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                                                                                            

 

 

Updating the old familiar

 

I am not a modern cook who scorns canned soup as an ingredient.
I proudly cook with canned soup frequently.

This time of year, two themes run through food magazines and online sites. There is either advice on how to cook the perfect turkey or suggestions for alternative entrees for those who are tired of the bird. That’s never a question for my family: they want what they have always had, cooked the way they have always had it.

So our Thanksgiving begins with a cheese ball of blue, cream, and cheddar (read Velveeta these days). Pride of place goes to the turkey, with dressing in a separate pan and never again in the turkey, mashed potatoes (Jordan’s specialty), gravy lots of gravy, green bean casserole with French’s fried onions, and, ideally, my mother’s everlasting yeast rolls (kudos to granddaughter Morgan who has volunteered to make the rolls this year). No substitutions, no “improving” the recipe. I’ve made it all for so many years I can do it from scratch.

This year Jordan is slated to provide the green bean casserole, cheeseball, and potatoes. As we made a grocery list, we quibbled over how many cans of green beans (oh yes, they must be canned) to buy, so for kicks I looked up the recipe online. Just for quantity, you understand. But I found a new twist—Campbell’s own web site suggests adding a bit of soy and some milk. Jordan was absolutely horrified when I read that to her, but I’ll keep working on it, because I think it would be a good addition. Here are the ingredients for a casserole to feed six (we will double or triple the recipe):

Green bean casserole

4 cans cut green beans

1 can Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup

½ cup milk

1 tsp. soy sauce

1-1/2 cups French’s French Fried onion rings    

I was so taken with the idea of checking out old favorites that when we decided on a pot roast the other night, I went back to Campbell’s for the traditional onion soup recipe, long a favorite. Once again, I found updates. I used to make it for the kids with carrots and potatoes, cream of mushroom soup, dry onion soup mix, and red wine, but here’s what I did this time:

Onion soup pot roast     

3-1/2 lb. beef chuck roast, boneless

¼ tsp. salt

2-1/2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1/8 tsp. pepper

1 can Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup

1 packet dry onion soup mix

1 cup red wine

3 cloves garlic, sliced

Potatoes, carrots, and celery

4 sprigs fresh thyme

2 bay leaves

1 6-inch sprig fresh rosemary

Salt and pepper the roast and brown in oil. Mix soups, wine and garlic and pour into slow cooker (I did it stovetop all day—and it took all day!). Stir in vegetables. Place herbs in center of cooker on top of vegetables and place the meat directly over the herbs. Cook on low 7-8 hours. Remove meat to cool and thicken gravy with 2 Tbsp. flour stirred into ¼ cup cold water.

This is one of those recipes that prove how helpful it is to have your own herb garden! It got raves from the family and recipe requests from Christian and Chandry, who was our guest that night. I think I heard Christian say it was better than the Mississippi pot roast he makes. Good leftovers too.

Do you have some old favorites you might want to rethink or upgrade just a bit? Nothing drastic.                                                                                              

Tradition . . .and Christmas Eve supper

My family talks a lot about tradition—year after year, they want Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner just have they have always been:  turkey, gravy, dressing, mashed potatoes, and green bean casserole—yes, that with French’s onion rings. No to the enchiladas and tamales some Texans enjoy, no to prime rib, no to any experimentation. But somehow we never settled on a traditional menu for Christmas Eve.

If you are like we were, looking for a special dish without a lot of fuss, let me suggest this terrific salmon recipe that neighbor Mary Dulle recently gave me. Easy and delicious.

 Sheet Pan Mediterranean Salmon with Artichokes and Spinach

Ingredients:

11 oz. fresh organic baby spinach, cooked and drained

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

12 oz. frozen artichoke hearts, halved or quartered (I prefer canned)

1 box small cherry tomatoes 

Lemon Butter Sauce (double the recipe)

1 oz. Capers

4 6 oz. wild-caught salmon fillets (you may use cod if you prefer) 

Lemon slices for garnish

 

Directions:

 

Preheat oven to 350^o degrees.

Add raw spinach, washed and drained, to parchment paper or foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. (The first time I made this I pre-cooked the spinach—made a whole different dish.) Drizzle evenly with oil; season with salt and pepper. Top evenly with artichokes, tomatoes, and capers. Pour lemon butter sauce over vegetable mixture. (Save about 1/3 of the sauce & pour it on the fish before roasting.) Top with fish; season with salt and pepper.

Bake 20-25 min. until internal temp of fish reaches 130^o degrees (check temp by inserting thermometer halfway into thickest part of fish). 

Garnish with lemon slices.

 

Lemon Butter Sauce: (double this if you like a lot of lemon)

 

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

Salt and finely ground pepper

 Melt butter in a small saucepan or skillet over medium heat. Leave on the stove, whisking / stirring every now and then. When the butter turns golden brown and smells nutty, remove from stove immediately and pour into small bowl.

Add lemon juice and a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir, then taste when it has cooled slightly. Adjust lemon/salt to taste. Set aside - it will stay pourable for 20 - 30 minutes. 

Top it off after dinner with a cup of eggnog, and you’re all set to watch for Santa to come down the chimney. Merry Christmas, everyone!

 

 

 

 

The Tradition of Sunday night supper

Sunday night supper has a long tradition in my family. When I was young, my mom rolled her tea table into the living room and put it before the fireplace. The three of us—my parents and me (my brother was away by then)—enjoyed light suppers, such dishes as cheese strata or spinach souffle. No cell phones to banish—we enjoyed each other’s company.

When my children were young, I did Sunday supper for the family, including my brother, John, and his children (he was single by then too) and whatever people I thought were alone. Some of my good friends fondly talk of those dinners with 15-20 people. I cooked huge meals—turkey breast Wellington is one recipe I recall. A lot of casseroles. I remember one night when we were working on a cookbook at my office, and I brought home a recipe for a hamburger/cornbread casserole and fixed it. My brother looked at me and asked, “Sis, is the budget the problem?”

Another night as we sat around after dinner the alarm service called to tell him his house was on fire. He lived just down the street and arrived barely in time to keep the firemen from taking an axe to his front door. He’d left chicken livers simmering on the stove and they’d burned dry.

John used to go around the table and ask each of us to tell about our week or what we were thankful for. It led to some embarrassed moments, but today those dinners are golden memories that I treasure. Maybe we should start that again, even though our dinners are on a small scale.

Today, Sunday night suppers are more hit and miss. Jordan and I try for them, and most Sundays we have supper. Christian and I alternate cooking. Tonight, he was busy decorating the Christmas tree, and I cooked a sausage quiche—they liked it, but it’s not a recipe I’ll repeat or share. I made sauerkraut just for me (no one else would try it)—bacon, onions caramelized in the bacon drippings, a bit of white wine, a tiny bit of brown sugar. Delicious. So glad I didn’t have to share. Jacob had gone to a church event.

When my kids were young the only excuse for missing Sunday night supper was a restaurant job and a scheduled shift. That doesn’t hold true today, and we often have supper without Jacob. And sometimes we don’t have a formal supper at all. If I wanted to wax nostalgic about the lost past, I would. But I am grateful for what we have and the dinners we enjoy. Next recipe? Chicken in a creamy Parmesan sauce. It was a recipe for pork chops, but a friend of Jordan’s said it would be great with chicken. I think I’ll let Christian cook that one.

Cooking up a storm

 I have been cooking up a storm lately…and loving it. During our Christmas vacation, each family provided a nightly meal, we went out a couple of times, and we collaborated on Christmas dinner. That was the only time I got to cook—I got responsibility for the turkey. I know some of the girls have cooked them, but they remain a bit squeamish. So I cleaned out the giblets (unanimous vote not to cook them), seasoned it with salt and pepper, rubbed butter under the skin, and roasted it. None of us have mastered altitude cooking but that bird was ready two hours before dinner. Ultimately though it was moist and good, if a tad cool.

Since then I’ve done cheese fondue for Jacob—using the traditional Gruyere and Emmenthaler, which are not cheap. Jacob liked it okay but not as much as last year, and I even felt it was lacking zing. Next year, I think I’ll look for a recipe for cheddar and beer. But the whole thing was fun—he liked the dipping and was horrified when I said if you lost your bread cube in the fondue you had to kiss the other person.

The next night I cooked dinner for four adults and Jacob—neighbors brought ham (they had a ton left over), and a friend brought wonderful sweet potatoes—wedges slightly caramelized but with a hint of cayenne. I fixed black-eyed peas (from scratch, thank you very much) and a spinach casserole. For appetizers, we had dry salami and smoked Gouda a friend had brought me. For dessert—defrosted cookies left over from before our trip.

Saturday night I was home alone and wanted a good dinner, so I got enough bay scallops for me and browned them. Then I gave them a Provencal treatment—olive oil, dry white wine, chopped tomatoes and chopped scallions.

Tonight a couple I’m fond of but don’t often see except in a crowd were supposed to come for supper—I promised just the three of us chickens. Turned out his ticket back to California was for today, not tomorrow. But I pulled out all the stops. Because they are gourmets and she’s an excellent cook, I was stymied and almost resorted to my dinner al fresco platter—small portions of salmon, chicken, tuna, maybe sardines, haricot verts or asparagus, cherry tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs and whatever else strikes your imagination. It always makes a showy presentation, but it’s a cold supper—and the weather is very cold tonight. Not appropriate.

I decided on a recipe I haven’t tried—herbed lamb meatballs in a tomato sauce. For me, part of the fun of entertaining is trying out new recipes, especially those I know my family won’t eat.  Made it in stages—sauce Friday night, meatballs Saturday, and put it all together Sunday night with a salad. Served in bowls topped with a glop of ricotta and a sprinkling of parsley for decoration. Find the recipe for Herbed Lamb Meatballs in the January 2014 issue of Food & Wine. For appetizer, smoked trout with crackers.

Tomorrow night is Twelfth Night and we traditionally burn a small branch of greens and make a wish for the new year. Five or six adults and Jacob. I’ll make a ground beef and noodle casserole I’ve made before. I got it from Mystery Lovers Kitchen, contributed by Riley Adams who regularly cooks for a large family, including teenage boys. I couldn’t find it in the blog archive, so I hope Riley won’t mind if I repeat it here.

Cheesy, Creamy Beef Noodle Casserole

Cook 6 oz. egg noodles and set aside

Brown 2 lbs. ground beef, with 1 chopped onion, 3 T. chopped garlic, salt and pepper, and sliced mushrooms until beef is brown. Drain

Add to beef mixture: noodles, 1 can cream of mushroom soup, 1 can cream of chicken soup, 1 can corn, drained.

Sprinkle about a cup of grated cheese on top (more or less if you wish)

Crush half a package of buttery crackers (I use Ritz) and mix with one half stick butter, melted; distribute evenly on casserole.

Cook 30 minutes, uncovered, at 350. Enjoy! I never said it’s good for your waistline.

May 2014 be a year of happy cooking for you.