what is riki thinking for thanksgiving?

a few Thanksgiving recipes with a personal twist

Menu!

1. Side Dishes

Classic sides!

• Mashed bluish potatoes
  • Ingredients:
    • 2 lb. medium Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed
    • 2 lb. medium Adirondack Blue potatoes, scrubbed
    • 4 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 2½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, plus more
    • 1½ cups whole milk
    • ½ cup heavy cream
    • 1 head of garlic, halved crosswise
    • 3 sprigs rosemary
    • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into pieces
    • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Prep/Assembly Instructions:
    • Place 4 lb. of potatoes, scrubbed, in a large pot and pour in cold water to cover by 1”. Add a large handful of kosher salt (water should taste briny, like the ocean) and bring to a boil on the stovetop over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are fork-tender (very tender but not crumbly, 30–35 minutes). Drain, briefly rinse with cool water to remove any excess starch, and return potatoes to warm pot (off heat) to dry while you heat the milk mixture.
    • Warm 1½ cups whole milk, ½ cup heavy cream, 1 head of garlic, halved crosswise, and 3 sprigs rosemary in a small saucepan over medium until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat.
    • Pass hot potatoes through ricer or food mill into a large bowl (cold potatoes will become gummy; ricer will catch potato skins, remove and discard as needed if they start to block grate). Add 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into pieces, and 4 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 2½ tsp. Morton kosher salt and stir until butter is completely incorporated. Strain warm milk mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a large measuring glass. Pour into potatoes ½-cupful at a time, stirring after each addition until liquid is fully incorporated and mixture is smooth before adding more.
    • Serve mashed potatoes topped with a few grinds of freshly ground black pepper.
  • Notes: I used a modified version of the “Our Best Ever Mashed Potatoes”.
• riki’s pickled cabbage slaw
  • Ingredients:
    • 1 lb of saurkraut
    • half a head of purple cabbage
    • dashi powder
    • mirin
    • brown sugar
    • fish sauce
    • kewpie mayonnaise
    • Gochugaru (korean chilis)
  • Prep/Assembly Instructions:
    • Cut and dice the purple cabbage, then rinse a few times under cold water.
    • Pour the saurkraut into a pot, then gently warm. Pour the purple cabbage into the pot.
    • While the saurkraut and the purple cabbage are gently cooked, add brown sugar, dashi powder, mirin, fish sauce, and gochugaru to taste.
    • Once the purple cabbage is gently cooked, turn heat off and leave to cool.
    • Add kewpie mayonnaise and serve!
  • Notes: a blend of Pennsylvania dutch cuisine (saurkraut), and Thai/Japanese/Korean flavours. A personal creation!

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2. Breakfast

Tasty breakfast options…

A. Miso-Butter Onigiri (Vegetarian)

• Filling Ingredients:
  • White miso
    
  • Softened butter
    
  • Scallions (finely sliced)
    
• Rice Type: Japanese short-grain rice
  
• Seasoning: Light sprinkle of salt on hands before shaping
  
• Notes:
  • Pan-sear lightly after shaping for golden edges.
    
  • Add a small square of nori on the bottom.

B. Umeboshi (Pickled Plum) Onigiri

• Filling Ingredients:
  • 1–2 umeboshi plums, pit removed, mashed
    
• Rice Type: Japanese short-grain rice
  
• Seasoning: Sesame seeds on outside
  
• Notes:
  • Tart, bright, and traditional.
    
  • Great to balance heavy Thanksgiving dishes.

C. Shiitake & Soy Glaze Onigiri

• Filling Ingredients:
  • Sauteed shiitake mushrooms
    
  • 1 tsp soy sauce
    
  • Mirin (optional)
    
  • A dash of sugar or maple syrup
    
• Rice Type: White or mixed-grain rice
  
• Seasoning: Furikake sprinkled inside or outside
  
• Notes:
  • Earthy and umami-rich.
    
  • Works well warmed or cold.

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3. Drinks & Cocktails

• Stappi Apperitivo red bitters
  • Description: delicious non-alcoholic options

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Shopping List

Produce

• Shiitake mushrooms
  
• Umeboshi
  
• Scallions

Pantry

• Soy sauce
  
• Mirin
  
• Sesame seeds
  
• Nori sheets
  
• White miso

Rice

• Japanese short-grain white rice

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