Anna Sultana's Cioppino & New Year Pork Roast & Lucky Foods For The New Year

Hard to believe, but 2018 is drawing to a close.

Hope it’s been a good year for you, and that 2019 will be an even better one!

Everyone has traditional Christmas recipes - as well as a few old favourites - so I didn’t post any new recipes. 

I posted Ma’s East Coast Seafood Chowder as a suggestion for other seniors who might like to simplify the seven fish for Christmas Eve tradition.

Over the past month over 12,000 of you dear folks have looked up recipes in this blog.

Thank you for visiting - I’m glad I could be of help.

I hope you, your friends and families enjoyed the festivities at your table.

There are also a few food traditions for New Year’s Eve and Day.

I’ve heard that some customs will even bring you wealth and luck.

Well, anyway, they’re a bit of fun and fine recipes for when folks gather to celebrate the coming year.

Eat poor on New Year’s and eat fat the rest of the year is something folks say in the southern United States, where they usually eat black-eyed peas, along with ham, greens, and cornbread on New Year’s Day in the hope that the meal will bring good luck and wealth. 

Greens represent the green bills, while peas and cornbread stands for coins and gold.

Lentils and beans also promise a shower of coins in the coming year. 

Along with American southerners, many other folks eat pork on New Year’s Day.

The thinking goes that pigs root around in a forward motion, so pork symbolizes progress for the coming year.

I know... practically all animals walk in a forward motion, but, for some reason, folks focused on pigs for this good luck custom.

If you’re planning to serve leftover turkey a side dish flavoured with pork, ham or sausage is fine.

A side dish of pork and beans, even if it’s canned, works just as well to get the New Year's luck mojo working.

The Pennsylvania Dutch have a similar pork recipe for success.

They don’t feature collared greens as the southerners do, but serve cabbage or sauerkraut with the pork to guarantee good luck and good fortune in the new year.

In Germany it’s believed that eating sauerkraut on New Year's Eve will bring blessings and wealth. 

Before the meal those seated wish each other as much goodness and money as the number of shreds of cabbage in the pot of sauerkraut.

It’s time to really shred that head of cabbage!

Fish symbolize abundance in the new year. Asians feast on whole fish to celebrate Lunar New year, while Europeans eat cod, herring, and carp. The silvery scales stand for coinage.

A few weeks ago I posted Ma’s recipe for East Coast Seafood Chowder.

It should bring some luck on New Year’s Eve, too.

Fruits and grains also have their place on New Year’s Eve:

People in Spain and Mexico eat 12 grapes at midnight for luck for in the new year. 

In Greece people throw pomegranates to the floor to release a flood of seeds that symbolize life and abundance.

A generous sprinkling of pomegranate seeds on a bowl of pudding should do the job, and is way less messy.

Extra long noodles are thought to bring long life if you eat them without breaking them in the middle, and rice is all about fertility and wealth.

And for dessert… ring shaped cakes and rounded sweet treats bring a full circle of luck to the eater.

Hope you made - or bought - some round cookies for Christmas and have a few left.

Hints:

Here’s an easy way to prepare A New Year Pork Roast

Preheat oven to 350º F 

Combine

1 Tablespoon garlic powder

1/2 Tablespoon dried sage

Rub the mixture over 

2 pound boneless pork loin roast

Place the meat in a baking pan or casserole. 

Surround the meat with 

4 Cups sauerkraut 

Cover and bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes to 1 hour.

You want the internal temperature has reached 145º F 

Remove roast to a platter and surround with sauerkraut. 

Serve with cornbread and beans extra luck.

If you prefer shredded cabbage, sprinkle it with vinegar and dill.

About the timing for the pork roast:

Some roasts are on the squarish side, some are more like a long sausage. 

If your roast is on the long side, and you prefer it a bit pink, 40 to 45 minutes 

should be enough. 

Take it out after 40 minutes and check.

Back to the Seafood Chowder…

Next time you’re in your market take a peek at the bagged seafood mixtures.

One I often use has squid, shrimp, cuttlefish, octopus, mussels and clams.

Add some cubed cod - or if you really feel like celebrating, some lobster - and you’ll have the seven items needed for the Christmas Eve traditional dish.

You could also buy a box of bacon-wrapped scallops, heat and serve as an appetizer.

Seven fish - no problem.

About that bagged mix, the shrimp is on the tiny size.

Some larger shrimp tossed into the pot would add to the presentation.

                                   Cioppino

Thaw overnight in the refrigerator

about 1 1/4 pounds seafood: squid, shrimp, cuttlefish, octopus, mussels and clams

3/4 cup mussel meat (optional)

3/4 cup clam meat (optional)

4 ounces cod or lobster

8 large shrimp (optional)

1 pound box of mussels in wine

Finely chop

2 medium onions

Place in a large pot

1/4 cup olive oil

Heat over a medium low flame.

Add

the chopped onion

1 tablespoon garlic powder
2 Tablespoons dried parsley

Cook slowly, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft.

Add

28 ounces canned diced tomatoes, undrained    
1 bay leaf
1/2 tablespoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

Mix well. 

Cover and simmer 30 minutes.

Stir in

the thawed seafood and mussels

Bring to a boil. 

Lower heat, cover and simmer 7 minutes or until mussels open. 

Remove the mussels that don’t open.

Ladle soup into bowls.

Sprinkle over each serving

chopped parsley (optional)

Serve with warm, crusty bread to sop up the broth.

Happy New Year!!

Anna Sultana's Bebbux bl-Arjoli - Land Snails or Seafood with Hot Arjoli Sauce, Maltese Style

Ma's recipe for Bebbux bl-Arjoli is one of my most popular posts.

If you haven't tried it, it's a recipe for Snails with Arjoli Sauce.

Yes, snails.

But it's a very good sauce recipe.

This is a slightly different recipe.

Try both and see which you prefer.

In Malta snails are collected after the first Autumn rains in mid-October.

Then the snails are starved before being cooked.  

This is done by keeping them in a pot for a few days.

Ah, tradition!

I have never been able to find fresh snails in my local grocery store.

Neither could Ma in College Point, New York during the 1950s or 1960s.

But Arjoli Sauce goes just as well with shrimp, or clams, or mussels.

And shrimp, clams and mussels are easier to prepare.

Shrimp is also sold pre-cooked.

I'll give the instructions for preparing snails.

If you're using one of the other three, or something else, well,
I trust you to know what to do.

                        Land Snails with Hot Arjoli Sauce

Wash thoroughly in salted water a few times

4 pounds snails

In a medium pot of salted boiling water add the snails.

Simmer until the snails are cooked.

Test if the snails are cooked by trying to remove the snail from the shell.

If cooked, the flesh comes away easily.

Drain and remove each snail from its shell.

Place on a large platter.

Hot Arjoli Sauce

Mix well together

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 Tablespoon chopped parsley

1 Tablespoon garlic, crushed

1 hot red pepper, chopped

3 Tablespoons plain dried bread crumbs 

1/8 teaspoon salt 

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 Tablespoon vinegar

Pour sauce over the cooked snails.

The snails should be served hot with the sauce and any green salad.

They can also be served with hobz biz-zejt (Maltese bread with oil) 

cut into small pieces as an appetizer or first course.

Carmela Soprano's Insalata di Mare / Seafood Salad with Dressing (for 6 or 50)

Tomorrow is Good Friday.

Time for another fish recipe.

I really like the recipes in Charmaine Bucco's chapter, Cooking for the Whole Famiglia 

in her husband Artie's The Sopranos Family Cookbook.

Charmaine gives recipes for a regular crowd and for when you've invited all the
in-laws, cousins and relatives over.

As often happens during the holidays.

Like Easter.

Charmaine's recipe for Insalata di Mare is perfect as part of una bella mangiata.

A great meal.

If you have extra mussels, no problem.
They would be great in Carmela Soprano's Mussels in Spicy Tomato Sauce.

Hints:

After the mussels have soaked, scrub them with a stiff brush to scrape off any barnacles or seaweed.

Discard any mussels with cracked shells, and those that don't close tightly when tapped.

Remove the beards by pulling them toward the narrow end of the shell.

The squid should be cleaned and prepared by cutting crosswise into 1/2 inch rings.

If you are making the salad ahead of time, toss with only half the dressing.

Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 hours.

Toss with the remaining dressing just before serving.

                        Insalata di Mare

Serves 6                                                                     Serves 50   

Place in cold water to cover

2 pounds mussels                                                        16 pounds

Let sit 30 minutes.

Drain and scrub them with a stiff brush (see above).

Place the mussels in a large pot with

1/2 Cup water                                                              1/2 Cup 

Cover and cook until the mussels open (about 10 minutes).

Discard any that refuse to open.

Half fill a large saucepan with                                       dutch oven

water

Bring to a simmer.

Add 

salt to taste

1 pound medium shrimp                                                8 pounds

Cook for 3 minutes.

Scoop out the shrimp and cool under cold running water.

Bring the water to a boil.

Drain the shrimp well.

Cut into bite-sized pieces.

Drop into the boiling water

1 pound squid                                                                8 pounds                                             

Cook about 1 minute.

Scoop out the squid and cool under cold running water.

Drain the squid well.

In a large bowl combine

the prepared shrimp and squid

1 Cup thinly sliced celery                                                8 Cups

1 Cup sliced pitted green olives                                       8 Cups

Whisk together

1/3 Cup extra virgin olive oil                                     2 1/2 Cups

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest                                1 1/2 Tablespoons

2 Tablespoons lemon juice, or to taste                      1 Cup, or to taste

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley            1 Cup

2 garlic cloves, minced                                                     16

pinch of crushed red pepper                                          To taste

Pour the dressing over the salad mixture.

Toss well.

Taste for seasoning.

Garnish with 

1 lemon, cut into wedges                                              6

Would I make Insalata di Mare again?

Yes, especially for Christmas Eve.

It would be perfect as part of The Feast of the Seven Fishes.

I mean, it has three different forms of seafood already!!
Then there's the eel...

One recipe down.  Twenty-eight more to go.

Carmela Soprano's Mussels in Spicy Tomato Sauce with Garlic Bread - Zuppa di Cozze

December.

The holidays.

The family.

Time to visit the shrink, Dr. Jennifer Melfi, M.D., M.A., M.F.T.

And just as stressed out as the rest of us.

Jennifer's chapter Rage, Guilt, Loneliness, and Food has a piece about a research paper.  It covers:

Why do Italian-Americans care so much about food?

Is it a sign of some deep-seated cultural neurosis?

Guilty Eaters, Angry Eaters and Single Eaters.

Fun stuff.

Do not read this part of her chapter now.

December is bad enough.

But, there are some good recipes in the chapter.

And some are physical enough to work off some holiday angst.

If time is short, do some of the mussels prep while the sauce is simmering.

It's good exercise to scrub the barnacles and seaweed off the mussels.

It's fun to toss any that have cracked shells or do not shut tightly when tapped.

Remove the beards by pulling them toward the narrow end of the shell.

It wouldn't hurt, while doing this, to think of someone who's giving you a hard time.

And much better than slapping that person silly.

Bought extra mussels?
Another good recipe is Carmela Soprano's Linguine alle Vongole.
Yes, it works with mussels.

                        Zuppa di Cozze 

Serves 4

Place in enough cold water to cover

4 pounds mussels or small clams

Let sit for 30 minutes.

Drain and scrub them with a stiff brush.

In a large skillet pour

1/3 Cup olive oil

Add to the oil

4 garlic cloves, very finely chopped

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

a pinch of crushed red pepper

Cook, over low heat, 1 minute.

Stir in

1 Cup dry white wine

Bring to a simmer.

Add

2 28 to 35 ounce cans Italian peeled tomatoes, drained and chopped

pinch of salt

Stirring occasionally, cook over medium heat until the sauce is slightly thickened (about 20 minutes).

Gently stir in the mussels.

Cover the pot.

Cook until the mussels open (about 10 minutes).

Discard any that refuse to open.

WHILE THE MUSSELS ARE COOKING:

Toast

8 slices Italian bread

Rub the toast with

1 whole garlic clove

Serve with the mussels.

Would I make Zuppa di Cozze again?

Sure.

It also goes well with pasta.

And all that prep work probably saved someone from a punch in the nose.

One recipe down.  Seventy-one more to go. 

Carmela Soprano's Spaghetti with Red Clam Sauce, Anna Sultana's Fish

We don't live like Tony and Carmela Soprano.  

In addition to not having a big house on a hill and not having people shooting at us, we don't live on the east coast.  Not even close.  We live in Manitoba.  That's in the middle of North America.  We're in the prairies.  Not like Tony and Carmela in New Jersey, near the ocean.

Carmela has her pick of seafood.  She probably used to send her nephew Christopher, before Tony whacked him, to Fulton's Fish Market to get fish fresh off the boat.  

Carmela has a recipe for Spaghetti with Red Clam Sauce in Entertaining with The Sopranos.  She gets a little picky in this recipe: "3 pounds very small clams, such as Manila or mahogany clams, or New Zealand cockles (or mussels)".

She just takes for granted everybody waltzes past barrels of fresh seafood every day.

Some girls have it all.

Okay.  This week, as part of Dollar Days, Sobeys is taking a buck off their 2 pound package of live P. E. I. mussels.  This is important because normally our local Sobeys doesn't carry mussels, dead or alive.  They make an effort to get some when mussels are mentioned in the flyer.  Ladies in my neighborhood can get a little ticked off at the "Our supplier didn't send us any" line when there's a sale.  I mean, we're not second class citizens. 

So, I made Spaghetti with Red Clam Sauce using P. E. I. mussels.

Like I had a choice.

Once you get the mussels, the recipe is pretty easy.  Clean the mussels and throw away the broken or dead ones.  Cook 2 pints of halved cherry (or grape) tomatoes with the mussels and some olive oil, garlic, crushed red pepper, parsley and salt.  Save some of the pasta's cooking water if the mixture seems a little dry.

It's a bit of a hassle eating clams.  Maybe that's why we didn't have any at Ma's house.  We had fish.  Sometimes it was fresh bluefish which was bought from the fellows at Sheepshead Bay.  I also remember Pop bringing home some clams from Oyster Bay.  

But, we kids never ate them.  Maybe we made a scene or a mess when we were little and Ma figured it wasn't worth the bother.  

  

I'd make Red Clam Sauce - with mussels - again.  Just have to wait for another Dollar Day. 

Another recipe down.  Fifty-four more to go.