Why are certain food and ingredients chosen or remain as the festival's mainstay? With Thanksgiving around the corner, we pondered those typical dishes that must be on the menu. The list broadly includes apple pie, pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes, cranberry recipes, pecan pie and so on. But why? "The abundance of pumpkins, gourds, and spices is the significant constituent of this season, resulting in the festive menu. This gourmet mash-up also echoes the shades of Fall on the table, embracing browns, crimson, orange, and cherry reds," explains Chef Mahesh Padala, Cluster Director F&B for SAMHI Group. He observes how there are efforts to retain the authenticity of Thanksgiving's flavours and the onset of newer trends letting people go creative with the culinary fare.
Mahesh believes hotels and players in the F&B sector are instrumental in upholding the traditions and heritage of food. They must create a celebratory ambience whenever needed to recreate the nostalgia related to different festivals for the patrons. Drawing inspiration from his passion for diving deep into the food heritage and comprehending the festive connect, Chef Padala, shares two pumpkin-based recipes for Thanksgiving.
Recipes
Roasted Pumpkin & Ricotta Ravioli in Butter sage sauce
Pumpkin ravioli, Image Source: Sheraton Hyderabad Hotel
Serving:1 portion
Cooking time:20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 150gram pasta dough
- 10 gram pesto
- 20 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 20 grams ricotta cheese
- 100grams pumpkin
- 15grams Parmesan
- 15 gram cream
- 150 gram butter
- 2 sprig thyme
- 1 gram nutmeg
- 2sprigs sage
- Salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- 20grams sundried tomato
- 10 grams asparagus
For pasta dough
- 250grams refined flour
- 11 egg yolks
Method:
- Marinate the pumpkin with olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper
- Roast the marinated pumpkin in the oven for 20 minutes at 170 degrees Celsius until tender
- In a bowl mix together the ricotta, parmesan, Roasted pumpkin. nutmeg, salt and pepper.
- Sheet the pasta dough and cut it in the desired shape.
- Stuff the mixture and make a ravioli
- In a hot pan emulsify the butter, cream and sage. Season the sauce with salt, pepper and finish it with basil pesto and juliennes of sundried tomato
- Blanch the pasta in hot water for 12 minutes until it floats on the top
- Once the pasta is cooked add the blanched pasta to the sauce
Garnish the dish with pesto, sautéd asparagus and sundry tomato!
Chocolate millefuelle with Pumpkin & Cinnamon ice cream
Chocolate millefuelle, Image Source: Sheraton Hyderabad Hotel
Cook Time:1 hour
Serve: 10 Portions
Chocolate mousse
Ingredients
- 80 gram egg yolk
- 100 ml whole milk
- 115 gram dark chocolate 63 %
- 200 gram semi whipped cream
- 4 gram Gelatine
- 32 gram castor sugar
- 6gm Water
Method
- In a bowl soak gelatine and water
- In a saucepan add whole milk, sugar, eggs yolk and boil together until it is set
- To it add soaked gelatine and mix properly and then add melted chocolate to make it like ganache
- To it add semi whip cream and mix it properly
- Then keep the mousse in the chiller for 1 to 2 hours
Sweet cookies base
Ingredients
- 200 gm all-purpose flour
- 85-gram unsalted butter
- 60-gram castor sugar
- 10-gram vanilla essence
- 20-gram almond powder
Method
- Take a planetary mixer bowl
- Add all the above ingredients to the bowl and mix it properly using a paddle to make the dough
- Make sheets out of the dough and cut them to your preferred size, and bake it under the temperature of 160%
Cinnamon pumpkin ice cream
Ingredients
- 250 ml whole milk
- 100 gram castor sugar
- 250 gram heavy cream
- 1 tsp cinnamon powder
- 100 gram pumpkin puree
Method
- Take a saucepan and add the whole milk and sugar
- Boil it until the milk is warm
- Add heavy cream, cinnamon powder, pumpkin puree and mix them together properly
- Once it boils take out the whole mixer and put it in another bowl and freeze it for 5 hours
- After its frozen take out the mixture and blend it in an ice cream maker
You may taste them at Sheraton Hyderabad Hotel during the festival.
