By Melissa Clark, The New York Times
The traditional Thanksgiving table generally sticks to a muted, autumnal palette: bland beiges and tans, maybe accentuated by ruddy orange or maroon, and mild flavors to match.
This is a great year to add vibrancy and verve, not just for the visual thrill, but because colorful ingredients also often have the deepest, most complex flavors.
Given the stunning produce available this time of year, you don’t need to go very far. As long as you don’t overcook your vegetables and dull their hue, the verdant greenery of broccoli and string beans, the fuchsia purples of red cabbage and beets, the golden glow of squashes and sweet potatoes just need a little nudge.
To help the cause, I’ve come up with four new side dishes that are so eye-catching you won’t even need flowers at the table; these beauties are centerpiece enough.
Recipe: Green Beans With Lime and Red Onions
Green beans with lime and red onions. Every Thanksgiving meal needs a green vegetable to round out the carb-y mashed potatoes and stuffing, but the usual green bean casserole can seem a little sleepy. Food styled by Monica Pierini. (Linda Xiao, The New York Times)
Snappy and bright, these green beans are ready in minutes and full of tangy lime, garlic and coriander. The streamlined technique makes these very easy to do in one pan. Just add the beans and a little water to the skillet to steam them. Then, after the water cooks off, add the oil and aromatics and sauté until the garlic turns golden at the edges and the beans absorb all of the flavors. These beans are great both warm and at room temperature, so feel free to make them a few hours ahead, and garnish with herbs and onions just before serving.
By Melissa Clark
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Total time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
1 pound green beans, stem ends trimmed
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, more for drizzling
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 1/4 teaspoons ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon fine sea or table salt, more to taste
Pinch of crushed red pepper
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lime
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped cilantro, parsley or mint
Preparation
1. Combine green beans and water in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring and shaking the pan, until the beans are bright green and the water has evaporated from the skillet, 3 to 6 minutes.
2. Raise the heat to high and add the olive oil, garlic, ground coriander, salt and crushed red pepper. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the green beans are just cooked through but still crisp-tender.
3. Stir in the lime zest and the juice of 1/2 lime. Taste for seasoning and add more salt or lime juice, as needed.
4. Slide the green beans onto a platter and top with red onion and cilantro. Drizzle with more olive oil. Serve hot or at room temperature.
Recipe: Maple-Roasted Squash With Charred Lemon
Maple-roasted squash with charred lemon. Instead of hiding sweet potatoes’ light under a cloying drift of marshmallow, roast your winter squash and thin slices of lemon with maple syrup and spices. Food styled by Monica Pierini. (Linda Xiao, The New York Times)
This colorful roasted squash dish is both bracing and sweet. Charred bits of lemon balance the maple syrup, which almost candies the squash as it roasts, while cardamom and coriander add a perfumed, sophisticated touch. Using a mix of winter squashes will give you the most interesting flavors and textures since they’re all a little different. Any combination of delicata, butternut, honey nut and kabocha works very well. The only variety to avoid is acorn, which has a starchier texture that doesn’t absorb the syrup as well as the others.
By Melissa Clark
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Total time: 55 minutes
Ingredients
1 lemon, halved lengthwise, seeds removed
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more as needed
1/4 cup maple syrup
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
Large pinch of chile powder, plus more as needed
3 pounds mixed winter squash (honey nut, butternut, delicata and/or kabocha), seeded and sliced into 1-inch-thick crescents, half moons or 1-inch cubes
1 tablespoon olive oil, more for drizzling
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds, lightly crushed with a knife
Mint or celery leaves, parsley and/or cilantro, for garnish (optional)
Preparation
1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Slice one lemon half crosswise and then slice very thinly into half-moons. Reserve the remaining lemon half for squeezing over the roasted squash.
3. Bring a small pot of salted water to boil. Add lemon slices and simmer for 2 minutes. Drain well and reserve.
4. In the same small saucepan (no need to wash it) over medium heat, combine maple syrup, butter and chile powder. Gently simmer for 2 minutes to thicken the syrup slightly.
5. In a large bowl, toss together the squash, olive oil, cardamom, coriander seeds and salt.
6. Pour in the maple syrup mixture and lemons, and toss again to combine. Spread squash mixture evenly on the prepared baking sheet. Roast for 30 to 40 minutes, tossing the mixture halfway through, until the squash is flecked with brown and tender, and the lemons are caramelized.
7. Place squash and lemon on a platter and drizzle with more oil and squeeze on a little lemon juice from the reserved half. Garnish with herbs or celery and more chile powder if you like.
Recipe: Red Cabbage With Walnuts and Feta
Red cabbage with walnuts and feta. Red cabbage is hardly a holiday staple, but roasting big wedges and topping them with feta crumbles and toasted walnuts makes a dazzling, substantial side that could double as a meat-free main for any turkey avoiders. Food styled by Monica Pierini. (Linda Xiao/The New York Times)
Roasting wedges of red cabbage intensifies their sweetness and caramelizes their edges. Here, they’re topped with bits of creamy feta, toasted walnuts for crunch and lemon zest and pomegranate seeds for a juicy tang. Serve these warm or at room temperature for a substantial side dish or light main course. This recipe will also work for a small head of green cabbage, though it may cook a bit faster.
By Melissa Clark
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Total time: 55 minutes
Ingredients
1 medium red cabbage (1 3/4 to 2 pounds)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1/2 teaspoon fine sea or table salt, plus more for sprinkling
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2/3 cup (3 ounces) crumbled feta
1/3 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
Lemon zest, for sprinkling
Pomegranate seeds, for sprinkling
Chopped mint, parsley or dill, for serving (optional)
Preparation
1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Line a rimmed sheet pan with parchment paper if you like (it’ll make clean up easier).
2. Peel any damaged or tough outer leaves from the cabbage and then halve it lengthwise through the core. Cut each half into wedges 1 to 1 1/2 inch thick, being careful to keep the layers together.
3. Place wedges on their sides on the prepared sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast for 30 to 40 minutes (flipping the cabbage after 20 minutes), or until the cores of the wedges are tender and the leaves have browned.
4. While the cabbage is roasting, prepare the vinaigrette: In a small bowl, whisk together apple cider vinegar, mustard and 1/2 teaspoon salt until the salt dissolves. Whisk in 3 tablespoons olive oil until the vinaigrette is emulsified. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt or vinegar if needed; it should be punchy and bright.
5. Arrange cabbage on a platter and drizzle with vinaigrette. Top with crumbled feta, toasted walnuts, lemon zest, pomegranate seeds and herbs if you like. Serve hot or at room temperature.
Recipe: Giant Roasted Vegetable Platter
A giant roasted vegetable platter. Most Thanksgiving vegetable dishes focus on a single ingredient like brussels sprouts, green beans or sweet potatoes, but one easy way to add a lot of color is with an ebullient platter piled high with your favorites. Food styled by Monica Pierini. (Linda Xiao, The New York Times)
A giant platter of colorful roasted vegetables is a perfect party side that you can make in advance. The vegetables can be cut up the day before and stored in the fridge. You can roast them a few hours before serving, and reheat them for 7 to 15 minutes at 350 to 400 degrees (they are very forgiving) or serve them at room temperature. Then garnish to your heart’s content — a mix of jewel-like pomegranate seeds, cumin or sesame seeds, herbs, swirls of garlicky yogurt and dashes of hot honey will make everything pop. To make a vegan version of this dish, you can substitute tahini sauce for the yogurt sauce and skip the hot honey.
By Melissa Clark
Yield: 8 to 12 servings
Total time: 1 hour
Ingredients
1 (1 1/2-pound) head purple, white or orange cauliflower, cut into bite-size florets
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds winter squash (such as kabocha, delicata, butternut or honey nut) halved, seeded, and cut into 1-inch-thick crescents or rounds
1 pound Broccolini or sprouting broccoli, trimmed
1 pound carrots, trimmed, peeled, halved lengthwise
1 fennel bulb, trimmed but core left intact, cut lengthwise into 8 wedges
1 large red onion, peeled but root left intact, cut lengthwise into 8 wedges
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, more for sprinkling
1/2 cup whole-milk yogurt
1 garlic clove, finely grated
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, more to taste
Apple cider vinegar, for drizzling
Hot honey, for drizzling
Cumin seeds or white sesame seeds, for sprinkling
Pomegranate seeds, for sprinkling (optional)
1 cup chopped cilantro, mint or parsley
Preparation
1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Line 3 large rimmed sheet pans with parchment paper. Lay vegetables out on the pans, keeping the same kinds together. Drizzle vegetables with olive oil, and sprinkle generously with salt. Roast vegetables until tender and golden, flipping them halfway, and using a wide spatula or tongs to remove them from the pans as they are done. The timing will look like this: Broccolini, 10 to 15 minutes; red onions, 15 to 20; fennel, 20 to 25; cauliflower, 25 to 35; squash, 30 to 35; carrots, 30 to 40.
2. While the vegetables are roasting, put yogurt in a small bowl. Whisk in grated garlic, lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Taste for seasoning, and add more lemon juice and salt as needed.
3. Arrange the roasted vegetables artfully on a platter. Top with dollops of garlicky yogurt. Drizzle with more olive oil, apple cider vinegar and hot honey. Sprinkle with cumin seeds or sesame seeds, pomegranate seeds and chopped cilantro. Serve warm or at room temperature.
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This article originally appeared in The New York Times.