Cookaholics Bulletin Board

All,

I realize its early to be thinking about this, but the sweetie and I were chatting and I'm not sure what cuisine I want to do for Thanksgiving. To date, I've done Turkish, Georgian, Italian, Austrian, San Franciscan, Creole, Spanish, and Ecuadorean. Usually I make a trip somewhere interesting, or get a new cookbook, which inspires me. But this year's big trip was Australia, so no help there. And the cookbooks this year have been all Asian, and somehow East/southeast Asian seems just wrong for tyday.

So, thoughts/ideas? Keep in mind that any cuisine needs to support a veggie/seafood meal.

And is anyone else planning a nontraditional thanksgiving?

Josh,

What about doing Greek? Plenty of great vegetarian and seafood options.

Me, I always do traditional...it's what's expected, and besides I love a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.

Amy

Smörgåsbord? Maybe not a lot of vegetarian options, but you can sure get your fish on.

I'm already thinking of it. I'm leaning towards something Italianesque.

Tofurkey? I'd go with a Latin American vibe. For some reason mole sounds appropriate, and you can bring in pumpkin too...

I'm a little shy to post, as I am primarily lurking in order to learn more from you all. However, quite a while ago Wino invited me to post, and I couldn't resist the opportunity to ask why Australia is no help in terms of a nontraditional Thanksgiving! My husband is from Melbourne, and while recognizable, the food is a lot different than what we have (at least what we have here in the southeast). It's a fusion of traditional English, with Mediterranean influences (from the Italian and Greek immigrants), more recently spiced with Asian influences. For example, if not following the traditional English route, a common Christmas dinner would be something like:

Appies -- dips (tzasiki, beetroot, hummus, spicy roasted red pepper) served with pide bread which is a large soft bread that is like a puffy flatbread (not what we know as pita bread). Usually also served with olives, roasted nuts, and good feta
Main -- seafood feast (oysters, baked whole fish with some type of sauce like aoli and/or a pesto, prawn cocktail with their mayo-based cocktail sauce, smoked fish)
Big salad
Interesting Veg (for example, grilled zucchini with feta and mint, roasted root vegetables with creme fraiche and arugula pesto, roasted onion tart)
Great bread
Dessert (pavlova, cream-filled lamingtons, caramel slice, fruitcake, plum pudding, anything with passionfruit)

Hmmm, I had planned to do a semi-traditional Thanksgiving, but you've made me wonder whether we should go Australian style since we'll be at the beach!

Linda,

Please don't be shy around any of us...we love discussion! And, I personally want the meal you posted for dinner tonight.

Amy

I would go with Persian (my sister-in-law in Persian and there's some great dishes there) or I'd keep it in the U.S. and do either the Pacific Northwest or (I humbly suggest) New England.

And I agree with Linda about Australia - if you'd like to more great ideas, take a look at the dishes that the EYB readers have posted on one of my cookbook giveaways (this one's only for Australias and New Zealanders), but I asked them for dishes that would capture the unique character of food from that region. You can see it at: http://www.eatyourbooks.com/blog/2013/9 ... us-kitchen

And why haven't you entered the one for Mollie Katzen's new vegetarian book: The Heart of the Plate (at http://www.eatyourbooks.com/blog/2013/9 ... generation). It sounds like a great book.

Howdy, Linda!

The problem with Australian as a theme is that it's too much like what we normally eat every weekend here on the West Coast of the US -- Asian-Mediterranean Fusion. The only things I ate in Wellington, Melbourne or Canberra which I wouldn't get at home were roo and pavlova, and I learned I don't like either. It's Trans-Pacific Cuisine

I did Mexican already, I'd forgotten -- just last year, cooking from Truly Mexican. Greek is a possibility; I didn't realize that I hadn't done Greek until Amy mentioned it. Lindsay: I don't know much Persian cuisine which isn't meat; recommendations? I also don't know much in the way of good New England food. Although Saveur had an article on Prince Edward Island just this month.

JB, I did "Lake Como" as a theme one year for TY Day. It featured whole trout pan-fried with sage; I don't remember the rest of the menu, but I do remember that it worked out well.

Aaaagghh! Testing my geography!

JB,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Como

I will never forget the 2005 IETF conference, which they let me know was a Lake Como *after* I turned down an opportunity to speak there.