Tuesday
Dec222009
What Are Your Holiday & New Years Food Traditions?
Everybody has food traditions around Christmas, Hanukah (now past), and boozy New Years Eve. When I was a kid, Christmas meant a trip to Chinatown for "1000 year old eggs," peking duck, and glassy eyed whole fish. Hanukah aways meant Nana's latkes (recipe below). It was always all about the food.
Our contributors will be posting their holiday food traditions below, but we want to hear from you!
- What do you cook or eat during the holidays?
- What are your favorite recipes or traditions?
- Have you experienced a holiday food disaster?
Post your comments below....
tagged 
CTbites Shout Out, Holiday
CTbites Shout Out, Holiday
Reader Comments (8)
I know Hanukah has past, but the holidays aren't the holidays without Nana Sylvia's Latkes. She always had a few in the fridge in case of a food "emergency," but these were best served right out of the oven. We miss Nana but her latkes live on.
NANASYL's Latkes
4 large Idaho potatoes - about 2-1/4 lbs
2/3 cup coarsely chopped onion
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup matzo meal
1 t salt
freshly ground pepper
1. Scrub potatoes but do not peel. Cut away nicks or bruises, dice into 1/2 inch cubes and place in bowl of cold water.
2. Dry half the potato pieces and place them along with half the onion and half the lemon juice, in a food processor with steel blade chopper. Process with on-off control, stopping the machine and scraping the sides until potatoes are uniform medium-fine texture.
Then do second group .
3. Drain over strainer or colander, let stand until liquid is drained off.
4. Place in bowl, add matzo meal, seasoning and eggs.
5. Fry in oil (I use mazola blend of corn & canola) until brown & crisp. Place on paper towels. If not using immediately, I place them on flat pan in freezer, when frozen I put them into ziploc bags. To defrost I place them on the small RIDGED aluminum pans (ridges catch any oil that may collect and keep them from getting soggy) in a 350-375 oven for 20-30 minutes until very crisp
6. ENJOY with Applesauce and Sour Cream on the side.
Smell could very well be the most powerful of the senses. And the smell of my grandparents' apartment building will forever be locked in the vault of my memory bank. As we got off the elevator on the 8th floor, the delicious mix of yesterday's brisket and today's chicken blended beautifully, albeit eerily, with the faint aroma of moth balls. Yet looking back on it, Nana was not a good cook. It was her baking that conjures up my fondest memories of the holidays spent in Virginia Beach with Nana and Papa Ben. Papa Ben would inevitably be down in the lobby of the apartment building, smoking his forbidden cigars while Nana was upstairs, baking away. All of Nana's goodies were stored in square, white boxes and, to this day, I can see her meticulous script, labeling the contents of each treasured container. There were always brownies with confectioners sugar sprinkled on top and numerous coffee cakes made in bundt-cake form. There were seven-layer bars with chocolate, caramel, coconut, and many other gooey substances that will always remain a mystery. But the most delicious dessert that Nana made was something that we called "schnecken." These tasty, mini-croissant shaped pastries were coated with cinnamon and sugar and baked until golden brown. I always thought there were almonds baked in, but Nana insisted she didn't like nuts "in baked goods." I think some people add raisins, too, but we were not a raisin-loving family. So our schnecken were plain; they were baked to perfection,pure and simple. Like the memories themselves, these labors of love were sweet and innocent and will remain permanently etched in my mind's eye.
Holiday Food Memory: Christmas Eve Dinner
Every year, my four siblings and I waited for our dad to get home from an old-school restaurant called “Frost” in Williamsburg, where he’d trekked from Long Island to pick up the “seafood salad” to bring to Christmas Eve at my grandparent’s house. When we’d arrive, my grandmother would be at the stove in her apron, frying calamari and shrimp, to be served with fra diavolo sauce. Our traditional Christmas Eve feast revolved around seafood—both raw and cooked. The menu included colossal shrimp cocktail, Frutti di Mare (calamari, shrimp, scungilli, mussels, diced celery, black olives, sliced lemons and oranges, tossed in a lemon-olive oil vinaigrette) and our favorite antipasto, Onion Pie Alla Barese. The coveted recipe for this onion-and-olive tart has been passed down from our ancestral town of Bari, Italy, and, to this day, the women of the family compete to see whose pie is the most authentic.
My grandfather dusted off goose-necked bottles of vintage Amarone from the cellar that he had saved up for the big night and we would sit around three long tables, set end-to-end, in grandma’s living room, rising only to clear the plates to make room for the next course. The grand finale was always linguine with fresh clam sauce (both super-spicy red and garlicky white)—sopped up with Bronx bread.
This memory sent me searching for the recipe for my grandmother’s Onion Pie recipe, which I dug up in a drawer. The oil-spattered recipe card, written in my grandmother’s hand, was just waiting to be plucked from obscurity and shared.
Onion Pie Alla Barese (Makes 2 cookie-sheet-sized pies)
Pastry Dough
6 cups flour (fill over the top)
2 tsp salt
1 cup very hot Wesson oil
1 cup very hot red wine
1 ½ cups warm water
Make a well of four and salt. Heat oil in a small sauce pan. Pour into the well and rub into flour with hands (it’s hot!). Then heat wine in same saucepan to hot. Add to well. Pour in water. Gradually form a rollable dough. Cut in four quarters. Roll out enough dough to make four equal rectangular pieces for the top and bottom layers of each pie. Place one piece over each cookie sheet, greased with oil, for the bottom of each pie. Save the last two pieces of pastry dough for the top.
Filling
Steam 6 large Spanish Onions; let cool (do this a day in advance)
Saute 1 can crushed Redpack tomatoes, ½ teaspoon basil and ½ teaspoon salt
Combine first two ingredients in sauté pan with:
1 jar Spanish green olives, pitted
1 cup grated Locatelli cheese
¼ cup parsley, chopped
Cook all ingredients on low until they are well mixed, not watery
Spread equal amounts of cooked filling on top of pastry dough in each pan. Cover each pie with top layer of pastry dough. Pinch sides until pie is sealed, brush pastry with oil and poke a few holes in the top of each pie to release steam. Cook roughly 30 minutes at 350 degrees or until pie crust is golden brown. Let cool and cut into squares with a sharp knife. Serve room temperature or cold.
hannukah dinner meant brisket and latkes in our house. my mom made the brisket using lipton's french onion soup mix (which is how i make it today in my slow cooker) and her latkes were always delicious. i also have memories of being given a free pass to eat tons of junk food (think: cheese doodles and twix bars) on new year's eve when i was a kid. one year when i was still too young to go out (probably about 14 or 15), but old enough to cook, my best friend and i made won tons from scratch and fried them up in our wok and each ate way too many. here's the recipe for crispy wontons:
Yield: 10 servings
Crispy Wontons
3/4 lb Ground Pork
8 Chopped Water Chestnuts
1/4 c Chopped Green Onions & Tops
1 tb Soy Sauce
1/2 ts Salt
1 ts Cornstarch
1/2 ts Grated Fresh Ginger Root
1 lb Wonton Skins
Vegetable Oil For Frying
Hot Mustard
Sweet & Sour Sauce
Combine pork, water chestnuts, green onions, soy sauce, salt, cornstarch and ginger iin medium bowl; mix well. Place 1/2 teaspoon pork mixture in center of each wonton skin. Fold wonton skin over filling to form a triangle. Turn top of triangle down to meet fold. Turn over; moisten one corner with water. Overlap opposite corner over moistened corner; press firmly. Heat oil in wok or large saucepan over medium-high heat to 375oF. Deep fry wontons, a few at a time, 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy. Drain on paper towels. Serve warm with hot mustard and/or sweet & sour sauce, as desired.
Growing up my mother was the definitive captain of our family kitchen, except for breakfast, which my father put out every morning before leaving for the office. So it is much to my surprise that my holiday food memory revolves around my father standing at our avocado enameled, electric GE range top.
There are two large pans of oil frying and my brothers and I are told to “stand back” and “be careful, it’s hot!” In anticipation we have laid out layers of paper towel on the adjacent counter and taken out the raspberry jelly, a long-retired pale yellow baby spoon and our seemingly ever-present Tupperware powder sugar mill.
Dad reminisces about watching his Hungarian mother mix up the same recipe he now has resting in a large mixing bowl. We are fascinated, as he has always told us that he is unable to access any childhood memories and these glimpses keep us rapt and attentive.
Out comes the rosette wand with its worn black wooden handle and the butterfly and clover iron attachments. We kids discuss which iron to screw onto the wand, but in my memory it is always the butterfly that wins out. My father gives it one final check before gently dipping the iron into the batter and right before our eyes the magic happens.
Set in the oil, which is just the right temperature, the butterfly gracefully floats from the iron and across the pan. Just as golden tinges appear on the edges of each wing, my father tenderly lifts it from the oil and places it to rest on the paper towel bed we have prepared. At the ready, my brother is armed with the sugar mill and I with the baby spoon. A dollop of jelly on the thorax and a generous coating of powder sugar have barely landed on the warm cookie and it is gone. We have devoured it and proceed to lick the crumbs and stray sugar right off the counter.
Truly a lesson in good things coming to those who wait, the rosette is perfect every time and for just a moment, in that Formica kitchen, so are we.
I do not have my grandmother’s recipe to share, but here is a modern adaptation to try. Rosette irons can be found at specialty kitchenware shops or at sugarcraft.com
2 eggs
1 T sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup flour
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
peanut oil for deep frying
1 cup powder sugar
1 cup good quality raspberry jam
Beat eggs slightly. Add 1 tablespoon sugar and salt. Add flour and milk alternately, blending until smooth. Stir in vanilla. The batter should be about as thick as pancake batter. If it isn't, add more flour, a tablespoon at a time. If it is too thick, add a teaspoon of milk at a time.
Heat 3" of oil in a deep frying pan. Place a rosette iron in the hot oil for 60 seconds. There's no way to take the temperature of the iron; it just has to be hot.
Dip the hot iron into the batter, making sure NOT to let the batter run over the top of the iron. If you do, the rosette will be impossible to remove. Immerse the coated iron back into the hot oil and fry 25-30 seconds until light brown. Slip off onto a paper towel to cool. Place a small dollop of jelly on each cookie and sprinkle them with powdered sugar. Makes about 36 rosettes
The holidays always meant Sicilian cream puffs made by my paternal grandmother, who lived in Queens and had to be picked up and driven to LI for the family gathering. We always had to treat the cream puffs with great care on the way to LI. The "shells' were made of choux paste (pate a choux) perfectly baked, and rather large. Only minutes before they were to be served were we allowed to fill them with the sweet ricotta cheese filling so they wouldn't get soggy. A healthy shake of 10x on top made them prettier and more sophisticated looking. Now over the years the filling became a matter of debate. Should we leave the citron in or eliminate it and just leave in the sugar, lemon zest and mini chips? I make it without the citron now because it's hard to find and nobody likes it because it's too unfamiliar.
For many, many years we cooked the traditional fish feast of bacala, calamari and pulpo (octopus) on Christmas Eve. But over the years there was so much fighting between the Sicilians and Neapolitans over how the fish was supposed to be cooked, that it was abandoned altogether. Sad but true. I still remember my grandmother's advice about squid, "you either cook it a little or a lot" and she's right.
I last made the Sicilian cream puffs for my son's special person day in school a few months ago. Word spread and before I knew it, I was offering one to an octogenarian teacher's helper (I'm assuming of Sicilan origin) who nodded her head in approval, saying they were authentic and delicious. Now that my grandmother has passed away, it's up to me to carry on the tradition. I'm wondering if anyone else makes these and what brand of ricotta they use and whether they use the citron. It has to be thick and creamy ricotta, not the loose stuff, to work properly. Don't ask me for a recipe for the filling! We always did it to taste.
Have a wonderful holiday and I encourage you to create your own food memories. My favorite one is making and decorating gingerbread cookies with the kids. On a good year, my brother-in-law will cook a full Mexican feast on Christmas Eve. I'm missing it this year but hoping for leftovers! There's always my mother's amazing lasagna to look forward to.
The arrival of Santa has always been filled with excitement and anticipation in our house. Every year we invite neighborhood friends over and have an afternoon filled with cookie baking and cider drinking.
I spread out a large disposable plastic tablecloth and fill bowl after bowl of different candies to decorate gingerbread cookies. From sprinkles to licorice "hair", the kids spend a fun afternoon decorating to their hearts content.
I've found preparing for this annual event is best done in parts. A few weeks before I make and freeze the dough into flat disks and cover each layer with parchment paper, so I can layer a few disks on top of each other. Then I cover the layers of gingerbread dough with Sarah Wrap then foil. Make sure you freeze the dough on a flat surface so it stays nice and flat.
About 3 days before decorating, we cut out and bake all of the cookies and store them in airtight containers until ready to use. I also make a basic icing with powdered sugar, milk and a little egg white powder that you can order online. It's not totally necessary, but it helps the icing dry hard.
I make a big batch of icing, then divide it into smaller amounts and add food coloring. Next I put the colored icing into small ziplock bags which the kids can use as mini piping bags that can be thrown out at the end of the day.
The other great decoration I make is colored sugar. Simply add a few drops of food coloring to white sugar in a ziplock bag and rub the bag between your hands until the food coloring colors the sugar. This makes a beautiful topping for the cookies.
The day of the event, place all of your assorted topping into small plastic bowls, place your icing bags into plastic bowls and cut a small piece out of the corner of one side. Make sure not to cut too large of a hole or the frosting will come out too fast.
I also make sure to label the plates so each child can take their decorated cookies home. Lots of stores have good deals on melamine plates.
At the end of the day, all of the leftover frosting and decorations can simply be bundled into the plastic tablecloth, wrapped up and thrown out.
I put out some cheeses and fruit and some mulled cider for the grown ups and everyone has a great day!
Here's my recipe for gingerbread cutout cookies.
3 c. flour, plus flour for dusting
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 egg
2/3 c molasses
1/3 c brown sugar
1/2 c (1 stick) butter, room temperature
In a medium bowl, mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, mix the egg with molasses, brown sugar and melted butter. Blend the flour mixture into the egg mixture until all patches of white disappear.
Clear a flat space in the freezer. Get out a roll of parchment paper. Take a handful of dough and place it between two sheets of parchment paper. Roll out to a thickness of about 1/8 inch. Not too thick. Repeat until all dough is rolled between sheets. Stack the sheets in the freezer.
When ready to bake, remove one sheet of dough at a time. Peel off the top sheet of parchment paper. Using the palm of your hand, lightly pat the surface of the dough with flour. Replace the parchment paper loosely. Now flip over the sheet onto the work surface, peel off the second sheet of parchment paper and discard it. Dust the dough with flour and proceed to cut shapes with floured cookie cutters.
Place on cookie sheet, and bake at 350 degrees about 10 to 12 minutes. Combine the scraps and re-roll between parchment paper. Makes about 4 dozen, depending on size.
Slakian gives very great one. hai. you can give more with video posting...
Microwave Rice Cooker...