Q&A: A Chef’s Thanksgiving Meal Prep Ideas

Are thoughts of the Thanksgiving meal invading your mind? Starting planning now to soothe away any uncertainties. You’ll feel better once a meal plan is in place. To help guide you, I interviewed Chef Catherine De Orio to get her thoughts on how to prepare for the big Thanksgiving meal.

Chef De Orio is a leading food expert who has appeared on “The Today Show” and many media outlets across the country. She attended the prestigious culinary school of Kendall College in Chicago and worked with nationally renowned chefs Gene Kato of Japonais and Tony Mantuano of Spiaggia. Prior to culinary school, Chef De Orio was an attorney, but she decided to pursue her true passion, cooking! Here are my questions (in bold), followed by Chef De Orio comments.

It’s easy to stress out over Thanksgiving dinner without proper planning. How far ahead do you suggest planning your Thanksgiving menu?

Chef De Orio: I say it is never too early to start planning for the big feast. The holiday falls at the same time each year, so alleviate the stress and plan ahead a minimum of two to three weeks. This way you can create your menu and then write out your grocery list. Then you can collect things as you are out at the stores leading up to the day instead of running to multiple stores a few days before and dealing with the hassles of long lines and sold out products. You can also save money this way by buying your ingredients as you find them on sale. Only fresh produce needs to be bought near the holiday itself. I always say, “Planning ahead eliminates holiday dread!”

Some of us tend to overdo it with too many side dishes at Thanksgiving, creating a too-much-for-one-plate effect! To you, what’s the perfect number (and type) of side dishes for a nice family gathering?

Chef De Orio: I’m very much into variety, I think I can never have too many options. But a good number is about three to four, depending on how many guests are coming to dinner. The most important thing to keep in mind is the preparation needs for each of the sides. So, when choosing which sides you will be serving, try to choose one to two cold, make-ahead dishes and one to two warm dishes. Also keep in mind how the warm dishes are to be cooked. To be sure you don’t have too many dishes competing for the oven, choose one that can be cooked in the oven and one that can be cooked on the stove top. Also, using some pre-cooked products can be a huge help when budgeting prep time. Hillshire Farm Beef Smoked Sausage and Polska Kielbasa can be tossed into savory bread puddings, stuffings and gratins … or even a heartier macaroni and cheese side that is sure to please the kids. This will save you time without sacrificing taste.

Additionally, think of the microwave as your greatest ally—make a warm dish (like mashed potatoes) ahead of time to save you precious prep time on day of the feast and heat them in the microwave to save you oven/stove space while you are trying to get everything out on the table in a timely fashion.

As far as types of side dishes, I would always opt for one starch (sweet potatoes, roasted potatoes, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese), one vegetable/relish and one type of stuffing. I like sides because this is where you can be traditional in the type of side but add some of your own flair to the dish. For example, use a spice common in your nationality’s cuisine like curry for curried carrot or a curry spiced sweet potatoes. Or use a special ingredient like Kale and porcini mushrooms sautéed with garlic and oil and topped with a bit of Parmesan for an Italian twist or add Hillshire Farm Polska Kielbasa for German potato salad. I love putting my personal stamp on the meals I create and I think guests enjoy it as well.

For people wanting to try something besides the traditional turkey or ham, what do you suggest?

Chef De Orio: I love traditional, but making a rack of lamb with a Dijon crust is sure to please and wow your guests. Maybe it’s because I am Italian, but I also like to have a delicious pasta dish available in case there are any vegetarians coming to the dinner. Make it seasonal by using roasted butternut squash for the sauce. Or make a pumpkin and sage risotto that can be served in roasted mini pumpkins.

Thanksgiving begs for a special dessert. Aside from the traditional pies like pumpkin or pecan, what is your favorite Thanksgiving dessert to prepare and why?

Chef De Orio: I have a few. I really enjoy making giant homemade molasses cookies and homemade pumpkin ice cream and then creating ice cream sandwiches. There is something about the whimsy of ice cream sandwiches that makes people smile. And on top of that, they are delicious. I also like making pavlova topped with a seasonal fruit, like persimmon. It is an Australian meringue dessert that is easy to make and is a tasty, but light compliment to the hearty Thanksgiving meal.

A trick I use when I don’t have the time to make something from scratch but want to serve something is I start with a store-bought base. I buy a pumpkin pie and use a biscuit cutter to cut individual cakes from it. Then top each with a little whipped topping mixed with a touch of bourbon and sprinkle some candied pecans over the top. Before plating I dust each plate with some ground cinnamon, and voila, you have an easy, but elegant dessert.

Do you have any other tips for stress-free (relatively!) Thanksgiving meal preparation?

Chef De Orio:

• Put a spin on leftover dishes. Often, your guests are at your house for more than just the one day; instead of waking up hours early to prepare breakfast, incorporate leftovers from last night’s dinner or use a pre-cooked product– make a simple frittata using chopped Hillshire Farm Beef Smoked Sausage and leftover grilled/roasted vegetables. If you’re in a pinch, keep a supply of fresh muffins and breakfast bread with a variety of preserves in the pantry to put out in the morning so guests can help themselves.
• Plan your menu as far in advance as possible. Be sure to check for food allergies, etc of your guests. Write a list of all of the ingredients that are needed for your recipes. Then check off what you already have in the house. Be sure to check that you have all of the staples in your house. Then, pick up your remaining grocery items leading up to the holidays as you find them on sale.
• Buy frozen pre-sliced, pre-chopped ingredients and save your hand and knife some work. Just take them out of the freezer on Thanksgiving to defrost and you will have delicious and flavorful ingredients to work with.
• Always have a store-bought, ready-made dessert in your freezer as well as some frozen appetizers, so you can substitute those if you should run out of time while cooking and/or want to expand your options. Knowing that you have a back-up if more guests arrive than you anticipated or something doesn’t turn out as well as you’d hoped will help reduce stress.
• Not everything has to be homemade, or assembled: buy a variety of high-quality deli meats, cheeses and breads and arrange beautifully on trays. Serve delicious ready-made spreads (pesto, hummus, curried mayo, etc) on the side and let your guests create a customized snack.
• Use seasonal ingredients to add festive touches to dishes: For example, sprinkle toasted, sliced almonds over sautéed asparagus, or add dried cranberries to a fresh salad. Also, use store-bought dressings and marinades to save time.
• Plan ahead and make appetizers, sauces and desserts and freeze them, so you have less to do on the day of your event. Hillshire Farm Turkey Lit’l Smokies keep with the Thanksgiving theme and are great to have on hand for pigs in a blanket with a cranberry-Dijon dipping sauce or as a delicious dipper for a holiday fondue.
• Set your table the week leading up to the holiday. Lay out and clean all of your serving ware the week before as well—this will prevent the stress of trying to find a bowl or dish to serve from when you have a house full of guests and an oven full of food ready to be served.
• Clean your kitchen as you cook so that you don’t have a huge mess to deal with when you are finished.
• And of course–don’t do it all alone: Take up your friends and family when they offer to bring a part of the meal–this is a season of giving, sharing and spending time with those you love–enjoy it by spreading the work load around.

(Image via flickr/lookslikeamy’s and stock.xchng)