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A Thanksgiving Tale

Two months after I met the Somali family, the older girls came home from school and told me they’d started learning about the American holiday Thanksgiving at school, and asked me to tell them more about it. The first explanation I thought of – that every year Americans kill 45 million turkeys to celebrate that half of the Pilgrims who came to America didn’t die during the first winter– sounded ridiculous. So instead of trying to explain it further, I said, “How would you like to celebrate Thanksgiving with me this year?”

They were ecstatic. They had a poor concept of time, so every time I went over to their apartment in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, they’d race to get their coats and shoes, yelling, “We go to your house TODAY?” Every time I’d shake my head and say, “Nope, not today.”

On the morning of Thanksgiving, my housemate Betsy and I drove over to their apartment to pick them up – we needed two cars to transport the six of them.  When we knocked on the door, the girls all came running. Hadhi undid the locks and opened the door, and motioned for us to come inside. I held my arms out and called, “Who wants to go to my house today?” They screamed and clamored to get their shoes on. I brought a bag filled with hats and mittens, and once they had their shoes and coats on I handed out the items – partly because I thought they might like the thought of getting “dressed up” to come to my place, and partly because they didn’t own any winter gear.

Stuffed Pork Loin with Porcini and Apples

Magazine’s October 2011 issue . After reading the recipe, I realized the dish is a perfect candidate for sous vide cooking, so I adapted it with wonderful results.

Pork is notoriously easy to overcook, which renders it tough and dry. With the water oven, I simply immersed my food bag and forgot about the loin for hours. The result? Perfectly cooked, perfectly moist pork with a very tasty stuffing.

After its bath I gave the loin a quick sauté in a hot skillet for the finishing touch. The recipe appears quite complex, but several of the components can be made up to two days in advance, which makes it less daunting. If you don’t have veal demi-glace, substitute chicken demi-glace. The recipe serves four generously, and it is easily doubled by preparing two of the loins. Just bag them separately.

This is definitely a dish for company, and it would be an elegant change of pace for Thanksgiving or Christmas or New Year’s Eve dinner.

Up to 2 days...