This vegetarian pie is great to fix ahead -- it can go straight from the freezer to the oven on Thanksgiving Day. To bake without freezing, reduce the baking time to 40 to 45 minutes. Serves 8.

Ingredients for the Olive Oil Dough
Swiss Chard from the Market 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup cold water
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt

Ingredients for the Swiss Chard Pie

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium red onion, cut into small dice
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 1/2 pounds Swiss chard, stems cut into small dice and leaves torn
3/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Grated zest of 1 large lemon, plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 large egg yolk

Directions
In a bowl, combine all-purpose flour, extra-virgin olive oil, cold water, and coarse salt. Stir with a fork to combine, then turn out onto a work surface and knead 1 minute. Cover dough with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature, 30 minutes.

In a large pot, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion and garlic; cook until onion begins to soften, about 2 minutes. Add chard stems and red-pepper flakes; cook until stems begin to soften, about 2 minutes.

Pack chard leaves into pot; season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook until chard leaves wilt, about 4 minutes. Uncover and cook, stirring occasionally, until chard is soft, about 4 minutes. Drain, pressing out as much liquid as possible. Place chard mixture in a large bowl and toss with Parmesan, flour, lemon zest and juice. Season with salt and pepper.

Roll two-thirds the dough to a 12 1/2-inch round; fit into an 8-inch round cake pan (2 inches deep). Fill bottom crust with chard mixture. Roll remaining dough to a 9 1/2-inch round; place over filling. Pinch edges of dough together and tuck in to seal; cut several vents into center of pie. Combine yolk with 1 teaspoon water and brush over dough, avoiding edge of pan. Freeze pie (see below).

To serve, preheat oven to 400, with rack in lowest position. Bake frozen pie until crust is deep golden brown, about 1 1/2 hours. Serve warm or at room temperature.

from the Williams-Sonoma Kitchen Library, Thanksgiving 

With its autumnal colors and flavors, this soup is an ideal first course for any fall meal. A dash of curry powder would make a lively variation. The soup can be prepared one day ahead and then reheated over medium heat just before serving.

Butternut squash from the Market
1 Butternut squash (about 3 lbs.) halved lengthwise, fibers and seeds removed
6 slices of bacon, chopped
2 large yellow onions, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme or 1 1/2 
teaspoons dried thyme
5 1/4 cups chicken or vegetable stock or broth
1/3 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
3 tablespoons dry Marsala or dry sherry
pinch of cayenne pepper
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
fresh thyme leaves to garnish (optional)

Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F.  In a baking pan, place the squash cut sides down. Add water to the pan to a depth of 1/4 inch. Bake until the squash is tender, about 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Using a spoon, scrape the flesh from the skin. You will need 3 3/4 cups. Reserve any remaining squash for another use.

In a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat, saute the bacon until the fat is rendered, about 3 minutes. Add the onions and chopped or dried thyme and saute until tender, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Transfer the onion mixture to a food processor or a blender. In 2 or more batches, add the squash and puree until smooth. Return the puree to the saucepan. Place over medium-low heat and mix in the stock/broth. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes to blend the flavors. Stir in the cream or half-and-half and the Marsala or sherry. Add the cayenne pepper, and season to taste with salt and black pepper. If the soup is too thick, thin with additional stock to desired consistency. 

Ladle into individual bowls and garnish with thyme leaves, if desired. Serves 8-10.