Roots of Thanksgiving

Everyday Kitchen -

There was a time everyone in this province celebrated Thanksgiving for the same reason - their harvest from a rocky patch of ground. They gave special thanks when the potatoes, carrots and turnips would see them through the roughest winter, stored with loving care in underground cellars dotting small communities along our coasts.

I spent several years doing research in those little towns, and discovering the ramshackle doors to long-abandoned holes in the ground always resulted in my best photographs. Maybe it was because my parents were dedicated weekend farmers and every meal was Thanksgiving dinner at our house.

Since you are probably sick of my turkey stories, let's says thanks together for our common roots.

Boiled root vegetables

A boiler on top of the stove is by far the most practical solution to feeding a crowd. If you're going traditional this year, as soon as you're finished reading the paper this morning, put a big hunk of salt meat in soak in lots of cold water - unless you like it really salty. Change the water as often as you think of it. If you're serving pease pudding, put the peas in to soak in a separate bowl at the same time. First thing Monday, put the meat on to boil. Add 1 medium peeled onion into which you have stuck 1 whole clove, if you are so inclined. Cook a typical chunk of meat 1-1/2 hours, then drain, rinse and bring back to a boil; add the peas in a pudding bag now, leaving room in the bag for them to expand. Cook an hour before starting to add the vegetables, in the order and sizes listed below. I put on the potatoes and carrots about when the turkey or roast beef comes out of the oven. That gives me time to bake stuffing and lets the meat rest up and get juicy enough for my table. This amount should easily satisfy eight with some leftovers for Tuesday.

1 large head cabbage, trimmed and quartered

1 large or 2 medium turnips, peeled, halved or quartered and cut into 1/2-inch slices

5 lbs. potatoes, peeled and very large ones halved

8 carrots - largest you can find, peeled and halved

4 to 8 parsnips, peeled

If you are cooking salt meat, taste the cooking water before adding the vegetables. If you can't taste any salt, add 1 tsp. at least. With no salt meat and this quantity of vegetables, add 2 tsp. salt to a large pot. Cabbage and turnip will probably take 45 minutes. Turnip is not at its best yet - not enough frost on it - so it might be harder and take longer. After the pot has come back to the boil and cooked 15 minutes, add the potatoes and carrots. Boil 10 minutes and add the parsnips. Cook another 20 to 30 minutes - until a fork encounters no resistance - then start taking things up as they are done. If the fork breaks the vegetable, it is heading quickly to being overcooked. Keep the vegetables and meat warm while you make gravy in the roaster and you're good to go.

Roasted root vegetables

If you're going a little less traditional this year - maybe serving a ham or leg of lamb - and your house won't be full of relatives, then consider this option. Roasting brings out all the natural sweetness of the vegetables and gravy is unnecessary. The trick here is in the size of the pieces. Turnip and white potato should be smallest; sweet potato and parsnips the largest. One more thing: make sure everything is dry - no rinse water at all remaining - and use a big enough baking dish so they have lots of room.

1 medium turnip, peeled, quartered and cut into 1/2-inch slices

2 large carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise and quartered

4 baking potatoes, peeled and quartered

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 4 to 8 pieces

2 to 4 medium parsnips, left whole

large handful green beans, whole but trimmed

3 tbsp. olive oil

3 sprigs each fresh thyme and rosemary

generous sprinkle of coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

Toss everything together and tumble onto a foil-lined baking sheet. Roast at 400 F for about 40 minutes, until golden brown and tender.

Steamed herb and butter root vegetables

Finally, for your smallest crowd, consider a steam-up. Serve these with a less traditional choice - meatloaf slathered in tomato sauce, or maybe barbecued ribs or chicken. Same vegetables as in the roasting recipe above, trimmed the same way. Set up a big pot with a couple of inches of boiling water in it and put a steamer or colander on top. Layer the vegetables in, parsnips and green beans on top. If you prefer, however, substitute a small head of bright green cabbage, coarsely shredded, for the beans. Cook 20 to 30 minutes, until everything is tender, and toss with the following just before serving:

2 tbsp. melted butter

1 handful chopped fresh Italian parsley

1 sprig fresh dill, finely chopped

coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Keep the buttered vegetables warm until ready to serve.

Cynthia Stone is a writer, editor and teacher in St. John's. Questions may be sent to her c/o The Telegram, P.O. Box 5970, St. John's, NL, A1C 5X7.