Fresh Flavors for Fall Feasting

Bringing together diverse groups to share new foods is Thanksgiving’s origin story.

Centuries later, hosts can embrace that holiday spirit by welcoming vegetarians, vegans, gluten-free diners and others following special diets to the table. The spirit shouldn’t be one of compromise but rather enhancing the celebratory meal with hearty vegetables, legumes and whole grains, seasoned with immigrant influences and presented with some autumn pageantry.

Here are my picks for wholesome recipes using the cornucopia of fall produce to compose a complete meal for everyone, regardless of dietary requirements or preferences. These recipes also could be swapped for some of Thanksgiving’s traditional side dishes to improve the meal’s overall nutritional profile, not to mention heightening its visual appeal with vibrant colors.

I tested these recipes in my own kitchen, where Thanksgiving doesn’t have a set-in-stone menu and there is always room for improvement, including making small, sometimes imperceptible, substitutions to accommodate everyone. Find these in the archives of my blog, The Whole Dish, http://blogs.esouthernoregon.com/rogue-valley-food.

­­­­­­­­­­­­­COLLARD CASSOULET

Among the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s best recipes, this Southern spin on French country cooking is one of my family favorites. If you’ve never had collard greens, they’re similar to kale or chard, just sweeter and more velvety.

The original peasant dish was devised centuries ago to stretch a bit of meat with lots of beans. For plant-based eaters, it’s easy to eliminate this recipe’s ham, bacon or sausage, even the cheese if you need to make it vegan or dairy-free. Stirring in up to 1/4 cup miso paste would replace some of the meat’s savor. You could consider choosing a gluten-free bread for the crumb topping or substitute some slivered almonds to finish the casserole with a bit of crunch.

Ingredients:

1 pound collard greens, stems and tough ribs removed

Salt, as needed

5 garlic cloves, 1 peeled and crushed and 4 peeled and chopped

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1 medium onion, peeled and chopped

1 small red bell pepper, cored and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

3 cups cooked white beans; 1/2 cup cooking liquid reserved

1/2 cup (plus more, if desired) diced or chopped cooked ham hock, sausage, chorizo or bacon

1/3 cup (plus more, if desired) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped

Pepper, to taste

1/2 cup (plus more, as needed) medium-coarse fresh breadcrumbs (see tip)

Directions:

In a large pot, cover the collards with salted water and boil over medium heat until tender, about 30 minutes. Drain well and chop into small pieces. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 475 F. Vigorously rub inside of a 10- or 12-inch gratin dish with the crushed garlic clove. Discard crushed garlic and set dish aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring often, until tender, for about 8 minutes. Add the chopped garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add collard greens, stir to coat and cook for 1 minute. Transfer to a large bowl.

Stir in the beans, meat, roughly half the Parmigiano-Reggiano, 1 tablespoon of the oil and the rosemary. Season with salt and pepper. If mixture seems too dry, add enough reserved bean cooking liquid to moisten. (If you don’t have liquid, use water.) Spread mixture in prepared dish. Top with the breadcrumbs and remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano. Drizzle with remaining olive oil.

Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake in preheated oven until hot and bubbly, for 30 to 35 minutes. Remove foil and bake until top of gratin is golden and crusty, for another 10 minutes. Serve hot.

Servings: 4-6

TIP

Save the heels of store-bought sliced bread in a resealable plastic bag in the freezer until you have enough to grind in a food processor for breadcrumbs.

CURRIED PUMPKIN SOUP

Silky, smooth squash soups have received a warm reception in recent years. Adding a little curry powder not only enhances the vibrant color but adds a slightly spicy, earthy note that tempers the squash’s natural sweetness. It’s easy to make this recipe entirely plant-based by substituting oil for butter, vegetable stock for chicken stock and a dairy substitute such as unsweetened soy, nut, oat or coconut milk. Serving this soup in hollowed-out sugar or pie pumpkins makes an already delicious dish extra special.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter

2 teaspoons curry powder

1 large onion, peeled and chopped

1 large carrot, peeled and shredded

2 cups low-sodium chicken stock

2 cups half-and-half

1 (15-ounce) can unsweetened pumpkin puree (see tip)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

1/4 cup sour cream, for serving

Toasted pumpkin or sunflower seeds, for garnish

Directions:

In a heavy soup pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the curry powder, onion and carrot. Cook, stirring, until vegetables are soft, for about 10 minutes. Add the stock and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Transfer to a blender or food processor and process until smooth.

Return mixture to soup pot and stir in the pumpkin, half-and-half, salt and white pepper. Heat over medium heat to a serving temperature. Scoop into soup bowls or pumpkin shells. Top with the sour cream and sunflower seeds.

Servings: 6

TIP

Cooked and mashed winter squash of many varieties, including butternut, can be used in place of the pumpkin puree. But many chefs swear by canned pumpkin puree (not pie filling) as a consistent, high-quality product in recipes like this one.