3 last-minute side dishes for busy cooks
Here’s a simple truth about holiday meals: Not everyone is a planner.
That’s why grocery stores are packed the night before, as procrastinators rush to fill carts with cans of cranberry sauce, bags of prepared stuffing mix and that tub of Cool Whip needed to top Mom’s pumpkin pie.
We’re not judging. With the day’s emphasis on stuffing everyone silly, and the pressure to cook everything perfectly and serve it hot at the same time — beautifully carved turkey included — things can slip your mind. Unexpected guests, while certainly welcome, can also throw a Thanksgiving host or hostess for a loop.
No worries. We’re here to help. These easy, last-minute dishes come together fairly quickly, with ingredients even a small grocery store should have on hand. (A quick reminder: All Giant Eagle and Kuhn’s locations are closed on Thanksgiving.)
Pumpkin is one of fall’s favorite flavors, and the canned version is traditionally mixed with sugar, spices, eggs and evaporated milk as a pie filling this time of year. But pumpkin also lends itself quite nicely to soup. We dish up a rich and comforting version that gets an extra oomph from unsweetened coconut milk and a liberal dash of curry. It can be made a day or so ahead of time or even the morning of your feast. (It takes about 30 minutes.) Even better, it tastes just as good cold as it does warm, so it’s a relatively stress-free starter.
Our creamy corn pudding is easier still. If you’ve got a mixing bowl and a casserole dish, you’re pretty much set for this Southern classic. Made with frozen corn, it re
-quires only seven other ingredients, most of which you’ll already have in your fridge or pantry. The result is a fluffy, soufflé-like side dish that’s hassle-free and about to
SIDES,
becomea family favorite.
Need an 11th-hour dessert? Consider apple pandowdy. This cobbler-like dish eschewsa homemade crust for a flaky, melt-in-your mouth topping made from strips of frozen puff pastry. A scoop of vanilla ice cream makes it more than fit for company and it can easily be made ahead and reheated while you’re making post-dinnercoffee.
Happy Thanksgiving from the PG Food team!
— Gretchen McKay/ Post-Gazette
Creamy Curried Pumpkin Soup PG tested
This seasonal soup can be made a day or so ahead and served hot, warm or cold. I use coconut milk and curry to add a warming, slightly Asian flavor, but you could make it more Thanksgivingy by stirring in cinnamon and nutmeg. A dash of cream or half-and-half at the end will make the soup extra creamy, but it’s not necessary. Garnish with roasted pumpkin seeds, toasted almonds or fried sage leaves.
4 tablespoons butter ¼ cup finely minced onion (about ½ large)
1 Granny Smith or other tart apple, peeled, cored and finely diced
15-ounce can pure pumpkin
13.5-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon curry powder, or to taste
¼ teaspoon ground ginger, or to taste
Pinch or 2 red pepper flakes
¼ cup half-and-half or heavy cream, optional
Pumpkin seeds or toasted almonds, for garnish
Melt butter on stovetop over medium heat in a large sauce pot or Dutch oven. Add minced onion and apple and sauté until soft and translucent, 4-5 minutes.
Add canned pumpkin, coconut milk and chicken or vegetable broth and whisk to combine. Season generously with salt and pepper, add curry powder and ground ginger to taste, stirring well to combine. Add pepper flakes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer. Cover, simmer soup for 25 minutes. Stir in half-and-half or cream, if using.
Cool slightly, then process soup in batches in a blender until smooth. (Cover lid with a clean dish towel to avoid splatters.) If you don’t
mind a chunkier soup, leave as is. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. Reheat on stovetop over medium heat until warmed through. Serves 12.
— Gretchen McKay, Post-Gazette
Corn Pudding
PG tested
I’ve made this light and fluffy corn pudding so often during the holidays that it just wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without it. My daughter, Catherine, serves it at her own Friendsgiving celebrations. It’s simple to throw together and doesn’t require any fancy ingredients or cooking vessels. Any casserole dish (or two, if you split the recipe in half) will do.
¼ cup sugar 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1½ teaspoons salt
6 large eggs
2 cups whipping cream ½ cup butter, melted 2 1-pound bags frozen white corn, thawed
Combine sugar, flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl.
Whisk together eggs, whipping cream and butter in another large bowl. Gradually add sugar mixture, whisking until smooth; stir in corn. Pour mixture into a buttered casserole dish.
Bake at 350 degrees for 4050 minutes, or until pudding is set. (It should be golden brown on the edges but still slightly jiggly in the center. A knife inserted in the center should come out clean.) Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Serves 8.
— adapted fromcom SouthernLiving.
Apple Pandowdy PG tested
Of course someone will bring pumpkin pie to your Thanksgiving feast. But why not have something apple on the table as well? This deepdish apple pie is super easy and can be made ahead, freeing up valuable oven real estate on Thanksgiving and lessening your dessert stress level. I used Granny Smith apples and frozen puff pastry shells that I cut into strips.
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 pounds Pink Lady and/or Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, cut into 1-inch pieces
⅔ cup (packed) dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 (½-inch) piece ginger, peeled, finely grated ½ teaspoon kosher salt 1 package frozen puff pastry, thawed, cut into irregular 1-inch pieces
Granulated sugar, for sprinkling
2 pints vanilla or cinnamon ice cream
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cook butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, swirling often, until bubbling and golden, about 5 minutes; set aside.
Toss apples, brown sugar, flour, lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla extract, cinnamon, ginger and salt in large bowl. Transfer to shallow 3quart baking dish. Drizzle all but 2 tablespoons brown butter over apples. Top with pieces of puff pastry, then brush pastry with remaining brown butter. Sprinkle with granulated sugar.
Bake until pastry is puffed and golden around edges, 25-30 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees and bake until juices are thick and bubbling and pastry is brown all over, 30-35 minutes longer.
Using a spoon, press pastry down into warm juices (but don’t submerge); let cool slightly.
Reheat uncovered in a 200-degree oven 20 minutes before serving. Serve warm with ice cream.