We are hosting our very first Thanksgiving this year and while most young couples are typically intimidated by this fete I think us observant/shabbat keepers are a little less intimidated. I mean, heck, let’s keep it real—not 6 weeks ago I was cooking up 5 meals in 2 days for anywhere from 2 to 8 people to be served over 2 day when electricity can’t be used so a turkey in the mix is really not all that intimidating. What is intimidating is trying to replicate my mom’s stuffing. Oh sweet heaven, I love my mom’s stuffing. It’s a perfect combination of 3-day old challah and sautéed onions, mushrooms and celery and shoved into a turkey’s hiney. I don’t know how she does it but I hope to do it right. First things first, I know I need to start drying out the challah NOW. I have so many memories of mom’s kitchen being taken over by slices of drying challah. If only I would have been paying attention to the process at the time instead of watching the Macy’s Day Parade (I love that parade). But truly, as soon as you saw heaps of challah drying in the kitchen you knew magic was about to happen. So now this Thanksgiving, I gotta bring the magic. Ok, so the stuffing has a few days to be posted but in the meantime, I wanted to post another delicious mom recipe that is perfect for your kosher Thanksgiving–garlic asparagus. Easy though it sounds, there is a science to getting that asparagus just the right amount of garlic and, not to brag, but I think my mom’s got it down pat.
Cut Asparagus
Anyone can get the perfect garlicky asparagus once you understand the theory behind it, which is basically all about the soak. Just soak those bad boys in ice-cold water and garlic for several hours. First, cut the asparagus ends off at a diagonal. Next, submerge the stalks in a deep dish that allows the stalks to soak evenly while lying flat. Finally, add several chunks of garlic and shake a healthy portion of garlic powder in there as well. You’ll hopefully start this process at least 6 hours before you plan on eating so that your stalks have a nice long garlic soak. Once it’s time to cook, preheat the oven to 400, lay the asparagus out evenly on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and some kosher salt and roast for 25 minutes. Enjoy!
A Nice Garlic Soak
So now I ask you, dear reader who is hopefully someone else other than my mom, do you have a tip before I take on my first Thanksgiving?
