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Make your Thanksgiving feast a culinary delight

By Jonah Levenberg
Special to The Chronicle

October 30th, 2009

Since the beginning of my career in the kosher food industry, I have had to fight a negative stereotype. The phrase “kosher food” has brought to mind negative images of salty, heavy and bad food.

I often hear people say, “That’s not good, it’s kosher” and “I don’t like kosher food.” My belief has always been that food needs to be good and affect all of your senses in a positive way whether it’s kosher or not kosher.

Kosher food can be just like any other food. It may not include shellfish, some cuts of beef or a mix of milk and meat, but it will serve the same function: be tasteful, be filling and be a culinary delight.

Thanksgiving is an important holiday for many as it provides an opportunity to gather with family and friends. Inevitably this is another holiday in which food is the main focus.

These recipes are some of my favorites and remind me of years past with my family. I dedicate them to the memory of my dad, a true foodie who taught me a love for Judaism, kashrut and cooking from the soul.

Submerge the pomegranate half in a bowl of room temperature water. Carefully remove the seeds and remove from water. Set aside.

Place the pomegranate juice in a small saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Cook until the juice has reduced to about 1/4 cup, about 10 minutes. Let it cool to room temperature.

Whisk together the pomegranate juice, shallot, maple syrup, vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, walnut oil until emulsified. Season with kosher salt to taste.

Place the mixed greens into a large bowl and add 3 tablespoons of the pomegranate vinaigrette. Toss well to coat. Sprinkle in pomegranate seeds, dates, hazelnuts, and dried cranberries and serve immediately.

The remainder of the pomegranate vinaigrette can be bottled, tightly sealed and kept in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

My mom always had the challenge from my dad to create a turkey that was moist and tasted great; this creation exceeded his (and all of our friends) expectations.

Don’t just grab spices that have been in your spice rack for years. Make the investment in new, fresh spices. Spice House here in Milwaukee is an excellent source for the freshest dried herbs.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a small mixing bowl, mix together the thyme, sage, poultry seasoning and garlic with the canola oil.

In the bottom of the roasting pan, place the chopped onion, carrots, and celery. Rub seasoning mixture over entire turkey and place over vegetables in roasting pan. Pour chicken broth over entire turkey and vegetables.

Roast for 3 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees. Discard vegetables and let turkey stand at least 5 minutes and remove skin prior to eating.

With the remaining liquid in the pan, place into a saucepan over high heat. Add cornstarch slowly to thicken and season with salt and pepper for a quick gravy.

This recipe is really attractive and tasty, but the success of it is all in the way you cut the vegetables: make sure they are uniformly cut so that they roast evenly. I recommend using organic vegetables and, if possible, buying from a local grower.

1 1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 bunch beets
1 small rutabaga
3/4 pound Yukon gold potatoes (about 6)
3 medium carrots, peeled
5 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
3 tablespoon margarine
kosher salt
black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove stems from the beets, peel and quarter them. Set aside in a small bowl.

Peel the rutabaga and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks and place in a large bowl. Scrub the potatoes and cut into equal sized chunks and add to rutabaga. Do the same with the carrot and parsnip, mix and pour the olive oil over the mixture of vegetables.

Arrange all vegetables, except for the beets, in a shallow baking dish in one layer with little room to spare and scatter the garlic cloves over the vegetables. Tuck the beet quarters throughout. Dot the pan with margarine and season to taste with Kosher salt and black pepper.

Roast for 45 minutes uncovered. Gently toss vegetables in dish and then return to oven for another 45 minutes until they have browned along the edges and are fork tender.

I can imagine my dad standing in the kitchen carefully arranging the pears in this tart as he was so proud of the creation. I never have been much of a baker, but he had the keen ability to stay focused and precise and it came out beautifully (and delicious) every time.

Bring 4 cups of water, sugar, and lemon juice to a boil in large saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add pears. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until pears are very tender, turning occasionally, about 20 minutes. Cool pears in syrup.

Finely grind almonds and flour in food processor. Mix in 7 tablespoons sugar, then margarine, blending until smooth. Mix in egg. Transfer filling to medium bowl. Cover and let chill at least 3 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spread almond filling evenly into pie crust. Stem pears, cut each in half lengthwise, and scoop out cores. Cut each half crosswise into thin, uniform slices.

Gently press each pear half to fan slices, but keep slices tightly overlapped. Slide spatula under pears and arrange atop filling like spokes of a wheel.

Bake tart until golden and knife inserted into center comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Cool tart in pan on rack. Cut tart into wedges and sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired, and serve.

A classically trained chef, Jonah Levenberg is the director of food services at the Harry & Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center, where he is the creative mind behind CAF%u0100 B DATA and Citron Catering. He blogs at www.jccmilwaukee.org.