"tribune" news and stories

• Simple tips for a hassle-free Thanksgiving.
• Compound butters pack an amazing punch.
• A pre-roasting milk bath is a good alternative to salt-brining your holiday bird.
• But don't forget the gravy.
• Here's an American culinary tradition you've probably never heard of: tomato pudding.
• Cranberries are good for the adult kind of "sauce" too.
• Should you have a catastrophe on the big day, try one of these turkey hotlines.
• Add a Thai twist to turkey leftovers.

Is there such a thing? According to a story in the Chicago Tribune (republished here by the Lexington Herald-Leader), there is. After wondering at length about the need for wheat protein turkeys and "meatless balls," the piece goes on to praise Chicago restaurateur Ina Pinkney (right) of Ina's for her meatless scrapple. Her recipe still uses cornmeal as a binder, but puts corn and black beans where the miscellaneous meat would normally go. The breakfast menu at Ina's still serves it with chorizo and eggs, however. Apparently there's also a vegetarian scrapple recipe in Country Scrapple, a book detailing the dish's origins. Still, I'd imagine that the word scrapple might carry some unwanted connotations for vegetarians, unless of course they have some sort of nostalgia for it.