Tradition...Tradition!

What kind of food traditions do you have? We have many traditions, but some of the most important traditions revolve around food. Every culture or group or individual has a memory or taste or smell that evokes pangs of nostalgia and a loving memory. Food has such an amazing role to play in our lives. It's not just for survival. We use it for pleasure and comfort and it brings people together. For many cultures food is a symbol of hospitality and religious significance. How we eat, what we choose to make, how we serve it and how we eat it plays a profound role for our heritage and individual culture. With every birth, birthday celebration, holiday and death, we eat, we celebrate, we gather and enjoy.

With Thanksgiving just around the corner what food traditions are we going to experience? Is there always a turkey? Do you cook it traditionally in the oven and painstakingly baste it until it's picture perfect? How about sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, brown and serve rolls and sausage stuffing, oh and pumpkin pie for dessert? Do you ever try to add a new dish or experiment with a cooking method.

Each year I try to do something new or I try to discover a new way of cooking a particular dish. I have my set of traditional dishes that rarely change, but as the years go by, there is nothing wrong with improvement.

At Christmas time, Italians have sweet Spumetti that is a chocolate hazelnut meringue. In Italy it's a tradition to have the small children make the Spumetti or their version of gingerbread "Panforte" with their Nonna's (grandmother).

1 lb. hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
1 lb. confectioner's sugar
1 oz. cocoa (2tbls.)
2 tsps. cinnamon
5-6 egg whites

Preheat oven to 325 F. Cut baking pan liner paper or brown paper to fit 2 baking sheets and grease lightly. Put hazelnuts, confectioner's sugar, cocoa, and cinnamon in a large bowl; add egg whites and mix well until mixture is well blended--about 5 minutes. Wet hands with water and break off small pieces of mixture (about 1 tbl.) and shape into round balls. Place on baking sheets, 1 inch apart, and bake for approximately 30 minutes. Makes approx. 3 ½ dozen. Add some sprinkles...why not.

The Irish Barnbrack cake is traditionally served at Halloween time and it's similar to fruit cake here in the states. They hide a quarter, nickle, dime and penny, a button a piece of cloth, and a ring inside. Each object symbolizes some future event. When I was young my childhood best friend Kira would have a money cake for every birthday. All the kids invited to the party were so excited to discover a prize inside their slice of cake. I was lucky enough to be a nuisance in the kitchen and I would sometimes watch her Mom (who was my second Mom) bake the cake. It usually was a spice cake and she would slice a little hole in the cake and insert the coin or object inside, frost it and boy did it taste good.

Some of the oldest cook books are chiseled on stone tablets and come from the Middle East. Their food culture and traditions are so ingrained  in to their daily lives that they will never be separated. If you've ever had a dish at an Arab or Israeli home you'd know that each meal is treated with such care. Each dish is carefully prepared and represents some important symbol. Delicate and spicy, aromatic and fragrant, scented and syrupy-these are some of the words that come to mind.

Passover and Yom Kippur are beautiful Jewish holidays steeped in tradition. Even though the Jewish people are limited by dietary standards, their culture and life style have had the reverse of a restrictive effect on their cooking tradition. Matzo Balls Soup is a tasty dish that can be eaten all year long, but it's even more special when you make it with your "babba".

Homemade Matzo Ball Soup

1/3 C. vegetable oil + 4 eggs + 3 T. finely chopped basil, dill, parsley, rosemary and sage + 1 1/2 tsp. salt + 1/4 tsp. pepper + 1 C. matzo meal + 2 chicken breasts chopped + 2 small onions diced + 3 quarts water + 2 celery stalk, cut in to chunks + 3 large carrots, sliced + 1 bunch dill + 1 bay leaf

For matzo balls : combine, oil, eggs, herbs, salt and pepper. mix up well, stir in matzo meal, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Boil a pot of water at least 3 quarts with 1 tsp. salt. Shape matzo balls and drop them into the boiling water. Simmer for 20min. Transfer the matzo ball to plate to rest. Soup: Put all ingredients in a large pot including chicken and simmer on medium for 3 hrs or until carrots are tender. Before serving, put the matzo balls back in the soup and serve. 

Since our little boy came around we've started some new traditions in our own home. Each Christmas Eve, we make homemade soft pretzels and after opening presents on Christmas morning we all cook in the kitchen together with matching aprons, baking sticky, pull apart bread with pecans and fruit. It's the time you spend together that matter and why not learn with each other as you do it. Experiment, enjoy and taste and make your memories.

Homemade Soft Pretzels

1 tablespoon yeast

1 tablespoon sugar

2 cups warm water

1 cup flour

4 cups flour, mixed with

1 tablespoon salt, more flour if needed

1 egg

1 tablespoon water

coarse salt 

pcs. roll each piece into 14" ropes, shape the pretzel and place on greased cookie sheet (don't skip this step it really matters). Cover them and let them rise about 15 minutes. Simmer a stock pot full of water and drop each pretzel in to the water for 1 minute. Place back on oiled sheet. Brush each one with egg wash, sprinkle with course salt ( I use margarita salt which can be found by the margarita mix) bake at 450º for 12 minutes.

Whether it's a tradition from the old country, or if it's right here in our amazing American backyard, that is very culturally diverse we love it and we celebrate it with eating. Keep your traditions going strong in hopes that they will be passed down for generations to come.

 Pineapple Upside-down Bread Pudding
1 1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. white sugar
1 c. brown sugar
1 t. vanilla
2 T. coconut milk
1/2 c. pineapple juice (reserved from can)
1 1/2 c. pineapple tidbits (the amount of pineapple in a 20 oz. can)
Dash of salt
1 T. fresh lemon juice
6 eggs
1/2 c. shredded coconut

8-10 glace maraschino cherries halved

4 c. (packed) white bread, cubed

Spray 9×13 pan. Cube bread and place in the bottom of the pan. Mix together the milk, pineapple juice, coconut milk, sugar, vanilla, salt, eggs, and lemon juice. Whip together until smooth. Add the pineapple and coconut. Arrange your halved glace cherries inside the bread. Pour mixture over the bread pieces. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Caramel Sauce:
1 stick butter
1 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. pineapple juice
3 T. coconut milk
1 t. fresh lemon juice

In a sauce pan, melt the butter and brown sugar until the sugar begins to dissolve. Turn heat to medium high and add the pineapple juice and boil for 2-3 minutes or until the sauce is thickened. Once the sauce has begun to thicken, add the coconut milk and lemon juice. Remove from heat and set aside until pudding is done.
Heavy whipping cream
Whip until stiff peaks form. Add a few teaspoons sugar. You can put a maraschino cherry right on top too.

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