Not in the mood for the traditional Thanksgiving turkey this year? Or do you want to have something else to serve in addition to the turkey? Here are a few festive ideas that include ham, pork roast and leg of lamb, as well as vegetarian dishes, for your Thanksgiving menu.
Maple and Brown Sugar Glazed Ham
Serves 8 to 10
Ingredients:
1 fully cooked ham, about 6 to 8 pounds
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup apple juice
1 heaping tablespoon brown or Dijon mustard
Dash of cinnamon, ginger or allspice, optional
How to:
Place ham, fat side up, on rack in a foil-lined roasting pan; score fat and stud with cloves, if desired. Cook at 325° for about 18 minutes per pound, until meat thermometer or instant read thermometer registers 148°. Combine glaze ingredients in saucepan; bring to a boil and boil for about 2 minutes (be careful not to let it boil over). About 20 minutes before the ham is done, spoon about half of the glaze over top of ham, then about 10 minutes before done, spread remaining glaze over ham.
Fully Festive Ham
(Recipe courtesy of Nigella Lawson)
Ingredients for Ham:
- 7 1/2 pounds ham
- 8 cups cranberry juice
- 8 cups apple juice
- 2 cinnamon sticks, halved
- 2 onions, halved but not peeled
- 1 tablespoon allspice berries
Ingredients for Cranberry Glaze:
- Approximately 30 cloves
- 4 tablespoons cranberry jelly, or 6 tablespoons cranberry sauce
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon English mustard powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
How to:
Put the ham into a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and then immediately drain and rinse it in a colander, to remove any excess saltiness. Alternatively, leave the ham soaking in cold water overnight.
Rinse the saucepan and put the ham back in, and add all remaining ingredients. If the fruit juices do not cover the ham then add some water; it really depends on how snugly your ham fits into the saucepan.
Bring the pan to a boil and then cook at a fast simmer for about 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Partially cover the ham with a lid if the liquid is boiling away too much and the top of the ham is getting dry.
Once the ham is cooked, remove it from the hot and now salty juice, and sit it on a board. If you want, you can actually cook this far ahead of schedule and then let it get entirely cold before glazing and roasting it. If that’s the case, then cook it for about 1/2 hour less and then just let it get cold in the cooking liquid.
On the day of cooking, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
When the ham is cool enough to touch then cut and peel the rind off the cooked ham, making sure to leave a thin coating of the white fat on the ham. Score the fat into a diamond pattern with a sharp knife, and stud the points of each diamond with a clove.
Heat the remaining glaze ingredients together in a saucepan until the jelly or sauce melts into the honey, mustard, and cinnamon to make a smooth but syrupy glaze; it needs to be thick enough not to run off the ham completely as it cooks in the oven.
Sit the ham on a piece of foil in a roasting tin, which will give you an easier time later washing up, as the sugary glaze will burn as bits of it do inevitably dribble down the ham. Pour the glaze over the clove studded ham so that all of the scored fat is covered. Cook the ham for 15 minutes or until the fat is colored and burnished by the sugary glaze.
If the ham is completely cold prior to glazing, then cook for 40 minutes at 350 degrees F, and turn up the heat to 425 degrees F for another 15 minutes. These timings are based on the ham being cold at room temperature, not refrigerator cold.
Festive Pork Roast
(Recipe courtesy of Better Homes & Gardens)
Serves 8 – 10
Ingredients:
- 1 3 pound boneless pork top loin roast (single loin)
- 3/4 cup dry red wine
- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup vinegar
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
How to:
Place roast in a large plastic bag set in a large, deep bowl. For marinade, in a small bowl combine wine, sugar, vinegar, ketchup, water, oil, soy sauce, garlic, curry powder, ginger, and pepper. Pour marinade over meat; seal bag. Marinate in the refrigerator for 6 hours or overnight, turning bag several times. Drain meat, reserving 1-1/4 cups marinade; cover marinade and chill. Pat meat dry with paper towels.
Place the meat on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Insert an oven-going meat thermometer into center of roast. Roast in a 325 degree F oven for 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours or until meat thermometer registers 150 degrees F.
Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. In a small saucepan stir reserved marinade into the cornstarch. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 2 minutes more. Brush roast frequently with sauce after 1 hour of roasting.
Cover meat with foil and let stand 15 minutes. The temperature of the meat after standing should be 160 degrees F. Bring remaining sauce to boiling and pass with meat.
Leg of Lamb
(Recipe from The Crafty Hostess)
Ingredients:
1 nine pound bone-in leg of lamb, trimmed and wrapped in butchers twine
About 2 Tbsp. of dried oregano
About 2 Tbsp. of chopped fresh rosemary
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
How to:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse the lamb under cold water. Place in a roasting pan (with the fatty side up) and pat dry with paper towels. Rub the lamb generously on both sides with olive oil. Season the lamb with the salt, pepper, herbs and garlic. Be sure that both sides are coated. You can do this ahead of time and let the lamb sit covered in the refrigerator.
Place the lamb in a turkey size Reynolds® oven bag, which fits meat that is 8 – 24 pounds. If you’re making a smaller lamb, use a smaller oven bag, too. They come in a couple of different sizes. Be sure to follow the instructions on the box. It will require you to add a small amount of flour to the bag.
Once the bag is tied up well, place the lamb back in the roasting pan and cook according to the directions on the oven bag box. My 9 pound lamb took about 2 ½ hours to be medium-well.
Allow the lamb to sit for about 10 minutes before you slice it. Be careful not to spill the juices from the bag, as this makes for a delicious gravy for your sliced lamb. Garnish the serving platter with sprigs of fresh rosemary.
Festive Lamb Crown Roast with Oven Roasted Vegetables
(Recipe courtesy of superiorfarms.com)
Serves 8
Ingredients:
2 heads of garlic
2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
2 Tbsp. butter
1 cup Panko bread crumbs
3 Tbsp. chopped herbs (rosemary, basil and thyme)
1 American Lamb crown roast, cap removed from ribs
Salt and coarse ground pepper
Oven roasted vegetables
How to:
Cut 1/2 inch off the tops of the garlic. Place in small metal pan and drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil. Roast in 375°F oven for 1 hour. Cool and squeeze soft garlic cloves into small bowl. Mash with remaining 1 tablespoon oil; set aside.
In small skillet, melt butter and add bread crumbs. Stir and cook until browned. Pour into bowl and mix in herbs. Place roast in roasting pan. Rub garlic mixture over outside of roast. Generously season lamb with salt and pepper. Pat on bread crumb mixture. Roast at 375°F for about 45 minutes or until desired degree of doneness. Remove roast from oven, pour roasted vegetables in center, cover and let stand for 10 minutes. Carve and serve 2 to 3 chops per serving.
Wild Mushroom Pastitsio
(Recipe courtesy of Cooking Light)
Serves 6
Ingredients:
- 4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 (8-ounce) packages pre-sliced exotic mushroom blend, chopped
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups 1% low-fat milk
- 1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
- 4 cups hot cooked fusilli pasta
- Cooking spray
How to:
1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat; swirl to coat. Add onion and garlic; sauté for 3 minutes or until tender. Add mushrooms. Cook for 8 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates. Stir in oregano, 1/4 teaspoon salt, black pepper, nutmeg, and tomato sauce. Cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; set aside.
3. Combine eggs and parsley in a large bowl. Heat the remaining 1 teaspoon oil and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Sprinkle flour evenly into pan; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Gradually add milk to flour mixture, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Bring to a boil; cook 2 minutes or until thickened, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; let stand 4 minutes. Stir in remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1 cup cheese. Gradually add hot milk mixture to egg mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk. Add pasta to milk mixture; toss to combine.
4. Spread 2 cups pasta mixture in an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top with mushroom mixture. Top with remaining pasta mixture. Cover with foil coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Remove foil; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese.
5. Preheat broiler.
6. Broil 5 minutes or until cheese melts. Let stand 15 minutes.
Butternut Squash, Caramelized Onion and Spinach Lasagna
(Recipe courtesy of Cooking Light)
Serves 8
Ingredients:
- 6 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
- 12 garlic cloves, unpeeled (about 1 head)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- Cooking spray
- 1 large onion, vertically sliced
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 (9-ounce) packages fresh spinach
- 5 cups 1% low-fat milk, divided
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 thyme sprig
- 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded fontina cheese, divided
- 3/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon grated whole nutmeg
- 9 no-boil lasagna noodles
How to:
1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. Combine squash, 1 tablespoon oil, sage, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and black pepper in a large bowl; toss to coat. Arrange squash mixture on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 425° for 30 minutes or until squash is tender. Cool slightly; peel garlic. Place squash and garlic in a bowl; partially mash with a fork.
3. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, and sauté for 4 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low; continue cooking for 20 minutes or until golden brown, stirring frequently. Place onion in a bowl.
4. Add 2 tablespoons water and spinach to Dutch oven; increase heat to high. Cover and cook 2 minutes or until spinach wilts. Drain in a colander; cool. Squeeze excess liquid from spinach. Add spinach to onions.
5. Heat 4 1/2 cups milk, bay leaf, and thyme in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil; remove from heat. Let stand for 10 minutes. Discard bay leaf and thyme. Return pan to medium heat. Combine remaining 1/2 cup milk and flour in a small bowl. Add to pan, stirring with a whisk until blended. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes or until thickened, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 1/4 cups cheese, red pepper, and nutmeg.
6. Spread 1/2 cup milk mixture in bottom of a 13 x 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 3 noodles over milk mixture; top with half of squash mixture, half of spinach mixture, and 3/4 cup milk mixture. Repeat layers, ending with noodles. Spread remaining milk mixture over noodles. Bake at 425° for 30 minutes, and remove from oven. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese.
7. Preheat broiler.
8. Broil 2 minutes or until cheese is melted and lightly browned. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
