The Perfect Pantry®

Recipe for roasted eggplant with cumin and cilantro {vegetarian, gluten-free}

A long time reader of The Perfect Pantry, Judy answered the call for vegetarian and vegan recipes for my Meatless Holidays e-book with a dish called eggplant salad (baingan bharta). When I made it for the cookbook, I envisioned it as a vegetarian or vegan main dish served with brown rice and almond pilaf, and renamed it roasted eggplant with cumin and cilantro. The original recipe calls for quite a bit of yogurt; in Judy's adaptation, she'd cut that way down, and in my version, the yogurt is completely optional, so if you're vegan, leave it out. Indian-spiced food might be a nontraditional choice for your holiday table, but recipes like this eggplant are a great option for those "blended family" occasions when turkey-lovers and turkey-avoiders come together: one person's main dish is another person's side. It's also a good make-ahead dish for worknight dinners, as the eggplant is good served hot, cold, or at room temperature. For this recipe, go ahead and buy those gigantic, deep purple eggplants you find at the market, not the thin, delicate Japanese ones.

New! Meatless Holidays e-book, and my herb dressing with figs and pine nuts recipe {vegetarian}

Around the holiday table here at the log house, you'll find a giant stew pot of turkey lovers, vegetarians, diabetics, picky kids, picky adults, at least one vegan, and occasional guests who are gluten-free, dairy-free, or both. Getting a meal on the table for all of them reminds me of a scene from a Steve Martin movie. (You know the one I mean.)

If this sounds like your house, you're probably wondering how to please everyone without making seventeen different meals, without serving the vegetarians and vegans only the side dishes cast aside by the omnivores, and with your sanity intact at the end of the feast.

Recipe for roasted butternut squash with smoked paprika yogurt sauce {vegetarian, gluten-free}

Here in New England, butternut squash dishes tend to go more sweet than savory. And, really, who can argue with a little bit of butter, some brown sugar, cinnamon and gooey nuts? However, I'm not a sweets person, so this butternut squash with a sauce made from yogurt, Spanish smoked paprika and lime juice really appeals to me. Smoked paprika (pimentón) comes in sweet or mild, bittersweet, and picante (hot). In this recipe, use the dulce (sweet/mild) version, so the paprika doesn't overwhelm the other ingredients. When roasted, butternut squash turns creamy and sweet, as the natural sugars caramelize in the oven. Paired with a bright, slightly tart sauce, it's a healthy and easy side dish to serve with turkey, roast chicken, baked fish or brisket. You can make the sauce far in advance, and keep it in the refrigerator until you're ready to roast the vegetables.

Dijon mustard (Recipe: French potato salad) {vegan, gluten-free}

First published in October 2006, this updated ingredient post features new photos, links, and tweaks to the recipe. Consider this classic (and dairy-free) potato salad for your holiday table; it tastes best when made a few hours in advance, to allow the warm potatoes to absorb all of the tangy mustard dressing. And don't skimp on the parsley. It's not just a garnish here, but an integral ingredient.

Who can forget the commercial — it ran on television forever — two limosines pull up next to each other, the windows silently roll down, and from one, an outstretched arm and a mellifluous voice, asking,

"Pardon me, but do you have any Grey Poupon?"

"But of course," comes the disembodied reply from the other car.

The jar of dijon mustard changes hands, and we're left to believe that no self-respecting chauffeur-driven limosine would be without this most famous of condiments.