It's about the gathering
My husband is in Singapore for work. One daughter is currently in Brazil for COP 30, one lives in Boston and one is in Chicago. All of them will converge at our home in Hastings next week for Thanksgiving. Each one of them has very strong opinions about what should be on that holiday table. Did I mention they were strong opinions?
So the family group chat this week is rife with culinary emoji-laced negotiations... A shaved Brussels sprouts salad, or our standby, lacinato kale Caesar? A bread-based stuffing with kale and dates and sausage or a wild-rice based dressing, such as this one with fennel and sausage? Roasted carrots with whipped tahini? Or roasted carrots with a maple glaze? There is even some debate about whether there should be a turkey on the table by some who would prefer slow-cooked osso bucco or a leg of lamb. Adding to the menu's complexity? One daughter is bringing her Polish boyfriend home for the first time. Do I need to throw in some pierogis? There will be a cranberry lemon curd tart (the one we posted last week) and an apple pie, but should there be an Agape Premium EVOO olive oil cake instead of pumpkin pie? Should the apple pie be less boring? Maybe this one with cardamom and pomegrante feels more special?
The one dish everyone can agree is a must is my mother's mashed potatoes. Nothing special about them (warm milk, quality butter, whipped old-school with a Foley mill) other than the fact that, in her hands, they came out perfect every time. My guess is they will be a group effort this year.
The good news is that once everyone has agreed on the menu, I can rely on them to be very good helpers. My stage manager daughter assigns the tasks and off we go. We put on some good tunes the minute we slip on our aprons, and then the kitchen chatter and chopping begins. We'll likely hear about the kids who convened at Da Vino's late Wednesday night, a new-ish tradition for Hastings kids who've moved away and regroup the night before Thanksgiving in the speakeasy. Around 11 a.m. someone is assigned the task of putting together a massive cheese/charcuterie and hummus board with crudités and crackers and this is what sustains us until the big meal. We sip bubbles or some "seasonal cocktail" the girls have concocted which usually includes pomegranate in some shape or form which makes them very happy.
By now, you and your family have probably settled on a menu and Saturday's shop will be all about efficiency. Right? If you want to make your holiday table as market forward as possible, get there early to make sure you get everything you need before things sell out.
Don’t forget the “little” things: butter, leeks, shallots, garlic, herbs, oil, vinegar, For butter, we have two sources: Kriemhild Meadow Butter at theLeRoux Trading tent, where you should probably also pick up some whole milk for your mashed potatoes, and b also carries meadow butter. Grab some ricotta. It's such a good addition to many recipes and best to have it on hand.
If your family makes their own grazing board, or that’s what you’ve been assigned if you’re guesting, Le Roux Trading has some wonderful cheeses from Chaseholm Creamery, Aux Bons Fromages has a nice variety of hard cheeses and SAHA Gus has their tangy Mediterranean spreads. Hit up Daniel at Larchmont Charcuterie for some smoked duck breast and rustic, cognac-laced pâté. Don’t forget to decorate with bunches of watercress or watermelon radish slices.
Thank you to all of you who have been giving so generously to our EBT/SNAP fund. We are so pleased to be able to donate generously to the Hastings Food Pantry this week AND, we are also donating market produce and proteins to Feeding Westchester. Of course, we are gleaning this week so when you grab those carrots or yams, please drop some in the gleaning basket near the Morgiewicz tent as well.
Mead Orchards has launched a Go Fund Me campaign, for Shaine, the lovely gentleman who mans the stand in Hastings, always with a smile at the ready. He recently returned to Jamaica to find his home devastated by Hurricane Melissa.
Be good to yourselves and one another this holiday.
We are getting a turkey, by the way. It will be spatch-cocked.
Happy Thanksgiving to all from the Hastings Farmers Market Family.