Recipe Ideas for Thanksgiving

Looking for recipe inspiration? The Voracious team is sharing some of our favorite Thanksgiving recipes!

V’S NUTS

2 large egg whites
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons cayenne
2 tablespoons paprika

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
4 cups pecan halves or pieces (or other nuts)

1 Preheat your oven to 350°F. In a bowl large enough to hold all the ingredients, whisk the egg whites with all your might until they form soft peaks. You can of course use an electric mixer for this, but the volume of egg whites here is small, and I usually save that gadget for larger batches.

2 In a smaller bowl, stir the sugar, cayenne, paprika, and salt to combine. Whisk the spice mix plus the Worcestershire into the egg whites. Then stir in the pecans, making sure the egg white mixture coats every nook and cranny of every nut. Line a large baking sheet with parchment, foil, or, in the best of scenarios, a Silpat silicone mat, and spread the nuts in a single layer overtop.

3 Slide the baking sheet onto the middle rack of your oven and bake for 10 minutes. Bring the baking sheet out and stir the nuts over and around. Spread them back into a single layer and put them back in the oven for an additional 10 to 13 minutes. When the egg white mixture has dried and is no longer sticky and your nuts make a flat sound when tapped with a wooden spoon, V’s Nuts are ready to come out of the oven.

4 Allow the nuts to cool on the baking sheet for about an hour, then put them in a sealed container for storage. They will keep there at room temperature for 1 month.

POTATOES BAKED IN MILK & CREAM

“Though controversial, given that I come from a mashed potato-purist family, I made the Potatoes Baked in Milk & Cream from 2019’s Canal House: Cook Something by Christopher Hirsheimer and Melissa Hamilton a couple years back – and now it’s a fixture at our Thanksgiving table. There is nothing virtuous about it, nor most gratins, but it is a perfect (hearty, rich) side dish.” – Jules

Quick Hummus Masbacha - Milk Street Tuesday Nights Mediterranean

QUICK HUMMUS MASABACHA

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
3 tablespoons pine nuts
1 to 1½ teaspoons Aleppo pepper or ½ to ¾ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 cinnamon stick
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
Three 15½-ounce cans chickpeas, drained

¼ teaspoon baking soda
2 medium cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
⅓ cup tahini
3 tablespoons lemon juice
4 scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal

In a large saucepan, combine 3 tablespoons of oil, the pine nuts, Aleppo pepper, cinnamon and 1 teaspoon salt. Heat over medium-low, stirring occasionally, until bubbling, 2 to 3 minutes. Immediately transfer to a small bowl, then return the cinnamon stick to the saucepan.

To the saucepan, add the chickpeas, baking soda, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and 4 cups water. Boil over high, then reduce to medium and cook, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until the chickpeas are tender and the skins begin to separate, 7 to 10 minutes. Measure ¼ cup of the cooking liquid into a medium bowl, then drain the chickpeas in a colander, shaking to remove as much water as possible.

Remove and discard the cinnamon stick. Transfer the garlic and ½ cup of the chickpeas to the bowl with the cooking water, then add the remaining 3 tablespoons oil. Using a fork, mash until smooth. Stir in the tahini, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper, then fold in the remaining whole chickpeas. Taste and season with salt and black pepper. Transfer to a serving bowl and top with the scallions. Drizzle with the spiced oil-nut mixture and additional olive oil.

THE GINGER BEAR

3 ounces rye
3 ounces ginger beer

Dash orange bitters
Ice cubes

In a rocks glass, stir the rye, ginger beer, and bitters with 1 large or 2 standard ice cubes.

HERBY MUSHROOM RISOTTO

“I love risotto, but don’t usually have the time to make it myself! Cooking for family or friends always gives me that excuse, and this one from Linda McCartney’s Family Kitchen is the perfect blend of savory and filling for all the plant-based eaters at the table.” – Katherine

ROASTED PURPLE SWEET POTATOES WITH ROMESCO

2 pounds medium purple
sweet potatoes
Kosher salt
ROMESCO SAUCE
1 (12-ounce) jar roasted red peppers, drained
½ cup lightly toasted blanched almonds or cashews

Juice of ½ lemon
1 garlic clove, peeled
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
½ teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon sambal oelek or chili paste
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Rinse the potatoes, place on the prepared baking sheet, and sprinkle generously with salt. Use a paring knife to poke a few holes into each potato. Roast until the tip of a paring knife slips easily into the potato, about 45 minutes.

WHILE THE POTATOES BAKE, MAKE THE ROMESCO: Combine the peppers, almonds, lemon juice, garlic, salt, sugar, and sambal in the bowl of a food processor and process to a chunky puree. With the motor running, drizzle in the olive oil and continue to process until the sauce is thick and smooth. Transfer to a bowl and season to taste with additional salt.

Split the potatoes and spoon some of the romesco sauce onto each.

PINCH ME, FRENCHIE

2 teaspoons instant dry yeast
1½ cups warm water
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 cup deeply caramelized onions
¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon picked thyme leaves
1 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano (use a Microplane)
2 cups shredded Fontina, provolone, or Gouda
Nonstick cooking spray

1 In a large bowl or in a standing mixer fitted with the dough hook, mix the yeast and warm water and let it sit for 5 minutes. Add the olive oil, flour, and salt. Mix with your hands or the hook until the dough comes together and is homogenous and elastic, about 3 minutes.

2 Coat the inside of a large bowl with cooking spray and dump the dough into it. Cover with a towel and put it in a sunny window or a generally warm spot in your kitchen. Let it rest and rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
3 While the dough proofs, mix the R-Rated Onions in a bowl with the melted butter and thyme. In another bowl, stir together the cheeses.

4 Once the dough is twice as big as it was, flour your hands and punch that dough back down where it belongs. Spray the inside of a Bundt pan with the cooking spray. Pinch off a 1/2-inch round of dough and roll between your hands to make it a little more round. Then roll it in the butter onions, followed by the cheese. Lay that down in the bottom of your Bundt pan and start doing the same thing with the rest of the dough.

5 When you have one layer of dough balls down, sprinkle about one-third of the remaining cheese and one-third of the remaining butter onions over the top. Then pinch, roll, double-douse and place the remaining balls over top. If you end up with extra cheese or extra butter onions, distribute those on top of the whole monkey.

6 Cover the Bundt pan with a towel and let the dough rise another 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F.

7 Transfer the Bundt pan to the middle rack of your oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until nicely browned on top. Bring Pinch Me, Frenchie out of the oven and let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes before you even think about turning it out of its pan. The cheese needs to cool and firm up a bit in order for the loaf to hold together.

SPICED APPLE TURNOVERS WITH MAPLE BROWN SUGAR SAUCE

“I’m much more of a dessert person and apples always remind me of fall festivities. Ayesha Curry’s apple turnovers are the perfect sweet treat to transport to Thanksgiving dinners and super easy to make.” – Jess