Pilgrim Thanksgiving Recipes

Dried peas and herbs were a staple aboard ships due to their potability. It is no wonder then that this soup was common in the new world. Indeed it still is. When we think of New England Yankee food, pea soup always comes to mind.

The original recipe and all of the updated versions of pease pottage I found call for the boiling of the bacon with the dry peas This adds a ton of fat! I've changed a few things around and come up with the following:

This is for 4 generous servings. As a first course, you may be able to get 6 servings from this recipe. Multiply as needed.

Healthy Pease Pottage
(C)2009 Maureen Kellis. All Rights Reserved.

1 1/2 cups dried peas (rinsed and picked over)
8 cups veggie or chicken stock, organic and low sodium if you can get it (the
original recipe called for water)
1/2 large onion, finely diced
1 potato, peeled and finely diced
4 oz. organic (no nitrates) bacon
fresh thyme- several sprigs for the soup and several for garnish
1 tsp. dry thyme
1 tsp reserved bacon drippings
1 tsp butter
1 tsp canola oil

The night before soak the peas in fresh water.
Early in the morning drain and rinse the peas. Add to pot (or crock pot). Cook the bacon to render the fat. Drain bacon, reserving 1 teaspoon drippings. Wipe out pan. Saute onion in a mixture of drippings, butter and oil. (This totals only 1 tablespoon fat) Do not let the onion brown. Add the dry herbs and cook for 1 minute to release the flavor. Add to the pot of peas. Add diced potatoes, broth, and 1/2 fresh thyme. Bring to a boil then gently simmer for approx. 2 hours. If using a slow cooker: 4 hours on high, 4 hours low. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pull out thyme twigs and use your immersion blender to puree. If you do not have an immersion blender, you can use a regular blender, if you let the soup cool. Garnish with whole fresh peas and bacon chunks.

Image Courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/galant/ / CC BY 2.0

The Pilgrims did not serve dessert separately. They put the dessert type dishes out with the rest of the food. Today, Indian Pudding is frequently served with ice cream on the side. My recipe here is a twist, I've added pumpkin to the recipe.

Pumpkin Indian Pudding

Ingredients:

1 quart plus 1 cup milk
1/2 cup Indian meal (aka cornmeal)
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 tablespoon butter
*Ice cream

Instructions:

Combine the cornmeal with 1/2 cup cold milk and add this to the hot milk stirring very well! In a baking dish blend together molasses, pumpkin, sugar, eggs, salt, spices, butter and remaining 1/2 cup of milk. Bring a quart of milk to its boiling point but do not go into rapid boil. Add the cornmeal mixture to the baking dish spreading out evenly. Bake for 3 hours at 300 degrees F. Serve while hot and with ice cream on the side.

The "Onion Sauce For A Turkie" recipe is from The English Huswife circ. 1623 by Gervase Markham. The premise was to cook alot of onions in water, salt, pepper, and the cooking juices ("gravy") from the meat. This was boiled down then thickened with bread crumbs. The flavorings of the day included a blending of opposites- sweet and sour - so vinegar and sugar were include in this recipe.

Here are two ways to use this today:

1) Make Ahead Method.

Make the onoin reduction a day or two ahead. Prepare your favorite turkey gravy. Before dinner combine the onion reduction and turkey gravy. Heat to a simmer and serve.

Onion Reduction:

Sliced onions- approx. 1-3 per each quart of gravy (the original recipe calls for more, but then it is a really thick onion sauce, let your taste be your guide)

water to cover by 1 inch

1 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 tsp red wine vinegar

1 tsp sugar

2.) Closer to the Pilgrim Method. Making the same day:

Onion Reduction

1/8 c good dry wine

slurry (cornstarch & H2O) or handful of breadcrumbs

Cook Onion Reduction down until almost no liquid left. Drain pan of juices/drippings into a fat separator. Over med-high heat deglaze the meat pan with 1/8 cup wine scraping up any brown bits. Stir in the onion reduction. Add the separated pan juices. Bring to a boil. Thicken with a slurry or add breadcrumbs as they did in the 17th century.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stone-soup/ / CC BY 2.0

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