Thanksgiving Food
By: Tyler Marcum
Thanksgiving is a holiday that the pilgrims and Indians started a very long time ago. We all learned this when we were in elementary school, but do all of us know why we eat certain foods during the dinner?
Have any of you ever wondered why we eat Turkey, or Pumpkin pie, or why we stuff the turkey? There were wild turkeys in the Plymouth area, as colonist William Bradford noted in his journal. Does that mean they caught a turkey and decided to eat it? The most cliché Thanksgiving dinner is turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, stuffing, and pumpkin pie for dessert.
There are many different dishes you can have to spice your thanksgiving dinner up. This one is for Cheesy Barley Gratin from Food Network:
Pre-heat the oven to 400°F, and lightly grease the pan with butter. Fill a small pot with lightly salted water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the barley and boil until just cooked through but still slightly chewy, about 20 minutes, at the same time put 2 tablespoons of butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl and microwave until melted, about 30 seconds. Combine the Gruyere, mozzarella and parmesan in another medium bowl. Add the panko, 1 cup of the cheese mixture and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the bowl with the melted butter. Use your hands to work the butter into the cheese and breadcrumbs. Melt the remaining 6 tablespoons of butter in a wide large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions and a large pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, add the garlic and thyme and stir constantly until the garlic is just softened, about 1 minute. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until a thin paste forms around the onion mixture, about 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to a simmer, stirring occasionally until the sauce is thin gravy, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the shredded cheese mixture and cooked barley. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper. Spoon into the greased baking dish. Sprinkle the reserved cheesy breadcrumbs evenly on top of the barley and bake until bubbly and the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
Have any of you ever wondered why we eat Turkey, or Pumpkin pie, or why we stuff the turkey? There were wild turkeys in the Plymouth area, as colonist William Bradford noted in his journal. Does that mean they caught a turkey and decided to eat it? The most cliché Thanksgiving dinner is turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, stuffing, and pumpkin pie for dessert.
There are many different dishes you can have to spice your thanksgiving dinner up. This one is for Cheesy Barley Gratin from Food Network:
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the baking dish
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups pearled barley
- 6 ounces Gruyere, shredded (about 2 cups)
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella
- 1 cup grated Parmesan
- 1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped into 1/4-inch pieces (about 2 cups)
- 2 large cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons finely-chopped fresh thyme
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups whole milk
Pre-heat the oven to 400°F, and lightly grease the pan with butter. Fill a small pot with lightly salted water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the barley and boil until just cooked through but still slightly chewy, about 20 minutes, at the same time put 2 tablespoons of butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl and microwave until melted, about 30 seconds. Combine the Gruyere, mozzarella and parmesan in another medium bowl. Add the panko, 1 cup of the cheese mixture and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the bowl with the melted butter. Use your hands to work the butter into the cheese and breadcrumbs. Melt the remaining 6 tablespoons of butter in a wide large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions and a large pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, add the garlic and thyme and stir constantly until the garlic is just softened, about 1 minute. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until a thin paste forms around the onion mixture, about 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to a simmer, stirring occasionally until the sauce is thin gravy, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the shredded cheese mixture and cooked barley. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper. Spoon into the greased baking dish. Sprinkle the reserved cheesy breadcrumbs evenly on top of the barley and bake until bubbly and the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.