Posted on 11/26/2005 7:32:00 AM PST by carlo3b
Christmas Memories, Cookies, Candies, and Desserts
For me, it was the official start of the Christmas season, seeing the matriarchs gather in coffee klatches and recipes exchanges. As a little tike, anything that signaled the approach of Christmas was enough to cause excitement around our home. Watching my great-grandmother summon the elderly women of our family and neighborhood, was a sure sign that big things were heating up in our little kitchen. These beautiful women were dignified and almost aristocratic in their black mourning dresses, with clouded stockings, and clumpy shoes. I can still recall the gentle scent of lavender and rose perfumes as they shuffled to their places around our modest kitchen table. Those mixtures of colognes and coffee were far from the only wonderful smells that began to fill our home and hearts at this glorious time of the year. Fabulous homemade Italian pastries were a right of passage for these gatherings. Baking for the clan was a near sacred honor that my great-grandmother cherished..
We were a typical nuclear family for those times. A working man, my great-uncle, a stay at home wife, my-great aunt, my retired great-grandmother, and great-grandfather, and of course yours truly. Our familial arrangement was not unique, most households had extended family members, and everyone had a place on the clan hierarchy. Women generally ruled the roost, and menfolk earned the bacon. Grandmothers, at least in my family, routinely prepared the meals. Wives raised the offspring and kept the house, meaning the housework and shopping, and those lucky enough to have grandpas, had the benefit of wisdom and history that could only come from invaluable, accumulated life experiences, and vivid recollections..
Our homes were mostly small walk-up apartments, located in the bowels of the inner city of Chicago. They were called, "cold water flats", meaning each apartment had to make their own hot water with a silver colored water heater tanks, located in a convenient corner of the kitchen. If you wanted hot water you had to turn it on and cautiously feel the sides of the tank to see how close it was becoming hot. It was surely crude, but efficient enough to accomplish the job so nobody complained. However, you had to be mindful, not to forget to turn the tank off when the task was complete, the explosive consequences were all too frightening and frequent..
If you were lucky, as we were, you had heat furnished by a landlord in the form of cast iron coiled radiators. The heat was generated by coal fired furnaces, located in dark damp cellars. These subterranean dungeons were also called "the basement", which also housed whatever passed for a clothes washers in those days. I mostly remember those radiators, because they clanged from expanding heat filled pipes on cold winter mornings as we waited for the heat to raise to a reasonable warmth to venture out from under our heavy blankets. The radiators were sparsely placed, usually in the busiest areas of the home. We often warmed and dried clothes on this solitary heat source on frigid winter mornings. More than once I left my chilled trousers on too long, and burned myself on an overheated zipper. Chicago winters were especially cold, and flimsy windows were typically drafty. What was a blessing in the stifling summer heat, a window or skylight, was truly a detriment on cold winter nights.
A single low wattage light bulb hung conspicuously over the center of the white porcelain topped kitchen table. The light cord had a protruding plug for connecting a clothes iron. The light had an on-off string which dangled down low enough so the shortest member of the family could reach it. Every home had an icebox, with a small refrigerated compartment, and a square slot that held a cube of solid ice. The ice block needed to be replenished at least once a week by a gentleman who was aptly named, "the iceman". He carried the heavy block of ice 3 flights of stairs from his waterlogged horse drawn wagon. The gas cooking stove was a 4 burner antique, with an unregulated double oven that could only be lit with a stick match. The kitchen sink was one compartment with a long drain board. It had a single cold water faucet and a sturdy garden hose that connected it to the hot water tank. All of this was crude and simple by today's standards, but it was all that was needed to prepare at least two meals a day, a hardy breakfast, and a scrumptious 4 course, made-from-scratch dinner.
The homemade meals, complete with fresh bread were prepared with meticulous care each and every day, rain or shine. Needless to say, from this dim, sparsely equipped kitchen that made cooking and baking for our large family gatherings all that more remarkable. I learned to cook standing on a kitchen chair at that humble stove, under the watchful eye of my loving great-grandmother. She stood under 5 feet, but she was a giant to all that knew her. I think of her every day when I shamefully complain as the time comes to prepare my family meals at my fully equipped gourmet kitchen..
Our bathroom was small and simple. It had a top tank, gravity flushing toilet that sported a pull chain with a ivory handle. The lavatory was a tiny cold water basin that had circular chips from some unknown historic calamity, and a claw footed bathtub that was enormous, with a rubber plug on a chain.. The hot water had to be bucketed in from the kitchen sink, which was unfortunately located at the far end of the adjoining room. The bucket brigade took 2 people, 3 loads each. There was a small gas heater that furnished plenty of heat on the floor, but the small whitewashed window above the tub had a constant whistling from frigid air that seemed to be unobstructed and unending. It made standing for towel drying an olympic speed event..
The apartment had 2 small bedrooms, each only large enough to hold a double bed, and squatty art deco styled dresser. Each dresser was equipped with a mirror and on it's polished top lay assorted decorative perfume bottles and each had a matching sterling silver brush set, which was dutifully arranged at all times. The front room of the home was in reality, our living room, although we hardly ever lived there. The long narrow room held a large sofa, which doubled as my bed, a matching side chair, a huge floor model radio, and a mufti-bulb lamp with a oversized shade with dangling decorative fringe. An imposing chandelier hung prominently in the center of the vaulted ceiling. The floors were all buffed wood, and covered with assorted throw rugs that forever gathered under foot traffic. Our kitchen floor was covered with a patterned linoleum that had long ago began to show a well worn path. The bathroom was a beautifully tiled mosaic, in alternating black and white octagon shapes. At strategic locations were yellowed photographs of unknown origins in various shaped ornate frames, and on every flat surface aside from the kitchen were dozens of tiny knickknacks, and candles..
We lived in 4 simple rooms, but I never thought of it in those terms. In my mind it was a mansion, filled with love and devotion to one another. We were near penniless but rich with respectability and honor. We had all that we needed and enough left over to share with others. Everyone I knew loved me, and I loved and respected each of them. The family expected the best from me and I did my best to fulfill my duty to my good name, in their well deserved honor..
Just recalling these golden, olden days is a treasure in itself, because it brings me back to an era that laid the foundation of my life and that of my own family. It reminds me of the importance we placed and the respect we had for the generational roots and traditions that were instilled at an early age. Those roots were planted deep and would ultimately shape my character. Cooking and baking wasn't just food in our home, it was our women's only gift to give. These recipe choosing assemblages were not called just to pick the heirloom cookies that were going to dominate their lives for the month leading up to Christmas. This was a time-honored task and was the solemn obligation our women placed in making their modest but treasured gifts so very special. Those dear aged women demonstrated their devotion to the family not by buying our presents, but by caring for us, the giving of themselves with their own loving hands..
The men of our family proudly gave up their youth, much too early in life and they did it voluntarily. They fought for their country on distant battlefields they couldn't even pronounce. They risked their lives to insure a freedom for a future they couldn't be sure they would live to enjoy. When they returned, they worked tirelessly to support a fine family of their own. These hardy men gave us an honorable name and a high bar in which to strive. They each raised respectable children that proved what they were made of. Our forefathers scratched an indelible place in our history and in our hearts. They earned our love, our gratitude, and our everlasting respect..
The stalwarts of our family, our beautiful women, have given us our sense of worth, our humanity, the true meaning of love for family. Their selfless sacrifice, placed a high value on sharing, fairness, and a soft simple abiding love. Their talent was devotion, their legacy was in the future of the family traditions passed on in perpetuity.. It is in their name I pass many of my family recipes on to you, for you to share with your family, and hopefully with others far and wide.. Enjoy.. Carlo
MERRY CHRISTMAS, AND GOD BLESS YOU,
GOD BLESS AMERICA.
Chicken Cacciatore Coat chicken with seasoned flour, shaking off excess.
- 1/4 c olive oil
- 6 pieces Frying chicken (legs with thighs attached and breast halves)
- 1 1/4 c all-purpose flour, seasoned ( 1 tsp. paprika, salt and pepper )
- 1/2 c thinly sliced onion
- 2 md garlic cloves, minced
- 2/3 c dry Marsala
- 1 green bell pepper, cut into julienne strips
- 2 carrots, thinly sliced
- 1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
- 1 can, 14 oz. crushed Italian plum tomatoes
- 1 ts dried basil
- 1 ts dried thyme
- 1 ts dried oregano
- Salt and pepper to taste
1) Heat oil in heavy large skillet.
2) Brown chicken on all sides over moderate heat, being careful not to crowd skillet. Remove and set aside.
3) In the same skillet saute' onion and garlic 3 minutes. Turn heat to high and add wine, scraping up browned bits from bottom of skillet.
4) Add chicken, vegetables and herbs. Cook 5 to 7 minutes. Cover and simmer until tender, about 30 minutes.
5) Add herbs. Adjust seasoning to taste.
Serves 6
What wonderful news. A premature Merry Christmas to you, your family and loved ones!
When you have time/feel up to it, I really need some (simple!!) recipes for veggies Italian style, also a rock' em, sock 'em bread recipe (simple!!!!)......garlic bread, but sort of fancy-schmancy, you know??? (.....& simple!!!!!!!)
LOBSTER Cooking frozen lobster tails is easy. Fill a pot with enough water to cover your lobster tails, bring your water to a boil and drop in your tails. When the water returns to a boil, reduce heat and set your timer for 6 minutes (for an 8 oz. lobster tail).Other methods for cooking frozen lobster tails are grilling or broiling. When using this method for cooking frozen lobster tails, we recommend par-boiling the lobster tail first. Par-boil the lobster tail for 5 minutes then remove the tail from the water. Lay the tail on its back side with the soft underside of the shell facing up. Take a knife and cut through the shell lengthwise down the middle. Pry the shell open, pour melted butter and squeeze lemon juice right into the meat. Grill with the cut side facing up for 3-4 minutes.
Broiled Lobster Thermidor
Any combination of cooked seafood can be added to this recipe such as scallops, shrimp, or crab meat. The topping of shredded white bread can be prepared in a food processor or a rough dice or julienne can be done by hand.
Prepare the lobsters for broiling. Crack the claws with a cleaver or a heavy French knife. In a saucepan bring 1 cup of water to a boil, add the lobster claws, cover and steam for about 12 minutes. Remove the lobster claws and set them aside to cool and reserve the lobster stock. When the claws are cool enough to handle, shell them and cut the claw meat into bite sized chunks and cover.
- 2 each broiler ready 2 lbs. lobsters
- 3 teaspoons butter
- 2 teaspoons flour
- 1 tablespoon minced shallots
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- pinch cayenne
- 1 tablespoon sherry wine
- 1 to 2 cups of shredded white bread
- 2 tablespoons hard grated cheese
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 8 butter pats
Brush the inside of the lobster tail and body with melted butter and place them in a 375° oven for about 25 minutes or until the tail meat becomes white and firm. Check the lobsters often to prevent drying out, every oven is different and cooking times are just a guide.
While the lobsters are cooking, melt the butter in a heavy sauté pan and sauté the shallots until they become transparent, add the flour and cook for an additional minute. Slowly add the lobster stock left over from cooking the claws, while whisking smooth. Next add the sherry wine and the paprika and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Add the lobster meat to the sauce to warm it.
When the lobsters are cooked remove them from the oven and fill the body and tail with the Thermidor sauce. Top the lobsters with the shredded white bread, grated cheese, and several butter pats. Place the lobsters under a broiler until the topping is toasted. Return to the oven for 10 minutes then serve at once
Yield: 2 servings
Lobster or Seafood Newburg
Many recipes for Newburg Sauce call for paprika as the coloring agent rather than using a tomato product. While a sauce colored with paprika may be more stable, paprika has a tendency to be bitter tasting. For this reason we use tomato puree to color our Newburg Sauce. Take special care not to boil the sauce as the acidity of the tomato may cause the sauce to break or separate.
- 4 each, puff pastry shells
- 8 ounces lobster meat (bite sized cubes)
- 8 ounces sea scallops
- 8 ounces shrimp (peeled & de-veined)
- ¼ cup butter
- 2 cups milk
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- ½ cup tomato puree
- salt to taste
- 2 tablespoons sherry wine
Puff pastry shells are an optional item in this recipe and can be found in the frozen food section of most grocery stores. Cook the pastry shells according to the manufacturers' directions and put them aside.Heat the milk in a heavy saucepan over a medium heat until the milk begins to simmer. In a separate saucepan melt the butter and add the flour to it making a roux and cook the roux over a medium heat for about a minute while whisking. Add the tomato puree to the roux and cook while whisking for an additional minute.
Add the hot milk to the roux –tomato mixture a ½ cup at a time while continually whisking. Once the milk is incorporated into the sauce add the sherry wine and check the seasoning for saltiness. Simmer the sauce over a low heat for about 10 minutes to allow the alcohol to burn off then remove the sauce from the fire and cover.
In a sauté pan melt 3 tablespoons of butter over a medium heat. When the butter begins to bubble add the shrimp and sauté for about a minute. Next add the scallops and lobster meat and sauté until the scallops are white and firm. Add enough Newburg Sauce to the sauté pan to just cover the seafood and simmer for about 2 minutes. If the sauce seems too thick you may thin it down with a little milk. Adjust the seasoning. Serve over pastry shell and garnish with parsley sprigs and a lemon wedge.
bttt
glad to hear you're doing well.
You know my FRiend, our parts are getting worn down from so much use.. Every now and then we need to get a tune-up, and even a valve adjustment.. Hahhahaahaha .. Ouch! No problem that can't be fixed if caught early enough.. It's a shame that not everyone, can be lucky enough to catch a problem in time to get it fixed.. Thanks for being you.. Carlo
YIKES...a.. it wasn't that kind of a problem, if ya know what I mean.. ;)
So glad that you are back home recovering. But looking at the time-shouldn't you be sleeping late or something?
Praying for complete healing for you.
Homemade chicken soup inside you and freeper warmth around you, my friend....that's the recipe.
Leni
PLEASE, PLEASE,PLEASE DON'T POST ANY RECIPES FOR HOSPITAL FOOD!!!
LOL! :)
I love cannellini beans. They're great with tomatoes on toasted bread, too.
They always do. I had the most spiritual experience of my life, yesterday, on -- of all places -- a MARTA train.
Most people won't cook cauliflower because it is thought of as bland and boring. This Italian style cauliflower is full of flavor, easy to prepare (cooked in the microwave), healthy, and memorable, and aren't we really into memorable this year.. :)1. In a large microwavable bowl or cassarole dish, combine the cauliflower, bell pepper, garlic, white pepper, and olive oil.
- 1 head cauliflower, broken into florets
- 1 roasted, red bell pepper, julliened
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
- 2 Tbs olive oil
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
2. Cover and cook on full power for 6 to 8 minutes. The cauliflower should be crisp tender, not mushy.
3. Mix in the grated cheese and serve.Note: Don't let the cauliflower stand too long, it will become mushy.
To easily seperate the cauliflower, wash and then grasp the head firmly. Smash the stem down onto a cutting board. The cauliflower should break apart.
This is one of my favorite recipes. As a side dish, it is especially good with an Italian omelet. Try to find Italian flat beans or pole beans, but regular snap beans work as well. If you want a more substantial main dish, Italian sausage can be added. Slice and sauté before adding the garlic, then continue with the recipe as written.1) Snap the beans into 2-inch pieces, if desired. Blanch in boiling water for 2 minutes to soften slightly. Drain well.
- 2 pounds fresh green beans, cleaned and trimmed of ends
- 4 large tomatoes or 1 pound canned, chopped
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 6 large cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons fresh chopped oregano or 1-2 tablespoons dried
- Salt and pepper to taste
2) Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté until softened.
3) Add the tomatoes, oregano, salt and pepper. Simmer uncovered, until tomatoes start to break down.
4) Add the green beans and cook, uncovered, until bean are tender. Check often for moisture; cover the pan and reduce the heat if bottom is dry.
Taste the beans for seasoning and add additional salt, pepper and oregano as needed.
Cook for 10 additional minutes, or until beans are very tender.
Note: Frozen green beans which have been thoroughly defrosted can be substituted for the fresh, although the effect of the dish is quite different. Do not blanch the frozen beans before using, and cut down on the cooking time. Even when using fresh beans, especially young tender beans, the blanching process may be omitted, but additional cooking time in the skillet will be needed.
Beautiful, simply beautiful, Carlo. And a testament to what women were, and some still are. Woman's lib is one of the worst possible things that could happen to our homes and lives.
Carlo, can you help? I think I'll be fixing fish this Christmas Eve instead of our normal clam chowder. Do you have any recipes or recommendations for making either red snapper or grouper especially delicious?
I'll also have access to shrimp. LOTS of shrimp. Would appreciate any ideas you have for shrimp too.
Thanks, and I'm so glad to read you are doing well. Prayers lifted for your continued smooth recovery and strength to return quickly.
Prairie
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