What an international holiday season! December is filled with a million holiday parties. My problem is that I never know exactly what to make. Do you bring an okay dish that is ubiquitously accepted? Do you go rogue and bring a dish that you like in the hopes of introducing people to their new favorite dish that they never knew they were missing before that holiday party? Or, will your attempt at being interesting be an epic failure? Well, I decided to go all out and go as ethnic as one could possibly go in America.
First party, I made a delicious Palestinian dish called musakhan. I first had it in Richmond, Virginia of all places. My mother and I had been going to the Mediterranean Bakery Deli there since I was little to buy spices and ingredients for her Burmese dishes. I was always drawn to the deli case where there would be all kinds of yummy food. Every chance I had, I would try one thing in that case that I had never tried before, and I fell in love with musakhan, a sumac-spiced chicken and caramelized onion dish. It is a very simply spiced dish involving olive oil, ground sumac berries, salt, and pepper. The secret to making the dish extra tasty is to dip the bread in the oil left over after cooking the onions and chicken. Something about the juices and spices flavor the bread, and the oil helps crisp it in the oven.
As much of a multicultural metropolis as New York City is, one can lost in all of the choices of food and end up siloing yourself into a routine of favorite restaurants, favorite routes, and favorite dishes. A safe routine in a chaotic, ever-changing city gives comfort to New Yorkers, and I understand that, but hey, if I ever get the opportunity to expand someone’s horizons, I TAKE it! The musakhan rolls were extremely well-received. Something about simple food is comforting. Tip: Don’t underestimate simple food!
After a fruitful haul at the Greenmarket, I came home with butternut squash, beets, and broccoli. I seasoned the beets with olive oil, salt, and pepper, wrapped them in foil, and roasted them until they were knife tender. What to do now? Make Russian borscht! I made a simple, vegetarian borscht. The five large beets turned into several quarts of lovely borscht to be enjoyed all winter with any luck.
For the community potluck, I made a simple vegetable fried rice Taiwanese-style and enjoyed it with neighbors at the local bakery – Lily and Fig. Ms. Lily is a true pillar of the community. She is always helping new small business owners any way that she can. Besides, she makes a great oatmeal raisin cookie and heavenly strawberry profiteroles. It was a great honor to break bread with the community at Lily and Fig.
I blinked, and all of a sudden, it was Hanukkah. Time to celebrate the oil! I decided to do something different from the years prior. I decided to make the latkes with a combination of potatoes, sweet potatoes, and taro. I think my favorite combination is potato and taro by far. I haven’t tried just taro for the latkes, yet, but I would think it would taste like any taro-based dim sum treat.
The next night of Hanukkah, I decided to make sufganiot – jelly doughnuts! Every year, I do something a little different to try to make them better. This year, the yeast was really cooperative. The doughnuts rose and fried to a beautiful golden brown. A roll in the hay with some cinnamon and sugar and a little injection of fruit preserves makes for a super tasty doughnut.
For the final holiday potluck, I went all out and made mini, yellow corn arepas with vegan-friendly mashed black beans. The crumbled queso fresco was an eloquent note atop the flavorful black beans and the sweet, yellow corn. A great way to end the holiday lunches and a trip around the world.
What’s next? New Year’s Eve nibbles!
Stereotype Rebel 