Can you believe there are people who don’t celebrate Thanksgiving? I love Thanksgiving and I’ve been a fan since my family arrived here from Morocco in October 1973. My family had never heard of this holiday but we were thankful to leave an Arab country to live in a country where Jews were welcomed and Jewish culture was embraced. We were thankful for the opportunity to live in the land of plenty.
My family had never heard of this holiday but we were thankful to leave an Arab country to live in a country where Jews were welcomed and Jewish culture was embraced.
Although it was a rough adjustment for my parents — starting over and working long hours — they were thankful they could provide my brothers and me with a great education and for us to be part of a thriving Jewish community.
Every Thanksgiving, my mother would make a great big stuffed turkey and all the traditional side dishes. The table expanded when my mother’s sisters, Clara and Sarah, their husbands and my cousins came to Los Angeles. Nowadays, my “sister” cousin Rachel is in charge of Thanksgiving, hosting us all for an amazing and abundant feast.
Of course, I don’t get off so easily. On Friday, I host a Shabbatsgiving with all the traditional dishes. I start in the morning and by the time it’s time to light the candles, my turkey is ready.
After all, isn’t every Friday Thanksgiving for the Jewish people!?
—Rachel
I’m one of those people who absolutely adore Thanksgiving. I knew about the Pilgrims and the original Thanksgiving feast at Plymouth from watching the Brady Bunch on television in Sydney, Australia.
My family emigrated to Los Angeles in November and I was plunged into lovely American Thanksgiving culture. At the school pre-Thanksgiving feast, the potatoes and gravy and roasted butternut and Brussels sprouts were no surprise. But sweet potatoes topped with fluffy miniature white marshmallows? And not considered dessert? That was a surprise.
I am so grateful that over the years our American Thanksgivings have been memorable occasions spent with my grandparents and extended family. That unlike most Jewish holidays, we could document our togetherness with photos.
I love all the cooking and baking for this holiday. I love making stuffing and cornbread, I love baking pecan pies, pumpkin pies and apple pies. I love mashing potatoes and slowly simmering gravy until it is just perfectly seasoned and smooth.
I love to get that turkey golden brown and tender and moist.
I’m grateful to have a backyard full of happy, satiated eaters.
—Sharon
Tfaya
In Moroccan cuisine, there is always a garnish, whether it’s preserved lemon on top of a tagine or almonds sprinkled on top of meat or couscous or olives on a salad. Very often, you will find prunes as garnish on chicken.
I am very fond of a Moroccan dish called tfaya, a tantalizing confection of caramelized onions and raisins. Sweetened with honey and seasoned with aromatic spices and saffron, tfaya is a popular topping for couscous or meat dishes. I love to serve it over rice, meats, lamb and vegetables.
For the High Holy Days and Passover, I always make caramelized onions simmered with prunes and apricots.
Whenever I serve couscous, I like to make a simpler version with just onion and raisins and serve it on top of the roasted squash.
This year, when I was planning my Thanksgiving menu, I remembered that at my Rosh Hashanah meal, everyone had devoured the roasted butternut squash topped with tfaya.
Why not make a November version with all the amazing squash varieties available in the stores? We roasted three varieties of squash — acorn, delicata and butternut. Then we garnished with some chestnuts and a generous amount of tfaya.
With its unique blend of honey, ginger and cinnamon, tfaya is the perfect topping for this turkey season.
—Rachel
Tfaya
1 cup raisins
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 large onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup honey
1 cinnamon stick or 1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup water
Zest of one orange
In a medium bowl, soak the raisins in the orange juice for 15 minutes.
In a large pot, warm the oil over medium heat, then add the onion. Sauté for 10 minutes, using a wooden spoon to stir occasionally. Make sure to toss the browned onions from the bottom of the pan to the top.
Lower heat, cover the pot and allow the onions to simmer for 15 minutes.
Add the honey, cinnamon, ginger, salt, water and orange zest to bowl of raisins and orange juice and toss to combine.
Add the raisin, juice and spice mixture to the pot with the onions. Cover the pot and simmer for half hour to an hour. Add a bit of water if bottom of the pot begins to stick. Stir occasionally and remove from heat when the onions are soft and dark.
Roasted Squash
1 acorn squash
1 lb delicata squash
1 lb butternut squash
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 small bag chestnuts
Preheat oven to 425°F.
In a medium bowl, toss squash with olive oil, salt and cinnamon. Arrange squash in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Roast for 20 to 30 minutes, until golden brown and fork tender.
Arrange on a serving platter, then dollop spoonfuls of tfaya mix on top.
Garnish with chestnuts.
Mushroom Bourguignon
Growing up in the 70s, French cuisine was the height of sophistication. There was nothing fancier than going for dinner to a French restaurant. As a teen, I was an avowed Francophile. I loved French pastries, watched French movies and I studied French in high school. I always wanted to spend a summer living in France (Alan, are you reading this?) Of course, I’m grateful for all the adventures I’ve had and for the many times I’ve been to France.
As a Sephardic Spice Girl, I am especially fond of my French cookware—my beautiful Le Creuset pots and my handmade, hardy cast iron Staub cookware.
I appreciate French cooking techniques, especially the art of a fast sauté, a rich floury roux and a fabulous flavorful stew.
Beef bourguignon is one of those traditional slow-simmered stews, made with braised beef marinated in red wine. It includes carrots and mushrooms and a bouquet garni (French herbs like rosemary and thyme).
Rachel and I were inspired to take this traditional dish and make it vegetarian. In our mushroom bourguignon, shiitake, cremini and oyster mushrooms play the starring role.
While this dish is the perfect main course for the vegan, gluten-free guests at your turkey feast, we guarantee everyone else will love this richly divine dish too.
—Sharon
Mushroom Bourguignon recipe
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
14 oz shiitake mushrooms, sliced
14 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
14 oz oyster mushrooms, broken into smaller chunks
2 shallots, peeled and finely diced
2 celery stalks, chopped
3 medium heirloom carrots, peeled and chopped
2 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tsp Aleppo pepper
3 bay leaves
3 Tbsp tomato paste
1 cup red wine
3 cups warm chicken stock
3 Tbsp cornstarch or flour
In a large, heavy pot, warm a small amount of oil over medium heat. Sauté mushrooms in small batches for 2-3 minutes, until golden brown, adding more oil as needed. Set cooked mushrooms aside.
Warm the remaining oil and sauté the shallots for two minutes. Add the celery and carrots and sauté for 3-5 minutes.
Add the paprika, salt, pepper, bay leaf and tomato paste. Stir well to combine.
Add the red wine and two-and-a-half cups of the chicken stock. Stir well and allow to simmer.
Add the flour to the remaining stock and stir thoroughly to create a roux. Slowly add the roux to the pot and bring to a boil, while stirring continuously.
Lower the heat and cover the pot. Simmer for 30-45 minutes.
Serve hot over mashed potatoes or rice.
Sharon Gomperts and Rachel Emquies Sheff have been friends since high school. The Sephardic Spice Girls project has grown from their collaboration on events for the Sephardic Educational Center in Jerusalem. Follow them
on Instagram @sephardicspicegirls and on Facebook at Sephardic Spice SEC Food. Website sephardicspicegirls.com/full-recipes.
