Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice aka Yule Tide - what does each have in common beyond the time of year and weather?
Food and drink, of course!
And tonight's What's for Dinner is all about the comforts that sate our belly as we celebrate the winter holidays in the ways that mean the most to us and ours. No matter what we celebrate - whether one of them or all of them as some families are apt to do. Some of the seven symbols and principals of Kwanzaa may include food items and menus with choices which include an emphasis on winter root vegetables and greens - sweet potato candy anyone? Solstice celebrations usually include fruitcakes and mulled cider. What's hanukkah with latkes and brisket? And Christmas - I am guessing the menues merge only at the cookie bin.
Cookies in my house were a production that was done by Mom and me. Two varieties were standard for us along with a poppyseed coffee cake. The cookies were anise flavored shortbread with frosting variety and also something we called Mexican Wedding Cakes but I am unsure if that is the standard name. I was still searching through a couple of unpacked boxes late this afternoon for the recipes without success but I know they are in here somewhere to be shared another day. Perhaps you are familiar with them and have a recipe? If so, please share. I know the anise cookies included large amounts of lard but the rest of the recipe escapes me.
Wigilia is a traditional Polish Christmas eve dinner and festivities and the main part of the holiday. For years we all went to Grandma and Grandpa's home along with numerous cousins and aunts and uncles for our traditional Wigilia celebration. Later as they aged and could no longer handle the crowd the evening was rotated amongst the family. All day we would fast (and be on our best behavior for Santa) while eagerly awaiting the appearance of the first star. That was our sign to start the solemn celebration. A traditional wigilia is meatless but in our family we didn't pay attention to that small detail. I inquired with Mrs. TVB and they ignored that part in her family too. The dinner was several courses and much of the food was prepared in the days ahead so as to not make the actual day too much work.
With everyone seated around the table and the kiddies at their own table, the evening would start with short saying of grace - usually delivered by Grandpa in Polish. Following that would be the passing of the Oplatek. Oplatek is a thin unleavened wafer similar to the wafer given in a catholic church at communion. The rather large wafer (6x8 inches or so) is passed from person to person around the table with wishes of good cheer, good wealth, and good health for the coming year. It can take awhile in a large family as you probably can imagine and especially with the tears and laughter that are sure to erupt as we recount the year past and look forward to the next.
The first course is always mushroom soup. Grandpa was quite an accomplished mushroom hunter and would gather these from his farm over the course of the previous year. In our family, it is a simple recipe:
Mushroom Soup
Soak some dried mushrooms (any variety is fine) in a cup of water. Reserve the liquid.
Chop the shrooms and saute with one medium chopped onion in 1/2 stick butter.
When the onion is clear, add 2 qts water (or more or less) and the leftover shroom water and simmer for about 15 minutes.
Chop some fresh white mushrooms (or any variety - I often use both white and the gourmet mix sold at the market) and add them in.
Simmer another 15 minutes.
Slowly whisk in a can of cream of mushroom soup, add salt and fresh ground pepper to taste and bring to a simmer again for 15 minutes.
Make this a couple days ahead if you want. The flavor gets better as it sits for a day or two.
The second course is Lima Bean Soup with dried prunes. The prunes also came from Grandpa's farm. Unfortunately, I don't have the recipe for this as I never really liked it. Beans are traditional no matter how they are served.
The main meal is fried fish, saurkraut, pirogies - with a variety of filling such as meat, saurkraut, prunes, or potato; boiled potatoes, pickled herring, breads, and pastries. One additonal food in our house is kielbasa which is served with the saurkraut. That of course also called for a big bowl of freshly made horseradish. Grandpa would always make the kielbasa. The process would begin a week or so before Christmas when he would get the meat and make the fresh sausage. Some of that would be stashed away the freezer for later use in the winter. The next day he would fire up his smokehouse which was constructed out of an old refridgerator. All day he would slowly smoke that sausage over hickory wood. It was really the most wonderful aroma and sausage I have ever tasted and I am thankful I have the recipe for it. I don't have a smokehouse proper (although we are househunting so that will change by next year as I plan to construct one) but have used cardboard boxes with great success. Since we just bought a new television, I have the box so if I can locate a place out of the wind to smoke it, I'll tackle it. Anyone nearby who would like to volunteer a nook in a garage or shed, speak up if you would like to make a trade! I'm in Flemington, NJ.
Presuming the box is large enough, I'll fashion some hanging racks with dowels with the box set upside down (flaps on the bottom). Don't set the racks too close to eachother it is best if the links don't touch eachother. Seal three of the flaps with duct tape at the two corners while reserving the fourth flap as a door. On the top of the box, open up a hole about 1.5 inches in diameter. That will be your vent; you'll need a small plate or can or whatever to adjust the vent with.
Fashion a pedestal out of a medal pie pan or square pan (the dollar store variety as you will never use it again but don't use a thin aluminum one as it will burn through!) and some bricks. Set the box over this. Put your wood shavings or sawdust (fruit wood of any type) in the pan and set it over a sterno. At the same time, stick a can of plain water on the plate (a tuna can works fine) so you have some moisture swirling in the smoke. Have plenty of sterno handy! Eventually you will get good smoke assuming you are sheltered from the wind and just give it some time. Use a thermometer to make sure it doesn't get too hot. 125 degrees is fine as you aren't cooking the meat but preserving it with the smoke. After about 2.5 hours, raise the temp to about 160 (again, using the vent you fashioned) for about an hour. Ideally, your meat should reach 150 degrees over the course of the four hours or so. Don't forget to check the wood and heat supply periodically but peeking inside the flap.
This recipe has been in my family for a million years without anyone ever getting sick but please realize as with any curing or smoking, it's at your own risk. Illness or burning your house down are your issues.
Kielbasa
Casings are sold at the market here in Flemington. If you don't see them out, ask because if they make sausage they have casing and will often sell you what you need. They come packed in salt and will keep a million years in the freezer. I use 1.5's (that's the size) but if you tell the butcher what you are making, he or she will know what you need. It will the size of italian sausage when stuffed. They are also sold online. Soak them for several hours.
15 pound Boston pork butt, ground (get the market to grind it for you)
2/3 cup canning salt
4 teaspoons of freshly ground fine pepper
2 teaspoons of freshly ground course pepper
3.1/2 garlic cloves crushed or finely minced (hint - grind in your spice grinder with a bit of water and salt to make a poultice)
2 tablespoons dried powdered marjoram.
Mix all ingredients. Let sit overnight in fridge turning several times.
Stuff into soaked casings and tying off into links as desired. Fresh cold water is your friend as you stuff them. Keep your hands wet and the meat wet as you go along to make it easier. The water is like lube in this project.
If you don't have a mechanical stuffer, it can be done by hand with a funnel and help.
Smoke it the next day and freeze some to eat fresh.
After dinner, we would gather around Grandpa and he would dole out the gifts one by one. Only one gift at a time would be opened with eveyone watching and laughing and trying to get their gift in line to be opened. Later that night, we would make it to midnight mass and then returning home, it was a rare Christmas eve that someone didn't dig into the still waiting to be warmed through Christmas ham.
What are your holiday traditions?
Enjoy and Happy Holidays!