last minute Thanksgiving ideas

I’m a bit behind on Thanksgiving food ideas, but these suggestions are doable on short notice.
 
As I had a bag of cranberries from our last Dreyer Farms CSA box, I opted for something different. Earlier this month the weekend edition of The Wall Street Journal published a recipe for Cranberry Agrodolce. In Italian, “agro” means sour and “dolce” means sweet.  My husband’s initial response was tepid, but I pressed on. While not our holiday condiment, I thought it would be tasty on a leftover turkey sandwich. For the recipe you’ll need olive oil, a red onion, 16 ounces of fresh (or frozen) cranberries, light brown sugar, red wine or balsamic vinegar, kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

The onions are sautéed in olive oil until softened. The cranberries, sugar and vinegar are added and cooked on a low simmer. As they softened, I used a potato masher to gently crush them. I simmered for an additional 7-10 minutes until jammy in texture. When done, I seasoned with salt and pepper and cooled. What a delicious twist on cranberry sauce. It had a subtle tang from the cranberries that was tempered from the addition of the brown sugar and vinegar. My husband and I made turkey sandwiches with it this week and enjoyed the contrast against the roasted turkey.
 
As I made a small batch of the cranberry agrodolce recipe, I used the balance of the cranberries to make Pumpkin Cranberry Bread. This recipe is from “Gourmet Magazine,” November 1996. For the recipe you’ll need solid-packed pumpkin, sugar, water, eggs, vegetable oil, all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cloves and fresh or frozen cranberries.
 
The batter is prepared in a large bowl mixing the pumpkin, sugar, water, eggs and oil. The dry ingredients go in next. The cranberries are stirred in by hand before going into a prepared loaf pan. As I was only preparing half a recipe, I decided to make muffins. If making bread, the cook time is approximately 1 hour 15 minutes, the muffins bake approximately 20-30 minutes with the oven set at 350°.
 
The muffins turned out wonderful. Not sweet, a hint of tartness from the cranberries, delicious. This would make a perfect snack with morning coffee or tea or even great served alongside the Thanksgiving turkey.
 
For easy to prepare stove top appetizer, try Hot Dogs & Bourbon. Did you offer to make a salad, Apple, Dried Cherry and Walnut Salad with Maple Dressing hits the seasonal flavors.
 
For an easier than pie recipe, an Apple Galette is the answer. For other Thanksgiving desserts may I suggest autumn loaf, financiers, pumpkin biscotti and chocolate brownie pudding. Check out my recipe web page for additional recipes covering appetizers, baked goods, breakfast ideas, side dishes and more. ​

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​Cranberry Agrodolce
“The Season’s Smartest Recipes,”
The Wall Street Journal
Saturday/Sunday, November 11/2-3, 2024
 
Total Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 8
 
Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
16 ounces fresh or frozen cranberries
1/3 cup light brown sugar
½ cup red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
 
Preparation

1. Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add onions and sauté, stirring often, until soft but not colored, 6-8 minutes. Stir in cranberries, sugar and vinegar. Bring to a low simmer, stirring. Wen cranberries begin to swell and soften, use a spoon or potato masher to gently crush them. Continue simmering until mixture is soft, jammy and textured, 7-10 minutes more. Season with a pinch of salt and generous sprinkling of black pepper.

Transfer to a serving dish and serve warm or at room temperature

cranberry_agrodolce.pdf
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Pumpkin Cranberry Bread
“Gourmet Magazine,” November 1996
 
Yield: 1 loaf
 
Ingredients
1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
2 large eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup picked-over fresh or frozen cranberries
 
 
Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. and butter a loaf pan, 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 by 2 3/4 inches.
2. In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat together pumpkin, sugar, water, eggs, and oil. Sift in flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and spices and stir just until batter is smooth. Stir in cranberries and spoon batter into loaf pan, spreading evenly.
3. Bake bread in middle of oven 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean, and cool in pan on a rack 10 minutes. Turn bread out onto rack and cool completely. Bread may be made 4 days ahead and chilled, covered.

pumpkin_cranberry_bread.pdf
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