The third week in November, Thanksgiving, is my favorite holiday...I think it's because Thanksgiving brings together families or friends to share a great meal. Growing up we celebrated with my mother's family. She was from a family of 11, and they rented a place as no one had a dining room for more than 40 people. The spaces ranged from church halls to a bowling alley that was temporarily closed for rennovation! That was written up in the Portland Oregonian, along with the recipe for a Ukrainian specialty we called "rice rolls" (cabbage stuffed with raw rice, minced onions and salt pork is simmered in a vinegar and water brine). I remember the rice rolls vividly - especially the time my aunt Colleen took a shortcut with minute rice, and also how discerning my aunts were about the mashed potatoes - no lumps. Most of my aunts liked to cook, and each year a family provided turkey while others brought the rest. The year my aunt Frankie was in charge, being very inexperienced, she left the plastic bag of giblets inside the bird! I carried on the rice roll tradition when I celebrated Thanksgivings at Rippling Waters Park. Corrine and Lindley usually had at least 60 people, many flying in for the event. Those of us who lived at The Park started working the day before - I recall peeling chestnuts one year late into the evening. Guests arrived mid-afternoon and three turkeys were put on a spit over an open fire. Various navigators took turns with Jack Daniels keeping them warm - it always was snowing, raining or just cold in November. While the turkeys turned there was the option of helping in the kitchen or going on a run. I did the run one year...a mile, ending on the other side of Gales Creek from The Park and requiring a crossing in chest high water - after that I spent my time in the kitchen! When it was over it was egg nog and hors d'oeuvres. And the guys were still turning the turkeys on the spit. One year our friend Michael, an avid cook, was hovering over the turkeys with his meat thermometer. He said they had 30 minutes more to go, yet all was ready in the dining room, the turkey turners with the help of Jack Daniels were of a different mind but he was adamant. As he walked away, meat thermometer tucked in his back pocket, the fire burned through the tree limb, turkeys hit the fire and the turners said, "these birds are done." After dinner - this being before video - we rented an old movie. One year I remember "Double Indemnity", and another "It's a Wonderful Life". Cleaning up was always a lengthy process, but made bearable by nibbling on the leftovers and appreciating anew the great food that tasted even better minus the fog of egg nog, Jack Daniels and other libations. By now I've painted a picture of how important Thanksgiving is to me. As Thanksgiving approached at Rick's Cafe last year I wondered what to do - I didn't want to impose this menu on clients who wouldn't appreciate it. I was saved by a booking of 55 Americans at the end of a lengthy tour of Africa. They adored the idea of a Thanksgiving menu, and we found a lot of people came to Rick's expecting to find it. No rice rolls on the menu, but c’est ne pas grave! More important is how our kitchen adapted this American holiday menu into something workable in a restaurant. A lovely turkey breast stuffed with traditional dressing garnished with a shallot sauce, coupled with a confit of sweet potatoes...absolute heaven!
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