Thanksgiving with an Italian Accent

Give thanks with this Italian-inspired feast, enlivened with Parmigiano, pine nuts, and plenty of olive oil.

This Thanksgiving menu is traditional American, but seasoned with Italian flavors: The bread stuffing is accented with fennel, escarole, and pine nuts; green beans are punctuaed with bitter radicchio and sweet, nutty Parmigiano shavings, and the mashed potatoes are flavored with a healthy dose of extra-virgin olive oil instead of the usual butter. Dessert is a not-too-sweet ricotta tart with orange. Mangia!

Download a pdf of this menu, including all recipes, shopping list and timeline.

the menu

Menu Timeline

Two days ahead

Make the cranberry sauce, cover and refrigerate.

A day ahead

Make the turkey giblet broth for the gravy. Store, covered, in the refrigerator.
Brine the turkey.
Make the sage butter.
Make the tart crust, wrap well in plastic, and store at room temperature.

In the morning

Make the orange ricotta filling, bake the tart, and refrigerate.

Five hours before dinner

Remove turkey from brine, rinse, and pat dry.
Rub butter under the skin and finish prepping the turkey for roasting.
Heat the oven to 350°F.

Four hours before dinner

Put the turkey in the oven.
Make the stuffing but don't add the broth yet.

90 minutes before dinner

Prep the ingredients for the green beans.

An hour before dinner

Take cranberry sauce out of refrigerator to return to room temperature.
Add the broth to the stuffing and put it in the oven with the turkey.
Start soaking the dried mushrooms for the gravy.
Boil the potatoes.

30 minutes before dinner

Remove turkey from oven and let rest. Raise the oven temperature to 375°F and continue to bake the stuffing.
Make the mushroom gravy.
Mash the potatoes, season to taste, and keep warm.