish fit for any holiday table.
11 of 19 Roasted Cornish Game Hens Cornish Game Hen PHOTO BY JENNIFER CAUSEY / FOOD STYLING BY ALI RAMEE / PROP STYLING BY CHRISTINA DALEY These Cornish hens are flavor-packed with aromatic herbs, fresh lemons, and garlic. Coated in a lemon-garlic-herb puree, stuffed with garlic and lemon wedges, and neatly trussed, the hens are roasted on top of a bed of fresh rosemary and thyme sprigs. The roasted birds are drizzled with butter-fortified pan juices just before serving.
12 of 19 Banana Leaf-Wrapped Lamb Shank Tamales with Morita Chile Salsa DYLAN + JENI These smoky braised-lamb tamales, a favorite at event producer Paola Briseño González's holiday tamal parties, get a pop of freshness from bright cilantro-onion relish, while a wrapper of banana leaves perfumes the masa with a softly sweet aroma as they steam. The banana leaf wrappers also yield tamales with a dense, custard-like texture. The rich, slow-cooked flavor of lamb shanks is the perfect partner for the intense smokiness of Morita chiles; substitute chipotles in a pinch.
13 of 19 Buttermilk Macaroni and Cheese with Baby Kale
KELLY MARSHALL A quick sauté renders baby kale leaves perfectly tender, allowing them to almost melt into the buttermilk-enriched béchamel in chef and cookbook author Alexander Smalls' version of mac and cheese. For a smooth sauce, make sure all of the dairy is at room temperature.
14 of 19 Pork Chop au Poivre with Red Wine–Shallot Sauce Steak who? This bone-in pork chop riff on the classic French au poivre preparation is so good, we may never go back to beef. Using a blend of peppercorns, not just classic black, adds notes of floral and vegetal spice to this simple dish. Splurge on the Pierre Poivre N.7 from La Boîte master spice blender Lior Lev Sercarz, or grind your own. Be sure to grind the peppercorns just before cooking to release the fresh aroma.
15 of 19 Garlic-Butter Rib Roast Garlic butter prime rib This impressive, flavor-packed rib roast is perfect for a celebration. The secret? A compound butter made with garlic, anchovies, herbs, and shallot. Half of it is slathered all over the roast before it goes into the oven; the other half is rolled up into a log, chilled, and then sliced into medallions to serve with each slice of beef. Special order the rib roast from a local butcher, asking for one with nice marbling and an even fat cap.
16 of 19 Leg of Lamb with Fingerling Potatoes and Leeks leg of lamb
Incredibly easy to prepare, this bone-in leg of lamb is coated with an herby, pleasantly salty crust before marinating in the refrigerator for about eight hours. The dry brine results in a juicy, tender, and deliciously garlicky lamb roast.
17 of 19 Braised Duck Legs with Spaetzle and Mushroom Ragout
DAVID MALOSH Inspired by German celebratory harvest meals from centuries past, this comforting braised dish trades the traditional goose leg quarters for easier-to-source duck, served on a bed of buttery-crisp spaetzle and saucy mushrooms. A beurre manié — a quick mash of softened butter and flour — is the key to thickening the delicious sauce in this braise.
18 of 19 Pomegranate-Glazed Salmon with Oranges, Olives, and Herbs
ANTONIS ACHILLEOS "Tart and just barely sweet, the pomegranate molasses cuts through the richness of the fish while creating a gorgeous, shimmering glaze; the olives balance the bright flavors of the salad with their soft salinity and luxe butteriness," Andrea Slonecker says. "One good pairing for wild salmon is Oregon Pinot Noir, but here, a dry or slightly off-dry Oregon Riesling is perfect. Replete with zingy acidity, it perfectly counterbalances the richness of the fatty, flavorsome fish and stands up to the bright salad and tart, fruity glaze."
19 of 19 Roasted Broccoli Steaks with Tomato Butter and Tapenade
Here, chef Greg Vernick treats broccoli like a steak, roasting it at a high temperature on a preheated pan to achieve a lightly charred crust. Cooked on the same pan, umami-packed tomatoes blend up into a super-quick sauce enriched with just the right amount of butter.
How about something exotic:
Kinda like TurDucken, but ‘sustainable’:
GraCricAnt
A grasshopper stuffed with a Cricket stuffed with an Ant?
I was at the grocery store yesterday and turkeys were plentiful and affordable.
They even had real butter on sale, $4 for TWO one pound packages.
I haven't seen butter that cheap in a long time.
Turkey sucks.
Go with the faux turkey Marie made attempting to
have her family ‘eat healthy’.
Memory escapes but believe it was gelatin based tofu.
It looked so pathetic once she added the turkey frills
to its legs.
If all else fails, “A Christmas Story” = Chinese food
Oh, for God's sake...Why not just put on lipstick and a dress.
Herb-Roasted King Salmon with Pinot Noir Sauce
Originally served at Seattle’s Hotel Sorrento by chef David Pisegna (and published in The Best of Food & Wine collection from 1988), this throwback salmon dish stands the test of time. We simplified the original recipe, but didn’t change a thing about the velvety, wine-blushed beurre blanc; keep it warm and serve it immediately for the best results.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons plus 4 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided
2/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh wild mushrooms (about 2 1/4 ounces)
2 large shallots, chopped
1 cup Pinot Noir wine
10 tarragon sprigs, divided, plus fresh tarragon leaves, for garnish
10 thyme sprigs, divided
10 fennel frond sprigs, divided, plus chopped fennel fronds, for garnish
1 cup fish stock or bottled clam juice (such as Bar Harbor)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup unsalted butter (8 ounces), cut into 1/2-inch pieces, divided
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
3/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided
1 (3 1/2-pound) skin-on salmon side (preferably king salmon), cut into 10 (5 1/2-ounce) portions and patted dry with paper towels
Directions
Preheat oven to 400°F. Heat 4 teaspoons oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high. Add mushrooms and shallots; cook, stirring often, until shallots are softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in wine, 2 tarragon sprigs, 2 thyme sprigs, and 2 fennel sprigs. Return mixture to a simmer over medium-high, and cook until wine is reduced by half, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in stock and cream, and return to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced to about 2/3 cup, 18 to 22 minutes.
Remove sauce from heat, and gradually whisk in 1/2 cup butter. (You may need to return saucepan to heat briefly to melt butter; do not let mixture come to a simmer or sauce will break.) Pour sauce through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a small heatproof bowl; discard solids. Stir in lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; cover to keep warm.
Season tops of salmon fillets with remaining 1 1/4 teaspoons salt and remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick or cast-iron skillet over medium-high. Add 5 salmon fillets, flesh sides down, and sear until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Flip fillets, and sear until skin is lightly browned, about 1 minute. Transfer cooked fillets, skin sides down, to an aluminum foil–lined rimmed baking sheet, spacing fillets 1/2 inch apart. Wipe skillet clean, and repeat process with remaining 1 tablespoon oil and remaining 5 salmon fillets.
Top fillets with remaining 1/2 cup cubed butter, remaining 8 tarragon sprigs, remaining 8 thyme sprigs, and remaining 8 fennel sprigs. Bake in preheated oven to desired degree of doneness, 6 to 8 minutes for medium.
Spoon about 2 tablespoons warm wine sauce onto each of 10 dinner plates. Using a spatula, carefully slide salmon fillets off their skins, leaving skins and herb sprigs on baking sheet. Pat bottoms of cooked fish with paper towels. Place fillets on sauce, skinned sides down. Garnish with tarragon leaves and fennel fronds, and serve immediately.
Suggested Pairing
Complex, raspberry-scented Oregon Pinot Noir.
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I’d probably have to drive 80 miles or so and get close to St Louis to find lamb.
Got a few meat goats here and once they and I get this hunk of woods cleaned up and converted to pasture, I’m going to swap to sheep and have my own source of lamb.
Hadn’t had lamb in 20+ years until someone recently gave me some that they got from a food pantry. It was chops and the boy loved them, as did I. Wife didn’t like them back in the day so I quit buying it.
No insects?
#19. Fools.
How about MO?
We’re having Turkey, Mashed Potatoes & Gravy, Whiskey-Glazed Carrots, Brussels Sprouts, Green Jello, Homemade Bread, Pumpkin and Apple Pie.
Beforehand, appetizers and a glass of wine or an Old Fashioned. :)
Mom sets the menu and makes assignments. And you’d BETTER not screw it up, LOL!
And, yes. It’s a cheat day from my low-carb life. I am wearing my Fat Pants. :)
“A quick sauté renders baby kale leaves perfectly tender, allowing them to almost melt into the buttermilk-enriched béchamel in chef and cookbook author Alexander Smalls’ version of mac and cheese.”
WhoTF puts KALE in Mac and Cheese? I love Kale. I grow Kale. Once in a great while I buy Kale off-season. It’s a nutritional powerhouse!
Never, EVER occurred to me to put it in Mac and Cheese!
Pshaw. I personally don't care for turkey. Left to myself, I would prefer Veal Parmesan.
LOL!
Cricket-Infused Ice Cream for Dessert!
“If all else fails, ‘A Christmas Story’ = Chinese food.”
*Raises Hand* I am the owner of those hounds that ate their Christmas Turkey, LOL!
19 Main Course Alternatives to Turkey for Thanksgiving
Let’s see...you’ve got crickets, mealworms, caterpillars, maggots, beatles...
The possibilities are endless.
For dessert you can have butterflies.
And Finally
Dumbest article of the season.
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