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 punctuated 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!
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.
15 minutes before dinner
Just before serving
- Carve the turkey.
- Stir the parsley into the mashed potatoes.
Shopping List
Fresh Produce
- 2 lb. Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch cubes
- 3-4 medium fennel bulbs
- 1 medium head escarole
- 12 oz. fresh cranberries
- 12 oz. slender green beans
- 6 oz. radicchio
- 2 large onions
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 1 small carrot
- 1 rib celery
- 2-3 medium oranges
- 1 medium lemon
- 1 head garlic
- 1 small bunch fresh rosemary
- 1 bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1 bunch fresh thyme
- 1 small bunch fresh sage
Meat, Eggs & Dairy
- One 14-lb. turkey (preferably fresh and natural), with neck and giblets
- 15-oz. container whole-milk ricotta (about 1-1/2 cups)
- 11 Tbs. unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup milk
- 3 oz. cream cheese
- 3 large eggs
Other Groceries
- 2 cups low-salt chicken broth (or use homemade)
- 1 large loaf chewy sourdough bread
- 25 chocolate wafers or 35 vanilla wafers
- 1/2 cup dried porcini mushrooms
- 1/2 cup pine nuts
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 Tbs. orange-flavored liqueur (such as Grand Marnier or Cointreau)
- 1 tsp. fennel seeds, lightly crushed
- 1/4 tsp. Bell’s poultry seasoning (optional)
- Shavings of Parmigiano-Reggiano for garnish
Pantry Staples
- 2-1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 2 cups homemade or low-salt chicken broth
- 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 bay leaf
- Table salt
- Kosher salt
- Black peppercorns
