It’s gluten-free Thanksgiving all week long at my house! And I’m certain everyone is really appreciative and not at all getting burned out on traditional Thanksgiving food. I don’t care how many times the request has been made that “Maybe we should just go to Denny’s on Thanksgiving.” I know they LOVE it.
Last night we enjoyed some recipes for a gluten-free cornbread, pecan, and sausage stuffing and a butternut squash salad that I tweaked in many, many, ways; again taken from the New York magazine holiday eating piece. This time I stole from April Bloomfield, which I think is only fair given the amount of time she stole from me as I waited outside The Spotted Pig in hopes of getting a table.
The most labor intensive part of this ordeal is mixing all of the herbs and spices together before you slather them on the squash for roasting. I used a mortar and pestle, even though the instructions in the original recipe are quite different. I just love the satisfaction of grinding up a bunch of crunchy things in a bowl. It makes me feel all primitive and stuff.
As you can see in the first photo above, it’s a pretty simple salad after you’ve grinded the crap out of the marjoram & friends, made even more so since I nixed the pomegranate seeds. I have a thing about fruit in salad. Or fruit in savory main courses. Cooked fruit in pies (unless it’s citrus), and basically anything unless it’s fresh fruit. I realize it’s not okay to be so picky once you’re already eliminating everything from your diet, but I honestly can’t help it. I’m just not a fan of mixing savory and sweet unless it involves chocolate, salt, caramel, and gluten-free pretzels.
Which is why I also cut out the cranberries in this stuffing, but feel free to add. I think it’s perfect just like this –
Doesn’t that look like you just want to dive in and take a nap? Or is that weird?
Be sure when you use this recipe you buy gluten-free cornmeal, or even a gluten-free cornbread mix. Cornbread is not gluten-free, unfortunately, and you must look at labels to avoid the big sick.
By the way, I stuff my turkey with lemons and onions, never with foods I actually want to eat. Do people still do that? Are you wasting perfectly delicious bread products in the cavity of your turkey? I think it’s time to stop that tradition. No one should waste amazing gluten-free cornbread, pecan and sausage stuffing on the butthole of a bird.
Here’s how you can make these dishes as well! Continue reading
