The Bitten Word

Apple and Sweet-Onion Vinaigrette

adapted from Gourmet (May 2008) 

Novelists steal stories from their friends. Food bloggers steal recipes.

Not too long ago, we had dinner at the home of our friends Shane and Joe. Joe mixes phenomenal cocktails. Shane is an incredibly talented cook. Shane had made an array of Indian dishes, but to start the meal, he served an amazing salad featuring the most wonderfully balanced salad dressing. It was salty and sweet, with an unusual flavor we couldn't quite put our finger on. We loved it, so of course we asked for the recipe. Turns out it's one of Shane's favorite recipes, clipped from a 2008 issue of Gourmet (look it up, kids). Shane graciously shared the recipe with us. And now here we are, sharing it with you.

It's good timing: If you're following us on Instagram, you may know that we're freshly back from Japan (as in we landed a few hours ago, can't sleep, and are writing this post in the wee hours of the morning). And this recipe is based on a famous salad from Natori, a now-defunct Japanese restaurant in New York City's East Village. 

We have loads of things to share with you from Japan. (And so much great food!)

But right now, we're going to go make a batch of this dressing and have a much needed salad. 

The 2015 Thanksgiving Index: All This Year's Food Magazine Recipes in One Handy Place

220 Thanksgiving Recipes from 10 Leading Food Magazines

Yesterday, we were all about the trends, sharing what's in and what's out for this year's Thanksgiving feast.

Today, it's all about the recipes. Below, we've categorized all 220 recipes from the 10 magazines we're tracking this year.

Of course, the November issues of these magazines feature many more recipes than this -- in order to make this list, the recipe had to be part of an explicit feature about Thanksgiving. (If a recipe doesn't have a hyperlink, it means it isn't yet available online.) 

Explore the list and share your thoughts: What sounds amazing? What sounds too wacky for your table? What might you try for this year's feast? Let us know in the comments -- and happy cooking! 

 

TURKEYS

Porchetta-Style Roast Turkey Breast (Bon Appétit)
Barbecue Spice–Brined Grilled Turkey (Bon Appétit)
Glazed and Lacquered Roast Turkey (Bon Appétit)
Two-Hour Turkey with Gravy (Cook's Country)
Applewood-Smoked Turkey  (Cooking Light)
Brown Sugar–Cured Turkey with Apple-Bourbon Gravy  (Cooking Light)
Rosemary-Orange Roast Turkey  (Cooking Light)
Citrus-Herb Roast Turkey & Gravy (Fine Cooking)
Chipotle-Butter Turkey (Food & Wine)
Citrus-and-Butter Turkey (Food & Wine)
Porchetta-Spiced Turkey with Pan Gravy (Food & Wine)
Roast Turkey with Polenta Stuffing (Food & Wine)
Soy-and-Sesame Turkey (Food & Wine)
Maple-Whiskey Turkey (Food Network)
Classic Roast Turkey (Food Network)
Lemon-Pepper Turkey with Bacon Gravy (Food Network)
Southwestern Turkey with Chipotle Gravy (Food Network) 
Herbed Turkey (Martha Stewart Living)
Molasses-and-Cider-Glazed Turkey (Martha Stewart Living)
Tamarind-Glazed Roast Turkey (Saveur)
Slow Smoked and Spice-Brined Turkey (Saveur)
Dry-Brined-and-Marinated Smoked Turkey (Southern Living) 

 

GRAVY

Gravy-Braised Turkey Legs with Cipolline Onions (Bon Appétit)
Classic Turkey Gravy with Thyme (Bon Appétit)
Maple-Whiskey Gravy (Food Network)
Classic Gravy (Food Network) 
Make-Ahead Turkey Gravy  (Cooking Light)
Make-Ahead Gravy (Southern Living) 

 

 

Spring Lasagna with Asparagus, Peas and Stinging Nettles

 A Bitten Word Recipe

Our regular farmers market, Sunday mornings in Dupont Circle, is back to bursting. The flower stands are overflowing with beautiful tulips and irises; fresh spring vegetables are everywhere, and there's an overall excited energy about the place again. We were giddy -- maybe inappropriately so -- to learn a few weeks ago that the market not only opens a half hour earlier this season, but has also expanded by a block!

We had guests coming over for dinner last week and wanted a dish that would really show off all this terrific produce that's at the market right now, so we decided to try our hand at a spring lasagna.  

Before we get into it, though, we know what you're asking: What exactly are stinging nettles?

Avocado-Strawberry Salad with Orange Vinaigrette

Gourmet (August 2009)

 

Our avocado adventures roll on!  As we said with the Avocado Pie we made last week, we wanted a recipe that would really highlight the fresh Florida avocados we got from our reader PJ (and that Avocado Pie, as fun and tasty as it was, nearly obliterated the avocado flavors with lime, sugar and cream).

This Avocado-Strawberry Salad with Orange Vinaigrette, on the other hand, promised to let the avocados stand out. Originally printed in last August's Gourmet, this salad was among the handful of recipes PJ sent along with the avocados, some of her favorite ways to use the fruit.

The Leftovers | Interesting Stuff from November Food Magazines

Here are some non-recipe items that caught our attention in November's assortment of food magazines.

Gourmet

In the (sniff) final issue of Gourmet, John Willoughby has a short but surprising item. 

The Gourmet test kitchen bought eight random tablespoon measurements from a variety of stores, and then weighed the amount of salt each one held.

The results were surprising, with the variance between the largest and smallest at 33 percent -- 33 percent!  As Willoughby points out, this might not make much of a difference in a lot of cooking, but in more precise recipes, like baking, it could make a huge difference in the final result.

Now we need a scale to see how much our tablespoons hold!

Food & Wine

We loved this profile of Athens, Georgia-based supper club The FourCoursemen.  The club was started by two friends who just liked to try new recipes. Over the course of three years, it has blossomed into a full-blown affair, with elaborate dinners for twenty-four guests. Invitations are in high-demand. Their food is beautiful and we want to come to dinner.  Seriously.

Martha Stewart Living
 
We've been hearing about The Lee Brothers' new cookbook, Simple Fresh Southern, all over the place, but it was in Martha Stewart Living that we first saw it featured. 

We haven't yet gotten our hands on a copy, but we're looking forward to checking it out this winter.

If you've already picked it up, let us know what you think!

Follow Us on Facebook

And finally, if you're on Facebook, then be sure to become a fan of The Bitten Word.  It's one more way you can follow the goings on here at the blog.

Thanksgiving 2009: Oyster Casserole

Gourmet (November 2009)

 
We've always been curious about the idea of a classic oyster stuffing for Thanksgiving. We'd always heard of it, but neither of us had ever eaten one.

Technically, we supposed we still haven't. This Oyster Casserole, from Gourmet magazine's final issue, is a richer, creamier, more custard-like take on traditional oyster dressing. But who are we to nitpick?

To be honest, we were a little unsure about this Oyster Casserole. Like olives, cod and wasabi, oysters seem a bit out of place at the Thanksgiving table.

Thanksgiving 2009: Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake

Gourmet (November 2009)

Loyal Bitten Word readers are forgiven if they think they've stumbled onto the wrong food blog.

Yes, it's true that we're more likely to serve a Pork Chocolate Cheesecake than a vegan one.

But for some reason we were really drawn to this Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake in the final issue of Gourmet.

It looked simultaneously luscious and light, decadent but not too heavy. In short, it looked like an ideal Thanksgiving dessert.

Thanksgiving 2009: Cream Gravy

Gourmet (November 2009)

We absolutely loved our spatchcocked turkey! The skin was crispy, the meat was moist and flavorful.

But let's be honest. For many people, the Thanksgiving turkey is nothing more than a delivery vehicle for gravy.

We wanted a great, classic gravy to go with our turkey, and we love the one we found, this Cream Gravy from Gourmet.

Thanksgiving 2009: Scarlet Carrot Soup

Gourmet (November 2009)

 
Thumbing through the final issue of Gourmet [moment of silence], we were blown away by one of the first photos we saw, which was of this Scarlet Carrot Soup. Deeply red and topped by fried carrot strips, we knew it would make a dramatic start to any Thanksgiving meal.

But why is the soup so red?  Is it a special variety of carrots?  Food coloring?  Code Red Mountain Dew? 

Thanksgiving Guide 2009: What the Food Magazines Are Recommending

172 Recipes From 9 Leading Food Magazines

 

Thanksgiving is food magazines' time to shine. In years past, many of the food mags we read have used their November issues to really push the limits with innovative spins on Thanksgiving faves.

Sure, there are usually plenty of approachable standbys. But the classics usually sit alongside some really envelope-pushing ideas: Throw a Thanksgiving clambake! How about a Pacific Rim-fusion dinner? Truffle-laden turkey! Indian-spiced sweet potato gnocchi!! Vegan French-Vietnamese gluten-free stuffing!!!

Not so this year. From the looks of this year's crop of Thanksgiving food mags, 2009 is all about simplicity and basic, standard dishes. It's the Great Recession, and everybody just wants a big ol' piece of pumpkin pie.

Just look at what the magazines call out from the newsstands:

Martha Stewart Living: "Thanksgiving, simple and sensational"

Fine Cooking: "All the classics made easy"

Food Network: "Easy Thanksgiving"

Bon Appétit: "Thanksgiving made easy"

Everyday Food: "A Thanksgiving menu that's easy to make"

We have nine November issues in front of us, and nearly all of them are focused on "traditional" menus that are very straightforward.

The food magazines may have stuck to the classics this year, but that doesn't mean the options are limited. In the nine magazines we have, there are, in fact, 172 Thanksgiving recipes.

All those options can leave you more than a little stressed out. It's all too easy to get wrapped up in the idea that Thanksgiving has to be perfect and if you don't select the right stuffing recipe, your mother-in-law will break into tears at the table.

But fear not!  We've cataloged all 172 options below so that you, dear reader, can browse this year's recipes and make some selections for yourself. Over the next three weeks, we're going to be cooking and writing as many recipes as we can fit in. We'll post our photos and let you know how they turn out.

And as you're gearing up for the holiday, if you have questions, post them here and we'll do our best to answer them.

Okay, ready for the recipes?