’TIS SEASON FOR EATING
Favourites from SP staffers
HEATHER PERSSON’S STEAMED CARROT PUDDING
Ingredients:
■ 2 cups grated carrots
■ 2 cups grated potato
■ 2 cups all-purpose flour
■ 2 cups white sugar
■ 1 ½ cups raisins
■ 1 cup currants (optional)
■ 1 cup butter or shortening
■ 1 tsp. ground cloves
■ 1 tsp. nutmeg
■ 1 tsp. cinnamon
■ 2 tsp. soda
■ Can add candied peel, cherries and fruit to taste
Directions:
1. Grate carrots and potatoes. Cream butter and sugar.
2. Add the carrots and half the potatoes and mix well.
3. Sprinkle fruits with flour and combine with first mixture.
4. Dissolve soda in remaining potatoes.
5. Add the flour and spices. Mix lightly in the rest of the batter.
6. Pour into buttered bowls or pans.
7. Cover with greased brown paper and steam for three hours.
LORI COOLICAN’S CRANBERRY ALMOND RICE “STUFFING”
I come from a family of stuffing lovers, which means we often demand more than one kind at Christmas. This one is really more of a rice pilaf, and was my favourite as a child. It was often made ahead of time and then warmed in a casserole dish in the oven before serving, rather than being used to actually stuff the bird. That makes it vegan-friendly (although it’s fabulous drizzled with turkey gravy). It also happens to be gluten-free. Measurements are approximate because precision is not necessary for this recipe. It’s flexible.
Ingredients:
■ About four cups of cooked rice (white, brown, red, wild or a mixture, whatever you prefer) or another grain such as quinoa can be used. I like a mix of white and wild rice.
■ About 4 tbsp. of olive oil (or melted butter)
■ One yellow onion, finely chopped
■ Four diced celery stalks, including the leaves
■ One clove of garlic, minced
■ About half a cup of chopped fresh parsley (or about 2 tbsp. of dried parsley)
■ About 2 tbsp. of fresh thyme leaves, or 2 tsp. of dried thyme leaves
■ A few pinches of dried rosemary, one pinch of dried sage (optional)
■ About a third of a cup of sliced or roughly chopped almonds About a third of a cup of dried cranberries
■ Salt and pepper to taste Directions:
1. In a large skillet on low heat, sauté the onion and celery with the oil, herbs and a little salt until the onion is translucent.
2. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant.
3. Turn off the heat and add the cooked rice, almonds and cranberries.
4. Stir until well mixed.
5. Add pepper and salt.
6. Transfer to a casserole dish and keep warm, or make ahead and store in the fridge until ready to reheat. Storing it in the fridge overnight before reheating helps the flavours develop.
MATT SMITH’S CHRISTMAS BOURBON
Ingredients:
■ Bourbon, any amount
Directions:
1. Pour bourbon in glass. Enjoy.
BRE MCADAM’S MOM’S JEWISH SHORTBREAD
Ingredients:
■ ½ pound soft butter
■ ⅓ cup white sugar
■ ½ cup finely ground nuts (almonds, pecans, walnuts)
■ 1 tsp. vanilla
■ 1 ⅔ cup flour
■ Pinch of salt
Topping:
■ ½ cup white sugar
■ 4 tsp. cinnamon
Directions:
1. Mix first six ingredients together and beat well.
2. Shape into crescents and place one inch apart on a non-greased cookie sheet.
3. Bake at 325 F for 15 to 20 minutes.
4. While still warm, coat with sugar and cinnamon mixture.
ASHLEY TRASK’S POPPYCOCK
Ingredients:
■ 1 cup almonds or pecans
■ 13 cups popped corn
■ 1 cup sugar
■ 1 cup butter
■ ½ cup Lily White corn syrup
■ ½ tsp. cream of tartar
■ ½ tsp. baking soda
■ 1 tsp. vanilla
■
Directions:
1. Before starting the poppycock production, pop the corn and set aside in a large bin. Sift the popcorn at least three times to remove all the unwanted hulls and kernels. This step will increase the quality of the finished product.
2. Place nuts and popped corn in a large bowl and set aside.
3. Combine sugar, butter, corn syrup and cream of tartar in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Cook until the mixture reaches 230 degrees on a candy thermometer.
4. Remove from heat and stir in baking soda and vanilla.
5. Pour over popped corn and nuts, stir until coated.
Yield: 16 cups
A VERY ZAK VESCERA “GLØG”
Pronounced “glue-gh,” this Scandinavian take on mulled wine could have only been invented by people whose climate is as ungodly as our own. I learned this from an old Norwegian roommate and it has been a family favourite since, by which I mean I drink this by myself all the time. The Danes call it “gløgg” and the Swedes say “glögg” but what’s an extra “g” or “ö” between friends? It tastes great all the same.
Ingredients:
■ 1 bottle red wine, ideally a Malbec or something with a full body.
■ 3 tbsp. of sugar
■ Half an orange, rind and juice
■ 2 tbsp. of blanched almonds
■ 6 cloves
■ 1 piece of star anise
■ 1 stick of cinnamon
■ 1 tbsp. of cardamom
■ 1 tsp. of vanilla extract
Directions:
1. Put a quarter cup of water in a big pot at medium heat.
2. Gradually blend the sugar until it starts to reduce, mixing quickly to avoid sticking or burning.
3. Add cloves, anise and the orange rind as soon as it starts to thicken.
4. Squeeze in the juice of your orange half. Follow with the wine. That’s right, all of it.
5. Chuck in the cinnamon stick and the vanilla and get it piping hot.
6. Kill the heat and let it sit for at least 30 minutes.
7. Strain to remove the spices, then throw in the almonds. Still got the other half of the orange? Then you’ve got a garnish. Enjoy the fruits (and almonds) of your labour and sleep easy knowing this recipe can easily be doubled (or tripled) in case of emergency.
KEVIN MITCHELL’S
AUNT SYLVIA’S MOLASSES COOKIES
My sainted aunt Sylvia was a dervish in the kitchen as I grew up, and never more so than at Christmastime, when a variety of confections — passed down through decades and possibly even centuries — rolled off her recipe cards and into my stomach. Old-school Norwegian treats abounded, as did various hybrid Canadian specialties. I doubt she actually read those cards — the making of these treats was equal parts rote memory and love — and when I asked my mom for one of those recipes, she pulled out the most basic of them all: Molasses cookies. Aunt Sylvia made even these taste good.
Ingredients:
■ Three cups flour
■ 1 ½ tsp. cinnamon
■ 1 ½ tsp. baking powder
■ ½ cup margarine (melted)
■ ¼ tsp. salt
■ One cup molasses
■ ½ tsp. baking soda
■ 2 Tbsp. warm water
■ ½ tsp. ginger
■ One egg, beaten
Directions:
1. Mix. Refrigerate. Roll out fairly thick.
2. Bake at 350 F for 15 minutes.