PLANNING FOR HOLIDAY MEALS

 

Roast chicken with fruit stuffing, a festive dish for a holiday meal.

Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, begins at sundown on Monday, September 22—coincidentally the first day of autumn. Those of you who observe the holiday have probably long since planned a special menu and, likely, have even begun the cooking. This is the first of fall/winter holidays, from Rosh Hashana to All Saints/All Souls (Halloween), Thanksgiving to Christmas, Hanukkah to New Year’s, with many occasions to gather friends and family for festive dining.

To help you plan holiday meals, have a look at my new cookbook, Flavors of al-Andalus, The Culinary Legacy of Spain. A section of Menu Suggestions at the back of the book shows you how to use the recipes in your life. 

Here are the menu ideas for an Autumn/Winter Holiday Meal--appetizers, starters, mains, desserts, cookies, and confections. Recipes for all of the dishes listed can be found in Flavors of al-Andalus. (The recipe for Roast Chicken with Fruit Stuffing follows.)

Chicken and Liver Pâté (Morteruelo) accompanied with toasts

Winter Gazpacho with Oranges (Gazpacho de Invierno)

Savory Almond Soup (Sopa de Almendras)

Hake in Saffron Sauce (Merluza al Azafrán)

Roast Chicken with Fruit Stuffing (Pollo Relleno con Frutas) 

Cauliflower (or cardoons) in Almond Sauce (Coliflor en Salsa de Almendras)

Pumpkin Pudding (Arnadí)

Crumbly Olive Oil Cookies (Mantecados de Aceite)

Fig Pâté (Pan de Higos)

Honey-Almond Logs (Alfajores)

The roast chicken is a gorgeous dish for any holiday, but it is especially appropriate for Rosh Hashana because its roots are in Spain’s Sephardic Jewish cooking.

Quite a few of the recipes in Flavors of al-Andalus have come down to us from the community of Sephardic Jews. Sepharad was the name that the Jews gave to the Iberian peninsula, where, for more than 13 centuries, Jews lived alongside Romans, Visigoths, Muslims and Christians in communities throughout the country. The Jews were expelled from Spain in 1492 by the same Catholic monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella, who, having defeated the last of the Moors in the kingdom of Granada, funded Columbus’s scheme to sail west to look for the Spice Islands.

(Note: The recipes in Flavors of al-Andalus with their roots in Islamic Spain are not kosher nor halal. However, they are easily adapted to respect those dietary laws. For instance, Jews can substitute chicken in recipes for rabbit; Muslims can substitute fruit juice for wine. None of the recipes calls for pork, ham or chorizo.)

Roast Chicken with Fruit Stuffing

Pollo Relleno con Frutas

Chicken stuffing is a mixture of dried fruits, apples, and breadcrumbs with Sherry.

(Excerpted from Flavors of al-Andalus, The Culinary Legacy of Spain)

A recipe for “a Jewish dish of chicken with stuffing” appears in an anonymous Arabic manuscript from the 13th century. It calls for the chicken liver and gizzard to be ground up with almonds, pine nuts, fennel, cilantro, spices and beaten eggs. Once the chicken is done and the stuffing set, the recipe instructs the cook to “ladle it out and put the stuffing around it, garnish with cut rue and fennel, eyes of mint, and toasted almonds, and present it, God willing.”

Fast-forward to the 21st century, and we find a recipe from Catalonia (the eastern Mediterranean region where Barcelona is located) for roast, stuffed chicken or turkey that is prepared for the Christmas feast. It is stuffed with pork sausage meat, nuts and dried fruits. The origin of the recipe may well be medieval Jewish, when it would have been made with a forcemeat of minced chicken or veal instead of pork. It is a very festive dish.

A medium-dry Sherry such as amontillado or oloroso seco flavors the stuffing and the pan juices. If not available, use any white wine. Use any combination of dried fruits. Truffles are an optional, luxurious, addition to the stuffing mixture. Small onions, carrots, and turnips can be added to the roasting pan, if desired.

The stuffing can also be used for small birds such as squab, Cornish game hens or for turkey (although turkey is not included in recipes in Flavors of al-Andalus because it is a fowl from the New World, unknown in Moorish Spain).

Serves 8.

1 roasting chicken or capon (5 to 6 pounds)

1 teaspoon salt + more for sprinkling

Freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon + ½ cup medium-dry Sherry

1 cup chopped dried fruits (raisins, apricots, prunes, figs)

¼ cup hot water

8 ounces ground chicken or veal

3 tablespoons olive oil

¼ cup pine nuts

½ cup chopped onions

1 cup fresh breadcrumbs

1 cup diced apple

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

Pinch of cloves

Pinch freshly grated nutmeg

3 tablespoons chopped parsley

Pinch dried thyme

Truffles, diced (optional)

1 tablespoon capers 

Small onions, carrots, turnips (optional)

½ to 1 cup chicken stock

Sprinkle the chicken inside and out with salt and pepper. Rub the cavity with 1 tablespoon of the Sherry. Allow the chicken to come to room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 450ºF.

Soak the dried fruits in hot water for 10 minutes to soften them. 

Combine the ground chicken in a large bowl with the dried fruits and their soaking water. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a small skillet and toast the pine nuts until golden. Skim them out and add to the bowl with the ground chicken. Add the onion to the skillet and sauté until softened, 3 minutes. Add the onion to the bowl along with the breadcrumbs, apple, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, parsley, thyme, truffles if using, capers, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Combine well.

Stuff the chicken with the mixture. Skewer the neck and body openings closed and truss the chicken with kitchen twine. Place in a heavy roasting pan or in a large ovenproof skillet. Drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. (Add vegetables to the roasting pan, if desired.)

Place the pan in the oven and turn the oven temperature down to 350ºF. Roast the chicken for 30 minutes. Add the remaining ½ cup Sherry and ½ cup stock to the pan. Spoon some of the juices over the chicken. Roast for 30 minutes more, basting occasionally. Add up to ½ cup additional stock if the pan looks dry. Roast 1 hour more or until internal temperature of the stuffing reaches 160ºF when tested with an instant-read thermometer.

Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and allow to rest 20 minutes. Carve the chicken and scoop the stuffing into a serving bowl. Skim the fat from the remaining pan juices. Spoon some of the juices over the chicken and serve the rest in a bowl.

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More recipes for Rosh Hashana:

Stuffed Chickens Roasted in a Clay Pot (from Sabores de Sefarad by Javier Zafra).

Chicken Braised in Spiced Grape Juice

Chicken Marbella (my version)

Black-Eyed Peas for the New Year

Apple Cake with Honey-Wine Syrup

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***Anyada buena, dulce i alegre.*** Feliz año nuevo.***Happy New Year.***

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FLAVORS OF AL-ANDALUS 

The Culinary Legacy of Spain

has menus and recipes for Tapas Party, Brunch, Summer Barbecue, Family Dinners (one vegetarian), Sunday Lunch, Dinner Party, Spring Holiday Meal, and Autumn/Winter Holiday Meal. From your favorite bookseller or click below to order. 

This cookbook explores the fascinating story of the deep and lasting influences that Islamic culture has left on modern Spanish cooking. 

Author and Spanish cooking expert Janet Mendel tells the story of the Moorish influence on Spanish cooking through 120 recipes and photographs for modern-day dishes, from salads and vegetables to fish, poultry and meat to sweets and pastries, that trace their heritage to foods served in medieval times. Dishes from this era include exotic spices such as saffron, the use of fruits and almonds with savory dishes, and honeyed sweets and pastries. The flavors of al-Andalus live on in modern Spanish cooking and are what makes Spain’s cuisine distinctive from the rest of Europe. (Hippocrene Books)    

 Order on IndiePubs

Use PROMO CODE HIPPOCRENE40 for 40% off on all Hippocrene titles at IndiePubs online bookstore.

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FLAVORS OF AL-ANDALUS by Janet Mendel is the #1 New Release in Spanish Cooking on Amazon!

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HAPPY NEW YEAR!

 

A bowl of good fortune for the New Year! Black-eyed peas with vegetables and a scattering of red pomegranate.

I’m cooking up a pot of black-eyed peas to celebrate the New Year. But, you say, it’s a few months before January 1, 2024. True, but Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, is right upon us, based on a lunar calendar, the first day of the Hebrew month of Tishrei. This year Rosh Hashana begins at sundown next Friday, September 15. 

In the American south, black-eyed peas, symbolizing good fortune and prosperity, are cooked for New Year’s.  Amongst Sephardic Jews, black-eyed peas also are eaten to welcome the New Year for similar symbolic reasons. 

Black-eyed peas are similar to, but not related to, familiar beans such as navy, cannellini, lima, pinto, black. Those beans are all New World legumes, whereas black-eyed peas/beans, native to the African continent, were known in Biblical times.  

Black-eyed peas cook up soft and creamy without disintegrating to mush. They readily soak up flavors, so benefit from spices, herbs, lots of garlic, tangy accents from citrus or vinegar. And salt, they need plenty of salt, and olive oil. 

In Spain, black-eyed peas are called alubia carilla, judía de careta or, in Catalan, fesolets.    

My recipe here is similar to the Spanish potaje de carillas, but without the usual chorizo and pork belly! It’s completely vegan, in fact, so would be a perfect dish for Rosh Hashana or any meal. It can be served hot or cold, as a side dish with meat or as a vegetarian main. 

Not collard greens as in the South, but chard, spinach or beet greens can be cooked with the beans. I’ve added a garnish of pomegranate seeds. The ruby-red arils of this autumnal fruit are also considered auspicious for the Rosh Hashana holiday. 

Carrot "coins," rings of leek, chard leaves and black-eyed peas all have symbolic meanings for the New Year meal.

Serve the black-eyed peas as a vegetarian main dish or as a side dish alongside meat or chicken. 

Black-eyed Peas

Potaje de Carillas

For this recipe, I started with dried black-eyed peas that need to be soaked overnight then cooked 60 to 90 minutes. If you can get fresh shelling black-eyed peas, you will need about 3 cups shelled. They do not need soaking and should cook in about 40 minutes. If using frozen peas, use about 6 cups cooked and frozen ones. 

As with all legumes, it’s best to use soft water for soaking and cooking the peas. If you have especially hard water, add a pinch of baking soda to the soaking and cooking water or use low-mineral bottled water for cooking. Spanish cooks say you should asustar the beans—give them a "scare" while they cook—when they are partially cooked, add a half-cup of cold water to “shock” them. Supposedly, this keeps their skins from splitting. 

Crush the whole spices, garlic and herbs in a mortar or substitute ground spices, if preferred.

The cooked black-eyed peas can be served cold as a salad. Add additional olive oil and vinegar to them and serve with salad greens. 

Serves 6 to 8 as a vegetable side dish.

2 cups dried black-eyed peas (1 pound)

Water for soaking and cooking

3 carrots, peeled

1 leek, divided

1 stalk celery

1-2 bay leaves

1 ½ teaspoons salt

1/3 cup olive oil + additional to finish

1 cup chopped onions

½ teaspoon coarse salt

10 peppercorns

2 cloves

2 coriander seeds

1/8 teaspoon cumin seeds

½ teaspoon oregano

4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

4 cups chopped leaves and stems of chard

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Pomegranate arils, to garnish (optional)

Eight hours (or more) before cooking: place the black-eyed peas in a bowl or pan and cover them with water. Leave them to soak. (Two cups dried beans will swell to almost six cups soaked.) 

Drain the beans. Place them in a pan and add 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil and skim off the froth that rises to the top. Reduce heat to medium, cover and cook the beans 15 minutes.

Add the carrots, half of the leek, celery and 1 ½ teaspoons salt. Cover and cook the beans 30 minutes.

Crush spices in mortar.

While beans are cooking, heat the oil in a skillet and sauté the onions on medium heat until they are very soft but not browned, 6 to 8 minutes. If they start to brown, add a few drops of water and continue frying them. Slice the remaining half of the leek and add the slices to the onion.

Place the coarse salt in a mortar with the peppercorns, cloves, coriander, cumin and oregano. Crush the spices and herbs to powder. Add the garlic and continue crushing to make a paste. Remove the carrots from the pan of beans. Cut one carrot in half. Add half a carrot to the mortar mixture and mash it with the spices. (Reserve remaining carrots.) Dilute the paste with a spoonful of the bean cooking liquid. 

Stir the paste from the mortar into the sautéed onions in the skillet. Fry them two minutes more. Stir the contents of the skillet into the beans along with the chopped chard. Add ½ cup of cold water and continue cooking the beans until they are very tender, about 20 minutes. 

The peas and vegetables can be served soupy, with cooking liquid, or scooped out with a slotted spoon and served fairly dry. Be sure to drizzle extra virgin olive oil on top before serving.

Remove and discard the bay leaf, piece of cooked leek and celery. Slice the reserved cooked carrots and return them to the pan. Stir in the lemon juice. Allow the black-eyed peas to set 10 minutes before serving.

Serve the black-eyed peas in bowls with their liquid or, as a vegetable side dish, removed from the pan with a slotted spoon. Drizzle olive oil over the top. Garnish with pomegranate, if desired.

More recipes for Rosh Hashanah:

Chicken Braised in Spiced Grape Juice.

Apple Cake with Honey-Wine Syrup.

Chicken Not-Marbella.

Stuffed Chickens Roasted in a Clay Pot.

Spicy Moroccan Squash Salad.