Thursday, November 24, 2011.
Thanksgiving On Low Power, But Fully Operational.
Our worst fears about Thanksgiving played out. Nobody came over to join us in our feast. We ignored that and went right ahead with the usual turkey and ham, cooked the usual ways. The collection of appetizers and side dishes was both much attenuated and a bit different from usual.
For example, Mary Ann grabbed my green beans and cooked them to death before I saw what she was doing. Then she complained that they didn't have any taste. I went ahead with the second half of my plan (the first was to steam them only long enough to take the snap out of the pods), and sauteed some garlic and crushed red pepper. I deglazed the pan with lemon juice and soy sauce, then added the beans. Mary Ann loved them, which is the best result I could hope for.
The turkey was in the Big Green Egg by eight a.m., with a minor change in the smoking process. I now have an accessory called a "plate setter," which keeps the heat from hitting the food on the grill directly. I used to accomplish the same end by covering the grill with foil. I suspected that the plate setter, with much larger slots around the perimeter, would cook the turkey faster. Maybe I unconsciously adjusted other parameters, but for some reason the turkey took five hours instead of three and a half. The fire in the pit went out, and I had to finish the bird in the oven. I must say, however, that it looked beautiful.
The ham went into the oven at nine, just in time for me to get the radio show on the air. At the same time, the Marys adjourned to the living room to watch the Macy's parade. Against my prediction of high winds, it was a beautiful day in Manhattan, and the parade was perfect. The Marys saved me from embarrassment by not saying a word about how I denied them the chance to see the parade in person.
For two hours on WWL Radio, I took questions about Thanksgiving cookery and dining out, interspersed with calls from people who just wanted to thank the station and me for having this show every year for so long. That's nice, but I have only begun to pay the price for my doing it this year.
We cut into the ham at around one, and ate about half of a five-pounder with three or four sides. No gravy, no stuffing, no potatoes, no peas or corn. The turkey was on the same cutting board as the ham, but remained untouched. The whole thing became a leftover--but that's a good thing as far as Mary Ann is concerned.
It wasn't too bad, really. I can't say I liked eating Thanksgiving dinner at the kitchen counter, but I knew I had to keep my mouth shut about it.
The football game came on and the majority of the family watched it while I spent the rest of the day rejiggering the website for the Christmas season. A lot to be done there, and I must do my penance. But, frankly, I've had worse Thanksgivings.
Cats love ham. The cat Twinnery had much to be thankful for.
It's over three years since a day was missed in the Dining Diary. To browse through all of the entries since 2008, go here.
