The Thanksgiving Issue Part Two

 Yesterday The New York Times Food section printed their unofficial Thanksgiving issue. It was chock full of ideas and recipes. There is still more to go over and share with family and our veterans alike.

 We discovered spins on turkey thanks to Padma Lakschmi and some interesting dishes from a Liberian Thanksgiving. Now it's time to look into traditional and classic New York Times recipes. These reflect over 150 years of them from The Times. Krysten Chambrot food editor of the section  created the assembly of these tasty dishes.She's had help from Amanda Hesser, co-founder of the cooking and home company Food 52, and former Times food writer and editor. Some of the recipes weren't originally meant for the holiday but they can easily be made for it.  You could easily start the meal off with Craig Claiborne;s Florentine dip first published in 1959.It's a heady mix of anchovies, capers and lemon juice mixed into a blend if sour cream and cream cheese. Chives, garlic and parsley add to the flavor. A different side is red cabbage glazed with maple syrup. This would also be good with a holiday pork roast or  a Christmas ham too. It's from 1991 , created by Yves Labbe. Red cabbage is first sauteed in bacon drippings with onions, apples, a bay leaf and maple syrup. This is then baked in the oven for thirty minutes after being seasoned with salt and pepper.

You can never go wrong with an Edna Lewis recipe. Her recipe for baked sweet potatoes with lemon was first published in 1993 right after she wrote her seminal cookbook "The Taste of Country Cooking" when she worked at the famed Gage & Tollner.The sweet potatoes are first boiled as a syrup of brown sugar, lemon zest and nutmeg in water. Butter is whisked in and then lemon juice. The potatoes are then sliced into half inch thick  discs or coins and put into a buttered shallow baking dish. The lemon syrup is poured on top and the whole dish is baked for half an hour at 425 degrees. What to end the dinner with? Not a traditional pie but David Lebovitz's fresh ginger cake first made by Times readers in 1999. Mr. Lebovitz was the pastry chef at the famed La Panisse in Berkeley California. This recipe is from his first cookbook "Room For Dessert". It's sort of like a gingerbread, but made with fresh peeled and cur ginger along with cloves , cinnamon and black pepper.It only has two eggs so it's not as rich as other holiday cakes. It would go well with vanilla ice cream or a dollop of freshly whipped cream.

These are great Thanksgiving recipes to be shared with everyone, including our veterans. They can also be made for other holidays too. Enjoy these New York Times classic recipes and their classic flavors. They are the perfect accompaniment to turkey, ham or roast port.