Niagara foodies talk holiday traditions
It never quite feels like Christmas until I’ve watched Hugh Grant portray a Pointer Sisters- loving British prime minister in the holiday dramedy Love Actually.
It’s as much a tradition as it is to put up a real tree and celebrate on Dec. 24, like the good daughter of Germans, then spend Christmas Day in pyjamas watching good prevail over evil in The Sound of Music.
Traditions at this time of year run strong and deep, giving us a sense of comfort and an opportunity to reflect. Once the credits have rolled on Love Actually, I feel structure set in for the holidays. It’s time to plan meals and shopping, and finally tune into the 24/ 7 holiday music on the radio.
Traditions also foster a feeling of connection, so in that spirit, I asked some of Niagara’s finest in the food world about their favourite holiday rituals.
Here’s what they said:
Tony de Luca, chef- professor, Canadian Food and Wine Institute
Our biggest day of the holidays is Dec. 24. Our dinner on Christmas Eve is a veritable seafood extravaganza. The menu varies but you can always count on my mom’s stuffed clams. Once dinner is done, we resist the urge to sleep and get ready for midnight mass. As kids, we loved midnight mass because once we got home we’d be allowed to open our gifts. That was a good tactic to get the kids to church. I used it with great success with my own kids. Over the years, traditions have become more nuanced and menus have changed slightly, but being with family has remained constant. It has provided me with a lifetime of joy and happiness.
Laura Wright, author and blogger, The First Mess
My mother makes this decadent, spiced, sweet, sticky, and golden yeasted bread that’s baked in a bundt pan for Christmas morning. The old recipe card simply says “Cinnamon Buns” at the top, but it’s another thing entirely. The dough is dropped into the pan in bits and pieces so that the sugar and spice mixture can make these caramelized crevices throughout. From the moment I see the first holiday decoration up in my neighbourhood, I can practically smell that bread and I immediately imagine myself having a slice with a cup of tea in my PJ’s surrounded by my family.
Victor Ratzlaff, farmer, Victor’s Farm Shares
Every Christmas morning, I’d wake up in the wee hours and gather with my siblings in the kitchen of our small farmhouse. Scotch tape, ribbon cuttings, empty cardboard boxes — all evidence of our parents preparations the night before — littered the kitchen table. Most vivid in my memory was the closed door to the living room, hiding a decorated Christmas tree and gifts. This door remained tightly closed until my father finished milking our 23 Holstein cows and returned home. My glee and childish impatience made the wait feel painful. Finally, at my father’s appearance, we lined up youngest to oldest. Being the youngest, I was the first to burst through the door and lay eyes upon memories to last a lifetime.
Jess Bretzlaff, owner, The Bagel Oven
My favourite holiday memory is the Chanukah party. Rooms full of family, and friends that might as well be family, loudly catching up. Piles of food on every surface. And in the kitchen, my uncle, Harvey, standing at the stove, scooping potato pancake ( latke) batter into piping hot oil. I can hear the batter crackle as it hits the pan, and smell the frying potato as the pancakes reach their golden perfection. I don’t think one pancake ever made it to the table. They were all gobbled up fresh from the stove- top with heaps of sour cream and applesauce.
Brian Schmidt, winemaker, Vineland Estates Winery
I love cooking the Christmas turkey after waking up in the morning and drinking coffee while opening presents. It starts with my not- so-soon-to- be- famous sage and celery stuffing. Once the stuffing is prepared and the turkey has rested, the ugly work begins: stuffing the bird. I have yet to find a graceful way to stuff a turkey. We cook it slowly for hours and the most important ingredient is butter. A Christmas dinner needs at least two pounds of butter. Butter in the all the veggies, butter in the potatoes, butter on the bread, basting the turkey with butter ( and savoury). Once the “work” is done, I enjoy diving into the cellar to find a handful of wines that will be enjoyed by friends and family. We always have Riesling and Cab Franc on the table.
Yaneth Londono, executive director, Links for Greener Learning
Starting on Dec. 16 and for the following nine days, family and friends gather to read a book called Novena de Aguinaldos. It’s a set of prayers that tell what Virgin Mary and St. Joseph went through before the birth of Jesus. The book is passed around to read and the prayers are recited together as a group. We also sing and share food, such as buñuelos, natilla and other sweets. Just as Virgin Mary and St. Joseph went to a different place each night seeking shelter, a different member of the group hosts the Novena de Navidad. On Dec. 24, all families celebrate the birth of Jesus together, praying, having a special dinner and sharing presents.
AdamHynam- Smith, chef- owner, El Gastronomo Vagabundo
No turkey. Boxing day cricket. Homemade eggnog. Cold beer. For context, in Australia where ( I’m) from, Christmas is much more about getting together with family over good food, and less about gift giving. It’s summer in Australia, so cricket is in full swing, and the temperature dictates the meal. We cook something different every year, but there are some staples like Nan’s Sago Plum Pudding with brandy cream for dessert. It’s never a typical turkey dinner like we do here. This year at our house, we’re having fried chicken with biscuits and waffles and duck skin maple gravy, and the cricket will be on all day.
Tara O’Brady, cookbook author and food writer
For our two boys we’ve always done 12 days of festive activities for the fortnight before Christmas. When our sons were small we had glitter- flecked cards that we turned over with great ceremony to reveal “watch a holiday movie and eat popcorn” and “make homemade peppermint marshmallows” or “write letters to Santa.” Our sons are older now, and we often double up our festive cheer with charitable endeavours. It might be an afternoon of hot chocolate and counting up the change we’ve collected all year to buy warm clothes and gifts for families going without this season. Or filling a grocery bag for Community Care on our way to seeing the lights at the falls. They’re small gestures, but feel like part of the ritual of the holiday.
Jim Brandle, CEO, Vineland Research and Innovation Centre
We are a mixed German- Canadian family and that means the tree is real and it goes up Christmas Eve with decorations reflecting both sides of the Atlantic: a straw star from Germany on the top, and tinsel from here. Food- wise, we have steak and homemade french fries — simple and delicious and completely unconnected to either of our cultures.
Nicole Pajak, owner, Small Batch Juice Co.
Growing up in a Polish household, my holidays are filled with a lot of borscht and pierogies, as one might expect. However, nothing is better than drinking my mom’s kompot, an Eastern European version of apple cider, while opening our presents and watching White Christmas. This warm beverage is made from dried fruits, like apples, apricots, raisins and figs. It’s spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg and clove and is quintessentially Christmas in a cup.
Kevin Echlin, chef- owner, The Smokin’ Buddha
It’s going with family to pick out a tree, bring it home, and have my daughters make hot chocolate, which oddly leaves me removing the tree from the roof of the car and getting it through the front door. That’s when everyone seems to have a chocolate moustache and they all say “do you want some help?” Once inside, I put it on the stand, then sit back and watch the kids decorate.
Elva Tammemägi, farmer, Rhizome Farms
My favourite holiday tradition is the annual Christmas get- together where we enjoy classic Estonian foods. My favourite is sauerkraut ( hapukapsas). Our family has hosted this party at our home for years and my mother was always the sauerkraut expert. As kids, my siblings and I hated the smell of sauerkraut simmering on the stove. It seemed to overwhelm the whole house. In more recent years, my sister and father have taken over the honour of making sauerkraut. Nowadays, the wonderful smell of sauerkraut is a tribute to my mother’s memory and recalls memories of warmth and love.