Notes from the Culinary Underground: Thanksgiving for newbies

This is the first in an ongoing guest series by Chef Lori Leinbach, founder and director of Southborough’s Culinary Underground. With Thanksgiving right around the corner, Chef Lori shares some thoughts on the ever-important Thanksgiving menu.

Every year, we offer a class called Thanksgiving 101. If you’ve never hosted this annual American meal, it can pretty daunting, especially if you’re not very experienced in the kitchen anyway.

There are many important aspects of this celebration: logistics, timing, delegation of tasks, dealing with leftovers, etc. However, the most important thing, we think, is one’s approach to the menu.

When you’re young and creative and clueless, you like to change up the traditional family menu, make it more your own. Resist the urge. Americans have very fixed ideas of what their Thanksgiving menu should be. (If you’re hosting just friends or strangers, then you can bust loose. Family? No. I made my mother cry by serving a beautiful planked salmon one year.)

The trick is to put your own stamp on the menu without messing too much with tradition. There are several ways to do this, like swapping out one old dish (like those creamed onions) for something more contemporary. Or updating a classic, such as topping the sweet potatoes with walnut-streusel instead of marshmallows (candy really doesn’t belong on a vegetable). But please don’t do something outrageous like serving a salad; salad isn’t Thanksgiving! Get creative with an artistic relish tray or a dried fruit and nut platter instead.

I’m a big fan of retiring has-been dishes and would like to see a national movement to remove the ubiquitous green-bean casserole from Thanksgiving tables. This mess of canned soup, canned beans, and canned onion rings should be…canned. How about something fresher but still decadent?

Green Beans with Brown Butter Breadcrumbs
(8 servings)

2 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed
1 stick butter
1 Cup dry unseasoned breadcrumbs (panko are nice)
1 cloves garlic, very finely minced
Salt and pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of water to boil over HIGH heat. Add about a teaspoon of salt. Plunge the green beans in the pot and cook, uncovered, for 4-5 minutes. Fish one out and test it – it should be firm but tender.

Drain the beans and transfer them to a bowl of cold water. Let them cool off completely, then drain well. You can pat them dry, cover, and refrigerate them a day in advance.

To serve: Preheat the oven to 375OF. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over MEDIUM heat. Remove about 2 Tablespoons of the butter and toss them with the beans. Place the beans in a shallow casserole in a hot oven for about 15 minutes.

While the beans heat, continue heating the melted butter over MEDIUM-HIGH heat until golden brown. Stir in the crumbs and continue to cook to a deep brown. Remove from the heat and stir in the garlic, a couple of pinches of salt, and a few grinds of pepper. (Don’t forget to taste it!) Sprinkle the crumbs over the green beans and serve.

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Located in Southborough, Culinary Underground is committed to furthering the art and craft of home cooking through engaging and educational hands-on and demonstrations classes. You can learn more and sign up for classes on their website (culinaryunderground.com).