Seasonal Savory Sides
It may be “Bleak mid-winter” as stated in poem and song, but looking all around
at bright decorations of the season it is almost possible to forget that
this is the darkest time of the year. In pre-historic times, humans wrapped
themselves in animal skins and watched the bonfire light flicker on cave walls
hoping and dreaming of the warmth of spring and for return of light. Our lights
may be less smoky, but they still brighten the dark and our spirits this
season.
No seasonal festivities would be complete without gathering of friends and family.
The pot of stew or roasted boar of the lucky cave dweller celebrations have
been replaced by more elaborate tables in our times. Unfortunately many still
require help with the basic need for food as demonstrated by the increasing use
our local food pantries.
The winter seasonal specialties often center on sweets in form of mouthwatering
cookies and cakes with wonderful and ingenious decorations. So, today we
will focus on savory sides, not only to sidestep the ever tempting sugar high, but
also to provide special treats to those who need to avoid sugar and even those
who find the holidays difficult because of gluten intolerance.
Manchengo cheese crisps
Thoroughly mix together 2 cups coarsely shredded Manchengo cheese with 1 ½
Tblsp. flour (or rice flour for gluten free). Drop level tablespoons of
mix about 3 inches apart on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees
for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to completely cool on the pan
before removing the fragile crisps with a spatula. Makes about 24 wafer thin
crisps. Store between layers of wax paper in an air tight container at room
temperature.
Seasonal colorful sides for ham, pork, beef and even roast chicken are
decorative on any table. Here are two colorful favorites at our house. Both of
these are a bit different from the usual roast vegetables, potatoes or rice.
Barbecued 3 bean casserole
Drain and rinse 1 14 oz can each of cannellini, garbanzos and black
beans. Chop and sautè 2 onions, ½ red pepper, 1 ½ stalks celery and 2 cloves
garlic in 2 Tblsp. olive oil for 7 minutes. Stir the vegetables together with
the beans, 1 can chopped tomatoes undrained, 1 Tblsp. brown sugar, ½ cup
barbecue sauce, salt and pepper to taste. Add 1 lb diced linguica (optional).
Pour in an 8x8x2 inch casserole sprayed with non-stick baking spray, cover
tightly with aluminum foil and bake covered at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Dish can
be made a day ahead and reheated.
One of the colorful vegetables at this time of the year is red cabbage. It
gives a color lift to cabbage and other salads, but unfortunately cooked in
water it turns an unappealing gray. To make a colorful side dish for meats it
requires cooking in a bit of wine or other acidic medium
.
Red cabbage with apples and pancetta
Sautè 2-4 oz of pancetta in 2 Tblsp. olive oil in a large pan until crisp.
Remove pancetta with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Add 6 cups
coarsely chopped red cabbage and 1 sliced onion to the pan. Continue cooking on
medium high heat with stirring for 10 minutes until wilted. Stir in 2 cored and
sliced medium apples and continue cooking for another few minutes, then add ¾
cups dry red wine, ¼ cup balsamic vinegar, 2 tsp. ground cloves and salt and
pepper to taste. Cover and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes, remove cover
and cook with stirring until most of the liquid is evaporated. Stir in pancetta
and serve warm. The dish can be reheated after storing in the refrigerator
overnight. Instead of pancetta, crumbled crisped bacon is equally tasty.
As in the days of pre-history, we continue to celebrate the darkest time of the
year with seasonal decorations, color at our tables and lights to gather us for
our winter celebrations.
(I. Winicov Harrington lives in Waldoboro and is the
author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day: the
Smart-Frugal Food Plan”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)
