HOLIDAY JOYS, PAST AND PRESENT

 

                                Holiday joys, past and present

           The end of November each year comes with a spark of excitement for the coming Holidays and unwittingly brings up memories of those past.  It is a time of the year filled with traditions, many specific to cultures, nationalities and families. For anyone older than twenty, such memories demonstrate not only the comfort of tradition but also point out how specifics of these traditions evolve with time while retaining the seminal sentiments of the events we celebrate with candlelight gatherings, music, food and gifts we exchange.

          Personally, I have adapted from the European focus on Christmas Eve with live candles on a tree, children reciting poetry before the family feast, and the arrival of Father Christmas with a large sack full of surprise toys or birch switches for naughty children, with adults attending church at midnight. My own sons had electric lights on the tree, church early enough for all to attend, Santa appeared miraculously during the night to fill stockings and bring presents for Christmas day with its celebratory feast. Birch switches had disappeared; and for my boys’ stockings, one particularly rambunctious year, I found it impossible to even find a few lumps of coal in Philadelphia.

           Traditional music and the lighting of candles has fortunately survived across continents with love and good cheer. Food traditions are usually family oriented and so we have pīragi (Latvian bacon and onion filled rolls) still every year, turkey has replaced traditional goose, and some modern recipes appear as well. Shopping of course has changed dramatically, but I still remember with nostalgia taking my boys to downtown Philadelphia in December to walk on Market and Chestnut streets to view the magnificent displays of toys set in winter scenes in Wanamaker’s and other department store windows, and to listen to the daily Wanamaker organ concert of seasonal music in the center court of the store.  There is something to be said about the joyous ambience as we join others and stroll the streets in our small towns even today, with seasonal decorations by local shopkeepers.

          With all the abundance of seasonal catalogues, infinite variety of internet shopping in addition to local stores, choosing a gift becomes a quandary. For a cook choosing among the plethora of gadgets is fraught with problems and can be expensive. Would anyone like a tabletop pizza oven?  Besides the staggering price, counterspace in most kitchens comes at a premium. A good meat thermometer can be useful, but it might be wise to subtly inquire beforehand. Food and exotic spices on the other hand are always welcome and inspirational, as my friend’s gift of English treacle some years ago led me to baking proper English gingerbread.

          My standby gift for attending an evening gathering at friends is to take home made scones for the hosts next morning’s breakfast, accompanied with an interesting jam.

                                    Ginger-currant-pecan scones

          Line large baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a food processor whisk together 3 cups all-purpose flour, ½ cup sugar and 1 tbsp. baking soda. Add 1 ½ sticks unsalted butter cut in 12 tbsp. and pulse 15 times. Pour mix in a large bowl and toss with ¾ cup currants and ½ cup chopped pecans. Combine liquid in another bowl: ¾ cups milk, ¼ cup sour cream, 1 egg, 1 tsp. freshly grated peeled ginger, 1 tsp. vanilla and 1 tsp. lemon flavoring. Pour this into the flour and mix with a fork to combine. Turn out on floured board, knead to blend, divide in half and transfer to the prepared pan. Press each half to form a 6 ½ inch disk and cut in 6 wedges. Brush with heavy cream and sprinkle each with 1 tbsp. demerara sugar. Bake 20 minutes at 425 degrees and serve with jam.  

The following cookies are a tradition at our house. It is my mother’s recipe which she baked each Christmas until her 93^rd year and is reprinted from my column in 2021.

                                             Latvian Christmas cookies

                    Beat 1 cup (½ lb.) unsalted butter to light with an electric mixer, then beat in 1 cup sugar. Beat in 4 egg yolks one at a time and 1 tsp. vanilla. Using a wooden spoon, thoroughly stir in scant 3 cups flour mixed with 2/3 tsp. baking powder. Chill the dough ½ hour.

          Roll out portions of the dough ¼ inch thick, cut out forms with cookie cutters or moons and half-moons with a glass. Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet and baste with a glaze of 2 egg yolks beaten with 1 tbsp. water. Bake at 375 degrees for 12-13 minutes until golden. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes before removing with a spatula.

          For joyous Holidays to all different traditions, here is a quote from “Fiddler on the Roof” by Topol and Stern: “Without our traditions, our lives would be shaky as… a fiddler on the roof”.                       

(I. Winicov Harrington lives in coastal Maine and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day:” and “Uncharted Journey from Riga”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)

 

 

 

COLOR FOR THE THANKSGIVING TABLE

 

                            Color for the Thanksgiving table

 

          Each year the Thanksgiving table resembles a groaning board of autumnal plenty with all the predictable players, only slightly varied by family traditions such as creamed onions or grandma’s obligatory corn pudding. Each item looks appetizing on its own, but you do not have to be an artist to notice that the overall palette is subdued if not outright bland. White, cream and various shades of brown predominate with cranberry relish being the exception. Even the predictable green beans tend to lose their vibrancy under a layer of French-fried onions.

          To liven up any table, colorful centerpieces and bright napkins in green or gold will increase not only eye appeal but also stimulate our taste buds. Space for centerpieces being at a premium, I always include a small ceramic turkey tastefully stuffed with rosemary, sage and thyme sprigs for a whimsical touch reminding us of the origins of our succulent main course. 

           Green vegetable choices for this purpose naturally save the day.  Instead of the current popularity of Brussels sprouts my choice is a broccoli-cauliflower Gratinate enhanced with red pepper and bacon, the Italian version of a French gratin.

                                        Broccoli-cauliflower Gratinate

          Trim stalks of 2 bunches of broccoli and break into 2–3-inch florets. Separate a small head of cauliflower into 3-inch florets and cook each separately in boiling salted water for 4 minutes. Drain and when cool cut each floret in half lengthwise. Crisp fry 4 slices of thick bacon, drain on paper towels, break in pieces and set aside.

          Trim, seed and julienne 1 large red pepper. Sauté the pepper with 2 thinly sliced small shallots in 2 tblsp. butter for 5 minutes without browning.

          Coat a 13x9x2 inch glass baking dish with butter. Arrange the broccoli pieces in rows with flat sizes down in the pan, with a row of the cauliflower in the middle. Sprinkle with ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Scatter the red pepper-shallot mix on top. Dot with ¼ cup butter cut in very thin slices. Sprinkle with 2/3 cup freshly grated aged Asiago cheese and bacon. Bake at 425 degrees until the cheese is melted and the vegetables start to brown, for about 10-15 minutes. Serve warm.

          Since cranberry relish is another one of the invariable components of Thanksgiving dinner besides turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, here is tangy recipe with pears and ginger, the color made especially vibrant with a bit of apple cider. Going back to my very old recipe and reviewing the proportions of ingredients, I made the unpleasant discovery that a bag of fresh cranberries has shrunk in the last couple of decades from 16 oz. to 12 oz! Always read the fine print, you may have to adjust your old recipe accordingly!

                                         Cranberry-pear-ginger relish

          This recipe uses 1 bag (12 oz.) fresh cranberries and makes close to 2 cups of relish. You can double the recipe for a lager crowd of diners.

          Rinse 12 oz. cranberries and pick out any damaged berries. Stir together in a 3 qt. pot: the cranberries, ¾ cups sugar, 1 tbsp. minced fresh ginger, ¾ cups water, freshly grated zest of 1 orange, 1 star anise, 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar and one peeled and cored semi-ripe Bartlet or Bosc pear, in small dice. Stir all ingredients, bring to boil and cook on medium heat for 10 minutes. Remove the star anise after cooking, refrigerate and serve cold. It can be made a week ahead of time, covered and kept refrigerated.

          Happy Thanksgiving! Did you know ‘the best attitude is gratitude’ and now it has been even deemed to be healthy!

 (I. Winicov Harrington lives in coastal Maine and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day:” and “Uncharted Journey from Riga”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)

 

SAVORY CREAMED SOUPS FOR FALL

 

                    Savory creamed soups for fall

           November reminds us that we have now reached serious fall, though the Halloween goblins were able to cavort for a few days in unprecedented balmy weather outdoors, warming soup for lunch or even dinner becomes comfort food.                          Holliday dinners will build soft ambience with a small dish of savory warm soup as a starter.

          It is difficult to imagine anyone making soup before pots made of iron, but human ingenuity has left archeological evidence of soup made in 20,000 BC in China in a clay pot. While the word soup comes from Latin ‘suppa’, meaning bread soaked in broth, cooks in all cultures have cherished not only creating savory dishes from a variety of ingredients in liquid, but also using soup to ‘stretch’ a warm meal in lean times by increasing its volume by simply adding hot water.

          The following recipes do not fit in the ‘lean times’ category, since they are all creamy, thickened by vegetables, flour and cream and pureed to a smooth consistency. Fall vegetables are well adapted for these soups. Various baked winter squashes and even pumpkins are easily mashed for this purpose and adapt to different spiced flavors.

                                      Curried butternut squash soup

          This is an adaptation from “The Silver Palate Cookbook” by Rosso and Lukins. Wash, halve and scoop seeds from a large butternut squash and bake in a 400-degree oven for 1 hour on an aluminum foil lined pan. When squash is cooled, scoop out the soft flesh for making your soup.

          Melt 3 tbsp. butter in a 3 qt. pot and sauté 1 large, chopped onion and 1 sliced garlic clove to translucent, add 1 diced stalk of celery, stir in 4 teaspoons curry powder (choose your level of desired heat of curry) and when blended add 3 cups chicken broth, 1 tsp. fresh grated ginger, 1 tsp. turmeric, 1 tsp. salt and ½ tsp. lemon pepper, 2 small peeled, cored and chopped apples, the baked squash, 1 cup water and 2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar. Bring to boil and simmer for 30 minutes.

When cooled, purée soup in batches in a blender, adjust seasonings and desired consistency with additional chicken broth. Reheat and serve hot garnished with toasted pumpkin and sesame seeds, chives or parsley.

                                                Creamed broccoli soup

This is an adaptation from “A Feast of Soups” by Jacqueline Hériteau.

Peel tough outer parts from 2-3 large stalks of broccoli and slice in ½ inch pieces. There should be nearly 2 cups of broccoli. Melt 3 tbsp. butter in a 3 qt. pot and sauté 1 chopped medium onion to translucent with the sliced stalks.  Lower heat and stir in 3 tbsp. flour (use rice flour for gluten free) and when blended, slowly add 1 cup warmed chicken broth with stirring to make a thick paste. Slowly add 2 additional cups of chicken broth, 2 cups of broccoli florets, ½ tsp. cardamom, ½ tsp. salt and ¼ tsp. pepper. Bring to boil and cook on medium heat for 15 minutes. Cool slightly and purée in a blender. Return soup to pot, stir in ½ cup heavy cream and heat without boiling. Serve hot garnished with a few broccoli florets steamed for 2 minutes.

                                                     Wild mushroom soup

Soak 4 oz. wild mushrooms and 3 large wood ear mushrooms in very hot water for 30 minutes. Swish wild mushrooms through water to remove any clinging soil and coarsely chop. Chop the wood ear and save separately. Strain all mushroom liquid through a paper towel and set aside.

In a 3 qt. pot sauté 1 large onion with 4 oz. sliced button mushrooms, ½ tsp. salt in 2 tbsp. butter for 5 minutes. Add 2 tbsp. lemon juice, the wild mushrooms and saved liquid, 1 chopped celery stalk, 1 chopped carrot, 1 inch peeled and grated ginger, ¼ tsp. lemon pepper and 2 cups chicken broth, bring to boil and cook on medium heat for 30 minutes. Cook the chopped wood ear in a small pot separately for 30 minutes with 2 cups chicken broth.

Slightly cool everything, remove the wood ear with a slotted spoon and purée the wild mushrooms with all of the broth in a blender. Return mixture to the pot to heat. Mix 2 tbsp. flour (use rice flour for gluten free) with 3 tbsp. cold water and slowly stir into the soup to thicken. Add the reserved chopped wood ear mushrooms. Bring to boil with stirring, add 1/2 cup heavy cream and heat without boiling. Serve garnished with chopped chives and bread sticks on the side.   

Savor the warmth of a creamy soup this fall!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        (I. Winicov Harrington lives in coastal Maine and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day:” and “Uncharted Journey from Riga”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)