Make way for turkey

The odds of turkey landing on your plate on Thanksgiving are exceedingly high (gee, you think?) no matter where your holiday takes place. Even on the moon.

Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin's first meal, after their historic landing in 1969, was packets of roast turkey and all the trimmings. (They landed on July 20th, but what the heck.) Nationally, about 45 million turkeys are eaten on T-Day and 90 percent of American homes serve turkey on Thanksgiving. One hundred percent of American homes are sick of leftovers by day three (I think). Turkey Day, it seems to me, is a bit of an odd duck. It's as close to a communal event as this melting pot of a nation holds.

Kat and I expected just a quiet day for the two of us, but I still wanted a turkey and ordered a small fresh one from Egger's Meats. Then we got an invite to join Carol and Dennis VanHoff (part of the Miller clan, my surrogate family in Spokane for a quarter century) for their gathering. I'll smoke our turkey and add it to the mix.

It's usually a bit of a harried holiday for me, as I generally hold my annual open studio show the following weekend, and I am still trying to finish a last painting or two. I switched to the weekend before Thanksgiving this year, and I'm really looking forward to a more relaxed weekend. It looks like I'll just have to get up in time to pop the turkey in the smoker, and then I can go back to bed. Here are a few of my favorite T-Day side dishes. Put on adjustable waist clothing and enjoy the day.

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Dressing is safer than stuffing, as you can be surer that it's going to cook to a nice nonpoisoning temperature. I came up with this one several years ago and it's a winner if you like oysters.

OYSTER DRESSING

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

3 large stalks celery, chopped

8 slices stale cheap white bread, torn into chunks

1 1/2 tablespoons sage

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

1 tablespoon tarragon, crushed between palms

1 teaspoon sweet paprika, preferably Spanish

1/2 pound KC bacon (available at Egger's Meats)

2 (10-ounce) jars fresh oysters

Water or beer, as needed

Heat oil in a large saucepan; add onion and celery and saute until onion is soft. Add bread, the celery and onion mixture and seasonings to a large mixing bowl.

Slice or tear bacon into small pieces and saute until cooked but not browned, adding a little oil if needed. Keep heat on medium; add oysters and their juices, breaking them up as you stir.

Add oyster mixture into the mixing bowl and stir well, adding water or beer to moisten, if needed. If too wet, add more bread. If you can spare a few tablespoons of drippings from the bird, add them.

If preparing ahead, refrigerate the dressing. Allow it to warm to room temperature before cooking. Place in an oven-proof dish and bake, covered, alongside the turkey for the last hour, in a 350 degree oven.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Approximate nutrition per serving: Approximate nutrition per serving: 172 calories, 8.3 grams fat (2.4 grams saturated, 44 percent fat calories), 7.8 grams protein, 16 grams carbohydrate, 27 milligrams cholesterol, 1.2 grams dietary fiber, 331 milligrams sodium.

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This risotto pairs wonderfully with turkey and is a nice alternative to dressing. Or, in the spirit of having way too much food, make both. I use sun-dried tomatoes from my garden that contain no oil. If using tomatoes in olive oil, saute with the garlic and rice and use less oil.

RISOTTO WITH SHIITAKES AND SUN-DRIED TOMATOES

8 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked, chopped small

1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, soaked, chopped small

6 cups low-salt chicken broth, preferably homemade

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 cups arborio rice

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon sweet paprika, preferably Spanish

Salt and fresh-ground pepper, to taste

Cover mushrooms and tomatoes with 2 cups water; soak overnight. Squeeze out mushrooms and tomatoes, reserving the juices. Set aside mushrooms and tomatoes. Bring reserved juice and stock to a boil in a medium saucepan and lower to a simmer.

Heat olive oil in a large pot on medium-high. Add rice and garlic. Saute a couple of minutes to brown the rice, being careful not to burn the garlic. Add remaining ingredients except stock and reduce to medium.

Pour in a cup of stock and stir continuously. When bottom of pan shows, add more, a half cup at a time. Continue for 25 minutes. Reduce a few minutes if you like it thicker.

Yield: 6 servings

Nutrition per serving: Unable to calculate.

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POPPED WILD RICE

I actually thought I might have originated this, but then (naturally) found a version in "Joy of Cooking." It's a tasty snack or topping for salads.

Barely cover the bottom of a small sauce pan with olive oil and heat over medium high. When hot, add a handful of unwashed wild rice, turn to medium and stir with a wooden spoon until it pops. Two or three minutes should do it; drain on paper towels, then season with salt and pepper to taste.

Donald Clegg is a Spokane watercolor artist and inventive home cook. His column appears every third Wednesday of the month in the IN Food secion. He can be reached by e-mail at info@donaldclegg.com.

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