Parsley

Add crunch to the meal by having rice cakes on the side. Sauvignon Blanc is a good choice to balance the flavors of the vegetables.

"I’ve never been much of a fish lover, but on a trip to New York, I ordered the hazelnut-crusted trout at Tribeca Grill," writes Corrie Reid of Stafford, Texas. "It was by far the best fish I’ve ever had, and the sauce served with it was just heavenly." To crush the toasted nuts, seal them in a plastic bag, and pound with a rolling pin.

Turkey may not have played as big a part in the first Thanksgiving, held back in 1621, as it does in our contemporary celebration. If turkey was served at all, it was probably one of many game birds, that were served along with venison, oysters, clams, lobsters, and eels, as well as succotash, beach plums, sweet potatoes, leeks and cornbread. My own Thanksgiving menu is intended to pay homage to the foods of the first Thanksgiving , as well as to the foods that have become associated with this holiday. I believe that holidays by their own nature demand that traditional foods be served. In America, there is no stronger correlation between the food and the day than that of the venerable Thanksgiving Day turkey.

John Schumacher bought the historic but deteriorating Broz Hotel, 50 miles southwest of Minneapolis, back in 1974. After renovating the building, he reopened it as a European-style hotel and restaurant. Schumachers' is now on the National Register of Historic Places. John's wife, Kathleen, runs the front of the popular restaurant, and John is the chef. His specialties are central European fare — like this veal sauté.

This would also be delicious sprinkled over roast meat, poultry and seafood.

Cabbage has been a staple vegetable in New England since the colonists sowed the first seeds. In the beginning, English settlers boiled it, just as they had back home. Eventually, other immigrants introduced creative new ways to prepare it. Coleslaw, for example, was brought over by the Dutch. This is our version, with the colorful addition of beets, another popular ingredient in this part of the world.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Called fattoush in Lebanon, this colorful dish is offered as a first course at Al-Amir restaurant in Portland, Oregon.

A classic lamb preparation from the Temple House in Ballymote, Ireland. Mint adds a nice touch to the puree.

A side dish for grilled chicken, steak or fish.

Northern Italian cooks use peas often; in this side dish, the vegetable gets a boost from the Italian bacon called pancetta. If it is unavailable in your area, finely chopped regular bacon can be substituted.

Mary Risley, the director of Tante Marie's Cooking School, says, "I come from a family of Connecticut Yankees, and when I was growing up, I spent every Thanksgiving at my grandparents' eighteenth-century home, which was right across from a turkey farm. I’m not quite sure how, but something in that experience inspired this recipe. (Maybe the ingredients reflect what a turkey would like to eat, if asked.)"