Tis the season

 

Cheeseball.

As the holidays approach, many of us turn our thoughts to cooking those family favorites that have come down to us, perhaps through a generation or more. Maybe it’s the special cookie recipe your mom had or your dad’s favorite dressing recipe. Remember when we used to call it stuffing and it was inside the bird? No more. Food experts have told us that way lies food poisoning, and we serve it separately now—though I can’t recall anyone in my childhood getting sick on turkey dressing.

For me, two Christmas Eve dishes stand out—pickled shrimp and the family cheeseball. My kids still want the cheeseball at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Sophisticated foodies tell us that a cheeseball is so retro! If you follow Facebook, which I admit I do without embarrassment or apology, you’ve seen those questioning memes: “Does anybody still eat this?” It may be salmon patties or meatloaf or, yes, cheeseball. In my household, the answer to all three is a resounding yes.

There are many versions of cheeseballs, but I’m happy to share with you the MacBain/Alter version:

Cheeseball

½ lb. Roquefort

1 pkg. Old English cheese (no longer available—I use an 8-oz. pkg of Velveeta)

l 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese

½ lb. pecans, chopped fine

1 bunch parsley, chopped fine

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 small onion, chopped fine         

½ tsp. horseradish (pure horseradish, not the horseradish cream sauce that is all over the markets these days)

Let the cheese soften to room temperature and mix thoroughly. Add Worcestershire, onion, horseradish, and half of the parsley and pecans. Mix thoroughly and shape into a ball. (Do not do this in the food processor, as it will become too runny. A mixer will make it too smooth and creamy—wash your hands thoroughly and dig in, so the finished cheese ball has some texture but no big chunks of cheese.) Roll the ball in the remaining parsley and pecans. Chill.

I like to serve this with Ritz crackers; Jordan prefers Wheat Thins; cocktail rye is also good.

To my surprise, cheese balls develop mold if refrigerated too long. But you can freeze this one for three to four months if you’re really preparing ahead for the holidays or if you have leftovers. Jordan and I took a huge one to Tomball at Thanksgiving and have another in the freezer. We’ll share with neighbors, and then, with leftovers, we’ll reshape and freeze, maybe for Twelfth Night. I suggested we could save it for her March birthday, but she claims it’s only to be eaten at the holidays.

 

Since I developed an allergy to shrimp in my twenties, we don’t serve pickled shrimp, but I long to have it again. For those of you who can eat shellfish, here’s my mom’s recipe.

Pickled shrimp

2-1/2 lb. shrimp

½ cup celery tops

3-1/2 tsp. salt

¼ cup mixed pickling spices

           Cover the above with boiling water and cook briefly, just until the shrimp are pink. Drain, cool, and peel the shrimp. (Note: don’t use pre-cooked shrimp—you need them to heat with the other ingredients).

           In  shallow dish, alternate layers of shrimp (sliced in half if you wish) and 2 cups sliced sweet onions. (Mom didn’t have sweet onions available, but I think they’re better.)

Combine:

1-1/2 cups salad oil

¾ cup white vinegar

1-1/2 tsp. salt

2-1/2 Tbsp. capers with juice

Dash of Tabasco

           Mix well and pour over shrimp and onions. Cover and let stand in refrigerator for at least twenty-four hours before serving. Will keep a week, refrigerated.

Happy Holidays