Scene-stealers on the side

Ana Sortun, chef at Casablanca in Harvard Square, is a whiz of a cook. At home and at work, she combines flavors we would never dream of putting in the same pot, and they taste as if they were meant for each other. She gives the vegetables we take for granted - carrots, Brussels sprouts, parsnips - her special spin. The results give new meaning to the words "side dish."

Sortun's No. 1 rule for choosing ingredients is that they must be fresh. She is a stickler for using produce that is locally available. "I don't like anything that has traveled a million miles," she says. At this time of year, she would never dismiss cold-weather roots or greens just because they take time to cook. "I think of what's in season and not how long it takes to cook," she says.

The next best thing to having someone like Sortun by your side in the kitchen when you prepare the Thanksgiving meal is having her recipes. She will be spending the holiday with her mother in New Orleans, but before leaving town, Sortun went through her files and picked out a few favorites that go well with turkey. "They are good vegetable condiments for turkey," she says.

Because most home cooks do much of the cooking themselves, the work must be organized to avoid a last-minute frenzy. Sortun has taken this into consideration in the recipe instructions.

Celeriac salad with blue cheese can be made the day of the meal; if prepared too far ahead, it will lose some of its crunch. Tahini sauce for carrots and parsnips, as well as gremolata for Brussels sprouts, can be prepared a few days in advance and refrigerated. Vinaigrette dressing for escarole salad can be cooked beforehand, but it should be reheated before being added to the salad. The delicata rounds for the layered antipasti can be baked ahead, then warmed in the microwave before assembling. "You can do a lot in advance," says Sortun, who is as practical as she is creative.

At last report, Sortun was not sure what she would cook for Thanksgiving to accompany her mother's roast turkey with bread stuffing. Sortun will decide when she sees what looks good at the market. She does know that there will be her fried green tomatoes with remoulade, crab souffle, and Brussels sprouts with brown butter and her gremolata garnish. "The Brussels sprouts are definite," Sortun says.