Being that it's a holiday weekend and this diarist has a party to attend shortly, What's for Dinner is being posted outside of its regular time slot of dinner. This week it's more like What's For Late Lunch. And as often happens on lazy days, the indecision about food is staggering. Right now I am staring alternately into my pantry and then my refrigerator. I'm going back and forth between the two hoping that something will magically appear that grabs my interest.
The hostess of the party asked everyone bring a favorite dessert or appetizer to share. If it was summer, I would bring tabouli; I always bring tabouli to every gathering. My kick ass tabouli that always results in several requests for the recipe. It's a dish that doesn't work in the winter; it is built upon garden fresh vegetables and filling it with orangish-red cardboard masquerading as tomatoes just doesn't do it for me. Plus, I've been surviving on leftovers and other splurge foods bought before Christmas and don't feel much like cooking or chopping again just yet.
Thinking about what to bring for a year end gathering got me to thinking about how New Year's Eve and day is the last holiday built around food for awhile. The eve part is more focused on intoxicating liquids for many but there is some food stuff in there too. Fish is big in many cultures as a good luck charm. The Poles will make theirs pickled herring. It's one of my things for the evening and normally it is something I would make myself but this year there is a bottle from Poland in the fridge instead. I serve it on a small bit of toast with freshly ground horseradish. Midnight will bring a bit of champagne with Mrs. TVB to celebrate another year (our anniversary of meeting is just before Christmas) and a quiet time at home. It's been at least 15 years since I went out with hundreds of my closest friends in a bar to celebrate the first midnight hour of the new year. Over the years, there have been a several small gatherings at home or at a friend's abode nearby
I found this great article about New Year's eve traditions while researching a bit for this diary:
Eating noodles at midnight is customary at Buddhist temples in Japan.
A German/Pennsylvania Dutch tradition is to eat pork and sauerkraut on New Year's day for good luck.
It is the tradition of Bosnia & Croatia (both of former Yugoslavia) to eat what is called "Sarma" or beef wrapped tightly in cabbage to bring good luck in health and wealth for the upcoming year.
It is a Cuban tradition to eat 12 grapes at the stroke of midnight. The 12 grapes signify the last twelve months of the year.
German folklore says that eating herring at the stroke of midnight will bring luck for the next year.
Eating noodles at midnight is customary at Buddhist temples in Japan.
A German/Pennsylvania Dutch tradition is to eat pork and sauerkraut on New Year's day for good luck.
It is the tradition of Bosnia & Croatia (both of former Yugoslavia) to eat what is called "Sarma" or beef wrapped tightly in cabbage to bring good luck in health and wealth for the upcoming year.
It is a Cuban tradition to eat 12 grapes at the stroke of midnight. The 12 grapes signify the last twelve months of the year.
German folklore says that eating herring at the stroke of midnight will bring luck for the next year.
Eating pickled herring as the first bite of the New Year brings good luck to those of Polish descent.
In the southern United States, it is believed eating black eyed peas on New Year's eve will bring luck for the coming year.
Also from the south comes the custom of eating greens such as cabbage, collard greens, mustard greens, kale or spinach to bring money.
One more from the Southerners: eating cornbread will bring wealth. The Southern custom of eating greens can be found in other cultures as well, although the cabbage can take many forms, such as sauerkraut or even kimchee.
In the Philippines, it is important to have food on the table at midnight in order to insure an abundance of food in the upcoming year.
Boiled Cod is a New Year's Eve must in Denmark.
Olie Bollen is a donut-like fritter popular in Holland for the New Year.
I have to work in NYC this year and will be just a block outside of the tourist madness until 9pm. You can bet that I will be high-tailing myself out of the Lincoln Tunnel by 9:05pm. Today, I had an errand south of Columbus Circle and was amazed to see the tourists already circling like buzzards scoping out what they hope will be the primo viewing spot to watch the ball drop on Sunday. Traffic sucked with a gazillion out of state plates clogging the roads into and in gotham itself. I wish the Port Authority would stop every tourist on their way in with a brochure about how to drive in NYC. They have no clue waht it means to alternate merge and don't get the concept of driving the same speed as everyone else. Disregard these two basic rules and you muck up the machine. Then again I kept seeing flashes near intersections as Joe from Des Moines in town to see the ball drop decided he could beat the red light. He or she will be receiving their "Thanks for Visiting NYC lookit the pretty picture we took of you please send money" notes shortly after returning home.
Don't even get me started about the folks from Utah slowly walking 5 abreast while staring at the sky.
And in the several years I've been working there, I've yet to actually encounter any of those famed chestnuts roasting in a street cart amongst the sidewalk vendors. I'm told there are still a few around but I must hang out in the wrong neighborhoods. At home is another thing. It must be a good year for them as they have been only a $1.99 a pound at the local market. Early in the season I spoke with a local farmer who has a small grove of chestnut trees with the intent to purchase some but then promptly lost his information. For cooking them I simply score an X in the them and soak in water for about an hour before roasting in a covered pan for about 25 minutes in a 425 degree oven. I like to eat them plain like that or dip into clarified butter. You must remove that dark inner skin as it is quite bitter. It only comes off when the nuts are hot so try to peel all of them before eating. If they cool before peeled just drop them into some boiling water for a moment or two. Your fingertips will burn some but they are a short seasonal treat and worth it.
Another favorite winter food about to disappear for the season is the pomegranate. My mom always bought them by the case when I was little. I laugh now at everyone just discovering how wonderful they are. The magic of marketing worked wonders with a fruit that is kind of a pain for the return. But they are so wonderfully good. I like mine simple. A bowl of glistening red fruit with a spittoon nearby for the seeds is perfect for me. I always put them into green salads as a nice substitution for tomatoes. One hint for peeling them is to do it underwater - either in a bowl of water or under a faucet into a strainer. It will help to keep your hands from staining.
Meyer lemons. Anyone with a Meyer lemon tree willing to send me some will be my hero. I guarantee mojo on every post you ever make no matter the time of time; I'll stalk your posts just to lavish love onto them in exchange for lemons. I’ll write nice things about you regularly. I'm happy to reimburse for postage. I live for meyer lemons in the winter and have been known to drive great lengths to stores that carry them. I slice them into seltzer for my little bit of heaven. A great sadness in my life is that they are not available at the same time as local tomatoes here in NJ. I have a wonderful recipe for cherry tomatoes with lemon pulp that would be divine with Meyer lemons.
While I am skipping dinner the next couple of days, I am planning on a pot of Hoppin John for New Year's Day. Hoppin John is a dish that has it's roots in Africa but is traditional on 01/01 for good fortune and wealth in the American South. I became familiar with it while living in Atlanta and it has become a bit of a tradition for me. There are a million recipes out there so I suggest google for finding one that suits you. The basic ingredients are black-eyed peas, rice, and smoked pork of some type. You can also do a vegetarian black eyed peas for the same folklore effect. I prefer smoke ham hocks or a ham bone, crushed red pepper, rice, black eyed peas, and canned tomatoes all simmered together in a pot for a few hours.
And if you imbibe too much on the mythical eve of great expectations?
Drink a good amount of water before going to sleep is rule #1.
Betsy's rule #2 is to have a michilada as a bit of hair of the dog:
Michilada ala Betsy
Rim a beer glass with salt.
Over ice in the glass, put a few drops of soy, a few drops of Worcestershire sauce, a few drops of Maggi seasoning, juice of 1/2 lime, a pinch of cayenne, and freshly ground pepper. Fill glass with cold beer.
It sounds gross but it really isn't. I recommend drinking with a straw as you would a margherita.
If you don't have Maggi seasoning handy, here are some other ideas for hangover cures from Epicurious:
Bacon, Egg, and Cheese — On a biscuit, roll, or English muffin, this cholesterol bomb is an all-time favorite for curing hangovers (while likely causing myriad other health problems).
Bagel and Cream Cheese — This one covers your carb, fat, and protein groups. "My sister claims that the idea of eating something greasy and carb-heavy like french fries is a myth — it's really protein that helps," relates an Epi editor.
Chocolate Milk — "Back in the day, my favorite hangover remedy was drinking one of those small cartons of Nestlé's Chocolate Quik," says an employee who's more likely to be using milk to soothe her daughter than her own stomach these days. "A massive sugar rush temporarily eased the pain and provided an illusion of being able to function. It's along the lines of drinking a Coke but a little smoother on the belly."
Coffee — It can be hard on a queasy stomach, but coffee can really cure a hangover headache. We've read it has something to do with constricting the blood vessels — plus, it helps any painkillers you've taken reach your bloodstream quicker.
Fry-Up — The full English breakfast or the "fry-up" of eggs, toast, sausages, broiled tomato, baked beans, and sometimes, if you're lucky, blood pudding, is the perfect cure for a few too many pints of bitter.
Hair of the Dog that Bit You — Some say you need to drink exactly what you drank the night before for a true "hair of the dog" remedy, while for others any form of alcohol will do. In The South American Gentleman's Companion, published in 1951, Charles H. Baker, Jr., writes that "when it comes to Picker-Uppers... the old Hair-o'-the-Dog principle is just about the only thing that will rebuild a man who has not time or patience to let nature's cure of rest, quiet and time get-in its licks." He lists 27 recipes for such cures, including the Buenos Aires "Man-of-the-Port" Reviver: "Take 1 10-ouncer can of Campbell's Consomme or Beef Bouillon, add 2-ouncer tot of good French brandy. Stir and put in deep-freeze or freezer compartment of your refrigerator. Leave it till it's a chilled and sippable liquid; or chilled until it almost jells, and eat it with a spoon."
While a beefy brandy gel seems more than a bit repulsive, some of us have been known to seek a nice bubbly beer late in the afternoon after a hangover, particularly if the hangover came from something other than beer.
Pizza — "The ideal topping is clearly pepperoni, which helps satisfies the hangover cure grease requirement," says one editor.
Prairie Oyster — "The one my grandfather, who claimed to not drink, swore by was two raw eggs with Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce," says an Epicurious contributor. "He said he didn't know if it cured the hangover, but it tasted so bad it took your mind off it." We thought "prairie oyster" meant something else entirely, but it is indeed a drink, and you'll find several versions (with and without alcohol) in our database.
Slushies and Slurpees — The same curative caffeine, sugar, and carbonation as colas, plus lots of rehydrating ice. They are especially good for summer hangovers.
Soda — "Ginger ale is essential," says one editor. Another shares this story: "I once had a killer hangover but still showed up (queasy, head pounding) to wait with friends in the mammoth line for brunch at Prune in New York. A sympathetic host gave me one of those tiny glass bottles of Coca-Cola. I was instantly cured. The caffeine and sugar fixed my head and the bubbles quelled my nausea — plus, I swear it tastes better in those glass bottles! I will always be grateful to that man and his magical Coca-Cola."
Smoothies — Parents will love this one: "Ever since I was a teenager and first learning to drink I've made smoothies to get over bad hangovers," one now of-age drinker relates. ...
Sugar in Any Form — 'Nuff said.
Water, Water, Everywhere — Many swear that simply drinking tons of water along with your poison of choice is enough to ward off a hangover. If that doesn't work, it's prescribed by our panel in many fortified forms, including Smart Water, Vitamin Water Revive Fruit Punch, Pedialyte, and Gatorade, as well as in juice and decaffeinated tea.
Pedialyte?
That stuff is really gross.
An oh, the party dish to share? I'm embarrassed to say that it's my favorite trash food - drunk little smokies. It's basically little smokies cooked in barbecue sauce fortified with a pint of whiskey. They are pretty good, I swear, and an easy party food for when you don't feel like cooking.
So, what your plans for this weekend? Any special meals being prepared or will you be sticking to the liquid grain variety?
Happy New Year everyone!