Fixing the Fixings

I must confess that I spend more time thinking about the side dishes--the “fixings”--for Thanksgiving dinner than any other aspect of the meal. Chestnuts, celery root salad, cranberries, yams, onions, apples, pumpkin, spinach, relishes . . . how to choose, how many to prepare?

With a traditional focus in mind, I am including recipes here for side dishes that can be cooked ahead. They feature cranberries, spinach and onions.

Cranberries are my passion and I use them throughout the year (while they are available, freeze them right in their bags; you’ll be amazed how they add refreshing flavor all year long, even to summer food). Fresh Cranberry Relish Mold is a crunchy, refreshing gelatin creation that will easily serve 12. Pineapple Fluff Sauce gilds the lily, but isn’t that what Thanksgiving is all about?

Don Roth’s Creamed Spinach, originally served at Roth’s celebrated Blackhawk Restaurant, was a Chicago classic for years. Make it, you’ll love it; the calories can be worked off tomorrow. Sweet-and-Sour Smothered Onions, a wonderful recipe from the early part of the century, is satisfying without being too rich.

This fresh cranberry-apple relish will last three weeks in the refrigerator, up to three months in the freezer. Use as a fresh salsa on chicken, turkey, duck, game, pork, beef, lamb or mild fish, tossed into meat salads, as a sandwich spread (with or without mayonnaise), as a sorbet, or briefly simmered as a sauce on puddings and other desserts.

CRANBERRY-APPLE RELISH

1 (12-ounce) bag fresh cranberries, about 3 1/2 cups

3 medium unpeeled Granny Smith apples, cored, quartered

2/3 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

Coarsely chop cranberries and apples. (Chop in batches, if using food processor.) Combine fruits with sugar and vinegar in large bowl. Adjust sugar and vinegar to taste. Let mixture rest at least 2 hours at room temperature before using. Makes 1 quart.

Each serving contains about:

115 calories; .6 mg sodium; 0 grams cholesterol; .3 grams fat; 30 grams carbohydrates; .3 grams protein; 1 grams fiber; 2% calories from fat.

Back in the ‘50s, a co-worker was proud of this recipe; the whole office adopted it. Gelatin salads have fallen out of favor since then, but their attributes are many. This one is quick and easy to make in a food processor, and if you omit the nuts, it’s definitely low fat. It must be made at least a day ahead to let the fresh cranberry flavor deepen and can be refrigerated up to three days in an airtight container. The creamy Pineapple Fluff Sauce it’s served with is a lower-fat adaptation of the cooked fruit sauces so commonly served with gelatin molds in the past. It can be made a day ahead and refrigerated.

FRESH CRANBERRY RELISH MOLD

12 ounces fresh cranberries (if frozen, do not thaw), coarsely chopped in processor

1/3 cup sugar

2 cups water

1 (6-ounce) package raspberry gelatin

1 cup finely chopped celery

1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

3 medium unpeeled tart apples, cored, minced

2 teaspoons lemon juice

Decorative greens and more fresh cranberries, for garnish

Pineapple Fluff Sauce

Combine chopped cranberries and sugar in 2-quart mixing bowl. Let stand at least 10 minutes to draw out juices.

Heat 1 cup water and add to gelatin in small dish. Stir until dissolved. Add remaining water, celery, walnuts, apples and lemon juice. Add cranberries with their liquid. Mix well. Lightly oil 7- to 8-cup-capacity ring mold or bowl. Transfer mixture to mold. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

To serve, invert mold onto decorative serving platter and unmold contents by placing hot, wet towel on top of mold. If it sticks, keep applying hot, wet towels and try loosening gelatin with small flexible spreader.

Decorate serving platter with greens and fresh cranberries. Serve with Pineapple Fluff Sauce on side or use small dollop on top of each serving. Makes 12 servings.

Pineapple Fluff Sauce

1 tablespoon unsalted butter or margarine

1 tablespoon flour

1 (6-ounce) can unsweetened pineapple juice

2 large eggs

Salt

1/3 cup sugar

2 tablespoons plain nonfat yogurt

1 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice

Melt butter or margarine in 1-quart non-aluminum saucepan over medium-high heat. When hot, whisk in flour and cook 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in juice. Cook until thickened, about 3 minutes, stirring constantly.

Separate 1 egg. Put yolk into small dish and froth with fork. Stir in some hot juice mixture. Whisk egg mixture slowly into saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Separate remaining egg and reserve or discard yolk. Use mixer to beat 2 egg whites with dash salt until frothy. Slowly add sugar with mixer running and continue to beat until whites are shiny and hold their shape.

Slowly whisk whipped egg white into mixture in saucepan. Return pan to stove and bring to boil (mixture will puff, rather than boil) over medium-high heat, about 2 minutes, whisking slowly and continuously.

Remove from heat. Immediately transfer sauce from pan to bowl. Chill. Stir in yogurt and lemon juice to taste until smooth.

Each serving contains about:

183 calories; 60 mg sodium; 25 grams cholesterol; 8 grams fat; 27 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams protein; 1 gram fiber; 39% calories from fat.

This can be made a day ahead and refrigerated, covered airtight (the nice green color may diminish a bit, but not the taste). Gently reheat on the stove top or in a microwave.

DON ROTH’S CREAMED SPINACH

2 tablespoons finely chopped salt pork

1/4 cup chopped small onion

2 (10-ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry in cloth towel

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

2 tablespoons flour

1/2 cup whipping cream

3/4 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground pepper

Cook salt pork, covered, in 10-inch skillet over medium heat until fat is rendered, about 6 minutes. Add onion. Cook until golden brown, about 8 minutes, stirring often. Add spinach and stir until well blended. Keep warm.

Melt butter in 1-quart saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour. Cook 2 minutes, stirring often. Slowly stir in whipping cream and milk. Bring to boil gradually and cook until thickened, about 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Add salt, pepper and spinach mixture. Stir well. Heat through. Adjust seasonings to taste. Makes 4 servings.

Each serving contains about:

283 calories; 582 mg sodium; 68 grams cholesterol; 24 grams fat; 12 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams protein; 1 gram fiber; 77% calories from fat.

The sliced onions are made less pungent by blanching, draining, simmering and then smothering with vinegar, sugar and a little butter, for a mild sweet-sour finish. This recipe, inspired by one from 1910, is a lower-fat alternative to the traditional Thanksgiving creamed pearl onions. It can be made ahead up to the point of adding the butter.

SWEET-AND-SOUR SMOTHERED ONIONS

5 medium onions, sliced 1/4-inch thick

6 tablespoons cider vinegar

4 teaspoons sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Place onion slices in 2-quart non-aluminum saucepan. Cover with cold water and bring to boil. Drain.

Return to pan and add fresh cold water to cover. Simmer, uncovered, until tender, about 15 minutes.

Drain well and return to saucepan. Stir in vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. Simmer, covered, over medium heat until hot, about 10 minutes. Stir in butter until melted. Watch carefully to prevent burning. Adjust seasonings to taste. Serve hot. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Each serving contains about:

183 calories; 509 mg sodium; 15 grams cholesterol; 6 grams fat; 31 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams protein; 1 grams fiber; 30% calories from fat.