ATHENSPLUS • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2010

FOCUS

Thanksgiving
Don’t be a chicken
Just because you’re in Greece doesn’t mean
you can’t celebrate the American holiday that
gives thanks to God, family, friends and fall food

BY JULIA PANAYOTOU

American football, the Macy’s parade and Black Friday sales might
seem to be a world away but Thanksgiving has been and continues
to be celebrated in Greece. The US holiday, celebrated on the fourth
Thursday of November (Canada celebrates it on the second Mon-
day of October), started in either the late 1500s or early 1600s as
a Puritan harvest festival to express thanks to God. Tradition has

“
it that the first celebration occurred at Plymouth Plantation, Mass-
achusetts, by newly arrived English settlers in 1621, although his-
torians have argued otherwise.
In the centuries since, the day has Those without
evolved into an occasion for Amer- a turkey in the

“
icans to dine with family and
friends, and to more generally
give thanks for relationships and
The holiday, celebrated other blessings and good fortune.
in the US on the fourth While Americans in Greece usually
Thursday of November, celebrate the holiday at home,
started in either the
late 1500s or early
those without a turkey in the
oven or an invitation in their diary
have a variety of Thanksgiving op-
1600s as a Puritan tions in Athens where they can re-
harvest festival to
serve a seat or table.
express thanks to God
Besides the options listed here, it’s
worth making a call to hotels as
well as American organizations
oven or an
invitation in
their diary have
a variety of
Thanksgiving
options in
Athens where
Good company and fine dining in Athens a
they can
Republicans Abroad Greece is invit- p.m. Children can enjoy pony Intercontinental’s Cafezoe (89-93
reserve a seat
ing everyone to an event that rides at no extra cost and guests Syngrou). Take your pick of char-
or table
marks the Thanksgiving holiday, will be given door prizes of Thanks- cuteries with pickles and aspara-
Armistice Day and the November giving turkeys courtesy of the gus, turkey with chestnuts and
2 primary elections. At 12.30 p.m. American Farm School. While the sage, pork medallions filled with

“
around the country, as many put together formal or informal meals
so tourists and expats in town have the chance to dine on Thanks-
giving staples such as roast turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes and
pecan pie. The menu at GB
Want to stay home? AB Vasilopoulos supermarkets sell fresh Amer- Corner features
ican Farm School turkeys and other imported US goods, and corn soup with
Thanopoulos Supermarkets (38 Eleon, Nea Kifissia; 6 Dragoumi, smoked
Kifissia; 164 Harilaou Trikoupi, Nea Erythraia) stock up on items
sausage and
such as canned pumpkin, biscuit and cornbread mixes, cranberry
sauce and cookie and cake mixes just for the holiday.
whiskey, roast
pork carre with
stuffed ‘firikia’
apples and corn
puree, and
turkey with dry
fruit stuffing
on Sunday, November 21, there
will be a traditional Thanksgiving
meal with salad, turkey and trim-
mings, gravy, sweet potato, broc-
coli, cranberry sauce, apple pie and
wine. Call 210.674.6179 to learn
about the venue.
“Thanksgiving is a holiday to ex-
press gratitude and appreciation,”
says the American-Hellenic Cham-
ber of Commerce and the Interna-
tional Propeller Club of the United
States, International Port of Pi-
raeus, who will hold a Thanks-
giving luncheon at the the Jockey’s
Country Club’s Moments & Sens-
es Room (at the Olympic Village in
Tatoi), where members can cele-
brate with friends and family on
Sunday, November 21, at 1.30
seating deadline has passed, call
210.699.3559 to ask about last-
minute reservations.
Hesperus #359 Daughters of
Penelope, the women’s affiliate or-
ganization of the American Hel-
lenic Educational Progressive As-
sociation (AHEPA), will hold its an-
nual Thanksgiving charity lunch-
eon on Sunday, November 28.
Proceeds will be donated to the
Deaf and Mute School of Greece.
The meal will take place at the
Athens Ledra Marriott’s Aegean
Hall (115 Syngrou) and begins at
1 p.m. Tickets cost 40 euros. E-mail
hesperus359@yahoo.com to re-
serve a spot.
Celebrate Thanksgiving Day
with a giant buffet at the Athens
figs, and roast beef with horse-
radish. Greener fare includes fen-
nel salad with sour apple, pineap-
ple and pecan, herb-marinated
mushrooms and celery salad, and
sweet-potato salad. Turkey with
chestnut stuffing, giblet gravy
and cranberry sauce as well as
glazed Virginia ham with pineap-
ple and honey will feature at the
carving table. The hot buffet in-
cludes a rack of pork with an or-
ange and whiskey glaze, roasted
white sweet potatoes and much
more. To end the meal, there will
be treats such as caramelized
pumpkin trifle. Lunch is from
noon to 4 p.m. and dinner is from
7 to 11 p.m. Call 210.920.6000 to
make a reservation.

Thanksgiving dinner
Thursday November 25
AT THE MARGI
Canapes with smoked salmon and tartlets of
spinach and goat cheese plus our homemade pate
Gather your family with Samos vin de liqueur
and celebrate Thanksgiving as well as diamonds and crispy parsley
at The Margi ❆❆❆
Caterers
This year, celebrate Roast turkey accompanied by gravy,
Creators cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, greens
Thanksgiving at
Café Tabac restaurant.
Connoisseurs and corn bread
We look forward to ❆❆❆
celebrating this spirited €30 Pumpkin pie and pecan pie
holiday with you and your per person Minimum order for 10
family. plus VAT
€49 per person
11 Litous Street, Vouliagmeni, Athens, tel 210.967.0924, www.themargi.gr Call us at 210.346.7660 or e-mail info@lachocolatiere.gr.

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 ATHENSPLUS • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2010

FOCUS

Got yourself a bird? The American Farm School in Thessaloniki shares three of its traditional recipes: One is for the
school’s roast turkey and stuffing. The other two make use of the Thanksgiving meal’s leftovers.

A well-kept secret among Athenians preparing their hol-

iday meals are the fresh turkeys raised by staff and students
Turkey with stuffing a la AFS
at the American Farm School in Thessaloniki, available on-
ly during Thanksgiving week in November and during the For the stuffing: pat it dry. Sprinkle with two
two weeks prior to Christmas. 1 tsp sweet thyme tablespoons of salt and a dash of
The independent nonprofit school was founded in 1/2 cup butter freshly ground pepper. Stuff the
1904, and introduced fresh turkeys to the Greek market 1 cup chopped onions body cavity with approximately
in the 1970s. Today the American Farm School continues 1 cup parsley 1/2 cup stuffing per two kilos of
research programs with the School of Veterinary Medicine 1 tsp salt turkey. Tie drumsticks to the tail
at Thessaloniki’s Aristotle University in poultry nutrition 1 1/2 tsp pepper with cooking string. Stretch the
and meat quality. The turkeys are fed the omega-3 linseed 8 cups bread cut into cubes skin of the neck to cover the
(flaxseed) diet, resulting in meat that is rich in omega-3 fat- Dash of wine cavity and the stuffing and tie
ty acids as well as vitamin E. Sunflower seed oil the wings to the torso. Brush
AFS turkeys will be available at most AB Vasilopoulos with sunflower seed oil. Put a
stores in Athens and at Nasopouli Brothers in Aghios Dim- Wet the thyme with a dash of rack in a roasting pan and place
itrios (102 Menelaou). To purchase AFS turkeys, e-mail in- wine. Saute the onions in the the turkey inside. Cover the
fo@afs.edu.gr. butter on a low heat. Add the turkey with aluminum foil. Bake
Apart from its turkeys, however, the school has spent remaining ingredients. Stuff the at 160C (325F) – see below for
nearly a century bringing the American holiday to Greek turkey after brushing the length of time. About 45
shores. outside of the prepared bird (see minutes before the end of the
“Certainly by Charlie House’s time as director of the Farm below) with the lemon juice. cooking time, remove the
School during the late 1920s, a Thanksgiving dinner was laid aluminum foil. A 5-kilo turkey
on for all students, staff and alumni, and became a tradition,” Preparing the turkey needs 4.5 hours in the oven,
the American Farm School’s Randall Warner told Athens Plus. Remove giblets and save for while a 5- to 7-kilo bird needs
By the the 1950s, under Bruce Lansdale’s leadership, the gravy. Rinse the turkey well and 4.5-5.5 hours.
school’s holiday meal grew to include scholarship donors,
who were invited to the Thanksgiving dinner as a demon-
stration of gratitude. The performance of a Thanksgiving Don’t let the leftovers go to waste
play, “Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock,” about how newly ar-
rived English settlers were helped by Native Americans,
also became a tradition.
Cold stuffed tomatoes Pasta salad with turkey
Since the early 2000s, AFS features traditional US Ingredients (serves 3-6) 1/4 cup light mayonnaise Ingredients (serves 4-6)
dances at its Thanksgiving Dinner – which is now split in 6 medium tomatoes or yogurt 2 1/2 cups cooked tri-color rotini pasta
two. The first is served at noon for students, staff and alum-
and around
2 cups cooked, cubed 2 cups cooked, cubed turkey
ni. The second meal in the evening has staff and students turkey Remove the tops of the 1/2-2/3 cup chopped onions
thank around 300 donors. 1 cup grated zucchini tomatoes, then scrape out 1/4 cup chopped celery
AFS high school students in country outfits square dance 1/3 cup chopped green the seeds and soft inner 1/4 cup chopped parsley
The Athens Ledra Marriott will to John Denver’s “Thank God I’m a Country Boy.” The stu- onions flesh and leave the 1 1/2 tbsp chopped tarragon
hold a Thanksgiving evening buf- dents also perform western line dancing to Brooks and 1/4 cup chopped celery tomatoes to drain on a 1 tbsp oil
fet with live music and hot apple Dunn’s “Boot Scootin’ Boogie,” “My Maria,” “Ain’t Going 1/3 cup chopped green paper towel. In a medium- 2 tbsp tarragon vinegar
cider punch at its Zephyros Res- Down (‘Til the Sun Comes Up)” and other old American fa- pepper sized bowl, mix the other 1 tbsp lemon juice
taurant (115 Syngrou) from 7 to vorites. 3 tbsp finely chopped ingredients, cover and 2 tbsp light mayonnaise or yogurt
11.30 p.m., at 49 euros per person. In that one day, the AFS serves more than 700 dinners parsley place in the refrigerator
To book, call 210.930.0060. of fresh turkey, chestnut, pine and rice dressing (“in keep- 2 tbsp chopped dill for 1-2 hours. Fill the Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Cover
At the GB Corner restaurant of ing with Greek tastes,” Warner points out), sweet potatoes, 1/4 tsp garlic powder tomatoes with the mixture. and place in the refrigerator for 1-2
the Hotel Grande Bretagne in Syn- cranberry sauce, Waldorf salad or green bean salad, corn- 1/4 tsp sweet pepper Garnish with fresh dill and hours. Serve on lettuce leaves garnished
tagma Square, executive chef bread, and apple and pumpkin pies. powder serve. with chopped black olives.
Sotiris Evangelou’s menu features
corn soup with smoked sausage
and whiskey, roast pork carre
with stuffed “firikia” apples and
corn puree, and turkey with dry
fruit stuffing. Pecan pie, pumpkin
creme brulee and chestnut ice
cream are for dessert. The meal will
be served from noon to midnight.
The price per person is 48 euros
and 18 euros for children. Call
210.333.0750 to reserve a table.
Turkey and pine nut stuffing
with gravy, baked pumpkin,
braised lamb shank with fennel
and potato salad with dried cran-
berries and walnuts are just a few
of the dishes at the Thanksgiving
buffet at the Hilton’s Byzantino (46
Vas. Sofias). Call 210.728.1400 to
book.
In southern Athens, stuffed
turkey, pumpkin soup and more
will be on offer at the Margi’s Cafe
Tabac (11 Litous, Vouliagmeni). Call
210.967.0924 for reservations.
If you’re staying in, La Choco-
latiere can deliver a traditional hol-
iday dinner anytime. The menu in-
cludes canapes with smoked
salmon and tartlets of spinach
and goat cheese, pate, roast turkey,
gravy, cranberry sauce and more.
Call 210.346.7660 for details.

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