P h o t o g r a p h - i l l u s t r a t i o n b y N I C O L E W I L K I N S O N n o v e m b e r 2 0 1 3 / v i s i t e b o n y . c o m 57

H O M E | F O O D | T R A V E L

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E D I T E D B Y A M Y E L I SA K E I T H

sPiCe thinGs uP this turkeY daY BY whiPPinG uP the aCtor’s

reCiPes, whiCh offer a deliCious twist on the traditional

B y A M Y e L i S A K e i T H

Anthony Anderson

THANKSGIVING DINNER with

BIG MAMA Ain’t Got

notHin’ ON ME!

I f you happen to score an invite to Anthony Anderson’s down-home Thanksgiving dinner, don’t you dare bring a dish. In fact, potlucks are off lim-its at Anderson’s Los Angeles

gatherings. And no matter how good your potato salad is or how helpful you want to be, Anderson, 42, insists, “That ain’t my thing.” He prefers to have a well-thought-out menu as opposed to ending up with “two hams and no turkey” or “multiples of the same dish.”

According to the actor, who has been cooking since he was 11 years old, “It’s not that I need for you to tell me this is the best you’ve ever had; I want to prepare the meal for everybody,” he says. “This is what I love doing, and when I can’t, it’s kind of a letdown.” Grocery shopping two or three days before the big day is a part of his predinner routine, zigzagging across Los Angeles to hit Whole Foods and then “make the drive to the ’hood” to pick up smoked turkey wings, a key ingredient in his collard greens. He has even had to fight other comedians-tuned-actors such as Mo’Nique and Jamie Foxx, his neighbors, for ingredients at the local market. Once, a grocer told Anderson, “Mo’Nique was here yesterday, and she bought all the collards.”

That won’t be a problem in the future: One day soon, Anderson plans to simply walk outside for his veggies. The host of AOL’s new web series Anthony Eats Ameri-ca has spent the better part of 2013 plant-ing and harvesting his own vegetable gar-den, now teeming with broccoli, carrots and tomatoes. “I joined my community garden in the neighborhood and got a plot that is 1,000 square feet; the house [where] I grew up in Compton was only 1,500 square feet. So it’s kind of crazy that my garden is almost the same size as the house I grew up in.”

Now with a mix of store-bought in-gredients and homegrown herbs, Ander-son spends the day before Thanksgiving

L i v e Food

“There’s rarely a holiday that goes by when I don’t cook,” Anderson says.

with his family in his sprawling kitchen. His son, Nathan, 13, is in charge of snap-ping peas; daughter, Kyra, 17, whips up a cheesecake with graham cracker crust from scratch. Meanwhile, Anderson gears up to serve the “traditional Southern soul food,” such as mac ‘n’ cheese, as well as a few surprises. “I want to test their palettes,” says Anderson of introducing his 25-person guest list to roast duck or branzino (a European sea bass) with a to-mato chutney salsa. “I want them to eat something they wouldn’t normally eat.”

Although many Americans overindulge during the holidays, Anderson, who re-cently dropped 50 pounds after being di-agnosed with diabetes, rarely gets to sit down to enjoy. “When you’re in the kitch-en four and a half, five hours, then you’re done; you don’t want to see no food,” he laughs. Instead, Anderson eats after ev-eryone has left. “We’ll pray [over] the food, and I make a sensible plate while [everyone else is] eating and put it in the microwave or in the fridge,” says Ander-son. “I learned to do that because some-times the food is gone. Like, ‘Who ate my smoked salmon?’”

And while it’s important to make sure your uncle Charlie or Big Daddy gets enough for two heaping plates, that all comes in second to the good fellowship around the house on Thanksgiving. From games of bid whist to dominoes and even a karaoke sing-along, the Ander-son household is always fun. “It’s family and friends, and that’s what it should be about,” he says.

It’s not that I need for you to tell me this is the best you’ve ever had.

This is what I love doing.

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60 v i s i t e b o n y . c o m / n o v e m b e r 2 0 1 3

L i v e Food

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1| Jalapeño Cheddar BaCon CornBread

MAkes 6 To 8 MuFFIns

IngredIents1 package JIFFY corn muffin mix1 egg⅓ cup milk1 jalapeňo, diced1 cup American cheese, shredded1 cup cooked bacon, crumbled or diced

DirectionsPreheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease muf-fin pans or use paper baking cups. Blend ingredients. Batter will be slightly lumpy. For maximum crown on muffins, let batter rest for 3 or 4 minutes, then stir before filling cups. Fill muffin cups half full. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.

2| MaC ‘n’ CheeseseRves 4 To 6

IngredIents6 cups water4 cups cooked large elbow macaroni, drained2 cups cheddar cheese, grated3 eggs, beaten1 can cream of mushroom soup (or substi-tute ½ cup sour cream) 4 tablespoons butter1 cup milk Salt and pepper to taste

DirectionsBoil water and cook macaroni until al dente. Strain macaroni and while still hot, add cheese. In a separate bowl, combine all other ingredients, then add to macaroni-and-

Cook these 6 dishes for a deliCious down-home dinner

cheese mixture. For a creamier sauce, add all ingredients together in a pot except the macaroni and eggs. Blend macaroni and eggs in a separate bowl; simmer all other ingredients in a pot on the stove until cheese has melted, then pour over macaroni. Com-bine and stir all ingredients until evenly dis-tributed. Pour into a greased casserole pan and bake 30 to 45 minutes at 400 degrees.

3| Quinoa with BlaCk Beans and peas

seRves 4 To 6

IngredIents1 teaspoon vegetable oil1 medium onion, chopped3 cloves garlic, chopped or minced¾ cup raw quinoa1½ cups vegetable broth1 tablespoon cumin¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper Salt and pepper to taste1 cup frozen peas (can substitute with

clockwise from left: Jalapeño cheddar Bacon corn-bread complements a holiday meal; Mac ‘n’ cheese is a Thanksgiving must; Quinoa with Black Beans and Peas adds flavor and color to the festivities.

Just add jalapeňos

and bacon to your

favorite recipe.

62 v i s i t e b o n y . c o m / n o v e m b e r 2 0 1 3

L i v e Food

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corn if preferred) 1 (15-ounce) can of black beans, rinsed and drained½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

DirectionsHeat vegetable oil and sauté onion and garlic until lightly browned. Mix in quinoa and broth, then season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Add frozen peas or corn along with black beans and cilantro and cook 5 more minutes. Serve hot.

4| sautÉed Glazed Carrots

seRves 4

IngredIents 2 tablespoon peanut oil4-5 large carrots peeled and cut into 1-2 inch pieces on the bias Kosher salt and black pepper to taste2 tablespoons unsalted butter2 sprigs rosemary2 tablespoons honey

DirectionsHeat skillet over medium heat, add oil, then carrots and season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing the carrots so they color on all sides, about 5 minutes. Add the butter, rose-mary and honey, then cook 5 more minutes or until tender. Serve hot.

5| FinGerlinG potatoes with Chives and

tarraGonseRves 4

IngredIents1½ pounds fingerling potatoes1½ cups chicken or vegetable stock1 large clove garlic, chopped½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon pepper 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil3 tablespoons chives, chopped1 tablespoon tarragon, chopped

DirectionsPeel potatoes and set aside. Bring stock, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper and potatoes to a simmer in a skillet; cover for 10 to 12 minutes, then remove lid and continue cooking, stirring gently so potatoes do not break up. When most of the water has evapo-rated, add herbs and stir. Continue to cook for another 3 to 5 minutes. Serve.

6| Grilled GinGer turkeyseRves 10

IngredIents1 (13-pound) turkey¼ cup olive oil Kosher salt Black pepper

BrIne1 lemon, cut in half6 (½-inch) slices fresh ginger½ cup salt¼ cup sugar20 sprigs thyme

½ Vidalia onion, cut into quarters1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns12 cups water (8 cups at room tempera-ture, 4 cups ice-cold)

DirectionsFill a large pot with 8 cups of room-tempera-ture water, then squeeze lemon and add the halves, ginger, salt, sugar, thyme, onion and peppercorns. Bring to a boil while stirring to dissolve the sugar and salt. Lower heat to a simmer until the ginger is tender and the pot is fragrant, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and pour in 4 cups ice-cold water. Transfer all of the brine into a brining bag. Add turkey to brine bag, seal and refrigerate for 24 hours.

Remove turkey from brine, pat dry, then butterfly the turkey, cutting out the backbone and breast bone. Rub with olive oil. Gener-ously season with kosher salt and pepper. Place turkey in a pan, skin side up and let stand, covered, at room temperature for 2 hours. Heat grill to 450 if using a gas grill and cook for 1½ hours or until done. For a charcoal grill, once coals are heated, move them to the outer edge of grill. Put a drip pan in the middle of coals, then place turkey skin side up in center of grill. Close grill hood and cook 1½ to 2 hours.

Remove turkey from grill and place in large roasting pan. Let rest so that the natural juices of the turkey will reconstitute throughout. Slice and serve.

A grilled bird (above) and carrots (left) get an extra dose of flavor from organic ingredients.

If You brine the turkey, there is never a dry piece.