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Recipe Mutiny steals recipes from food blogs and recipe sites. Then we publish them. With credit (Naturally).
Monday, December 23, 2019
Best Holiday Fruitcake
This easy Christmas fruitcake is perfect for the holidays. It's light, tender, and full of dried fruits and nuts. Sprinkle the loaf with brandy, or leave it out! Either way, this fruit cake is a welcome addition to the holiday table.
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Chicken Noodle Casserole
This Chicken Noodle Casserole is sure to hit the spot, especially if you’re looking to feed a family, satisfy that comfort food craving, or have leftovers to last the week. No canned cream of anything in this casserole. It’s from scratch and 100 percent delicious.
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6 New Year’s Food Traditions from Around the World
You probably strongly associate New Year’s Eve with Champagne (for good reason), but that’s not the only food-centric tradition that exists to ring in the coming year. Many cultures have food customs designed to bring in luck, health, and happiness before and after the clock strikes midnight. Here are a few lucky new year’s foods that you may not have heard of. Why not try one of them this year as you welcome 2020?
Related Reading: Our Favorite Eatwith Experiences Around the World | 6 Airbnb Cooking Experiences We Want to Try
Grapes
Chowhound’s Grape and Grappa Foccacia
Eating 12 grapes at midnight (one to symbolize each month of the coming year) is a tradition that originated in Spain in the late 19th century and is still practiced today. Chowing down on a grape with a wish for each coming month is said to set you up for a year of good luck. The jury is still out on whether drinking grapes (in the form of vino) has the same effect, though, so it’s a better bet to reach for fruit instead of your wine glass at the stroke of midnight.
Black-Eyed Peas
Chowhound’s Black Eyed Pea Salad
Sure, Fergie may make an appearance on your television screen during the countdown, but we’re talking about another type of black-eyed pea. In the U.S., particularly in the southern parts of the country, black-eyed peas are thought to bring wealth in the coming year. Often served with ham, which also has positive connotations (more on that later), this dish definitely deserves a spot on your table on New Year’s Day.
Soba Noodles
Chowhound’s Soba Noodles with Swiss Chard-Miso Pesto
Toshikoshi Soba is a traditional noodle dish enjoyed in Japan on Dec. 31 to help usher in the following year. Because they’re easy to cut through, the noodles are meant to symbolize breaking off bad luck from the previous year, while the long noodles represent a lengthy (and hopefully healthy!) life.
Pomegranate
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In Turkey and Greece, there exists one tradition where the food isn’t exactly eaten. As midnight nears, revelers smash a pomegranate on the floor near the doorstep—the harder the better. The more pieces the fruit, which represents fertility and prosperity, breaks into, the more good fortune will come your way as the calendar flips.
Vasilopita
Commonly served in Greece and the surrounding area, vasilopita is a cake that contains a hidden coin or bauble in the baked good. Whoever ends up with the item in their slice can expect a prosperous next 12 months, while the ritual of slicing the cake for those gathered is meant to bring good luck to the household for the coming year.
Pig
Chowhound’s Roasted Suckling Pig
Since pigs typically “root forward,” representing forward motion or advancement, pork, ham, and roasted pig are popular New Year’s choices for a number of cultures around the globe. In Cuba, families gather around a roasted pig on a spit for eating, dancing, and celebrating together. In Austria, suckling pig is the centerpiece of the New Year’s Day meal, representing good fortune in the coming year. Pig shaped trinkets, sometimes called Glücksschwein, are also common treats in Germany, Austria, and the neighboring region.
And two to skip…
On the flip side of the coin, there are two categories of foods that are probably better to skip on this holiday.
Chowhound’s Roasted Rosemary and Lemon Chicken
You’ll want to skip chicken, because they “scratch backwards” for food (which could symbolize having to scrounge in the coming year) and have wings (which means your luck could fly away).
Chowhound’s Easy Steamed Lobster
Though you might be hankering for a fancy meal as “Auld Lang Syne” plays in the background, lobster shouldn’t be on the menu. Because these guys move sideways or backwards, not forward, eating it on New Year’s could lead you to misfortune or setbacks in the coming year. The more you know.
Related Video: How to Open a Bottle of Champagne the Right Way
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How to Open a Bottle of Champagne
Now that Christmas and New Year’s Eve are nigh, it’s high time to learn how to open a bottle of Champagne the right way. It seems pretty straightforward. You just pop the cork—and hope it doesn’t hit someone in the eye. In fact, there is a better way to open your Champagne or sparkling wine, that not only protects the people and property around you, but preserves the effervescence of your bubbly.
Sure, using a saber to open a bottle of Champagne might be kind of badass, but you should really leave that to the professionals—and unless your end goal is to create a geyser of fizz (in which case, shake and spray away), you should probably revise your technique in general. Theatrics aside, you don’t actually want that big explosion, because dramatically popping your Champagne cork releases a ton of CO2, which makes the wine go flat way faster than it would if you opened it the proper way.
We asked Wine & Spirit Education Trust educator Vanessa Price to show us how it’s done. Watch and learn, and refer to our little cheat sheet when you need to, whether you’re dealing with Cook’s, Cristal, or something in between.
Veuve Clicquot Brut Yellow Label (price varies), on Drizly
Fresh out? Get some sparkle delivered straight to your door.
How to Open a Bottle of Champagne
1. Locate the tab on the foil around the neck of the bottle. You won’t actually need a wine key to remove this; just grab the tab and peel away the foil to expose the cork in its wire cage.
2. Keeping your thumb on the top of the cork, twist open the wire cage to loosen it, but don’t actually remove it from the cork. Once you loosen it, remember: the wine is totally your responsibility. The pressure in the bottle is equivalent to that of a fully inflated car tire, so you want to keep your hand or thumb on the cork at all times just to ensure it doesn’t get away from you.
3. Get a good grip on the cork with one hand and pick up the bottle with the bottom firmly grasped in your other hand. Turn the bottle itself—rather than twisting the cork—until it loosens; when you feel it loosen, give it a little leverage and wiggle gently until the cork comes out with a rather muffled pop. You can also place a dish towel over the cork for extra insurance before completing this step.
And you’ve done it: opened your Champagne without undermining the quality of the wine (not to mention probably terrifying at least one or two people, and potentially injuring someone or something with a wayward projectile)!
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Armed with this knowledge, you can set up a Champagne bar, make sparkling wine cocktails, or simply drink more bubbly in general—because there’s no need to reserve the fizzy stuff for formally festive occasions when you can make every day a celebration!
Related Video: How to Make a Champagne Sunrise Cocktail for New Year’s Eve
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What Is Mincemeat Pie, Exactly?
If you’re American, when you think of traditional Christmas food your head is likely filled with visions of ham, eggnog, and cookies, but there’s a whole world of international Christmas dishes, from figgy pudding to pernil—and British mince pies are not to be missed. But what is mincemeat, exactly?
Meat Pies and Mincemeat
One thing that always strikes me upon return from any trip to London is my own country’s glaring lack of meat pies. What gives? Wandering into a pub in London, of which there are many, you’re more likely than not to find a savory (or “savoury”) pie on the menu, and in some cases, an entire meat pie section. From beef to lamb, chicken, and even vegetarian versions, these flaky, doughy, single-serving pies encase a mixture of protein, onions, vegetables, and a rich gravy often made with brandy, wine, or stout beer. A good meat pie is comfort food of the highest order, and though you might find chicken pot pie on the occasional American pub menu, I would contend we are the victims of a significant shortage.
Delicious and filling meat pies of all sorts are devoured in English pubs all year round, but during the holiday season a specific version, called “mincemeat pie”, emerges dominant. Though recipes for mincemeat pie vary greatly, it is (broadly) a semi-savory pie, made from ground meat (often beef or lamb), stewed with fruits, like raisins, cherries, apricots, and apples, and traditional pie spices and flavorings, like cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, brown sugar, or molasses.
The History of Mincemeat
Mincemeat pie is a decidedly English food, and can be traced back to the 11th-century crusades. Armed with warm spices from the Middle East, the crusaders added much of said spice to the filling as a means of preserving, but also improving upon the likely not-so-fresh meat. King Henry V took favor to the dish, and began ordering it be served at Christmas, among other moments of celebration, like coronations and weddings. A flavorful booze like rum or brandy is often incorporated, as is suet, the hard fat of beef or lamb found around the loins and kidneys, which can be purchased in stores. Using exactly three spices was thought to represent the gifts brought by the three wise men to a newborn baby Jesus and became an important part of mincemeat pie-making.
Though by no means ubiquitous here in the U.S., mincemeat pie was brought to New England, along with many other English recipes and cooking traditions, by Puritan settlers. Because they largely rejected Christianity, and in turn Christmas, mincemeat was adapted as a Thanksgiving dish here in North America, but has since regained its rightful place as Christmas fare.
Admittedly, tastes have changed since the first mincemeat pie was baked, and the concept of meat and fruit in the same dish might be a confusing, even unappetizing, proposition to some. The beauty in mincemeat lies in its openness to interpretation, and if the thought of raisins or cherries with beef is too much to handle, one can cut them and take mincemeat pie in a more savory direction, with ingredients like mushrooms and peas. To rightfully call it “mincemeat,” consider leaving some of the pie spices in, especially nutmeg and clove, which make for a warm, interesting flavor, and work especially well with lamb/mutton.
Today you’d be unlikely to find mincemeat pie on many menus here, but English specialty shops like Myers of Keswick (New York City), will make and sell them, especially around the holidays. Your best bet is to make your own with easily found ingredients and a fairly simple process.
Mincemeat Recipes
Below are a few recipes for mincemeat pie, also known as “minced beef pie,” or simply “mince pie,” to try at home.
Authentic Mincemeat Pie
In this hyper-traditional recipe, the Daring Gourmet stresses the use of suet to round out the flavor. Suet will balance the sweetness of the fruit, also. Get the Authentic Mincemeat Pie recipe.
Borden None Such Mincemeat, $5.48 at Walmart
You can also buy mincemeat filling for a shortcut pie.
All-Fruit Mincemeat Pie
Some interpretations of mincemeat pie remove meat altogether. Obviously more of a dessert, no animals were harmed in the making of this pie. Get the All Fruit Mincemeat Pie recipe.
Minced Beef Pie
Chowhound
Another savory version from BBC food calls for beef mushrooms and assembled in a casserole dish or tray is intended for larger groups or parties. Get the Minced Beef Pie recipe.
Savoury Mince Pie
A savory version of mincemeat pie leaves the fruit behind and the addition of mirepoix vegetables, Worcestershire and ketchup resembles something you’re likely to find in most English pubs. Get the Savoury Mince Pie recipe.
Vegan Mince Pie
A vegan version subs in coconut oil for the lard or suet and heavily-spiced filling of dried fruits put this in the sweets category. Get the Vegan Mince Pie recipe.
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Christmas Celebrations Around the World
Ever wondered how Christmas is celebrated around the world? Take a look below and see how Christmas dinner is done in several other countries.
Related Reading: Our Favorite Eatwith Food Experiences Around the World | 6 Airbnb Experiences for Food Lovers
North Americans often cook a Christmas dinner similar to the Thanksgiving meal—turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes with gravy, green beans, Brussels sprouts or another vegetable, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie. Ham or beef sometimes replaces the turkey because Turkey Day was officially a month earlier. Then you have all the nogs, ciders, gingerbread what-have-you, and other treats. Each family savors its own traditional dishes, but there’s usually some incarnation of this idea.
Unlike Thanksgiving, Christmas is celebrated across the globe—with other foods. People carry on those cultural traditions when they move to the U.S. and pass down their holiday favorites to their children. Although the holiday is illegal or rarely celebrated in a few countries, where people do observe it, you know there’s going to be something special to eat nearby. Christmas comes in all sorts of flavors (Kentucky Fried Chicken in Japan?!?!), whether it’s celebrated as a religious, commercial, or all-inclusive holiday.*
Besides plucking some dinner ideas from our comprehensive Christmas recipe page, consider introducing a dish from another culture into your traditional dinner. It’s eye-opening. (And it’s a big world—despite what that catchy song insists—so see even more international Christmas recipes for inspiration.)
* By no means is this list comprehensive, nor does everyone in each listed country celebrate this way, if at all.
Armenia
After a weeklong no-meat fast, some Armenians enjoy a light Christmas Eve meal called khetum, which includes rice, a fish dish called ishkhanatsoog, chickpeas, yogurt soup, dried nuts, and candied fruit-and-nut desserts that hang from string called rojik. When meat is introduced on Christmas day, they might have poulgeur pilav, a lamb and rice dish, according to Synonym. Try this rojik recipe.
Australia
During the sunny Australian Christmas season, Christmas dinner can be a fusion of traditional English food like ham, turkey, and sides, along with more summer-seasonally appropriate seafood, like prawns, as well as mangoes and cherries, eaten outside. Barbecues are common too.
Brazil
Brazilians often serve pork, turkey, salads, and fresh and dried fruits. There’s usually a rice dish cooked with raisins, nuts, and herbs, along with a good spoon of farofa, which is a seasoned manioc flour. Try this Christmas rice recipe (which is also enjoyed in nearby countries).
Egypt
Coptic Christians in Egypt celebrate Christmas on Jan. 7 because they follow the Coptic calendar rather than the Gregorian calendar, according to Tour Egypt. All Coptic feasts come after a period of vegan-style fasting, when they eat no meat, poultry, fish, dairy, or eggs. So afterward, they go all-out on the animal products. Fata, a lamb soup which contains bread, rice, garlic and boiled lamb meat, is popular. And they often take kahk, special sweet biscuits, as gifts at gatherings in people’s homes (these are also popular for the Muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr). Try this fata recipe.
Ethiopia
Like Coptics, Ethiopians who celebrate Christmas do it on Jan. 7, and it’s a less commercialized affair with much religious attention. But of course, there’s still the Christmas day food: Often a spicy stew, such as doro wat, and injera bread, a flat, slightly spongy, round bread made from teff used to scoop up the stew. No utensils needed. Try this doro wat recipe.
England
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Typically there’s a turkey and sides similar to American Thanksgiving, but the desserts are where the two countries differ the most. There are mince pies, Christmas cake, and plum pudding, an English dish dating back to the Middle Ages, according to the History channel. Back in the day, suet, flour, sugar, raisins, nuts, and spices are tied loosely in cloth and boiled until the ingredients are “plum,” meaning they have enlarged enough to fill the cloth. It is then unwrapped, sliced like cake, and topped with cream. These days it can have any kind of fruit mixture inside. It’s also called Christmas pudding. Try the BBC’s Classic Christmas Pudding recipe. Or try mincemeat pies.
Matthew Walker Luxury Pudding, $27.49 on Amazon
Try your own Christmas pud, without pudding in all the work.
India
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While Christians are quite a minority in India, they still have many of their own traditions. They celebrate with a a prawn or chicken biryani and curries. Desserts and candies called kuswar, can range from spiced cashew macaroons, fruit cakes, and rose cookies to newrio, which are sweet dumplings stuffed with palm sugar, sweet grated coconut, and sesame seeds.
Japan
Only about 1 percent of the country’s citizens are estimated to be Christians and celebrate Christmas, but they have a wacky tradition. Thanks to a successful marketing campaign in 1974 — “Kentucky for Christmas!” — they head to the fast-food joint, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) to eat fried chicken and wine. The packages today have elevated to include cake and sometimes wine or Champagne, according to the Smithsonian.
Lithuania
A 12-dish Christmas Eve dinner is traditional, representing either the 12 months of the year or Jesus’ 12 apostles. There are kūčiukai, these slightly sweet, small cracker-like biscuits made from leavened dough and poppy seed. They’re often served with milk or on top of the milk. That used to be poppy seed milk because animal products weren’t eaten at this time, but now cow’s milk is more common. Dinners include herring salads, and kissel, a cranberry drink. Try this kūčiukai recipe.
Mexico
Chowhound
Tamales are popular at Christmas, as well as bacalao, which is a dried, salted codfish dish of European origin. Bacalao a la Vizcaina is a popular recipe in which the cod is stewed with tomatoes, capers, olives, and potatoes, but it may be prepared in a variety of ways. Try this Bacalao con Tomate recipe.
Netherlands
Game meats and roast pork can be part of the Christmas feast, as well as fondue or the practice of grilling meat and vegetable pieces at the dining table, called gourmetten. But what is most traditional about this Dutch holiday are the treats, especially during Sinterklaas (which has a controversial blackface aspect to it, but we’re not going there). Speculaas is a quite the popular Christmas cookie, sometimes shaped like windmills, and usually containing an array of spices such as cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, aniseed, and nutmeg. Try this speculaas recipe.
Milliard Raclette Grill for 8, $84.99 on Amazon
A fondue fete has nothing on a raclette party.
Peru
Panettone, the Italian Christmas bread, has become popular in Peru (where it’s known as panetón and can be found in chocolate-filled versions as well as more traditional fruit-studded domes). You might wash it down with Christmas chocolatada, a hot chocolate prepared with sweetened condensed milk, brandy, heavy cream, butter, spices, and whipped cream. Try this Christmas chocolatada recipe.
Related Reading: A Beginner’s Guide to Peruvian Food
Serbia
Fish soup for Christmas Eve is what celebrants often eat. In the Eastern Orthodox and Greek-Catholic churches, they’ll have koljivo, a boiled wheat. Česnica is a popular baked good, a Christmas soda bread with a silver coin to bring health and good luck baked in the bread.
South Korea
Chowhound
South Koreans typically eat local dishes such as kimchi, bean paste, hot peppers, and Korean barbecue. South Koreans also enjoy a cream-covered sponge cake or an ice-cream cake purchased from a bakery.
Trinidad and Tobago
Chowhound
In Trinidad and Tobago, they’ll go for ham, pasteles like sweet or savory paime, black fruit cake, and sweet breads, along with traditional drinks such as sorrel, ginger beer, and ponche de crème, according to the country’s National Library and Information System Authority. The ham is the main item on the Christmas menu with sorrel to accompany it. Try this sweet paime recipe.
Related Video: This Is How Christmas Is Done in Cuba
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