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Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and the beginning of the holiday season, which, for most of us, will finally spell a return to in-person gatherings after the restrictions of the past two years. 

Of course, that’s not the case for everyone – some people can’t be with their loved ones for health or geographical reasons. Others will remain on the job to provide health care and other vital functions, or, like many of our CNN colleagues, to keep the news coming. 

But whatever your plans are, we hope they involve some good food.

In case you’re looking for inspiration or to try something new this year, we asked some of our colleagues around the network to share their most loved recipes of the season.

🦃  Dr. Sanjay Gupta’s Masala Turkey

Last year, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN’s chief medical correspondent, was missing his mom. He couldn’t be with her because of the risk of her getting sick but found a way to connect and feel close, through making their Thanksgiving meal together. It was a Masala Turkey.

“Growing up in a sort of more traditional Indian household, Thanksgiving was really the beginning of the holiday season for us. My mom would add her own Indian flair to these dishes,” he says.

“See, Indian people, they don’t like bland things. They like more tastier, more spicy,” his mother, Damyanti Gupta, tells us.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta and his mother, Damyanti Gupta, visit her hometown of Tharushah, Pakistan, in 2014, as part of a project to trace their roots.

Gupta and his mom prepared the turkey together, with his mother directing him over FaceTime (to properly socially distance, of course). And they share that moment with the rest of us in a special episode of Gupta’s podcast “Chasing Life: Thanksgiving with the Guptas.” 

For the masala marinade, “Take a lot of homemade yogurt and put minced garlic and ginger and turmeric, garam masala, coriander powder, cumin powder, and mix it up really nice,” Damyanti Gupta says. Use that to coat the turkey and “prick the turkey with a fork all over” to get it to absorb the flavors.

“Try it one time. You will be making it every year the same, this way,” she predicts.

Listen to the recipe for her full instructions on exactly how to make the Gupta family’s now-famous Thanksgiving Masala Turkey.

For our vegetarian readers out there: We didn’t forget you. Check out our list of plant-based meal ideas for the holidays or healthier ways to get through the festive months ahead.

🍲  Erin Burnett’s New England Oyster Stew 

Erin Burnett’s oyster stew, traditionally served on Christmas Eve.

Every year on Christmas Eve, Erin Burnett’s mom would make an oyster stew.

Burnett, who anchors CNN’s “Erin BurnettOutFront,” didn’t like oysters as a child, so her job was to make the cranberry sauce.

“When I was a kid, all I wanted was the broth, and I would dip my bread into it, and I didn’t want any oysters at all,” she says. “And who wouldn’t just like milk and butter with some salt thrown into it, melted together, right?”

Her love of oysters didn’t develop until she got older, but she would still get excited about the stew as a child, because it meant Christmas had almost arrived and Santa was on the way.

Neither Burnett nor her sisters got the exact recipe from her mom before she passed away in 2018, but they all make their own version of it based on feel and taste, to re-create their special childhood memories. 

This year, Burnett is making her mom’s oyster stew with her own family, to carry on the tradition. “I love cooking with my kids,” she said. “When I was thinking about the traditions and the holidays and something that I experienced, I thought it would be fun to try it with them.”

Erin Burnett with her kids.

“It cooks pretty fast. The whole recipe, once you get it together, is 10 to 20 minutes all in.”

It’s about seven ingredients, with some of them – like parsley and onions –  considered optional. “You can make it even simpler if you want,” Burnett says. Her sister makes it with olive oil for a healthier take, but Burnett prefers to make it with butter, for the real deal. The point is it’s flexible. And although it may sound easy, she says, “the trick is with an oyster, you don’t want it overcooked.”

“As a kid who didn’t like the strong oyster taste, I still learned gooey or rubbery are both really bad for oyster stew. So just watch the pot when you’re cooking so you get it just right.” 

Erin Burnett’s New England Oyster Stew

Chopped fresh parsley for garnish 

2 dozen raw oysters 

5 tbsp unsalted butter or extra-virgin olive oil

Diced onion to taste (optional)

2 cups skim or whole milk 

¼ tsp celery salt + additional to taste

White pepper to taste 

Instructions: 

Chop the parsley. Drain the oysters. Over low to medium heat, melt the butter in a large soup pot (or, if using extra-virgin olive oil, let the oil heat). Add the diced onion, if using, then sauté the onion in the melted butter for a few minutes. Add the drained  oysters to the onions and butter. Cook for a few minutes.

“Oysters don’t take long to cook, but you don’t want an overcooked, rubbery oyster,” Burnett said. “Just keep an eye on it. … Instinctually, you’ll know what a rubbery oyster looks like.” 

Gradually stir in small amounts of milk, then monitor the heat so the milk simmers, not boils. If it boils, a coagulated film can form over the stew, and the stew might taste burnt. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with chopped parsley, then serve. 

💳   CNN insider rec of the week

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🐖  Bernie Tuazon’s tiny version of a roast pig

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and here at CNN, Bernadette Tuazon makes that happen. She’s CNN Digital’s director of photography – so it’s only fitting that pictures of her food look delicious.

Bernie Tuazon’s Tiny Roast Pig.

Tuazon invented her own tiny version of a roasted pig Filipino style during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“In my nearly 35 years in this country, I always hosted Thanksgiving,” she says. “Last year with the pandemic, it was the first time we did not have any visitors. But I wanted to make sure the table, and the day, continued to be festive. So I thought of making lechon (roasted pig), the pork belly roll version, and having the family gather around the table and eat it Filipino style, with our hands and no utensils.”

Tuazon is an expert planner, so she put her menu together a month or so in advance for her family of four. 

“I go crazy researching anything I cook or bake, and read up on so many pork roll recipes, from what you put in it to how you roll the belly,” she says. “I learned the variety of temperatures people use to ensure the skin – the jewel of the dish – comes out crispy.”

Despite all her research, she decided to create her own version altogether.

“I decided to brine the pork overnight, like how you would prepare a turkey, using oranges, peppercorn and some herbs,” she says.

Brining the pork.

After brining, she slathered the pork with salt and pepper, then laid some lemongrass, scallions, and red onions on the underbelly.

Then she let it marinate for about 12 hours to let all the brining juice run through. 

“Since this was all an experiment, I simply hoped for the best. At 350 degrees, I put the pork in the oven and let it roast for about 3 ½ hours. About half an hour before taking it out from the oven, I basted it with milk to deepen the color of the skin.”

Her experiment worked. The skin was delicious and crispy and the first thing that was eaten. Tuazon’s only disappointment was that she served it “kamayan” style – where people just use their bare hands to eat – but “the kids insisted on using a fork and a knife,” she says

For people trying to make this at home, here is Tuazon’s brine recipe for a 4- to 5-pound pork belly.

Bernie Tuazon’s Tiny Roast Pig

1 orange

4-5 bay leaves

3-4 tbsp peppercorns

4-5 star anise

3 tbsp cloves

Milk for basting as it roasts

Instructions: 

After marinating, roast pork in a 350-degree oven for about 3 ½ hours, basting it with milk 30 minutes before taking it out. 

🤤  Meg Wagner’s Cheesecake Brownies

For those stuck in the office, there’s still a way to spread some holiday cheer. Senior News Editor Meg Wagner’s Cheesecake Brownies are legendary in the CNN newsroom.

Meg Wagner’s Cheesecake Brownies.

“Cheesecake is one of my favorite desserts to enjoy, but it’s always intimidated me,” she says.

“It’s also a fussy baked good if you’re aiming to feed co-workers, or really anyone outside of a formal dinner party. I have no desire to slice up a cheesecake in an office kitchen with a plastic knife.”

“The Cheesecake Brownies solve both problems: They’re insanely easy to make, with no threat of the dreaded cheesecake crack, and they’re portable and shareable.”

No arguments there from any of us!

The brownie base is Wagner’s go-to recipe from Bon Appétit, which you can find here. 

“The cheesecake addition really stems from my mantra that most desserts can be improved with cream cheese. I always pick cream cheese frosting over buttercream,” she adds.

Wagner makes a cream cheese-egg-vanilla layer using the ingredients below and layers spoonfuls on top of the brownie batter. She then gets creative with a butterknife to swirl it in before baking.

Wagner’s Cheesecake Brownies are legendary in the CNN newsroom.

The brownies come out of the oven looking pretty as well as delicious.

Like most of Wagner’s other baked treats, her brownies have a cult following inside our newsroom and always bring joy to any working holiday.

Meg Wagner’s Cheesecake Brownies

1 block cream cheese 

¼ cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions: 

Choose your favorite brownie recipe and prepare as normal. For the cheesecake topping, mix the ingredients above. Swirl on top of brownies in a greased baking pan. Bake according to brownie instructions, or until a toothpick inserted one inch from the side comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached.

☕  Beryl Adcock’s Mulled Cider 

What else says holiday like the smell of cinnamon and cloves from a beautiful Mulled Cider. Our very own Inside CNN editor, Beryl Adcock, has a fail-proof recipe, sure to warm you up in more ways than one.

Her cider recipe is adapted from “JaneBrody’s Good Food Book,” which came out “decades ago,” she says. “It is easy and delicious, suitable for anybody anywhere, and can be scaled up for a crowd.”

The cider ready to simmer with the mulling spices. Photo credit: David Adcock.

Adcock used to serve it at a big holiday party she had every year for her co-workers, the first Saturday in December. (Parties we selfishly hope make a comeback.)

“It’s nonalcoholic, but one of my guests started bringing applejack to spike her own cup with – which made it taste even better – and that became part of the tradition!”

“Make sure to serve it hot,” says Adcock. 

Photo credit: David Adcock

In addition to being delicious, Adcock says, the cider is good to have bubbling on the stove when you have a lot of people coming over as “It makes the whole house smell great.”

 “As they come inside from the cold it’s so welcoming to put a warm mug into their hands,” she adds.  

One thing Adcock insists on is that you “Make sure to serve it hot. It is fine cold but not nearly as magical.”

Mulled Cider

Adapted from “Jane Brody’s Good Food Book” (W.W. Norton & Co., 1985)

2 quarts apple cider

1 orange, sliced 

1 lemon, sliced 

4 cinnamon sticks

6 whole cloves

¼ teaspoon nutmeg (freshly grated)

¼ teaspoon powdered ginger 

Apple brandy (optional) 

Instructions: 

Combine the cider, fruit and spices in a large pot on the stovetop. Bring to boil over high heat, then turn down to low and partially cover. You want just enough heat so it bubbles gently for at least half an hour once it calms down from the boil. Strain before serving hot – with a splash of brandy if you want. You can add more cider and start the process over again if you run out, but if you do that more than once you might want a fresh set of spices. Leftovers are great heated up in the microwave or on the stove.

– Written and edited by Beryl Adcock, Tricia Escobedo, Melissa Mahtani and Jessica Sooknanan

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