Whole Foods makes store-bought taste like home
Like many of the city's swankier supermarkets, Whole Foods is offering Thanksgiving support for the culinarily challenged, as long as you order by noon on Nov. 20.
The upscale grocer is supplying everything from turkeys - brined, herb-slathered, stuffed or even vegan - to pies, sides and house-made starters like mushroom and goat cheese strudels ($10.99) or East Coast oysters (99 cents each).
A 100% organic meal for eight, for example, comes with five sides, rolls and ready-to-reheat turkey in its own roasting pan ($169.99). They'll also be pairing half-gallons of draft beers from the shop's beer room, like a food-friendly Sixpoint Craft Ales wheat sold only at Whole Foods.
But that doesn't mean you can't take any of the credit.
Kari Naegler, Whole Foods in-store chef at the massive Bowery branch, has pulled together a batch of ideas for taking their simply made sides and turning them into, well, let's just call them homemade creations.
For starters, says Naegler, you can add orange zest to their green beans with almonds or dress up their standard stuffing by mixing it with sautéed apple, celery, fennel, onion and sausage - or whichever of these you like - and then crisping it in the oven.
The more adventurous might try her Portuguese variation, where cornbread cubes are kicked up with a chorizo and onion, and then baked with clams.
The clams pop their tops in the oven, says Naegler, their luscious juices enriching the stuffing. (Recipes for both stuffings are online.)
Naegler also is proud of an extra-quick bread pudding - see the recipe at right - using leftover bread and Whole Foods roast butternut squash with dried cranberries. All you have to do is add eggs and a little half-and-half to have a show-stopping, sweetly savory side.
In fact, by the time you deliver it to your guests, jokes Naegler, you'll be thinking, "I did cook my meal!"
BUTTERNUT SQUASH BREAD PUDDING
Serves 8
From Whole Foods
6 cups brioche, roughly cubed and toasted (or use any bread, unseasoned croutons or stuffing mix with large bread cubes)
4 cups of roasted butternut squash and cranberries (available premade at Whole Foods)
1 1/2 teaspoon of fresh thyme
6 eggs, well-beaten
1 1/2 cups half-and-half
1 1/2 cups Gruyere, grated (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 425. In a large bowl, combine toasted brioche, butternut squash, cranberries and thyme. In a medium bowl, stir the eggs and half-and-half together. Pour over the bread-squash mixture. Pour into a large gratin pan and top with grated Gruyere. Add optional pecans if desired. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the top is brown and bubbly, and the center moist but not runny. Let set for 5 minutes and serve.
The upscale grocer is supplying everything from turkeys - brined, herb-slathered, stuffed or even vegan - to pies, sides and house-made starters like mushroom and goat cheese strudels ($10.99) or East Coast oysters (99 cents each).
A 100% organic meal for eight, for example, comes with five sides, rolls and ready-to-reheat turkey in its own roasting pan ($169.99). They'll also be pairing half-gallons of draft beers from the shop's beer room, like a food-friendly Sixpoint Craft Ales wheat sold only at Whole Foods.
But that doesn't mean you can't take any of the credit.
Kari Naegler, Whole Foods in-store chef at the massive Bowery branch, has pulled together a batch of ideas for taking their simply made sides and turning them into, well, let's just call them homemade creations.
For starters, says Naegler, you can add orange zest to their green beans with almonds or dress up their standard stuffing by mixing it with sautéed apple, celery, fennel, onion and sausage - or whichever of these you like - and then crisping it in the oven.
The more adventurous might try her Portuguese variation, where cornbread cubes are kicked up with a chorizo and onion, and then baked with clams.
The clams pop their tops in the oven, says Naegler, their luscious juices enriching the stuffing. (Recipes for both stuffings are online.)
Naegler also is proud of an extra-quick bread pudding - see the recipe at right - using leftover bread and Whole Foods roast butternut squash with dried cranberries. All you have to do is add eggs and a little half-and-half to have a show-stopping, sweetly savory side.
In fact, by the time you deliver it to your guests, jokes Naegler, you'll be thinking, "I did cook my meal!"
BUTTERNUT SQUASH BREAD PUDDING
Serves 8
From Whole Foods
6 cups brioche, roughly cubed and toasted (or use any bread, unseasoned croutons or stuffing mix with large bread cubes)
4 cups of roasted butternut squash and cranberries (available premade at Whole Foods)
1 1/2 teaspoon of fresh thyme
6 eggs, well-beaten
1 1/2 cups half-and-half
1 1/2 cups Gruyere, grated (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 425. In a large bowl, combine toasted brioche, butternut squash, cranberries and thyme. In a medium bowl, stir the eggs and half-and-half together. Pour over the bread-squash mixture. Pour into a large gratin pan and top with grated Gruyere. Add optional pecans if desired. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the top is brown and bubbly, and the center moist but not runny. Let set for 5 minutes and serve.