Dinner for Two
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[Photograph: Kerry Saretsky]

This isn't a traditional Thanksgiving dinner; but what table for two can really support a huge Thanksgiving dinner? Instead, this combo of turkey, vegetables, and pastry is really all you need if it's just the two of you, or even three or four of you. (Or if you're celebrating in the UK like me.)

Just whizz the vegetables through the slicing disc of the food processor, and sweat them in a pan. Brown up the turkey, and add the flavor: garlic, fresh thyme, savory Worcestershire sauce, white wine, stock. They all bubble together for a few minutes in a pot, then cover them in store-bought (or homemade) pastry, bake for 20 minutes, and dinner is served.

About the author: Kerry Saretsky is the creator of French Revolution Food, where she reinvents her family's classic French recipes in a fresh, chic, modern way.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large carrot, peeled and sliced (about 1 cup)
  • 3 celery stalks, sliced (about 1 cup)
  • 1 medium yellow onion, sliced (about 1 cup)
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely sliced
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 pound ground dark meat turkey
  • 8 to 9 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup dry white wine
  • 2 cups low-sodium homemade or store-bought chicken broth
  • 2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • The leaves from 4 stems of thyme
  • 1 sheet of frozen puff pastry, thawed but cold
  • Milk for brushing

Procedures

  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat the oven to 400°F. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add carrots, celery, onions, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper .Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened but not browned, about 6 minutes total. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

  2. Heat remaining tablespoon olive oil in now-empty skillet over medium high heat until shimmering. Add turkey, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pan is dry and the turkey begins to brown, about 8 minutes. Add the raw mushrooms and return vegetables to the pan the cooked vegetables. Stir in the flour to coat everything in the pan. Add the white wine, chicken stock, Worcestershire sauce, and thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a casserole dish that just fits it, about 1 1/2 quarts.

  3. Brush the sides of the dish with milk, and drape the pastry tightly across, pressing gently into the milked sides (this will help the pastry stick). Cut a slit for the steam to escape in the center of the pastry, and then brush all the pastry lightly with milk. Place the pie on a rimmed baking dish to catch any spills, and bake until the pastry is puffed and golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve immediately.