BIG MAMA

Aint Got
notHin
ON ME!

E D I T E D B Y AMY ELISA KEITH

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THANKSGIVING DINNER with

Anthony
Anderson

l A R R Y W I l l I A M s / l A R R Y W I l l I A M s A n d A s s o c I AT e s / c o R B I s ; X A v I e R c o l l I n / R e T n A lT d . / c o R B I s

sPiCe thinGs uP this turkeY

daY BY whiPPinG uP the aCtors
reCiPes, whiCh offer a deliCious
twist on the traditional
By AMY eLiSA KeiTH

Photograph-illustration by NICOLE WILKINSON

november 2013

/ v i s i t e b o n y. c o m

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Live

Food

f you happen to score an invite

to Anthony Andersons downhome Thanksgiving dinner,
dont you dare bring a dish.
In fact, potlucks are off limits at Andersons Los Angeles
gatherings. And no matter how good your
potato salad is or how helpful you want to
be, Anderson, 42, insists, That aint my
thing. He prefers to have a well-thoughtout 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, Its not
that I need for you to tell me this is the
best youve ever had; I want to prepare
the meal for everybody, he says. This is
what I love doing, and when I cant, its
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-tunedactors such as MoNique and Jamie Foxx,
his neighbors, for ingredients at the local
market. Once, a grocer told Anderson,
MoNique was here yesterday, and she
bought all the collards.

Theres rarely a holiday that goes by when I dont

cook, Anderson says.

That wont be a problem in the future:

One day soon, Anderson plans to simply
walk outside for his veggies. The host of
AOLs new web series Anthony Eats America has spent the better part of 2013 planting and harvesting his own vegetable garden, 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 its 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 ingredients and homegrown herbs, Anderson spends the day before Thanksgiving

Its not that I need for you to tell

me this is the best youve ever had.
This is what I love doing.

with his family in his sprawling kitchen.

His son, Nathan, 13, is in charge of snapping 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 tomato chutney salsa. I want them to eat
something they wouldnt normally eat.
Although many Americans overindulge
during the holidays, Anderson, who recently dropped 50 pounds after being diagnosed with diabetes, rarely gets to sit
down to enjoy. When youre in the kitchen four and a half, five hours, then youre
done; you dont want to see no food, he
laughs. Instead, Anderson eats after everyone has left. Well 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 Anderson. I learned to do that because sometimes the food is gone. Like, Who ate my
smoked salmon?
And while its 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 Anderson household is always fun. Its family
and friends, and thats what it should be
about, he says.

Live

Food

peos
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favorit

Cook these 6 dishes for a delicious down-home dinner

Cheddar
Bacon Cornbread
1| Jalapeo
Makes 6 to 8 muffins

2| Mac n Cheese
Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients
Ingredients

1 package JIFFY corn muffin mix

1 egg
cup milk
1 jalapeo, diced
1 cup American cheese, shredded
1 cup cooked bacon, crumbled or diced
Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease muffin 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.

60

6 cups water
4 cups cooked large elbow macaroni,
drained
2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
3 eggs, beaten
1 can cream of mushroom soup (or substitute cup sour cream)
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup milk
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions

Boil 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-

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

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. Combine and stir all ingredients until evenly distributed. Pour into a greased casserole pan
and bake 30 to 45 minutes at 400 degrees.

with Black
beans and Peas
3| Quinoa
Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped or minced
cup raw quinoa
1 cups vegetable broth
1 tablespoon cumin
teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup frozen peas (can substitute with

A l a n R i c h ar d s o n / St o c k F o o d ; J a n i n e H o s e g o o d / St o c k F o o d ; S h u tt e r s t o c k

Clockwise from left: Jalapeo Cheddar Bacon Cornbread complements a holiday meal; Mac n Cheese
is a Thanksgiving must; Quinoa with Black Beans and
Peas adds flavor and color to the festivities.

Live

Food

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

If You
b
turke rine the
y, the
re is
never
a dry
piece.

Directions

Heat vegetable oil and saut 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.

Glazed
Carrots
4| sauted
Serves 4

Ingredients

2 tablespoon peanut oil

4-5 large carrots peeled and cut into 1-2
inch pieces on the bias
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 sprigs rosemary
2 tablespoons honey

A grilled bird (above) and carrots (left) get an

extra dose of flavor from organic ingredients.

Vidalia onion, cut into quarters

1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
12 cups water (8 cups at room temperature, 4 cups ice-cold)

Directions

Heat 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, rosemary and honey, then cook 5 more minutes or
until tender. Serve hot.

Fingerling Potatoes
| with
Chives and
5
Tarragon
Serves 4

Ingredients

1 pounds fingerling potatoes

1 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 large clove garlic, chopped
teaspoon salt
teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons chives, chopped
1 tablespoon tarragon, chopped
Directions

Peel 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 evaporated, add herbs and stir. Continue to cook for
another 3 to 5 minutes. Serve.

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6| Grilled Ginger Turkey

Serves 10

Ingredients

1 (13-pound) turkey
cup olive oil
Kosher salt
Black pepper
Brine

1 lemon, cut in half

6 (-inch) slices fresh ginger
cup salt
cup sugar
20 sprigs thyme

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

Fill a large pot with 8 cups of room-temperature 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. Generously 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 1 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 1
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.

S h u tt e r s t o c k ; W i n fr e i d H e i n z e / St o c k F o o d M u n i c h

Directions