Holiday sides: roasted beets, pumpkin gratin and latkes
It is that time of the year when CC Moore’s poem Visit from St. Nicholas paints the relaxed scene of children asleep with ‘visions of sugar plums dancing in their heads’. In reality it is the time when the home cook is desperately racking his or her brain about which recipes to feature at the variety of celebrations starting with Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanza as well as many friendly parties, all squeezed in the busiest month of the year – December!
Most large dinners are likely to feature roast beef, turkey or ham, but smaller families or dietary preferences have come up with ingenious variations from roast chicken to a vegetarian feast featuring squash, beans, tofu, nuts and a myriad of spices. There are family traditions that require a corn pudding for great-aunt Tilda and blackened onions for Uncle Horace, but a good cook will always try to come up with something a bit different to surprise and add color to the table.
Latkes/potato pancakes
Potato pancakes come in slightly different variations from Northern Europe but is a traditional food for Hanukkah and are served with sour cream or applesauce. Their crisp texture makes them a wonderful accompaniment to meat or any vegetarian dish.
Shred in a food processor or on a box grater 2 large, peeled russet potatoes and 1 small onion. Squeeze as much moisture as possible, using cheesecloth or double paper towels, from the shredded vegetables. In a bowl beat 1 large egg with 1 tsp. kosher salt, 1/8 tsp. pepper and 2-3 tbsp. flour or unseasoned breadcrumbs. Thoroughly mix in the drained potatoes in the egg mix and fry small 4-inch pancakes in vegetable oil 3-4 minutes on each side. Sprinkle sour cream with chopped chives or scallions for garnish.
Pumpkin Gratin
This unusual and delicious gratin recipe was adapted from Marlena Spieler’s Vegetarian Bistro, authentic French regional recipes and is worth the amount of chopping to please not only you vegetarian friends but will please and surprise everyone else.
Seed and peel a small 1 ½ lb. fresh pie pumpkin and cut it in ½ inch dice. Clean and slice 1 leek, white and light green parts. Dice ½ of seeded and deribbed red pepper and 3-4 Roma tomatoes. Mince 3 large garlic cloves and julienne 6-7 sundried tomatoes.
Heat 1 tbsp. olive oil and 1 tbsp. butter in a large pan and sauté the pumpkin and leek on medium heat for 15 minutes with occasional stirring to golden. Stir in tomatoes, red pepper and sundried tomatoes and continue to cook until the tomatoes become saucy. Add ½ cup dry white wine and cook to reduce to ½. Stir in ½ cup heavy cream, 2 tbs. tomato paste, 1 tsp. salt, ½ tsp. lemon pepper, half of the chopped garlic and 1 generous teaspoon herbes de Provence. Pour the mixture in a shallow baking or gratin dish.
In a small bowl mix 3 tbsp. unseasoned breadcrumbs, 3 tbsp. each grated Parmesan and Gruyêre cheese, rest of the garlic and toss with 2 tsp. olive oil. Spread crumbs over the pumpkin mixture and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Serve warm.
Roasted beets with onions and pinenuts
Roast in oven 4-5 medium sized beets wrapped in aluminum for 1 hour at 400 degrees. Peel when slightly cooled and slice or cut in thin wedges. While beets are roasting, cook 3 medium onions peeled and thickly sliced in 2 tbsp. olive oil, stirring occasionally for 18-20 minutes until golden brown.
In a medium bowl stir together 1 tsp. Dijon mustard, 1 tsp. chopped capers, ¾ tsp. salt, 1/8 tsp. pepper, 2 tbsp. cider vinegar and 3 tbsp. olive oil. Toss beets and onion in the dressing and garnish with pine nuts. Serve warm or at room temperature.
December also entertains Boxing Day, the day after Christmas which is celebrated in the UK as well as Canada and Australia. It was originally the day with cold leftovers after Christmas, since it was the day off for servants. Gifts were distributed to them and other unfortunates in the community as vividly described by Dickens at the end of “Christmas Carol”. Boxing Day unfortunately has become the great shopping day not only in UK but elsewhere as well in modern times.
(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)
