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See How Bobby Flay Savors Thanksgiving

Get the culinary icon’s holiday menu inspired by his travels to Rome and Italian flavors

When it comes to Thanksgiving, Bobby Flay gets pretty serious. While some chefs choose to spend the holidays handing the serving spoon over to someone else, Flay fully savors the culinary-centric day. And not in one of his 19 restaurants across the country, but in one of his personal kitchens at home with a casual 30-40 of his closest friends.

As a culinary icon constantly seeking flavorful inspiration as well as cultural adventure, Flay says he spent ten years traveling the world for New Years Eve to see how other countries celebrated. Since then, he has adopted the holiday season as his own, depending on his inspiration at the moment.

As of recent, Flay spent five weeks eating pizza, riding vespas and drinking a customary afternoon espresso in Italy on an extended holiday. “I’m very inspired by Rome right now. So [my menu] is going to look like Thanksgiving as you know it, but I’m going to be using Italian ingredients,” Flay says of his Italian-inspired Thanksgiving menu for this year.

When guests arrive, buffalo mozzarella with roasted peppers, oregano and olive oil will be passed around. For the drink of the day, Flay will prepare cranberry negronis, in true Italian fashion. While chatting about what makes Thanksgiving really Thanksgiving, the idea of leftovers is mentioned. Immediately, seriousness wipes over Flay’s face as he says, “I cook three 30-pound turkeys, because I need leftovers.”

See below for Flay’s full Thanksgiving menu, of which he planned with ease on a flight back from Los Angeles in the Notes section of his phone.

Bobby Flay’s Thanksgiving Menu:

– Shrimp fra diavolo with fettuccine

– Roasted turkey with rosemary, garlic and roasted lemons

– Polenta and porcini stuffing with homemade dressing on the side

– Chianti gravy with a lot of red wine in the pan resulting in a heady red wine gravy

– Cranberries made with grapefruit, cranberries and campari

– Mashed potatoes with gorgonzola fonduta. (Flay makes a well of potatoes and pours the gorgonzola cheese sauce into the middle.)

– Sweet and sour Brussels sprouts made with honey, vinegar and capers

– Cauliflower carbonara made with roasted cauliflower, eggs, parmesan and parsley

– Sweet Potatoes with hazelnuts and pomegranates

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