Side Bets

Turkey may be the star of most Thanksgiving meals, but it’s the supporting players that make a feast.

Roasting brings out the flavor of root vegetables. Here sweet parsnips are combined with sharp celery root, earthy rutabagas and pungent turnips. Add the licorice bite of fennel and you have a dish worthy of celebration. The recipe comes from Georgeanne Brennan’s new book, “Potager” (Chronicle Books).

OVEN-ROASTED WINTER ROOTS

2 parsnips

1 large turnip

1 large rutabaga

1 large or 2 medium-sized fennel bulbs

1 celery root

2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Trim parsnips and peel. Cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Peel turnip and rutabaga. Cut each into quarters and then into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Trim top of fennel bulb and cut in 1/2 lengthwise and then into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Peel celery root and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices.

Combine all vegetables in bowl with olive oil and toss lightly to coat. Add salt and pepper. Spread vegetables evenly on baking sheet large enough to hold single layer and roast at 475 degrees 8 to 10 minutes. Turn and cook until slightly crisp and tender, 5 to 7 minutes longer. Makes 4 servings.

Each serving contains about:

165 calories; 669 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 7 grams fat; 25 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams protein; 2.59 grams fiber.

There are lots of reasons to be enthralled with Alice Waters’ new book, “Fanny at Chez Panisse.” Not the least of them may be that here, at last, is a cookbook of recipes from the celebrated Berkeley restaurant that anybody can prepare. This simple salad is easy enough for a child to make--and a perfect addition to the Thanksgiving table.

CARROT AND PARSLEY SALAD

1/2 small clove garlic

2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

2 teaspoons light olive oil or vegetable oil

1/2 pound carrots, peeled and grated

1/3 cup chopped parsley

1/8 teaspoon salt

Mash or press garlic in small bowl. Add vinegar and olive oil and mix together. Stir in carrots and parsley. Season to taste with salt. Mix well. Makes 4 servings.

Each serving contains about:

46 calories; 96 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 2 grams fat; 6 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 0.65 gram fiber.

This family recipe from my mom has been on our holiday tables as long as I can remember (and, surely, before). It has also been in our post-holiday refrigerators for just as long, and it is so compulsively delicious that I am frequently distracted in my late night quests for turkey leftovers and gulp it straight from the jar. The most important thing is to not overcook the cranberries. When this recipe is done right--made the week before and allowed to steep--the berries have a fresh pop along with a mellowed spicy pungency.

--R. P.

JANE PARSONS’ SPICED CRANBERRIES

3 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups water

7 whole cloves

7 whole allspice

3 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks

1 (12-ounce) bag cranberries

1 teaspoon grated orange zest

Combine sugar, water, cloves, allspice and cinnamon in large saucepan.

Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Reduce heat and simmer 10 to 15 minutes.

Add cranberries. Cook, stirring once or twice, just until cranberries begin to pop, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in orange zest. Cool and refrigerate, covered, several days before serving. Makes 12 servings.

Each serving contains about:

208 calories; 1 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 0 fat; 54 grams carbohydrates; 0 protein; 0.36 gram fiber.

TORTA DE ELOTE (Corn Pudding)

1 (17-ounce) can whole-kernel corn, drained

6 eggs

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 tablespoon sugar

3/4 cup milk

3 tablespoons cornstarch

5 drops hot pepper sauce

1/2 cup butter, melted

In blender container combine corn, eggs, baking powder, sugar, milk, cornstarch and hot pepper sauce and blend. Add melted butter gradually while blending. Pour into buttered 1 1/2-quart baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees 50 to 60 minutes, or until firm. Makes 8 servings.

Each serving contains about:

236 calories; 424 mg sodium; 192 mg cholesterol; 16 grams fat; 17 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams protein; 0.38 gram fiber.

The simplest--and most delicious--way to make sweet potatoes is to roast them in the oven, then slather them with butter. Some people like to mash them and cover them with marshmallows. And at the Boulders Resort in Carefree, Ariz., sweet potatoes are combined with maple syrup, cheese, chestnuts and a couple of ancho chiles to make a spicy holiday gratin.

THE BOULDERS’ SPICY SWEET POTATO AND CHESTNUT GRATIN

1 cup whipping cream

1/4 cup maple syrup

3 cloves garlic, roasted in skin and peeled

2 dried ancho chiles, stems and seeds removed, torn into 1/2-inch pieces

2 to 3 sweet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

Salt, pepper

3 leeks, white part only, sliced

1/2 cup roasted chestnuts, coarsely chopped

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan, asagio or aged Jack cheese

1 tablespoon snipped chives

Heat cream and maple syrup in small saucepan. Add garlic and chiles and steep 30 minutes to blend flavors. Puree in blender.

Layer about 1/3 sweet potatoes in bottom of lightly buttered 13x9-inch baking dish, overlapping slightly. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour 1/3 cream mixture over potatoes. Sprinkle with 1/3 leeks, 1/3 chestnuts and 1/3 cheese. Make 2 more layers in same fashion. Bake, covered, at 350 degrees 40 minutes. Uncover and bake 20 minutes longer, until browned and bubbly. Let stand 20 minutes before cutting. Garnish with chives. Makes 8 servings.

Each serving contains about:

275 calories; 139 mg sodium; 54 mg cholesterol; 16 grams fat; 29 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams protein; 1.40 gram fiber.