Happy New Year! Anna Sultana's Cotechino with Lentils, Lentil Soup, Baked Frittata / Cornbread with Sausage, Hoppin' John / Christmases Past by Margaret Ullrich

Wishing you all the blessings of the season
and a New Year filled with all the best!
Thank you for visiting
hope to see you again in the new year!
~ Margaret

We’ve made it through 2022!!!

That alone gives us a reason to celebrate.
We’re not totally done with Covid-19, so please stay safe and take precautions.
Maybe a bit of menu planning will give us some more luck as we enter 2023.

Southerners have a saying Peas for pennies, greens for dollars, and cornbread for gold.
Other foods that are supposed to bring you good luck, wealth and health are:

Pork - pigs move forward when they eat and represent wealth and progress in Europe.

Lentils - Italians eat golden lentils on New Year’s Eve to boost their fortunes.

Tomatoes - Italians believe tomatoes bring good health.

Sauerkraut - Germans and Eastern Europeans eat a heaping plate of sauerkraut for wealth.

Grapes - Spaniards eat a grape at each stroke of midnight, with each representing a month in the new year. If one grape is bitter, watch out for that month!

Ring-shaped cakes - are a symbol of coming full circle.
 
Fish - scales resemble coins, and fish swim forward in schools, representing power and progress. 

Pomegranate - Greek families toss a pomegranate against their front door when the clock strikes midnight. The more seeds the more luck you’ll have. Put your pomegranate in a plastic bag to avoid a mess.

Mandarin oranges - bring prosperity. Having one with the stem and leaf attached will bring a long life and fertility.


Back to American Southerners and Hoppin John…
Hoppin’ John is traditionally eaten on New Year’s Day to bring luck. In 1847 it was mentioned in The Carolina Housewife. It is made with black-eyed peas, rice and pork, and is often served with collard greens and cornbread.

Make extra. If you have leftovers it implies that you are frugal and promises greater prosperity. Sometimes a dime is inserted in the dish before serving. It is said that wealth awaits the diner who gets the dime.
Eating all but three of the black-eyed peas on your plate promises luck, wealth, and romance.

Hints:

Cotechino is an Italian pork sausage seasoned with clove and nutmeg. It has a mild flavour.
If you can’t find it in your local store, a pork loin roast seasoned with clove and nutmeg and roasted would do nicely. Adjust cooking time so that the meat is cooked thoroughly.

Lentil to liquid ratios varies depending on brand so follow the directions on the package.



About the Cornbread with Sausage…
If you don’t have any stale bread, just cut slices into 1 inch pieces, put pieces on a baking tray, cover with a paper towel and let the bread sit on the counter for a few days.

About the Hoppin' John…
If you want a meatier Hoppin' John you can add cubed ham or 2 or 3 chopped pork chops.

If you want more vegetables add chopped green bell pepper or carrots and a can of tomatoes.

You can cook the rice separately, then place it on a large platter and spoon the cooked black-eyed peas over the rice.

                        Cotechino with Lentils

Serves 4

Chop
1 onion
1 celery stalk

Poke with a fork
1 pound Cotechino
Place it in a large pot and cover the meat with cold water.
Add
the chopped vegetables
3 bay leaves
Over high heat bring to a boil, then lower heat to simmer for 45 minutes.
Remove the Cotechino and let it cool.
Slice in 1/2 inch thick slices and place on top of the lentils.

While the pork is cooking dice
1 large onion
1 carrot
1 stalk celery
1 clove garlic

Place in a large pot
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Place pot over medium heat.
When hot add the vegetables and garlic and lower heat to medium.
Cook until lightly browned.
Add
4 Cups water or chicken broth or beef broth
Stir in
2 Cups dry lentils, washed
Bring to a boil, lower heat to simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until lentils are tender.
Remove from heat and stir in
1 Tablespoon dried parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
Lentils should not be too dry or too soupy.


                        Lentil Soup

Serves  6 to 10

Chop
1 medium red onion
2 celery stalks
2 carrots
4 cloves garlic

Put in a deep pot
1 pound dry lentils, washed
Add
the chopped vegetables and garlic
4 bay leaves
1 Tablespoon rosemary
Salt and pepper to taste
Cover the pot, let come to a boil and let boil for 10 minutes.
Lower heat, uncover the pot and simmer.
While the lentils are simmering boil 4 Cups water in a medium pot. Add it to the lentils if they are too dry.
Stop cooking the lentils when they reach your desired tenderness.
Taste the lentils and salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.


                        Baked Frittata

Grease an 8 inch square baking pan

Slice
5 medium red potatoes

Chop
1 onion (enough for 1 Cup)
1 green pepper (enough for 1/4 Cup)

Place in a medium bowl
12 large eggs
3⁄4 Cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1⁄2 Cup water
1 teaspoon dried basil
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 teaspoon black pepper
Beat until blended.

Place in a large skillet
1⁄4 Cup olive oil

Add the potato slices and sauté for 10 minutes. Add
the chopped onion and green pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Sauté until tender, then add
4 Cups chopped broccoli, frozen or fresh

Cover and cook 5 minutes.
Arrange the vegetable mixture in the prepared pan.
Pour the egg mixture over the vegetables.
Sprinkle over the eggs / vegetable mixture
1 1⁄2 cups Mozzarella cheese, shredded 

Bake, uncovered, at 350º F for 35 to 40 minutes or until set.

                        Cornbread with Sausage

Grease an 9 x 13 inch baking pan

Crumble into a large bowl
3 Cups stale cornbread
3 Cups stale white bread

Chop
2 onions
3 celery stalks
1 cored, peeled apple
2 cloves garlic

Place in a large pot
1/2 pound butter
Melt over medium heat and add
1/2 pound sausage meat
the chopped vegetables
Add
the chopped apple and the garlic
1 Tablespoon dried parsley
1 bay leaf, crumbled
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon sage
Stir to blend well, salt and black pepper to taste, and pour into the prepared pan.
Bake at 350° F for 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown on top.


                        Hoppin' John

6 servings

Chop
1 onion

Place in a large pot
1 1/2 Cups dry black-eyed peas
1 pound ham hocks

the chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste


Cover with
4 Cups water or chicken broth

Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low and cook for 1 1/2 hours.
Remove ham hocks.
Cut the meat into pieces and return the meat to pot.
Stir in
1 1/2 Cups long grain white rice

Cover and cook until rice is tender, about 20 to 25 minutes.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Sprinkle over top
1 Cup Cheddar cheese, shredded (optional)
Serve with cornbread or Cornbread with Sausage.
 

                                                            ~~~
This was a holiday piece I wrote a few years ago for the CKUW radio show ‘2000 & Counting’ when we decided to chat about past Christmases… both good and bad.

I wish you all a very happy holiday season full of peace, health, joy and love.
And, of course, favourite foods.
Let's not forget television specials and Christmas music.

For those who don't know the story, the Christmas carol Silent Night was written in the nineteenth century because of a problem.      
In a small Austrian church the organ was broken and couldn't be repaired in time for the Christmas Eve Mass. So, in a couple of hours, Joseph Mohr and Franz Gruber created a simple song that could be played on the guitar.
It was called the song from heaven.
      
On Christmas Eve in 1914, the German soldiers singing Silent Night brought a touch of humanity to World War l. The British soldiers responded with another carol, The First Noel. For a few hours, peace returned, thanks to music.


The first year I was on the CKUW radio show 2000 & Counting, Older and Wiser I prerecorded our two holiday shows. That year the holidays occurred on Tuesday, the day we usually broadcasted, and we wanted to be home.
I taped each person telling a story and their favourite Christmas carol recording.
The segments filled the two hours easily.

Normally we did our shows live and, as our listeners knew, we did make mistakes. 
With prerecording, we were able to edit them. We sounded pretty good.

      
Maybe that's the problem with modern life.
We hear recordings and see shows that have had dozens of retakes.
Sometimes they show the bloopers.
It's pretty funny to see that even big stars make mistakes.
But, most of the time, all we only see a smoothly running show where everyone always says the right thing, the dinner is cooked to perfection and all problems are resolved with everybody hugging each other within a half an hour.

It can leave one feeling like he's been cheated or that he should try harder.


The first Christmas was a stinker.  Being in a big city with no available rooms is not fun. Add to that Mary was about to have her first baby in a barn with just a carpenter there to help.
I don't think any Christmas has ever gone according to plan.
And maybe Christmas just isn't supposed to be perfect.


A first Christmas away from all that's familiar can be rough.
Our first married Christmas was a big change.
Paul and I are originally from New York City.  Tons of people.
I came from a huge family - a first generation immigrant family.
My parents and their siblings couldn't get enough of each other.     
But, there we were in 1972, all alone in Surrey, British Columbia.
The two of us in a basement apartment watching Perry Como's Christmas Special.
It was something from home for us.
This was in the days before Skype. We hadn't seen our relatives for six months.    
When we watched Perry Como, it was good to know our folks were watching it, too.
For an hour, we were all together.
Then we went to bed for a long winter's nap.
     
The next morning we awoke hearing our puppy happily yelping and splashing in water.
No, he wasn't in a basin or a tub.
     
Surrey in those days was very rural. There were open drainage ditches running along the lengths of the residential blocks. The ditch in front of our house had gotten plugged. The rain had soaked our lawn and was seeping through three walls of our apartment. We were rapidly being flooded.

We piled things onto our bed.
The folks upstairs helped us carry everything else into their apartment.
Within a half hour water covered about two feet of our first Christmas tree.
We were safe and dry upstairs, sharing a cup of coffee.
Then we heard our phone ringing.
My folks had said they would call on Christmas Day.
If we didn't answer the phone, they would worry.
This was in the days before cell phones.
Our only phone was on the table in our apartment.
Our flooded apartment.

We braved the icy water and the risk of electrocution to answer the phone.
We wished my folks a Merry Christmas.
Keeping our teeth from chattering, we made small talk.
No mention of of our apartment suddenly becoming a wading pool.
What would've been the point of worrying them?


Living in British Columbia is just a memory.   
Perry Como's Christmas Specials are just a memory.
My parents, also, are just a memory.
But thanks to memories, we can enjoy a Christmas from the past.


During the holidays people often feel a bit down.
If this is your first Christmas after a major loss or change, be gentle with yourself.
Forget the rules. Do what will make it easier for you.

It won't be perfect.
So what?
It will be real… another Christmas memory.