While Thanksgiving is predominantly celebrated in the USA, among other countries, there are thousands of American's living and working abroad. As a result, some aspects of it start to emerge in places like here in Ireland. Especially when it comes to food!
While there are so many similarities between an American Thanksgiving feast and a Christmas dinner in Ireland - a meat-based centerpiece, stuffing, a varieties of sides and gravy, there are are somethings that are a little bit different.
Kristin Jensen is a food writer who runs Nine Bean Rows publishing house, which has gained a huge audience through the popular Blasta Books series of cookbooks. She has lived in Ireland for over twenty years but was born outside Chicago, Illinois. She joined Ray Foley on Today FM to give some insights into what to expect from a Thanksgiving dinner.
Here are some highlights:
Turkey
Naturally, the turkey is the centerpiece of everything. It's not uncommon for people to complain about the meat being dry. However, it's not an uncommon practice for people to brine their bird. The turkey is submerged in a mix of water, salt, sugar, herbs and spices and left for around 12-24 hours before being patted dry and roasted. Fans of fire and coals might be tempted to smoke their turkey on a barbecue - a really beautiful way to get extra smoky, woody flavours into the meat. But the most adventurous people are known to deep fry theirs. Something that takes a little bit of skill, as the turkey has to be totally dry and thawed to avoid it becoming a fire risk. It's lowered into a large container of hot oil and fried for around 4 minutes per pound. While it sounds like a lot of work, the results are said to be sensational.
Stuffing
While Irish stuffing is often made with loose breadcrumbs, the style in the United States is often using cubes of bread. For a bit of variety, cornbread, which is made from maize meal, is used too. You can find loads of herbs like parsley, oregano, thyme, sage, and rosemary, as well as celery, garlic, butter, sausage meat and more. Baked inside or outside the turkey, it's a delicious complement to the Thanksgiving feast!
Green Bean Casserole
This recipe is a proper crowd pleaser and was created by the soup company Campbell's in their test kitchen back in 1955. It's simple, but delicious. A can of condensed mushroom soup, mixed with green beans and topped with shop-bought crispy onions. The result is a creamy, flavorful casserole that adds a comforting and nostalgic element to the holiday table. If you fancy it, check the official recipe here.
Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallows
Kristin mentioned this recipe to Ray on the air and he was quite horrified at it. But this is a firm favourite of many people for Thanksgiving. According to Nigella Lawson who has a recipe for it her book Feast, "it always pays to keep an open mind. I find myself strangely compelled by the luscious, syrupy purée, just tangy enough with lime to find a workable partnership with the white dots of marshmallow, tortoiseshelled by the heat of the oven". Mashed sweet potatoes with lime juice, cinnamon and butter, is placed into a casserole dish then topped with mini marshmallows. Don't knock it till you try it. Trust me!!
Catch the full chat by pressing the Play button on this page.
Food with Ray Foley, thanks to Cully & Sully, Great Food & Soup-er conversation.
