Pumpkin Churros

I know that Thanksgivikkuh already involves mixing traditions, but I had to go one step further. There is a recipe for classic churros in the Chanukah chapter of The Holiday Kosher Baker. My thinking was that churros are an alternative fried alternative to doughnuts as they are smaller.

The version below was given the Thanksgiving twist. For more thoughts on Thanksgivikkuh, check out the podcast of the Kojo Nnamdi Show yesterday, where I had the privilege of discussing Thanksgivikkuh on air for an entire hour with Bonnie and Michelle of American Food Roots. Also, see my Thanksgiving menu on  www.thekitchn.com.

Pumpkin Churros

Makes 35                                     

Dough

1 cup water

¼ cup canola oil plus extra for frying

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

3 large eggs

½ cup canned pumpkin puree

Coating

1/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Cover a small cookie sheet with two layers of paper towels. Scoop the pumpkin on top and spread and let it sit while you make the dough; this dries out the puree.

Place the water, oil, sugar, vanilla and salt into a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Bring to a rolling boil. Reduce heat to low and add the flour. 

Use a wooden spoon to mix the dough over the heat until the flour is completely mixed in and the dough comes together into a ball, about 30 seconds.  Remove from heat and scoop this mixture into a medium bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. If mixing by hand, press the dough against the sides of the bowl to help cool the dough and let cool two minutes. 

Add one egg, mixing well by hand or with the paddle attachment of the mixer. You will need to mix vigorously to incorporate the eggs. The dough will clump up each time but after more stirring it will come together. Repeat with remaining eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape the pumpkin puree off the paper towels and into the dough and mix well. Place the dough into a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip or a round tip with points, with about a 1/3-inch opening; I use Atero #864. 

In a shallow bowl, combine the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.

Heat 1½ inches of oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, until the temperature holds between 365 and 370°F. Place a wire rack over an aluminum foil-covered baking sheet. Hold the pastry bag over the oil, reaching a little into the saucepan. With the pastry bag in one hand and a knife or kitchen scissors in the other hand, quickly squeeze out six 3 to 4-inch long strips and then use the knife or scissors to cut off the dough and let the dough drop into the hot oil.

Cook no more than six at a time. After one minute, separate any churros that are stuck together. Cook for four to five minutes total time, trying to turn them over after two minutes, and then fry until golden. Use a slotted spoon to lift the churros onto the rack to cool slightly for a minute, or until you can handle them. Roll in the cinnamon and nutmeg sugar and serve. Do not wait until the churros are completely cool to roll in the coating; the residual oil helps the sugar mixture stick better. Store covered at room temperature for up to two days or freeze for up to three months.  Reheat to serve.

The Designer Turkey

Thanksgiving is an even more special holiday when you are living far away from all things American. My husband Andy and I were posted in Geneva, Switzerland years ago and we had a handful of American friends with which to celebrate. I went searching for my kosher turkey.


We were lucky to have a kosher butcher only a few blocks from our apartment in the city, unlike in Washington, DC where we had to drive 40 minutes into the suburbs for a kosher chicken. I went to the butcher and asked for a whole turkey in my broken French. He said that no one ate whole turkeys in Switzerland but would see what he could do. I checked in with him every few days to see how his search was going. Maybe I seemed a little desperate.

He announced one visit that he would have a fresh, whole, large turkey for me. In the meantime, I planned the rest of the meal. I bought orange-skinned yams that when peeled were completely white. It took several visits back to the store and sore fingernails to learn that in Geneva, all the sweet potatoes were white inside. I will have to admit that they did taste the same as the orange ones, but looked rather drab in a dish in which they were combined with white granny smith apples. I never found fresh cranberries.

I picked up my enormous, beautiful turkey. It was the Dior of turkeys, with the designer price tag of $140. Yes, you read that right. I thought that by living in the land of watches and banks I would be immune to sticker shock; I wasn’t. I paid the butcher and carried my baby home. It was delicious, tasting and smelling of America and enjoyed by all.  The next year, I drove to the kosher butcher just over the border in France and bought two scrawny turkeys, that looked like big chickens, for $45 total, and they were just as good.

I will never forget the $140 turkey, but only as a reminder that celebrating an American holiday in a foreign country with friends and delicious food really has no price tag.

Here are two  favorite Thanksgiving recipes, my turkey rub and corn bread, from The Kosher Baker.


Shallot and Herb Turkey Rub
This rub was inspired by one I found in Bon Appetit 1993 and goes with any stuffing. There is enough for even a very large turkey.


½ cup (1 stick) parve margarine, softened                       2 shallots, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed                                                   1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves                           Salt and pepper to taste

Cream the margarine with a silicone spatula. Add the shallots, garlic, thyme and sage and mix well. Put on some gloves and then rub mixture all over and under the turkey skin. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover with plastic and let sit until roasting. I like to rub the bird the night before, cover and place into the fridge.

Corn Bread                               Makes forty 2-inch squares

This recipe was designed for a crowd; it makes two 9 x 13-inch pans. You can also halve the recipe, but why bother? It freezes very well.

4 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups yellow corn meal

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons baking powder

4 large eggs

1 cup parve whipping cream

2 1/2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil

2 cups parve plain soy milk

1/2 cup (1 stick) parve margarine, melted

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9 x 13-inch baking pans.

2. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, corn meal, sugar, salt, and baking powder. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, whipping cream, oil, and soy milk. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Add the melted margarine and stir until just combined.

3. Bake for 1 hour, or until a skewer comes out clean. The corn bread should be a little brown on top. Serve warm or at room temperature.