A Stuffing Tradition

As Thanksgiving is almost upon us, food traditions reign supreme.  Not many like an "experimental" Thanksgiving feast, with new recipes, variations on the traditional, injections of new flavors or international twists.  Really, not many of us can even imagine substituting some other meat product for the big bird....tofurkey anyone?

Yes, I am usually alone in my desires for twists on the standards.  I torture my family with a new take on cranberry sauce every year.  One year the turkey is brined, the next fried, then rubbed, then stuffed with aromatics, then roasted with a cider glaze.  Seemingly limitless experiments come out of my kitchen this time of year.  I have won over some fans, and chased away others.  Take the year that I roasted several head of fresh garlic and squeezed them into the prized mashed potatoes.  You would have thought I severed a goat's head and served it!  But, alas, once the shock wore off, I heard faint mumblings of satisfaction around the table.  I'm lucky to have pretty good sports in my family, as far as food is concerned.  They indulge me in my experimentation, are willing to try things out, and mostly nod nicely even if the dish is not their favorite edition.

But one thing remains unchanged.  My Grandfather Platt's sweet stuffing.  Papa was German, so I've often  imagined the origins of this recipe grew somewhere in the forested regions of small town Deutchland.  Maybe someone over there, years ago, some distant relative of mine had a sweet tooth and a creative mind.  Maybe they were playing with recipes for a family celebration (I guess not Thanksgiving in Germany!!) and came up with this concoction.  I don't know for sure, but it makes me happy to think so. All I really know is that it is a family food tradition for us, and we don't have too many of those.

As kids, we fought for the bowl of sweet stuffing to make it around the table to us quickly.  Yes, we still had (and liked) traditional sage stuffing, and it sat on our plate right beside the sweet stuffing and the mashed potatoes.  And they all got covered in gravy.  As we grew up and encountered those outside of our family who thought our recipe strange, we held our recipe a bit more dear.  Grandma Platt was the only one in the family who knew how to make it, or so we thought.  As Grandma got older, she bestowed on my mom her tried and true techniques.  Now, you should know, our Proud Irish Grandma did not see anything good about sweet stuffing.  This was not HER family tradition.  But she carried it on for us.  As she dutifully taught the method for making it, she would quip, "keep putting sugar in it... when you think there it far too much sugar in it, put in a little more".   So mom has become the keeper of the recipe.  And, I have to say, her version is even better than Grandma's was.

This year, mom and dad are in Florida for Thanksgiving.  I'm having Thanksgiving at April's Aunt Carol's house.  My sister and her family are busy preparing their own feast.  A few days ago, my sister called.  "Can you make us sweet stuffing?"   Though I have never made it before, I always keep a watchful eye as it is being made, so I decided to give tradition a whirl.  And, I have to say, I think Papa would give it an approving nod.  Grandma would think it was far too sweet.  Mom might add another bit of sugar.  Next we will see how my sister's clan likes it.

I give thanks to all who have sacrificed traditional tastes in the name of some of my experiments, and all who have contributed to the many many Happy Thanksgivings that my family has shared.  Enjoy all of your favorite food traditions, but don't be afraid to give some new recipes a whirl.  You may be glad you did!

Papa Platt's Sweet Stuffing


1 large bowl of stale bread cubes 
( I used 1 large loaf of Mancini's Italian bread, cubed, and lightly toasted)


1 cup of sugar
4 Tablespoons of cinnamon
sprinkle these right over top of the bread cubes


1 stick of butter
2 cups of chicken stock (or water)
heat these together on the stove until butter is melted


Pour half of liquid over the bread cube mixture.  Stir well to incorporate.  Add the rest of the liquid slowly until desired stuffing moistness is reached.  You may not need to add all the liquid, depending on bread volume.  Place in casserole dish, cover with foil, and bake at 350 for 30- 45 minutes.  

The Great Roasted Pumpkin Soup

A simple rule to remember:  roasting vegetables makes magic happen.  Last night, a fantastic vegan brussel sprouts recipe came out of a 30 minute roast with tauntingly carmelized and crispy-edges, but with soft tender middles and ever-so-slightly sweet flesh. When tossed with the maple-balsamic vinaigrette, they were worth their weight in gold.  Now granted, I love brussel sprouts more than most people I know.  In fact, I could make an entire dinner out of a big bowl of brussel sprouts, and pretty much did last night.

But today was the day to apply the roasting principle to my favorite fall soup: pumpkin.  Normally, I reserve eating this autumnal soup for special occasions, namely those that involve a chef preparing it for me.  Not that I haven't tried to match their prowess, but my home versions have fallen short.  With the passing of "birthday" week, I had the good fortune to try two different bowls of pumpkin soup while dining out.  Both were good, and quite different.  My running favorite version is served at Atria's, where a moderate spicy heat cuts through the sweetness of the pumpkin and warms your throat and tummy quite nicely.   However,  it was the second bowl, served at an upscale fish house overlooking downtown Pittsburgh for $11.95 a bowl (gasp!), that convinced me to give it a go one more time.  But this time, I was armed with the roasting weapon.

First, I must confess about the shortcut I used.  You may know that pumpkin is a winter squash, and is interchangeable in this recipe (and many others) with countless varieties of orange-fleshed winter squashes that are still available at local farmer's markets.  Run to one and stock up now!  This recipe demands a fresh squash, and not a can of pumpkin puree (don't worry, it will be worth it!).   As for me, while I have several varieties sitting on my counter, I still found a way to avoid the tricky job of carving those hard squash up into cubes.  While scurrying through the produce department at Trader Joe's, I happened upon already cut cubes of fresh butternut squash in a bag!!  Pounce on these, if you see them..... it makes this version come together so much quicker at the end of a work day.

Roasted Pumpkin Soup


Toss the pre-cut cubes (about 4-5 cups) along with a couple of chunked up onions, a few cloves of garlic, a coating of olive oil and some salt and pepper.  Spread the whole mess out in a layer on a baking sheet, and bake it at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes.  They should be soft and yielding, and starting to brown in a few places. 

Proceed with stovetop steps:


1.  Saute 2 TBSP butter in  a large heavy saucepan, along with 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, 1.5 tsp curry powder, and a pinch of ground cayenne pepper, for 2 minutes.  Add the roasted squash/ onion/ garlic mixture to the pan and toss.
2.  Pour in 3 cups of chicken stock and 2 cups of milk, and 1/2 tsp salt.  Use your immersion blender (or transfer to traditional blender), and whir till smooth. (adjust consistency as needed by altering amounts)
3.  Back in pan, heat slowly while adding 1/4 cup brown sugar, and 1/4 cup heavy cream.  Taste for seasoning.


Come to think of it, I honestly believe I would have paid $11.95 for a bowl of this and not begrudged it, it's that good.  But herein lies the trade-off:  a mound of dishes in the kitchen :(

Time for Banana Bread

Sometimes you just need to have banana bread.  Often it seems to be linked to a low pressure system parked on top of my house, spreading grayness, along with rainy, cold stretches that seep into your bones and leave you no choice but to wrap up and hibernate.  That's when banana bread comes-a-callin'.  No, not just any banana bread, but the stuff with buttermilk and chocolate chips oozing out when you slice it up.  No fooling around here.

But this takes planning ahead...a few months ahead, in fact.  That's when my bananas slipped their skin.  And I'm not even exaggerating, it really went down just like that.  I woke up one morning and my hanging bunch of bananas (hung sweetly by the sink when first home from the grocery) had slipped their skins, and were laying naked on the counter with their mottled brown clothing still dangling from on high.  I really didn't know bananas were that talented, but I hastily gathered the overripe and overexposed fruit and stuck it in the freezer.  Dreary days lay ahead, I assured myself, and those bananas are likely to come in handy!

Almost every time I get a bunch of bananas, a few end up in this over ripened predicament- though none have ever committed the striptease act before.  But, I dutifully collect the post-ripe gems, bag them and freeze them.  They are easily slipped one by one into smoothies directly from the freezer, but once you have gathered a small collection, and the gray weather bears down on your neighborhood, it's time to try out this recipe.

Buttermilk is a key ingredient here, by the way.  I've taken to keeping buttermilk on my refrigerator shelf at all times, and if I may be bold enough to suggest it, so should you.  That way, every time you whip up pancakes, quick bread, biscuits, mashed potatoes, or marinate chicken, make baked goods, etc, slip it in the recipe in place of milk.  Locally, there is no topping Marburger Dairy's old-fashioned buttermilk, in my experience.  It's the real deal, and you will notice, so keep an eye out for it.

This recipe has been built with all of these favorites, sweetened with carmel-like brown sugar, and has the addition of all-purpose whole wheat flour.  You can use regular flour, but the texture of the whole wheat is a real bonus.

Buttermilk Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

4 very ripe bananas
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp buttermilk
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups brown sugar
2 egg
2 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
2 -2/3 cups whole wheat, or all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Mash bananas, baking soda and buttermilk in bowl, set aside. Blend butter, brown sugar, egg, salt and vanilla in medium bowl. Sift and mix flour with baking powder in another larger bowl.
Add banana and butter mixtures to flour mixture; stir to combine.
Spread batter in two buttered 8 x 4 inch loaf pans. Bake in pre-heated 350 degree oven 50 to 60 minutes or until cooked through. Cool on rack.