The Thanksgiving 2023 Edition 🦃
🇬🇧 London, Thanksgiving Recipes to Cook, and More!
This year, I’m skipping Thanksgiving! I’m off to London this weekend for my book tour, and I’m very excited. I’m carrying an extra empty bag for all the books and pet treats I plan to return. Paddington needs a new Paddington bear to cuddle with. While I am opting out of Thanksgiving this year, I will still have you covered for all your cooking needs.
This week has been a whirlwind and a special time for many firsts! My mother-in-law came to town for my book dinner; she’s never been to my events, so this was extra special.
Chef Suzanne Goin, her incredible team at Caldo Verde, and the lovely people at Now Serving (they have signed copies) helped me celebrate my book with a special dinner menu from the recipes in Veg-Table.
My MIL also came to town for the book dinner; this was the first time she’d attended any of my book events. Another memorable moment that evening was when I met Christine Valada, the wife of the late Len Wein, who created some of the X-Men and other legendary comic characters, including Wolverine and Storm. She brought me a little gift because she’d seen my X-men comic collection in my videos on Instagram. I was speechless! Thank you to everyone who came out that evening despite the rain and the drama on the 10. We had a full house and a fantastic book party.
A special note to my U.K. readers: the Fortnum and Mason event is sold out. A few tickets remain for my dinner event on November 26th at Ravinder Bhogal’s Michelin-starred restaurant, Jikoni. It will be a fun evening, and I can’t wait to meet you there.
This week, Veg-Table was also named one of the Best Cookbooks of the Year by Waterstones(U.K.), Epicurious, The Los Angeles Times, and The San Francisco Chronicle (the only cookbook on the list!).
Nik Sharma knows exactly how I (and so many others) want to eat -- more vegetables and more flavor, please. "Veg-Table" is Sharma's third cookbook, and he has honed personable recipes with lots of payoff. (Currently, I'm putting his buttermilk caraway dipping sauce on many things.) The test of my favorite cookbooks: Flip them open to any page and the recipe is so enticing I immediately want to start cooking. In "Veg-Table," it's radish salad with black vinegar, roasted fruit with arugula, Brussels sprouts with sticky miso sauce and black rice. Sharma shows us just how exciting vegetables can be, utilizing interesting techniques: collards smeared with spiced yogurt, then rolled and fried, or brassica fritters in the style of okonomiyaki (the Japanese "as you like it" pancake). Sharma delves into plant science, how best to store produce and plenty of cooking tips. I appreciate the step-by-step photos, no matter how many times I've trimmed an artichoke. -- Betty Hallock, The Los Angeles Times.
Thanksgiving 2023
Even though I won’t be here for Thanksgiving and will skip the dinner this year, I’ve got all my favorites for you in this special edition of my newsletter. I want to eat mince pies next week while I’m in London.
I went live on our local news channel, KTLA5, to showcase vegetarian Thanksgiving recipes from Veg-Table. It was a treat and also my first time going live on television or, for that matter, my cookbooks. Watch the 5-minute segment here.
I’m officially an Angeleno now that I’ve co-hosted The Good Food Show’s Thanksgiving Special with Evan Kleiman. Please check it out, and you will hear from fellow Substackers,
,, Top Chef Winner Mei Lin (who I hope to have over someday and cook with), and sommelier Fahara Zamorano. Evan and I also answer this year’s Thanksgiving hotline and take everyone’s questions. Listen to the episode here.My entire compilation of Thanksgiving recipes is available below. Choose recipes that fit your menu, and remember, have fun. Don’t overwork yourself. Dinners should be enjoyable for both the guests and the host!
Also, don’t forget to check out last year’s menu; there are recipe crossovers, but the menu suggestions will help act.
The Thanksgiving Recipe Collection
·
Hi Friends, It’s here! It’s Thanksgiving week, the second big food holiday after Diwali. A huge thank you to all who made it to last Saturday’s Thanksgiving Chat on Substack. I enjoyed every minute. Over the years, I’ve become wiser and learned to ask for and accept help preparing for Thanksgiving. I don’t need to do it all, and neither do you! It’s a dinn…
In addition, a Virtual Thanksgiving Potluck is happening hosted by
There are recipes by yours truly, including I’ve got a recipe for Sweet and Sour Yams (you can use Sweet Potatoes here even though the recipe uses African Yams).
I’ll be at Milk Street Cooking School (well, virtually), cooking from Veg-Table. Use the code COOKWITHNIK to receive 15% off.
There will be no newsletter next week; I’m taking a break from writing while in London. Have a lovely Thanksgiving to everyone celebrating, and remember to relax.