Every year I get a lot of questions about what to serve for Thanksgiving, if you’re a vegetarian. Having thought about this some, I do have some ideas and different approaches one might take to this meal.

The first one is to relax and remember this is a day for expressing thanks, being with friends and family, and sharing a meal. If Thanksgiving (or any other holiday) is just too much to deal with, there’s always the option of helping to cook a meal for others through one of the nations many food banks and shelters. This can be a very satisfying way to spend the day. Or you can make an utterly simple but delicious meal. One year my family couldn’t really deal with cooking a Thanksgiving meal so we grilled sausages in the backyard then had an indoor picnic. It was great! The main thing was that we all managed to get together.

What people usually want to know is what to do about the turkey question. Do you cook a “tofurky?” Not I. I’d sooner eat the real thing. Frankly, I think there are so many good foods to eat that don’t mimic meat, I’m not inclined to go for pretend, but many people like to do that. Either way, what to eat doesn’t need to be a big issue especially if you and your family take the groaning board approach. Given a table that’s loaded up with every dish you can imagine on it, vegetarians are home free-just leave off the turkey.

A more modern, tightly designed menu served to a small group might present some other challenges, but if it’s a holiday, I’d guess that you’re among friends who know your food inclinations and will happily oblige you with something suitable to eat. If not, you might just graciously eat what’s offered.

If you’re giving the party, you might find that this is the perfect time to spend extra time on a more elaborate dish than you’d normally make, such as hand-made squash ravioli. Perhaps this is the time to splurge on a ingredient, such as fresh wild mushrooms for a mushroom ragout, or a cheese plate of special American farmstead or raw-milk cheeses, or great wines. It’s certainly not a time for using 1% milk. If you make a celery root and potato gratin, use cream! And please, no paper plates! Setting a beautiful table is a part of the meal, too.

One of my favorite vegetarian entrees, which I think would be perfect for a focused Thanksgiving menu is “Braised Root Vegetables with Black Lentils and a Red Wine Sauce”, which I serve with Yukon Gold potato puree. This is from my book, Local Flavors, and it is a really gorgeous dish; the red wine sauce is very concentrated and deep, it uses a variety of vegetables that are in season, and you’ll want to serve it in dish by itself, keeping salads and other foods as separate courses. You can also make parts of it ahead of time which takes the pressure off the day.

You could also take the Local Food approach and make a meal to celebrate the foods that come from your region. This could include more than just vegetables and fruits -think of grains, nuts, cheeses, cider, wine-whatever your area produces. It can be quite a wonderful experience to sit down to a completely local or regional meal, especially when you can say where each food is from and even who grew or produced it. It’s important to bring the riches of our own geographical areas into view and celebrate what the land and people near us can produce, and what better time than Thanksgiving? (Actually, every day is a good day to do this!)

Another way to think about a Thanksgiving menu would be to seek out foods that are native to America, such as Tuscarora white corn, Jerusalem artichokes, real wild rice that is hand-gathered and parched, tepary beans from Southern Arizona, wild persimmons in a persimmon pudding, heirloom apples and pears, shagbark hickory nuts, Amish pie pumpkin, and so on. If you’re not sure what these foods are, you can find out by going to slowfoodusa.org and looking at the Ark of Taste where you’ll find a list of foods that are an important part of our food heritage but are in danger of disappearing. For many you can find the sources for, too.

And if, per chance, you are going to have turkey, consider one of the amazing old breeds of turkeys, also listed on the Ark, which are hearty, vital birds that are truly a part of our heritage.

In the meantime, here are some dishes from some of my books that I think can work very nicely in a vegetarian holiday menu, but do plan on sharing them with everyone at the table!

I will be in Ireland until the end of the year and will probably celebrate by having something to drink that is very warming, but I hope you all enjoy a slow and convivial holiday!

Deborah

From Vegetarian Suppers from Deborah Madison’s Kitchen
Feather Fritters with spaghetti squash and a tomato sauce, p. 85
Cabbage Parcels with sweet-sour tomato sauce, p.157
Winter Squash Lasagne with sage, walnuts, and black kale, p. 58
Dried Porcini and Fresh Mushroom Tart, p.10

The Greens Cookbook
Many Layered Crepe Cake, p. 272
Corn, Bean and Pumpkin Stew, p. 218 (for a Southwest regional meal)
Potatoes and Chanterelles Baked in Cream, p. 210
Mushroom Lasagne, using wild mushrooms, page l86

Local Flavors, Cooking and Eating from America’s Farmers’ Markets
Braised root Vegetables with Black Lentils and a Red Wine Sauce served with Yukon Gold potato puree, page 223
Sweet Potatoes Roasted in a Wood Fire, page 220
Quince with Smoked Fish, Scallions and Crème Fraiche, page 244
Savory Custard with Caramelized Onions and Smoked Cheese, page 239
Spaghetti Squash Gratin with Chantrelles, page 154

Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone
Wild Mushroom Risotto, page 552
Any of the savory galettes such as Winter Squash Galette or the Leek and Goat Cheese Galette, pages 498-500
Butternut Squash Ravioli with Toasted Pecans and Sage, p. 472
Fettuccine with Gorgonzola for a first course, page 461
Celery Root and Potato Gratin (made with cream, of course), page 279
Brussels Sprouts and Walnuts with Fennel and Red Pearl Onions, page 344 -a great side dish, page 344
Winter Squash Flans with Greens and Red Wine-Shallot Sauce, p. 592