DECEMBER
December 4: Feast of St. Barbara
I know you all remember the St. Barbara’s Ceremonies out at Fort Concho. Those are precious memories to me, and Major Hawk kindly provided me with the particulars on the ceremony, which contains an account of her martyrdom identical to the one in the 1917 Catholic Encyclopedia, as well as the receipt for that most delectable of beverages:
ST. BARBARA'S ARTILLERY PUNCH
Ingredients:
Some of previous year's punch -- Represents Tradition
Red fruit drink -- Represents Artillery Color
Dark Red Wine -- Represent Bloodshed
Dark Rum -- Represents Coming of the Storm
Golden Rum -- Represents Hope of Victory
Peach Brandy -- Represents "Procurement" From Officer's Stores
Molasses -- Represents Axle Grease
Spring Water -- Represents Importance of Fresh Water
Bourbon -- Representing the Southern Gentleman's drink
Mixture of Lemon Juice and Brown Sugar -- Squeezings from the Sponge
Lime Juice and Sliced Fruits -- To Ward Off Scurvy
Dark Apple Cider -- Represents Cleaning Water From the Guns
Rose Petal -- Represents Sweethearts
Hardtack, Coffee, and Corn -- Rations of the Common Soldier
Brown Sugar Mixed with Water -- Represents Mud From the Battlefields
Black Licorice Cake Decoration -- Represents Gun Powder
Horseshoe -- Honors the Horses
Chocolate-covered Cherries -- Represents Canister Shot
Sock with Powdered Sugar -- Represents Dust from Marching
Artillery Saber to Stir
Ceremony:
Master of Ceremony calls the body to order, and recognizes: (1) Anyone who has received the "Order of St. Barbara" or "Molly Pitcher," and then (2) Those who have received a "Medallion of St. Barbara."
MC then recounts the Legend of St. Barbara:
Saint Barbara was the extremely beautiful daughter of a wealthy heathen named Dioscorus, who lived near Nicomedia in Asia Minor. She was so beautiful, her father was fearful that she be demanded in marriage and taken away from him, so he shut her up in a tower to protect her from the outside world.
Shortly before embarking on a journey, he commissioned a sumptuous bathhouse to be built for her, approving the design before he departed. Barbara had heard of the teachings of Christ, and while her father was gone, she spent much time in contemplation. From the windows of her tower, she looked out upon the surrounding countryside and marveled at the growing things; the trees, the animals and the people. She decided that all these must be part of a Master Plan, and that the idols of wood and stone worshipped by her parents must be condemned as false. Gradually she came to accept the Christian faith.
As her belief became firm, she directed that the builders redesign the bathhouse her father had planned, adding a third window so that the three windows might symbolize the Holy Trinity.
When her father returned, he was enraged at the changes and infuriated when Barbara acknowledged that she was a Christian. He dragged her before the prefect of the province, who decreed that she be tortured and put to death by beheading. Dioscorus dragged her behind a horse to the top of a mountain, and there he beheaded her with his sword. As he did the deed, there was an enormous clap of thunder, he was struck dead by lightning, and his body consumed.
Saint Barbara lived and died about the year 300 A.D. She was venerated as early as the 7th Century, and the manner of her father's death caused her to be regarded as the patron saint in time of danger from thunderstorms, fires, and sudden death.
When gunpowder made its appearance in the Western world, Saint Barbara was invoked for aid against accidents resulting from explosions, and since early artillery pieces had an unfortunate tendency to explode instead of actually firing the projectile, Saint Barbara became the Patroness of Artillerymen in all of Christendom.
Saint Barbara is usually represented standing by a tower with three windows, carrying the palm of a martyr in her hand. Often, too, she holds a chalice and a sacramental wafer and sometimes cannon are displayed near her. In the present calendars, the Feast of Saint Barbara falls on December 4th, and is traditionally recognized by a formal Dining-In or military dinner, often involving presentation of the Order of Saint Barbara.
The Order of Saint Barbara is an honorary military society of the United States Field Artillery. Both U.S. Marine and Army field artillery, along with their military and civilian supporters are eligible for membership. There are two levels of recognition... The most distinguished is the Ancient Order of Saint Barbara, and those who are selected for this honor have achieved long-term, exceptional service to the field artillery surpassing even their brethren in the Honorable Order of Saint Barbara. Members of the Orders are permitted to award the "Medallion of Saint Barbara" to artillerymen who are members of the Field Artillery Association for various achievements.
Thus, Artillerymen of the present are linked with artillerymen of the past in a brotherhood of professionalism, selfless service, and sacrifice symbolized by Saint Barbara.
Now, mixing the punch. The honorary "stirrer" constantly stirs the mixture with the artillery saber while it is being added:
Into a large iron kettle, or suitable crock pot, the first soldier pours a container of previous years' punch, and explains that this represent "Tradition."
The second soldier pours in bright red fruit punch.... He explains that this represents the official color of artillery in every army.
The third pours in some dark rum, representing the "Coming of the Storm."
The fourth pours in some deep red wine, which represents the "Bloodshed of Our Brothers."
The fifth pours in golden-colored rum, representing the "Hope of Victory."
The sixth pours in peach brandy, representing "Confiscated Officers' Stores."
The seventh pours in spring water, representing the "Importance of Fresh Water."
The eighth pours in bourbon, representing the "Southern Gentleman's Drink."
The ninth pours in lime/lemon juice, to "Ward off scurvy."
The tenth drops in some rose petals, representing "Love for our Women."
The eleventh pours in molasses, representing "Axle Grease," to keep the wheels turning.
The twelfth pours in mixture of lemon juice and brown sugar, "Squeezings from the Sponge."
The thirteenth pours in dark apple cider, "The cleaning water from the Sponge Bucket."
The fourteenth puts in some coffee and parched corn, "Food for the common soldier."
The fifteenth puts in mixture of water and brown sugar, "Mud from the battlefields."
The sixteenth puts in the black cake decoration, "Gunpowder."
The seventeenth puts in chocolate covered cherries, "Canister Shot."
The eighteenth puts in a horse-shoe to "Honor the horses."
After this..... The YOUNGEST member of the group is asked to come forward and taste the concoction, to see if it is suitable.... He grimaces, and says, "This won't do. Something is missing." The group wonders what it can be.... Finally the OLDEST member of the group pipes up from the rear.... "I know what is missing..." and comes to the front with a wool sock, dusted with powdered sugar, representing the dust of the march..... He dusts it off a time or two to scatter the sugar, and throws it into the container, which is stirred again..... Then the Commander is asked to come forward and taste it again.....
He exhibits an air of sublime pleasure.... and orders everyone to come forward and partake
December 6: Feast of Saint Nicholas
SAINT NICHOLAS has been for hundreds of years a popular saint in the East and in the West, greatly famed as a worker of miracles. There are many charming legends concerning him. One tells of an occasion in heaven when all the saints came together to talk and to drink a little wine. Saint Basil filled the golden cups from the golden jug, and everyone was deep in conversation when it was noticed. that Saint Nicholas was nodding. One of the blessed nudged him until he awoke, and asked why he was slumbering in such good company. "Well, you see," he told them, "the enemy has raised a fearful storm in the Aegean. My body was dozing perhaps, but my spirit was bringing the ships safe to shore." Saint Nicholas is the saint of mariners and also of bankers, pawnbrokers, scholars, and thieves! But he is especially the saint of children, and is known among them in various countries as Santa Claus, Kris Kringle, Pelznickel. There have even been invented servants to accompany him and to deal with the children who have been bad. Saint Nicholas is considered too kind to give scoldings and punishments, so, in Austria Krampus, in Germany Knecht Rupprecht, and in Holland Black Peter go along with him, armed with a stout switch, while Saint Nicholas himself simply gives and gives.
Another very old legend tells us of the saint's kindness to the three daughters of a poor nobleman. They were about to be sold into slavery, because they had no dowry, when Saint Nicholas stole to their home and on three nights in succession dropped a bag of gold down the chimney. This is said to explain why three balls are the pawnbrokers' sign and why the saint drops gifts for children down the chimney.
Devotion to Saint Nicholas began in Asia Minor, where he was a bishop, and it was brought to Russia by an emperor who was witness to some of his miraculous works. It spread through Lapland and into Scandinavia, to other European countries, and finally to America. Up to that time Saint Nicholas had been pictured as a lean and ascetic bishop. In America, he became fat and jolly, and his miter was turned into a winter cap, his vestments into a snow suit. But he has kept his reindeer from Lapland, his propensity for chimneys acquired in Asia Minor, and the generosity of his heart.
Of course, my own personal anecdote about St Nicholas has to do with him punching out Arius…We need more aggressive orthodox bishops, in my less than humble opinion…
A French legend tells that long ago Our Lady gave Lorraine to Saint Nicholas as a reward for his kindness to the world. He is still the special patron of that province and on his eve children hang up their stocking, saying: Saint Nicolas, mon bon patron Envoyez-moi quelqu' chose de bon.
In Holland Saint Nicholas puts in an appearance on the eve of his feast. As the children sing, the door flies open and on the floor drop candies and nuts--right on a white sheet that has been spread out just in case. And after he has gone, there is hot punch and chocolate and boiled chestnuts served with butter and sugar. And in the morning, children find in the shoes they have set before the fire toys and many other good things--candy hearts and spice cakes, "letterbankets," which were candies or cakes in the form of the child's initials, ginger cakes or "taai-taai" in patterns of birds and fish and the form of the saint himself. He also brings a hard cooky, called "Speculaus."
Speculaus
1/2 cup butter
2-1/2 cups cake flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 lemon rind, grated
1/2 teaspoon salt
Cream the butter and sugar, add the egg, and continue beating. Add the grated lemon rind and the flour sifted with the baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Let the dough rest overnight in a cool place. Roll out as thinly as possible-- about the thickness of the back of a knife blade. Cut into desired shape and bake at 350 degrees F. for fifteen to twenty minutes.
In Switzerland Saint Nicholas parades the streets, his arms full of red apples, cookies, and prunes for the children who crowd to him. In Austria and Germany he throws gilded nuts in at the door while Rupprecht and Krampus, the spoilsports, throw in a few birch twigs. In Poland if there is a red sunset on Saint Nicholas' Day, it is because the angels are busily baking the Saint's Honey Cakes.
Ciastka Miodowe (Honey Cakes)
1/2 cup honey
1 teaspoon soda
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 egg yolks
1/4 teaspoon cloves
4 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon ginger
Warm the honey slightly and combine with the sugar. Add eggs and beat well. Sift the flour with the soda and spices and stir into the honey batter thoroughly. Let the dough rest overnight. Roll dough to 1/4-inch thickness; cut out with a cooky cutter. Brush with the slightly beaten white of an egg, press half a blanched almond into each cooky and bake at 375 degrees F. for about fifteen minutes.
December 7: Feast of Saint Ambrose
This is the feast day of the great fourth-century bishop of Milan who censured an emperor for his cruelty and an empress for her heresy, and yet who was known to be ready to listen to the woes of any who wished to consult him. Saint Ambrose is particularly remembered for his great charity to the poor to whom he gave away all his wealth. Among his own people of Milan, who even today boast of being "Ambrosiani," the following story is told: One day, although Saint Ambrose had increased the portions of meat he gave to the poor, so many came he found there would not be enough for all. It occurred to him then that if he had the slices of meat beaten flat and coated with nourishing egg and with bread crumbs, it would seem like more; in other words, his idea was what we came to call "meat-extending" in our own days of wartime rationing. On the pulpit of Saint Ambrose's great cathedral in Milan is carved the scene of a banquet of the poor in commemoration of his fine invention. Saint Ambrose's recipe bears the name of "Costoletta alla Milanese"--which sounds much more poetic than the English breaded chops, but not any better than Chicken Fried Steak!
Costoletta alla Milanese (Veal Chop Milanese)
4 veal chops
salt and pepper
1 egg
1 cup bread crumbs
6 tablespoons butter
Have the veal chops cut about 1/2 inch thick. Beat the egg with one tablespoon water and season with salt and pepper. Dip the chops first into bread crumbs, then into beaten egg, and again into bread crumbs. Melt the butter and fry the chops for about ten minutes on each side--until golden brown. Serve on a hot platter with slices of lemon dusted with chopped parsley.
December 12: Our Lady of Guadalupe
I have developed a special affection and devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe. She has many times interceded for me and for those I love.
In 1531 a "Lady from Heaven" appeared to a poor Indian at Tepeyac, a hill northwest of Mexico City; she identified herself as the Mother of the True God, instructed him to have the bishop build a temple on the site and left an image of herself imprinted miraculously on his tilma, a poor quality cactus-cloth, which should have deteriorated in 20 years but shows no sign of decay 471 years later and still defies all scientific explanations of its origin. It apparently even reflects in her eyes what was in front of her in 1531!
Her message of love and compassion, and her universal promise of help and protection to all mankind, as well as the story of the apparitions, are described in the "Nican Mopohua", a 16th century document written in the native Nahuatl language.
There is reason to believe that at Tepeyac Mary came in her glorified body, and her actual physical hands rearranged the roses in Juan Diego’s tilma, which makes this apparition very special.
An incredible list of miracles, cures and interventions are attributed to Her.
Although I can find no particular dish associated with her feast, hear are a few authentic Mexican holiday recipes, any or all of which would be delightful and appropriate:
Ponche Navideño: Punch
12 quarts water
10 oz tejocotes
6 oz walnuts
5 oranges juiced
8 guavas
4 sugar canes
10 oz prunes
3 sticks cinnamon
2 lb. sugar
1 quart brandy (optional)
Wash fruit. Cut the sugar cane into strips. Cut guava.
Boil everything together, except the sugar.
When cooked add the sugar and brandy.
4 servings
5 oz. tortilla- masa dough
2 tbsp. cornstarch
3 cups milk
3 cups water
7 oz sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
1 tsp vanilla extract
Dissolve the dough in the water. Strain the mixture, add the cinnamon sticks, and heat.
When boiling add the milk, sugar, cornstarch. and vanilla. Let it boil, stirring constantly until it thickens.
If too thick, add milk to achieve preferred consistency. Remove cinnamon stick and serve.
Chocolate Caliente
6 cups of milk
6 oz sweet chocolate
6 oz semi sweet chocolate
1/2 tsp vanilla
dash of cinnamon
Heat the milk over medium flame. Break the chocolate into pieces. When the milk is hot, dissolve in it the chocolate pieces, moving constantly until everything is dissolved. Increase heat and let the mixture slowly boil. Add the vanilla and the cinnamon. Continue beating until frothy.
Serve immediately and enjoy!
Buñuelos de Navidad -Christmas Sweet Fritters
2 cups water
1 lb. flour
2 whole eggs
1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp anisette
9 oz. lard
9 oz. piloncillo -raw sugar
Boil one tablespoon anisette in a cup of water and leave to cool. Mix and sift the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix in the eggs, the yolk and the anisette in water, as required, and knead until the dough stiffens. Form into small balls and roll out on a floured board until very thin. Continue flattening by hand on a napkin and place on a floured table. Heat the lard .Fry one by one in the lard.
Heat the piloncillo in one cup of water with the remaining tablespoon of anisette. This mixture will thicken to a light syrup. remove from heat and strain.
Serve the fritters, broken into pieces, in bowls and pour the syrup over them.
Ensalada de Navidad - Christmas Salad
2 small cooked beats, peeled and diced
1 large cooked carrot diced
1 orange, peeled and chopped
1 apple, peeled and diced
1/4 fresh pineapple, peeled, cored and diced
1 large banana, diced
1/2 cup unsalted nuts, almonds or peanuts
seeds of 1/2 small pomegranate
1 tbsp lime or lemon juice
3 tbsp salad oil
1/2 teaspoon sugar
dash of salt
Mix all the fruits. Put lime or lemon juice, salad oil, sugar and salt into a screw top jar. Shake until blended and sugar has dissolved. Pour the dressing over the fruit salad and toss well.
Pile the salad into a salad bowl and garnish with the nuts and pomegranate seeds. Let it stand in the refrigerator until chilled. Serve chilled.
Rosca de Reyes
1 1/2 cups flour
1 packet yeast
3/4 cups of sugar
7 eggs
125 grams butter
1/4 cup lukewarm milk
Dash of salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 aniseed
100 grams raisins
1 tsp vanilla
50 grams candied figs
50 grams candied orange
50 grams candied lemon
50 grams candied cherries
50 grams candied citron
1 beaten egg
sugar
butter
flour
Dissolve the yeast in five tablespoons lukewarm milk. Mix the flour, yeast, sugar, eggs, melted butter, milk, salt, cinnamon, aniseed, raisins, and vanilla. Knead into a ball; grease it with some butter and place near a warm stove until the dough doubles in size. (About 2 1/2 hours) Meanwhile cut into strips the candied fruit.
Knead, banging it down on the floured tabletop, to make it soft and pliable. Form the dough into a ring or rosca. Insert the baby figurine. Place the rosca on a greased backing tray. Decorate it with the strips of candied fruit. Leave the rosca once more to fluff up again. Brush the rosca with the beaten egg and sprinkle over granulated sugar.
December 13: St. Lucy
According to the traditional story, she was born to rich and noble parents about 283. Her father died when she was young. Fifty-two years prior to Saint Lucy, Saint Agatha, virgin and martyr was executed. Saint Agatha's fame attracted many visitors to her relics at Catania. Lucy and her mother, Eutychia, made the pilgrimage, where Eutychia was healed of a hemorrhage. Lucy persuaded Eutychia to distribute a great part of their riches among the poor. This angered the young man to whom she was betrothed. He reported her as a Christian. She was executed by with sword in the year 303. She was first condemned to suffer the shame of prostitution but in the strength of God she stood unmovable and could not be dragged away to the place of shame. God also saved her from being set on fire. According to some stories, Saint Lucy's eyes were plucked out during her torture and God miraculously restored her sight. Her feast day is celebrated especially in Sweden, where elements of light and sight, as well as the martyr's crown, are combined in a beautiful family custom appropriate for Advent celebration.
The eldest daughter of the household, wearing a white dress with a sash of crimson and a crown of branches set with lighted candles, wakes all the members of the household and serves them special cake and coffee. While it may not be practical to light a crown of candles, the family can enjoy this custom of a special treat prepared by the eldest daughter of the family (with help from mother, if necessary). As a substitute for the flaming crown, the coffee cake can be prepared in the shape of a crown and set with candles.
Saint Lucy's Crown
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon saffron threads
1 cup lukewarm milk
2 packages dry yeast
1/4 cup of warm water (100-110 degrees F)
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup sweet butter
1 egg, lightly beaten
4 cups flour
Grated rind of 1 lemon
4-5 tablespoons blanched almonds, grated or finely chopped (optional)
4-5 tablespoons chopped candied citron (optional)
Confectioners' Sugar Glaze (see recipe below)
Tapers or thin candles (optional)
Crush the saffron to a fine powder, and steep it in a tablespoon or two of the lukewarm milk for about 10 minutes. In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water. Stir in 1 tablespoon of the sugar. Set the mixture aside for 5 to 10 minutes, or until frothy.
Scald the remaining milk. Stir in the rest of the sugar, and the salt and butter. Stir until the butter is melted. Let cool to lukewarm. Stir into the yeast mixture. Add the saffron milk and lightly beaten egg. Stir in the flour gradually, mixing well. Add the lemon rind, almonds, and citron, if you like.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for about 10 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic. While you are kneading, add more flour if the dough is sticky.
Place the dough in a greased bowl, turning to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a draft-free spot until doubled in bulk, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Punch the dough down. Cut off one-third to make the top braid; set aside. Divide the remaining dough into three parts. Roll each part into a rope about 25 inches long. Place the three ropes close together on a buttered baking sheet and braid them together. (Try starting from the middle; you may find it easier.) Form the braid into a circle, pinching the ends to seal.
Divide the reserved dough into three parts. Roll each part into a rope about 24 inches long. Proceed as above: Place the three ropes close together on a buttered baking sheet and braid them together. Form the braid into a circle, pinching the ends to seal.
Cover both braids lightly and let the bread rise for 30-45 minutes, or until almost doubled in bulk.
Bake at 400 degree F for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees F and bake for about 40 minutes longer, or until the two braided rings are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.
Place the smaller braid on top of the larger. Dizzle over it the Confectioners' Sugar Glaze. Optional: Stick thin tapers into the crown and light them. There is no fixed number of tapers; why not put in one for each member of your family?
Yield 1 large double braided Saint Lucy's Crown
Variations:
You can elimate the saffron, and flavor the crown with 2 teaspoons ground cardamom; add it along with the salt. For a smaller crown, you can just halve this recipe; the baking time will be a little shorter.
Confectioners' Sugar Glaze
2-3 teaspoons lemon juice or milk or water
1/2-1 cup confectioner's sugar
Stir the lemon juice into the confectioners' sugar; mix well. Add more sugar or lemon juice as needed to produce a proper consistency for drizzling.
Swedish Saint Lucy Ginger Snaps (Luciapepperkakor)
1/2 cup dark corn syrup
1 1/2 cups dark or light brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
2 teaspoons ground ginger
Grated rind of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 cup heavy cream
6-7 cups flour
Icing (recipe below)
Heat the corn syrup in a saucepan. Stir in the sugar, molasses, ginger, lemon rind, and baking soda.
In a large bowl, whip the cream until almost stiff.
Stir the syrup mixture gradually into the cream. Beat at low speed with an electric mixer for 4 to 5 minutes (about twice as long if you are beating by hand with a spoon or whisk). Add 4 cups of the flour, mixing well with a spoon. Then gradually add enough of the remaining flour to make a soft, pliable dough. Knead for 2 or 3 minutes.
Wrap the dough well in well in waxed paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. (If you are in a hurry, you can start the chilling process in the freezer. Leave the dough in the freezer for about 20 minutes.)
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out about 1/4 inch thick. Cut with fancy cutters .
Place the cookies on a lightly buttered cookie sheet. Bake at 275 degrees F for about 12 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown.
Ice when cold.
Yield: about 4 dozen cookies
Icing
Beat the white of an egg until frothy. Add 1 cup confectioners' sugar (and, optional, 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice). If the icing is too thick, add more lemon juice; too thin, more sugar. You can make several batches, adding food coloring as you wish. An even quicker icing is just a few drops of water mixed with confectioners' sugar and food coloring.
December 21: St. Thomas the Apostle
Little is recorded of St. Thomas the Apostle, nevertheless thanks to the fourth Gospel his personality is clearer to us than that of some others of the Twelve. His name occurs in all the lists of the Synoptists (Matthew 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6, cf. Acts 1:13), but in St. John he plays a distinctive part. First, when Jesus announced His intention of returning to Judea to visit Lazarus, "Thomas" who is called Didymus [the twin], said to his fellow disciples: "Let us also go, that we may die with him" (John 11:16). Again it was St. Thomas who during the discourse before the Last Supper raised an objection: "Thomas saith to him: Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?" (John 14:5). But more especially St. Thomas is remembered for his incredulity when the other Apostles announced Christ's Resurrection to him: "Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe" (John 20:25); but eight days later he made his act of faith, drawing down the rebuke of Jesus: "Because thou hast seen me, Thomas, thou hast believed; blessed are they that have not seen, and have believed" (John 20:29).
After the Death, Resurrection, and Ascension of Our Lord, Thomas went to India. Going about the country to preach, Thomas met with strange adventures from dragons and wild asses. Then he came to the city of King Misdai (Syriac Mazdai), where he converted Tertia the wife of Misdai and Vazan his son. After this he was condemed to death, led out of city to a hill, and pierced through with spears by four soldiers. He was buried in the tomb of the ancient kings but his remains were afterwards removed to the West.
Since Thomas probably consumed a quantity of rice while in India, and since we all enjoy it, let’s celebrate his feast day by eating:
SPEEDY RICE PUDDING
2 cups cooked rice (a good use for leftovers!)
1 can fat free condensed milk
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup coconut
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Fat free whipped topping (optional)
Mix rice, milk and eggs in a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture coats a metal spoon. This will be a very short time, only about three minutes---less if you start with very warm, freshly cooked rice. Remove from heat and add the remaining ingredients. Spoon on fat free whipped topping as desired when serving.
December 24: Christmas Eve, the Vigil of the Nativity of Our Lord
No feast is so steeped in faith, in tradition, and in drama as this eve of the birth of Christ. Everything contributes to its dramatic qualities--the star-filled night, the angels and their message, the manger, the shepherds, the Eastern princes journeying from afar, the human family and the heavenly birth, the whole wonderful mingling of the material and the supernal, of poverty and wealth, of body and spirit. In short, the Incarnation made manifest. Even its smallest traditions lend themselves to the customs of the home. Perhaps for this reason, because it is so definitely a dramatic re-creation in memory of this night, we speak here of the "Wigilia," the traditional Christmas Eve supper of Poland. In the homes of that country, stalks of grain are placed in the four corners of the dining room, with a prayer for plenty in the years to come. Then bits of hay, symbolic of the manger in Bethlehem, are strewn beneath the tablecloth, which must be hand woven. The youngest child is set to watch for the first star of the evening, and when it appears he runs to tell the rest of the family. Then supper begins, as tradition has ordered it, with the breaking of the "Oplatek," a semi-transparent unleavened wafer made in an iron mould and stamped with scenes of the Nativity (These may still be purchased.) Each one at the table breaks off a piece and eats it as a symbol of their unity in Christ. This is a meatless meal for it is a fast day. The number of the courses is fixed at seven, nine, or eleven. It is considered unlucky to have an odd number of persons at table, and relatives are invited, especially those who have no family of their own. The soups are three in number, and always include "Barszcz" (a beet soup). There are three fish dishes--whole pike or carp, fish puffs, and salt herring; three accompanying dishes--homemade noodles with poppy seeds, red cabbage with mushrooms, and cheese "Pierogi' (dumplings).
Sandacz Pieczony (Baked Pike)
pike, left whole
1 cup cream
salt
1 cup white wine
1 onion
1/2 cup butter
juice of 1 lemon
Clean and salt fish and cover with onion slices. Let stand at least one hour. Cover with cream, wine, melted butter and lemon juice. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 30 to 45 minutes.
Kapusta Czerwona z Grzyby (Red Cabbage and Mushrooms)
1 small head red cabbage
2 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, chopped
2 cups mushrooms
2 tablespoons sour cream
salt and pepper
Quarter the cabbage and cook in salted water for fifteen minutes. Drain, cool, and chop fine. Saute onion in butter, add chopped mushrooms, and saute for five minutes. Add chopped cabbage and continue to cook until flavors are blended. Add sour cream and cool.
Pierogi (Dumplings)
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup water
Heap flour on a bread board and make a hole in the center. Drop eggs into the hole and cut into the flour. Add salt and water and knead until firm. Let rest for ten minutes in a warmed bowl, covered. Divide dough in halves and roll thin. Cut circles with a large biscuit cutter. Place a teaspoonful of filling on each round of dough. Moisten edges with water, fold over, and press edges firmly together. Be sure they are well sealed. Drop "pierogi" into salted boiling water. Cook gently for three to five minutes. Serve with brown butter and bread crumbs and sour cream.
Cheese Filling for Pierogi
1 cup cottage cheese
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon melted butter
3 tablespoons currants
1 egg beaten
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Cream the cheese with the butter. Add other ingredients and mix well.
Pirohi 2
4 cups flour
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
1 cup milk
½ lb. Butter
1 onion, diced
Mix flour with eggs, salt and milk to make soft dough. Knead well. Roll out thin. Cut with 3” cutter. Place about one teaspoon of desired filling in center, fold in half, pinch edge together well—moisten edge if you need to. Press down edges with fork tines. Drop in boiling water. Cook for about 5 minutes. Drain well. Saute onion in butter, add drained and cooked Pirohi; brown very lightly. Serve with sour cream
Potato filling:
1 cup mashed potatoes
½ cup grated cheddar
1 egg yolk
Mix well.
Cheese filling:
½ pound Ricotta
1 egg yolk
2 T. sugar
dash vanilla
Mix well.
The Polish desserts for "Wigilia" are also three: a fruit compote made with twelve dried fruits (symbolic of the twelve Apostles), pastries shaped like horns of plenty and filled with puree of chestnuts, and a variety of cakes. Among the latter is
Mazurek
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 cups flour
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons cream
Sift dry ingredients. Cut butter in flour mixture with a pastry cutter or a knife until crumbly. Mix beaten egg with cream and add to mixture. Mix lightly by hand and spread on buttered cooky sheet. Bake at 350 degrees F. for thirty minutes. Take from oven and cover with fruit topping. Bake twenty minutes longer. When cool, decorate with candied cherries, angelica, and candied orange peel, and cut in 1 x 2 inch pieces.
Fruit Topping for Mazurek
1/2 lb. Raisins
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 lb. Dates
2 eggs
1/2 lb. figs
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 lb. nut meats
juice of 1 orange
Chop fruits and nuts with a hand chopper. (Do not put through a grinder.) Add sugar, eggs, and lemon and orange juice. Mix very well. Spread over baked pastry.
At the end of the Polish supper the numerous beautiful Christmas carols are sung and presents are exchanged between members of the household. In some places the remains of the "Wigilia" feast is given to the animals and bees and even offered to the trees on the farm, in the hope that all living things will prosper which have been fed thus on Our Lord's first night on earth. In certain countries a Christmas tree for the birds is prepared, made of bundles of grain saved from the harvest and set on poles in field or garden.
And in Scandinavia there is even a bowl of rice and milk put aside for the "Jule-nissen," the friendly elf who lives in the attic or barn and sees that things go smoothly. Animals are connected in many ways with the customs of Christmas Eve, for there is a widespread belief that they too must share in the blessings of Christmas. After all, did they not kneel to adore the Christ Child even before the shepherds came? Did they not, in fact, give Him the hospitality of their home when He first came to earth? There is a delightful tradition that at midnight on Christmas Eve all farm animals will be found on their knees; and that on that one night they can speak the language of men, to be understood, however, only by the pure in heart. An old English broadside depicts various animals and beasts with Latin inscriptions coming from their mouths. The cock crows, "Christus natus est" (Christ is born). The raven inquires, "Quando" (When)? The crow replies, "Haec Nocte" (This night). An ox lows, "Ubi" (Where)? And a lamb bleats out, "Bethlehem."
There is not one country without its special dishes for this eve of Christmas, not one without its traditional food or drink. In England for many years the favorite drink was the posset cup, a mixture of milk and ale served in a large pot, accompanied by a ladle. As the pot was passed to each guest, a goodly draught was taken by each, and with it was usually eaten a slice from a great apple pie. On this night "waits" or companies of carol singers went from house to house singing the lovely English Christmas carols. The usual ending, "God bless the master of this house," was the signal for coffee and cakes or a warming toast with hot buttered rum.
Hot Buttered Rum
1 lump sugar
1 jigger rum
boiling water
1 pat butter
Butter the inside of an earthenware mug. Drop in the sugar, fill not quite half full with boiling water, add the rum and pat of butter, and stir. This makes one portion.
I particularly like a version found in the Frugal Gourmet Christmas Cookbook, because it is delicious, makes lots, and can be “finished” easily—one cup at a time—for one or twenty:
Hot Buttered Rum II
1 pound light brown sugar
1 pound confecioner’s sugar
2 sticks butter, room temp
1 quart vanilla ice cream, softened
rum
nutmeg
Combine first four ingredients in large bowl. Keep the mixture in the freezer.
To make 1 drink, put 2 tablespoons of the mixture in a mug. Add 1 jigger of rum and fill the mug with boiling water. Garnish with nutmeg.
Italy has its "Cenone," or Christmas Eve supper, where fish figures prominently and a popular dish is "Capitone," made with eels, usually fried. And Italian housewives prepare in advance for Christmas Day a sausage "ravioli" and the "panettone," or currant loaf, so special to festival occasions. In Greece Saint Basil shares the honors of Christmas Eve, when his cake waits ready to be divided at the evening meal. The first piece is cut for the saint, and then one for each member of the household. As each receives his share, it is dipped into a bowl of wine with the words, "This is for our grandfather, Saint Basil." Armenia's simple Christmas Eve meal is fried fish, lettuce, and boiled spinach, because there is a tradition here that this was the supper eaten by Our Lady the night that Christ was born. In Austria on Christmas Eve, every house is filled with the aroma of "Fruchtbrod" as it receives the visit of the "Anglockler," or bellringers, who go from place to place singing carols, sometimes two of their number impersonating Mary and Joseph seeking shelter at the inn.
In Germany the Christmas observances go back to the start of Advent, when a wreath is hung, usually from the ceiling of the living room, and to it a silver star is added each day, and each week a red candle. Also in advance is prepared the "Christstollen" (a long loaf of bread made with dried fruits and citron) as well as the "Lebkuchen" and marzipan, regarded as important holiday foods. On Christmas Eve the family gathers beneath the Advent wreath and sings carols. Then the Christmas tree is lighted and the gifts are distributed.
In Norway families gather around the table to partake of the "Molje," a rich liquid in which the meats for next day have been cooked, dipping into it with pieces of "Fladbrod," the hard Norwegian bread. And in Provence, we find a somewhat similar custom of dipping bread into the "Raito," a ragout made of a bewildering number of ingredients--onions, tomatoes, bay leaves, garlic, walnuts, thyme, rosemary, parsley, red wine, capers, and black olives, a wonderful mixture which has simmered for hours in olive oil. In places all over the world, after the evening meal, people troop to the Midnight Mass that honors the birth of Christ. Some go through the snows of a northern winter and some through the gentler southern night, pressing into the churches, large and small, united, no matter what their nationality, in this night of the coming of the Child to earth; for the adoration of the shepherds began a continuity of worship which has never ceased. And in churches as well as beneath the Christmas tree in many homes thousands kneel before the Crib or Creche a representation, large or small, of the stable scene in Bethlehem, which received its inspiration from the good Saint Francis of Assisi.
After Midnight Mass in France, worshippers in the great cathedrals or in little village churches go home to eat the bountiful "Reveillon" breakfast, for now the fast is over and Christmas Day is at hand. The "Reveillon" varies between the city dinner with its conventional elegance of baked ham, roast capon, "vol-au-vent," salad, cakes, fruit and wines, and the traditional country meal consisting of "boudin grille" (grilled blood sausage), "pommes cuites au four" (baked potato), "vin chaud sucre parfume a la cannelle" (mulled wine), or to put it literally, for culinary French is so delightful, "hot sugared wine perfumed with cinnamon." The poorest in town or country may have eaten nothing but a bit of cheese washed down with "vin ordinaire"; but at least they will have "reveillonne."
Truffled Capon
1 capon
pinch of thyme
1 lb. truffles
2 lbs. Chestnuts
2 onions
chicken stock
salt and pepper
1/2 cup cream, or more
1 clove garlic
2 tablespoons sweet butter
1 bay leaf
1/2 lb. mushrooms
24 oysters
Singe and clean a fine fat fowl. Make a stuffing with truffles, peeled and sliced, the chopped onions, salt, pepper, 1 finely minced clove of garlic, a bay leaf, a pinch of thyme, and the chestnuts which have been boiled until just tender in some chicken stock and drained. If too dry, moisten the stuffing with 1/2 cup of cream. Stuff the fowl, spread with a buttered cloth, and roast at 325 degrees F., allowing about twenty minutes to the pound. A half hour before the bird is ready to come from the oven, remove the cloth, and brush 1/2 cup of cream over it. Thicken the gravy with a little flour and add more cream if necessary. Strain and add the mushrooms which have been sliced and sauteed in a little butter and the oysters, allowing the sauce to cook only until the edges of the oysters begin to curl. Serve at once.
In many countries Christmas Eve brings with it the pleasant custom of the trimming of the tree. While the ornaments of today differ greatly from those of past generations, almost every family cherishes some of the old to mix with the new-- the wax angel with wings that have been repaired again and again, the intricate colored balls, the glass icicles. The origin of the Christmas tree is disputed. Some say it goes back to the Jewish Feast of Lights. In the days of the Druids, Saint Wilfrid is said to have asked his converts to adopt the balsam fir tree instead of the oak which had been the symbol of their former idolatry: "It is the wood of peace, the sign of an endless life with its evergreen branches. It points to heaven. It will never shelter deeds of blood but rather be filled with the loving gifts and rites of kindness." And when Ansgarius preached Christ to the Vikings, he referred to the fir tree as a symbol of the faith, for it was, he said, as high as hope, as wide as love, and bore the sign of the cross on every bough. We know that in European countries in the late Middle Ages, fir trees were brought into the homes and ornamented with paper roses, apples, sweets, and gold leaf. Germany is usually credited with having had the first real Christmas trees, and they are mentioned in books as early as 1604. Prince Albert, longing for the "Weihnachtsbaum" of his childhood at Rosenau, is said to have brought the Christmas tree to England. Just when the tree entered American homes is not certain, but it is surmised that the custom arrived with the Hessian soldiers in the British army during the Revolution. They set up and trimmed trees at Christmas as they did in their homeland, and the custom became widespread with the influx of German immigrants in the next century. For the family and the friends who gather today, either before or after midnight services in the churches, to trim the tree of Christmas, here is a piping hot oyster stew:
Cream Oyster Stew
6 oysters
salt and pepper
4 tablespoons butter
paprika
3/4 cup scalded cream
oyster crackers
Drain the oysters, reserving the liquor. Heat 2 tablespoons of butter, add the oysters, and cook until the edges begin to curl. Add the oyster liquor and bring to the boiling point. Add the scalded cream and season with salt and pepper. Serve in a bowl, topped with the remaining butter and dusted with paprika, and with oyster crackers on the side. Multiply this recipe by the number of portions desired.
***The central activity in the Womack household on Christmas Eve is the construction and baking of our traditional Christmas pie, adapted from a recipe for the Grand Christmas Pie served to George Washington at Mt. Vernon. It is a daunting process, but one which, once adopted, is hard to put by. Whereas General Washington’s pie calls for a turkey breast, roasting chicken, and game hens, we incorporated goose and ducks, preferring dark meat and being fond of waterfowl…
Womack Family Christmas Pie
1 goose
1turkey
1 duck
1 roasting hen
½ pound bacon
1 teaspoon whole cloves
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 whole nutmeg (grate half)
1 ½ tablespoons salt
Grind the spices with a mortar and pestle and set aside for later use. With a very sharp boning knife, remove legs and wings from the bird, then starting by cutting along the backbone, carefully cut the flesh away from the ribs and breast bones, leaving the breasts intact with skin. Lay the goose skinside down and sprinkle with some of the spices, then layer on the turkey, duck and hen breasts, seasoning between . Fold them together and turn the bundle goose side up.
[I make the crust first, then let it rest while I do the birds]
Crust
8 pounds flour
6 cups water
3 cups crisco
3 eggs, beaten,
1 cup melted butter.
The crust is mixed and constructed in two stages to simplify handling. Boil 3 cups water with 1 ½ cup shortening. Make a well in the center of 4 pounds of flour. Pour water and shortening into the well. Mix and knead until dough is elastic. I use the kitchenaid and the dough hook. Mix the second half of the dough.
Assemble the pie on a large baking sheet ---okay---after some spectacular oven fires, I learned to cheat. This is what I do: Line a BIG deep roasting pan, about 12x16, with dough, rolled thin. Roll more dough out, about ¾ inch thick and cut it to fit around the entire perimeter of the pan so that it APPEARS to be merely a crust. You will have to really work the dough, sealing the edges with water. You want the finished product to look like a huge, rectangular, free-standing pie crust.
Put the bundle of boned bird in the center, and fit as many of the thighs, drumsticks and wind drumlettes as you can around the outside. Roll out the last of your dough to fit the top Cut a vent hole, about 1 ½ inches, in the center. Position it and flute the edges to seal it. Leftover pastry scraps can be used to make decorations for the pies. Brush the entire crust with egg.
Bake four hours at 400 degrees (preheat oven). After 3 hours, pour the melted butter into the vent hole. Continue baking one more hour.
Cover the vent with foil immediately when you take it from the oven. The pie will cool inside the sealed crust and be very happy and safe there until Christmas day. When it is time for Christmas dinner, open the top along the seem and lift it off. Pie is eaten “cold” (room temp). We serve with new potatoes and peas, as well as candied sweet potatoes, dressing, and gravy from the wonderful stock we made from the wings, necks, etc. When you slice the bird breasts, the layered effect in each slice is very pretty. Note that the crust is inedible, but is a wonderful outside treat for birds, as well as your good dogs.***
Sometime tonight, you should read this excerpt from the little book
General Lee and Santa Claus, originally published in 1867, pages 32-35.
Dear General Lee:
We think you are the goodest man that ever lived, and our auntie says you will go right straight to heaven when you die; so we want to ask you a question, for we want to know the truth about it, and we know that you always speak the truth.
Please tell us whether Santa Claus loves the little rebel children, for we think he don't; because he did not come to see us for four Christmas Eves. Auntie thinks you would not let him cross the lines, and we don't know how to find out unless we write and ask you. We all love you dearly, and we want to send you something; but we have not any thing nice enough; we lost all our toys in the war. Birdie wants to send you one of our white kittens--the one with black ears; but auntie thinks maybe you don't like kittens. We say little prayers for you every night, dear General Lee, and ask God to make you ever so happy. Please let us know about Santa Claus as soon as you can; we want to know for something very, very, very particular; but we can't tell even you why until Christmas time, so please to excuse us.
Your little friends,
Lutie, Birdie, and Minnie
The above letter was sent the following day, and in about a week the answer was received:
My dear little friends:
I was very glad to receive your kind letter, and to know by it that I have the good wishes and prayers of three innocent little girls, named Lutie, Birdie, and Minnie.
I am very glad that you wrote about Santa Claus for I am able to tell you all about him. I can assure you he is one of the best friends that the little Southern girls have. You will understand this when I explain to you the reason of his not coming to see you for four years.
The first Christmas Eve of the war I was walking up and down in the camp ground, when I thought I heard a singular noise above my head; and on looking to find out from whence it came, I saw the queerest, funniest-looking little old fellow riding along in a sleigh through the air. On closer inspection, he proved to be Santa Claus.
Halt! Halt!, I said; but at this the funny fellow laughed, and did not seem inclined to obey, so again I cried Halt!. And he drove down to my side with a sleigh full of toys. I was very sorry for him when I saw the disappointed expression of his face when I told him he could go no further South; and when he exclaimed, Oh, what will my little Southern children do! I felt more sorry, for I love little children to be happy, and especially at Christmas. But of one thing I was certain--I knew my little friends would prefer me to do my duty, rather than have all the toys in the world; so I said: Santa Claus, take every one of the toys you have back as far as Baltimore, sell them, and with the money you get buy medicines, bandages, ointments, and delicacies for our sick and wounded men; do it and do it quickly--it will be all right with the children. Then Santa Claus sprang into his sleigh, and putting his hand to his hat in true military style, said: I obey orders, General, and away he went. Long before morning he came sweeping down into camp again, with not only every thing I had ordered, but with many other things that our poor soldiers needed. And every Christmas he took the toy money and did the same thing; and the soldiers and I blessed him, for he clothed and fed many a poor soul who otherwise would have been cold and hungry. Now, do you not consider him a good friend. I hold him in high respect, and trust you will always do the same.
I should be pleased to hear from you again, my dear little girls, and I want you ever to consider me,
Your true friend,
General Robert E. Lee
December 25: Christmas Day
The boar's head in hand bear I,
Bedecked with bays and rosemary;
And I pray you, my masters, be merry,
Quot estis in convivio.
Caput apri defero,
Reddens laudes Domino!
The boar's head, as I understand,
Is the finest dish in all the land,
When thus bedecked with a gay garland;
Let us servire cantico.
Caput apri defero,
Reddens laudes Domino!
Our steward hath provided this
In honor of the King of Bliss,
Which on this day to be serv-ed is,
In Reginensi atrio.
Caput apri defero,
Reddens laudes Domino!
The world's greeting for this blessed feast is "Peace on earth to men of good will!" It still rings out over the world today, as it did almost two thousand years ago in Bethlehem--a universal greeting expressing a universal hope. Even in lands torn by war and hatred, hearts remember these words and guard them for the future, awaiting the day when the bells of Christmas will once more, as John Keble says in his lovely hymn: To high and low glad tidings tell How God the Father loves us well. Every country of the world has its time-honored customs for Christmas Day, but nowhere are they so heartwarming as in England. And, since our own ideal Christmas celebration is much like the English, we will put aside on this day the customs and food of other countries and deal exclusively with an English Christmas dinner." And did they actually eat the boar's head?" we asked a friend who was born and bred in England and knew its traditions. He assured us that they did, and also that the custom is still maintained there in at least one place--Queen's College at Oxford. He told in this connection the perhaps apocryphal story of the origin of the boar's head as a Christmas viand. In medieval days a student at Queen's College was walking in the forest, studying his Aristotle, when he was surprised by a boar which rushed out from the brush to attack him. The student crammed his book down the animal's throat and choked it to death. However, he did not want to lose his treasured Aristotle, and so the boar's neck was cut off and the student's book restored. And since no one wanted to waste the head, it was roasted and eaten for Christmas dinner at the college table.
In the old days the boar's head was served at the very beginning of the feast, on a gold or silver platter befitting the dignity of the dish. Circled with bay leaves and rosemary, its tusks decorated with bright apples or oranges, it was brought to the table with stately ceremonial, attended by music. The boar's head is still eaten not only at Oxford, but in other places in England, as well as in Brittany and in Central Europe. Should any modern reader be interested in the preparation of this "noblest dish on the board," here is how it is made according to the Vicomte de Mauduit who tells us how it was prepared in his ancestral home.
Boar’s Head
The head was boned, leaving only the jawbones (to retain the head's shape) and the tusks. A stuffing made of minced pig's liver, chopped apples, a little onion, sage, and rosemary was used to coat the inside of the head. A second stuffing consisting of sausage meat, pieces of tongue, truffles, apples, mushrooms, pistachio nuts, and spices, the whole moistened with Calvados, was then placed inside the head. The head was wrapped in a cloth and boiled for eight or nine hours, boiling water being added as required. It was then allowed to cool and the ears, which had been cut off previously and boiled separately, were replaced in their proper position with small skewers. It is interesting to note that in modern England, when a boar's head is not available, a pig's head is used; and the meat cut up, mixed with various ingredients and boiled in a cloth. When the dish is ready, it is filled into a boar's head mould. Holes are left for the eyes and "these can be bought with the tusks from the supplier if required."
Another delicacy long associated with the English Christmas was roast peacock, also heralded to the feudal banquet table by special rites with music. In royal surroundings the peacock was not brought to table by serving men; but one of the court ladies carried in her own dainty hands the platter on which rested the lordly bird--"food for lovers and meat for lords." Its great colorful tail spread wide, its beak gilded, stuffed with spices and wild herbs, the bird must have been a fair sight and a dish of fine flavor. Occasionally in a later England a little deception was practiced in the matter of the peacock. Washington Irving in his "Christmas in Old England" relates that he on one occasion looked with awe on the pie, decorated with the spreading tail feathers of a peacock, which covered a good bit of the dining table of his host. After a while the squire, whose conscience evidently bothered him, confessed that what was before him was really only a pheasant pie, though peacock should of course have been served--"but there has been such a mortality among the peacocks this summer that I could not prevail on myself to have one killed."
Of course, boars and peacocks were not the only outstanding dishes of the older English Christmas, for old accounts speak of a quantity and variety of special concoctions that leave us gasping in amazement. We may, however, mention in passing one of them--a famous pie prepared for a peer of the realm in an earlier century. It is said to have contained, besides the crust, the following: four geese, three rabbits, four wild ducks, two woodcocks, six snipe, four partridges, two curlews, six pigeons, seven blackbirds; and it was served on a cart built especially to hold it!
Of the desserts traditional to the English Christmas dinner of early times none was more common than the plum pudding. The richness of its ingredients was said to symbolize the offerings of the Wise Men. Its rival, and sometimes in those heartier days its accompaniment, was the mince pie, alike endowed with meaning and considered on account of its shape, to resemble the manger bed of the Infant Jesus. We shall return to these desserts below, for, although the rare animals and fowl have been replaced by more usual and easily procurable fare, the plum pudding and mince pie are still prime favorites today. But perhaps the best suggestions for a Christmas dinner are to be found not in a cookery book but in the pages of a novel--Charles Dickens' "Christmas Carol," read aloud each year in many American homes on Christmas Eve, told over and over on radio and television. The famous Christmas dinner of the Cratchit family can be easily duplicated, and, with changes, offers a fine menu for any home today. First as regards the goose "that feathered phenomenon to which a black swan was a matter of course," described as served with gravy "hissing hot,". But here is a recipe for
Sage and Onion Stuffing
6 onions
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
2 cups bread cubes
1 tablespoon sage
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Cook the onions in a little water until tender. Combine with the bread cubes (the bread should be a little stale) and the remaining ingredients.
The potatoes mashed by Master Peter Cratchit, with what is described as "incredible vigor," in one of our families are served circled about with green peas; and over the white and green are laid strips of red pimiento--the traditional Christmas colors.
For the apple sauce "sweetened up" by Miss Belinda Cratchit, it should not be necessary to give a recipe, but here we would like to add a dish to the Cratchit meal--a salad or
Cole Slaw with Boiled Dressing
Remove the outer leaves and stalks of a small head of cabbage. Shred the cabbage and soak in ice water for an hour. Drain thoroughly before using.
Boiled Dressing
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup vinegar
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon paprika
sour cream (optional)
Dissolve the dry ingredients in the cold water and mix thoroughly. In the top of a double boiler beat the egg yolks with the vinegar and add the dissolved ingredients. Cook, stirring constantly over boiling water until smooth. Add the butter and cool. When chilled, the dressing may be thinned with sour cream if desired.
We have come at last to the plum pudding--"like a speckled cannonball, so hard and firm, blazing in half of a half-a- quartern of ignited brandy, and bedight with Christmas holly stuck into the top." For after all there is no other such Christmas dessert. One could write poetry--in fact, many have--on this subject, and one could also rhapsodize in prose. A plum pudding is, even at its simplest, a matter of many ingredients and of preparation far in advance.
Plum Pudding
1-1/2 lbs. Raisins
grated rind of 2 lemons
1-3/4 lbs. Currants
1 oz. ground nutmeg
1 lb. Sultanas
1/2 oz. ground bitter almonds
2 lbs. Sugar
2 lbs. bread crumbs
2 lbs. finely chopped suet
1 oz. cinnamon
16 eggs
6 oz. finely cut citron
1/4 pt. brandy
1 cup brandy
Seed and cut up the raisins but do not grind them. Wash and dry the currants. To the fruits add all the dry ingredients and the suet together, and moisten with the well-beaten eggs and the brandy. Butter and flour a piece of unbleached muslin, put the pudding in the cloth, and tie it up tightly. Put in a large pot of boiling water and boil for seven hours, adding boiling water if necessary. Remove from the cloth, pour a cup of warmed brandy over the pudding, stick a sprig of holly in the top, and set aflame as the pudding is being carried in.
Mincemeat for Pie
1 lb. Chopped beef (I prefer venison)
boiled juice of 2 oranges
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 lb. chopped suet
grated peel of 1/2 lemon
1 lb. dried currants
2 cups cider
1 lb. raisins
1 cup brandy
1 lb. citron
1 cup sherry
1 lb. sugar
1 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
grated peel of ½ orange
1 teaspoon mace
1 teaspoon nutmeg
3 lbs. apples
Mix all of the ingredients and store in a crock in a cool place or fill into sterilized jars. If the mincemeat is to be used considerably later, omit the apples from the original recipe, and when filling the piecrust add an equal amount of sliced apples. Dinner being over, both ours and the Cratchits', we might follow their example and group ourselves before the hearth to partake of apples and oranges and chestnuts roasted over the fire--and, of course, of the famous "compound." This was a mixture of lemons and gin and water made by Bob Cratchit, before dinner was ready, as Tiny Tim on his crutch stood watching beside him. And we should certainly end the day, as Bob Cratchit did, with a toast: "A Merry Christmas to us all, my dears. God bless us every one."
Last of all, a classic Christmas Cake recipe from my dear friend Roy Rawlinson, long of Liverpool, who so loves and often lauds the Confederate Navy.
Classic Christmas Cake
Ingredients.
1lb currants
6oz sultanas
6oz raisins
2oz glace cherries, rinsed, dried and finely chopped.
2oz mixed candied peel, finely chopped.
3 tablespoons Brandy
8oz plain flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground mixed spice
8oz unsalted butter
8oz brown sugar
4 eggs
2oz chopped almonds
1 dessertspoon black treacle (Molasses over there?)
The grated rind of 1 lemon
The grated rind of 1 orange
4oz whole blanched almonds (only if not icing the cake)
You need to begin this cake the night before you want to bake it.
All you do is place the dried fruit and mixed peel in a mixing bowl, then mix in the brandy as evenly and thouroughly as posiible. Cover with a tea cloth, and leave to soak for 12 hours. (Roy here, next morning it smells absolutely terrific.)
Next day, preheat the oven to gas mark 1, 275 F or 140C. Sift the salt, flour and mixed spices into a large mixing bowl, lifting the seive up high, to give the flour a good airing. Next, in another large mixing bowl, whisk the butter and sugar together, until it is light, pale and fluffy. now beat the eggs in a separarte bowl, and add to the creamedmixture, a tablespoon at a time, keepig the whisk running as the egg is added.
When all the egg has been added, fold in the flour and spices, using gentle folding movements, and not beating at all. Now fold in the fruit, peel, chopped nuts and treacle, and finally, spread the grated orange and lemon zests.
Next, using a large kitchen spoon,transfer the cake mixture into the prepared tin. Spread it out evenly with the back of the spoon, and, if not icing, lightly drop the 2oz of blanched almonds, in circles over the top.
Finally, cover the top of the tin, with a double square of greaseproof paper, with a 1 ans a 1/2 inch circular hole in the centre. This gives extra protection during long slow cooking.Bake the cake on the lowest shelf in the oven for 4 1/2 - 4 3/4 hours, sometimes it can take 1/2 to 3/4 hour longer, but in any case, DO NOT check until at least 4 hours have passed.
After cooking, allow to cool for 30 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Feeding the cake.
Keep cake wrapped in double layer of greaseproof paper, and double layer of foil. If you like a "well-brandied " cake, then feed it weekly. make small holes woth a darning needle, in the top and bottom, then spoon over a teaspoon of brandy, to soak thru the holes and permeate the cake.
Roy here, be careful not to use too much brandy.
[This cake should be made in October, as soon as you start feeling “festive”. Oh, behave. MSW]
And, Grandmother`s plum pudding
Pouding Noel a la Grand`mere
Ingredients.
1/2 lb butter
1/2 lb demerara sugar
6 separated eggs
1/2 lb shredded beef suet
1/2 lb breadcrumbs
1 lb flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground mace
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
pinch of salt
1 cup brandy
1 lb cleaned currants
2 oz candied citron peel
2 oz candied orange peel
2 oz candied lemon peel
1 cup Maraschino cherries
1 lb chopped raisins
Juice of 1 lemon.
Beat butter and sugar to a cream, add well beaten egg yolks, and stir in suet and crumbs.
Sift flour, spices and salt together, and add alternately with brandy, using more if required.
Stir in currants.
Mince the peels and the cherries and add.
Stir inraisins, lemon juice and any liquor that comes away in the cup with the cherries.
Lastly FOLD instiffly-frothed egg whites.
3/4 fill 4 well greased medium sized pudding basins, and steam for 7 hours..
When required, resteam for 2 hours.
Turn out.
Serve with icing sugar, holly and blanched almonds.
Each pudding is enough for 4 to 6 persons.
December 26: St. Stephen, first martyr
Good King Wenceslaus looked out on the Feast of Stephen,
When the snow lay round about, deep and crisp and even.
Brightly shone the moon that night, tho the frost was cruel,
When a poor man came in sight, gath’ring winter fuel.
“Hither, page, and stand by me, if thou know'st it, telling,
Yonder peasant, who is he? Where and what his dwelling?”
“Sire, he lives a good league hence, underneath the mountain,
Right against the forest fence, by Saint Agnes’ fountain.”
“Bring me food and bring me wine, bring me pine logs hither,
Thou and I will see him dine, when we bear them thither.".
Page and monarch, forth they went, forth they went together,
Through the rude wind’s wild lament and the bitter weather.
“Sire, the night is darker now, and the wind blows stronger,
Fails my heart, I know not how; I can go no longer.”
“Mark my footsteps, my good page, tread thou in them boldly,
Thou shalt find the winter’s rage freeze thy blood less coldly.”
In his master’s steps he trod, where the snow lay dinted;
Heat was in the very sod which the saint had printed.
Therefore, Christian men, be sure, wealth or rank possessing,
Ye who now will bless the poor shall yourselves find blessing.
St. Stephen, the First Deacon, was the very first martyr of the Church Age, stoned to death by the Jews, including the future St. Paul. Because St. Stephen was the first Deacon, and because one of the Deacons' role in the Church is to care for the poor, St. Stephen's Day is often the day for giving food, money, and other items to the needy (it is known as "Boxing Day" in some English-speaking parts of the world).
Fittingly, then, St. Wenceslaus came to be associated with Stephen's Feast. The Christmas carol "Good King Wenceslaus," which uses an old medieval melody mentions this Feast as it tells a tale of charity. St. Wenceslaus was a Bohemian King born ca. A.D. 903 during a pagan backlash. He was persecuted by his mother, Drahomira, and his brother because of their hatred for his Christianity, and was eventually killed by his brother in front of the doors of the Church of SS. Cosmas and Damian in A.D. 938. Many miracles have been attributed to his intercession, and he is now the patron of Czechoslovakia (his Feast is on 28 September)
St. Stephen’s Horseshoes
1 package active dry, or cake, yeast
1/2 cup lukewarm milk
3 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon lemon juice
grated rind of 1 lemon
1 cup sweet butter
1/2 cup shortening
5 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
poppy seed, nuts, or cheese
cream
In honor of the Saint's patronage over horses, special breads in the form of horseshoes are baked on December 26 in Poland and other Slavic countries. These "horns of St. Stephen" (podkovy) are made of sweet dough and shaped in the form of large, heavy crescents, filled with jam or poppy seeds or ground nuts. They serve as coffee-bread on St. Stephen's Day.
Dissolve yeast in lukewarm milk. Beat eggs until light and fluffy. Add sour cream, yeast-milk mixture, lemon juice, rind. Cut butter and shortening into dry ingredients; add to egg mixture. Chill 1 hour.
Roll out dough 1/4 inch thick. Cut in rectangles. Sprinkle rectangles with poppy seeds, nuts, or cheese. Close. Shape into horns. Brush with cream. Bake on greased baking sheets 12-15 minutes at 375°.
December 27: St John the Apostle
John was the son of Zebedee and Salome, and the brother of James the Greater. In the Gospels the two brothers are often called after their father "the sons of Zebedee" and received from Christ the honourable title of Boanerges, i.e. "sons of thunder" (Mark, iii, 17). Originally they were fishermen and fished with their father in the Lake of Genesareth. According to the usual and entirely probable explanation they became, however, for a time disciples of John the Baptist, and were called by Christ from the circle of John's followers, together with Peter and Andrew, to become His disciples. He is known as the Beloved Apostle, and was the only one who stayed with Jesus during the Crucifixion.
St. John’s Wine
2 cups red wine
2 whole cloves
2 inches stick cinnamon
1 cardamom seed
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
¼ cup sugar
Boil the spices in the wine for about five minutes. Strain the wine. Serve it hot.
December 28: Feast of the Holy Innocents
The Magi went to Herod asking where the new King of Jews may be found. Herod took the idea of a prophecied King of the Jews as a threat, so called the high priests to find out where the Baby was. They told him where to look, and he sent the Magi out to find the Child and report back so he could go and "worship," too. The Magi found Jesus -- but, knowing Herod's heart, didn't go back to reveal His wherabouts. The Holy Family, warned by an angel, makes their flight into Egypt... Herod becomes enraged and kills all the baby boys in Bethlehem who were two years old and younger.
This Feast commemorates these baby boys, who are considered martyrs. Vestments will be red or purple in mourning, and the Alleluia and Gloria will be supressed at Mass.
As to customs, the youngest child "rules the day." It is the youngest who decides the day's foods, drinks, music, entertainments, etc, though a food with a red color (especially a pudding with a red sauce, such as strawberry or raspberry) to recall the blood of the martyrs is traditional. The haunting and lovely Coventry Carol concerns the slaughter of the Innocents. It is named after the city of Coventry, England, where the 15th Century Pageant of the Shearmen and Tailors depicted Herod's slaughter of the innocents, told in the lyrics.
The Coventry Carol
Lully, lullay, Thou little tiny Child,
By, by, lully, lullay.
1. O sisters too, how may we do,
For to preserve this day
This poor Youngling for Whom we sing
By, by, lully, lullay?
2. Herod the king, in his raging,
Charged he hath this day
His men of might, in his own sight,
All young children to slay.
3. That woe is me, poor Child for Thee!
And ever morn and day
For Thy parting neither say nor sing,
By, by, lully, lullay.
Lully, lullay, Thou little tiny Child,
By, by, lully, lullay.
Remember the babies, then and now, who die at the hands of ruthless men. Kyrie Eleison!
Like Herod, the murderers will encounter the wrath of the Almighty and Eternal God. Say a Rosary for the little ones.
December 29: St Thomas of Canterbury
O God, for the sake of whose Church the glorious Bishop Thomas fell by the sword of ungodly men: grant, we beseech Thee, that all who implore his aid, may obtain the good fruit of his petition. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Who livest and reignest with Thee in the unity of the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen.
If you haven’t yet read “Murder in the Cathedral” today would be a good day to do so…
In a season of much magnificent food, let us honor St. Thomas with a simple dessert, typical of his time:
Pottage of Rice [with Saffron Almond Milk]
1 cup rice
2 ¼ cups water
salt
1 cup warm almond milk or 1 cup cows milk (150 gm/6 oz ground almonds > 1 litre/4 cups water)
pinch saffron
2 T sugar
Steep the saffron in the warm almond milk and set aside. Place water and salt in covered pot and bring to boil. Add rice. Stir. Cover and reduce heat. Cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 to 10 minute or until water is absorbed. Add milk mixture and sugar to rice. Stir and salt to taste. Makes 2 ½ – 3 cups.
December 31: St. Sylvester, Pope and Confessor New Year's Eve
St Sylvester was the first Pope after the Church emerged from the catacombs. He became Pope in 314. He established the Lateran basilica as the Cathedral of Rome, and built a number of other early important churches. In Vienna, Krapfen, or apricot-jam-filled doughnuts, are traditional on his day, where they are eaten at midnight for good luck. Instead of doughnuts, I propose we honor the Saint with this wonderful Apricot Pie---made with whole dried apricots.
DRIED APRICOT PIE
1/2 pound dried apricots 1/8 t salt
2 cups cold water 1 T butter
1 cup sugar (divided) 1 cup juice from apricots
1 1/2 T corn starch
Soak apricots 2 hrs. Add 1/2 cup sugar and boil until apricots are tender (about 20 minutes). Drain juice off. If less than one cup, add water to measure 1 cup. Cool juice. Mix 1/2 cup sugar, corn starch, and salt. Mix in cooled juice. Arrange apricots in bottom crust. Pour liquid over apricots, dot with butter, and put on top crust. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
Crust:
2 scant cups flour
1 t salt
1/2 cup oil
1/4 cup milk
Mix flour and salt in a bowl with a fork. Measure oil in a liquid measuring cup, then measure milk RIGHT ON TOP of oil. DO NOT mix them together, just let the milk float there on the oil. Dump the liquids into the flour and salt and gently mix with a for just until they hold together in a ball. Divide in half and roll out between two pieces wax paper.
The last day of the year is the eve of the Feast of the Circumcision and in some countries is also celebrated as the day of Saint Sylvester. In Austria December 31st is also sometimes known as "Rauchnacht," or incense night, for then the head of the home goes through the house and barns, carrying incense and holy water to purify them for the year to come. And in Rumania miracles are said to take place on this eve, for the gates of Paradise fly open and any wish made in faith is certain of fulfillment. In countries where the feast is that of Saint Sylvester, much merrymaking and horseplay is connected with the celebration, even though the saint, the early pope who baptized Constantine, the first Christian emperor of Rome, deserves a better commemoration. Some of these German and Austrian customs for "Sylvesterabend" have been brought to this country. There is, for instance, the jest of the "elbetritch," a mythical bird which the ignorant are sent out to catch in a bag; the unsuspecting person holds the bag as the initiates beat the bushes--of course, no one ever catches the bird. Many other customs concern the telling of the future on this night; in some places melted lead is dropped in cold water, there to assume prophetic shapes. In Germanic lands the traditional dinner dish of the day is carp; guests sometimes ask for a few scales of this fish to treasure as symbols of good luck. A favorite on the menu for the midnight supper of this night is
Herring Salad
6 milter herring
2 stalks celery
1 cup red wine
2 boiled potatoes
2 cups cooked veal
3 sour apples
3 hard-boiled eggs
1/2 cup pearl onions
1-1/2 cups pickled beets
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup pickles
2 tablespoons horse-radish
Soak the herring in water overnight. Skin them, remove the milt and the bones. Rub the milt through a sieve and mix with the red wine which should be dry and not sweet. Cube the herring, veal, eggs, beets, pickles, celery, potatoes and apples and add the pearl onions. Mix the sugar and horse-radish with the milt and wine and pour over the other ingredients. Mix thoroughly. Line a salad bowl with lettuce leaves and mound the herring salad in the center. Decorate with hard-boiled eggs, gherkins, anchovies, sliced stuffed olives.
Many heavier foods are traditional to the celebration of New Year's Eve in Scandinavian countries. A favorite dinner is roast beef, baked potatoes, "Risgrynsgrot" (rice porridge), "Lefse," and "Kringler."
Risgrynsgrot (Rice Porridge)
1 cup rice
1/4 lb. butter
1 qt. water
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
Wash the rice, drain, and cook in salted water in the top of a double boiler. Cook slowly until tender, or for about one hour. The water should be absorbed by that time. Add the butter, the heavy cream which has been whipped, and the sugar. It is traditional that one whole almond be hidden in the porridge and the person finding it in his or her dish will be the first to be married.
Kringler (Rings)
2 eggs
1/4 cup butter
2 cups heavy cream
2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/3 cups sugar
2 cups flour
Beat the eggs and add a bit of the cream. Stir in the sugar and the butter which has been melted. Whip the rest of the cream until stiff and add. Sift the flour with the baking powder and stir into the first mixture to make a soft dough. Chill in the refrigerator. Roll the dough out thin, cut into strips, and shape into rings. Bake on a greased and floured tin at 350 degrees F. for about ten minutes or until light brown.
On New Year's Eve in Greece singing groups, carrying replicas of the Church of Saint Sophia, go from house to house to collect food and coins; the model of the church is a symbol of the hope of recapturing Constantinople for the Christians. In Italy masked singers collect gifts of wine and money, of nuts and sausages; and at midnight go to the house tops to "blow away the old year." In Helsinki the Finns formally greet the New Year with a concert on the steps of the Suurkirkko--the Great Church--whose bells peal at midnight and are answered by salutes from the whistles of the ships in the harbor. As the old year ends, the Basques go in groups to the homes of friends to speed the old year and welcome the new. Their greetings are sober. "Who crosses this threshold enters his home," says the host. And as he enters, the visitor responds, "May peace be in this house." Within, a toast is drunk in hydromel or mead, that most ancient of drinks. In the England of yesterday and today, New Year's Eve is celebrated with different forms of merrymaking and feasting, and the ancient holiday custom of the Wassail is much in vogue. In our own country the observance of New Year's Eve takes many different forms--theater parties, dinners in cafes and clubs and restaurants; but we shall speak of two customs which many prefer. The first of these is to spend the evening in one's own home with family and friends. For these, we suggest
Hot Mulled Wine
1 bottle red wine
rind of 1 lemon
12 cloves
2 tablespoons sugar
2 pieces whole cinnamon
Use a claret or Burgundy type. Pour into an enamel pot, add the cloves, the thinly pared rind of 1 lemon, the sugar and the cinnamon. Allow this to steep over a low flame, but it must never come to a boil. Serve hot.
An appropriate and traditional accomplishment is of course the fruit cake, for which recipes are legion, ranging from the dark brandy-soaked cake of the South to the delicate white fruit cake favored elsewhere. We purchase our fruitcakes from the Collins Street Bakery in Corsicana Texas, because they are truly the world’s best.
The second way of spending New Year's Eve may well be combined with the first: it is to attend Mass.
Surely this is the best way of all, to take time on this last night of the old year to reflect on all the joys and griefs of the twelve months past, to pray and plan for better things in the year ahead. Thus, beneath these New Year's resolutions may well exist the underlying hope that the new will be better than the old. And what could better insure the fulfillment of such a hope than the prayers of countless people meeting in the houses of God on New Year's Eve, as the pealing bells ring in another New Year, their notes blent in harmony and not in dissonance, expressing what we all most deeply feel--the desire, as Tennyson says, to Ring out the want, the care, the sin, The faithless coldness of the times... Ring out the thousand wars of old Ring in the thousand years of peace. Ring in the valiant man and free, The larger heart, the kindlier hand; Ring out the darkness of the land, Ring in the Christ that is to be.
God Bless us, Every One!
