An Italian-American Thanksgiving

Now that Halloween has come and gone, we are heading into the holiday season in earnest. It may be easy to overlook Thanksgiving with all the holiday jingles and lights decking store fronts all over the city. Thanksgiving was first celebrated by the Pilgrims and Native Americans at the end of a successful autumn harvest. A traditional Thanksgiving meal usually consists of roasted turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin pie. Families today create their own Thanksgiving traditions, so you might find yourself at a table with lasagna and garlic bread or hand-pulled noodles and sauteed fried green beans.

With so many non-Native New Yorkers in this city, Thanksgiving in NYC has also become a holiday for friends to come together for a potluck celebration. For those unfamiliar with this term, a potluck is a meal where each guest contributes a dish of his/her choosing. With this version of Thanksgiving, people often bring ethnic dishes the represent a piece of their history to the table. Below is an example of what you might see at the Thanksgiving feast of an Italian-American family.

The picture above is from the Signorelli Thanksgiving last year. If you look in the center of the table, you will see the breaded Cauliflower. (it’s blue Cauliflower!)

Cavolfiore Impanato
(Breaded Cauliflower- My favorite part of the Thanksgiving Meal at my Mom’s!)

There has never been one Thanksgiving past, that didn’t include this traditional Calabrian dish. Even for people that don’t love cauliflower, you may convince them with this. It is also very simple to make; one of my greatest holiday memories as a child is doing just that – preparing the cauliflower for the fryer with my Mom and sister. This is the first thing to disappear every year at our table so my Mom has always made extra and froze them, so my sister and I could eat weeks, even months after Thanksgiving. ~Courtesy of Lindsey Signorelli, One To World's Development Coordinator
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2 Large heads cauliflower, about 4 pounds (1800 grams)
salt to taste
6 large eggs
Freshly ground black pepper
3 cups fine dry breadcrumbs, homemade or unseasoned from the store
2/3 cup freshly grated Parmigiano cheese
Extra virgin olive oil for frying

Separate the cauliflower into large florets about 2 inches across the top. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt and the cauliflower. Cook until the florets are tender. Then drain them and allow them to cool.

In a bowl, beat the eggs with salt and several grinds of pepper. In another bowl, mix the breadcrumbs with the cheese. Line your kitchen table with wax or parchment paper in preparation for the uncooked, breaded cauliflower.

One piece at a time, dip each piece of cauliflower in the beaten egg, making sure they are all well coated. Lift it out with a fork (or your hands!), letting any excess egg drain off. Then, cover each cauliflower floret in the breadcrumbs. Set the floret on your kitchen table (that should be lined with wax or parchment paper!) continue until all the florets are covered.

Put extra virgin olive oil in a skillet and heat over medium high heat. When the olive oil is heated (you will see the olive oil start to “wrinkle” in the pan) add as many florets as will fit loosely in a single layer. Do not over-crowd the pan or they will not all fry evenly. Allow the cauliflower to fry on both sides until they are caramel in color. Transfer the fried cauliflower to a tray or plate lined with napkins or paper towels. The cauliflower always tastes best piping hot! Yum!
* Serves about 8-12

How do/will you celebrate Thanksgiving? Are there any dishes from home you would share at a potluck? 

The Language of Food: Part 3

Humita, an Argentinian Tradition

Part 3 of the Language of Food series features One To World's very own Argentinian staff member, Giselle Diez, and her recipe for "Humita" a traditional sweet and spicy corn based dish.

"This is a very traditional recipe from Argentina. Together with the Empanadas Criollas, you will find this dish at every National Holiday across the country!

It’s a sweet and spicy flavor that takes me back home, to a cold Sunday morning with that sweet aroma and sounds of my mother cooking in the kitchen, with her inseparable Mate (an herbal tea made with yerba mate) next to her. Later we sit down to a big table with family, friends, neighbors and whoever else wanted to join. It is always a full table in Argentina!" - Giselle

Humita is a common dish throughout South America, but each country has its own variation of the dish. For example in Argentina they commonly use goat cheese mixed in with the dough for extra richness, while in Peru they might use cinnamon and raisins. Either way Argentinians love this dish and eat it on national holidays and family gatherings. Try and make it for yourself and your friends. This dish is perfect as the weather gets colder!

        Humita

             Ingredients

-          12 ears of corn, off the cob

-          1 red pepper, finely chopped

-          4 onions, finely chopped

-          8 scallions, finely chopped

-          1.7 lb pumpkin (the sweetest you can find), shredded

-          4 cups of milk

-          2  spoons of paprika

-          2 spoons of sugar

-          Spicy chili to taste (chopped or powder)

-          Oil or butter to taste

-          Salt to taste

Put the oil or butter in a saucepan, on medium heat. When it gets hot, add the chopped onions, scallions and pepper. Once the onions are transparent, add the corn, pumpkin and milk. Try to use a saucepan with a thick base to avoid the Humita sticking to the bottom. Add the salt, sugar, paprika and spicy chili. If you want you can even add pepper to taste.

Continuing cooking on medium heat stirring occasionally until the Humita is very creamy. Reduce the heat when the mixture begins to boil. As a short cut, you can use a hand blender to get the creamy consistency quicker.

Serve it in an individual bowl, and as a decorative touch you can sprinkle a little freshly chopped scallion. On the table you can put little bowls with different types of cheese for your guests to add to the Humita while its hot. It is eaten with a spoon, as a very creamy soup or wrapped in banana leaves as pictured above. Try the soup for now and then once you get more advanced you can try to wrap them up. Enjoy!

 Let us know if you tried to make Humita and how it turned out! Did you add your own secret ingredient to it from your country? Tell us how it went or if you have your own recipe that others might enjoy if they like this one.

The Language of Food: Part 1

Some people would argue that music is the universal language, but I think they must be mistaken for there is no greater force that brings people together than a delicious home cooked meal. Have you ever noticed that holidays are always associated with certain types of food? Hot dogs and hamburgers for Fourth of July. Roasted turkey and pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving. Champagne for New Year's Eve...okay, this last one is not food but you get my point.  Food is how people communicate love and affection among family and friends.

Being an international student studying in a strange country can be trying at times. What's the first thing you miss about home?  I'll bet it has something to do with food, whether it's your mom's home cooking or your favorite bakery down the street.  Food has a way of making you feel like you're home, no matter where in the world you are.  That is one of the reasons why One To World organizes monthly cultural cuisines!  We want you to find a little piece of home here in this big city. 

The problem here is finding something that is authentic. Yes, authentic...the word every ethnic restaurant promises but often fails to deliver.  Those coming from areas with very specific cuisines will be the first to tell you, they have not found authentic (fill in your country here) food in New York.  Sometimes we just have to take matters into our own hands, just so we can get things right.  Luckily, one of our very own One To World students has volunteered a family recipe that will hopefully evoke the feeling of "home" for fellow Ukrainian students out there.

VARENIKI (Ukrainian Filled Dumplings)

(courtesy of Tetyana Shlikhar)

"For me the taste of summer is the taste of vareniki with cherries – it’s a feeling that goes back to my childhood. I remember those happy moments when my mom told me to pick up ripe sweet cherries from the tree while she prepared the dough. And then we started filling dough circles with the cherries – it was a process very close to a ritual. Since then I have tried cooking vareniki lots of times, but my mom’s ones are still the best – I don’t know why… Maybe that’s because she adds a piece of soul and a bit of wisdom into them?.. Anyway, I hope you’ll enjoy both cooking and eating them!"

Dough:
3 cups all purpose flour (or half bread flour half all purpose)
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup water

Knead together all ingredients either with a mixer fitted with a dough hook or by hand until smooth and elastic.  The dough should pull back when stretched but be pliant and smooth otherwise.  Do not over mix.  Allow dough to rest, covered for half an hour.

Cherry Filling:
2 Jars Morello Cherries (Trader Joes or Zurgut brand only)
2 tablespoons sugar
¼ cup bread or cake crumbs

Drain the cherries very well, squeezing out as much moisture as possible by pressing the cherries against the sides of the strainer.  Reserve the liquid.  Sprinkle the cherries with the sugar and allow to stand for 15-20 minutes.  Press again to remove additional moisture.  If the cherries are still a little wet, sprinkle in the bread crumbs a little at a time to absorb some of the juices.

Ruby Red Cherry Sauce (Optional):
Reserved juice from drained cherries
4 cups cran-cherry, cherry, pomegranate, or cranberry juice
Sugar as needed

Mix juices and bring to a boil over medium high heat.  Boil until reduced to a quarter of its original value.  The liquid should be thickened and syrupy.  Depending on the juice used the sauce may be very tart, add sugar to reduce tartness to taste.

Optional Potato Filling:
2 cups left over mashed potatoes
½ pound mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 hardboiled egg, minced (optional)
Salt and black pepper to taste

Saute the mushrooms over medium heat until golden and caramelized.  Combine mushrooms with the left over mashed potatoes and egg (if using).  Mix well.  Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Directions:
Once the dough has rested, generously flour your work surface.  Working with half the dough at a time, roll it out to a quarter of an inch thickness.  The dough will have a tendency to spring back, this is expected.  Keep rolling the dough out until it looses some of its resistance and maintains the thin rolled out shape for a little bit.  Using a 2 inch diameter round cookie cutter or thin edged class, cut out as many dough circles as you can fit onto the rolled out dough.  The circles with shrink and wrinkle, this is OK.

Pick up a dough circle and gently stretch it with your fingers, warming the dough.  Once the dough has relaxed, place the mostly dry filling into the middle of the circle.  It should look like there is too much filling.  Gently, working with the middle first, pull the dough over the filling, stretching the sides until they come together.  It takes some practice to stretch the dough without tearing it.  Once the middle is closed, work your way towards the side, pushing the filling down and crimping the edges as you go.  Make certain that the edges are well sealed and that any air is pushed out before the last crimp. Place finished vareniki on a cookie sheet lightly dusted with flour. They may now be frozen in a single layer, then bagged in individual portions.  Frozen they keep for at least 2 months.

To prepare:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Once the water has started to boil, drizzle in a tablespoon or so of vegetable oil onto the surface.  Boil 8-10 vareniki at a time.  They should not be crowded in the pan or they will stick.  They can be boiled fresh or straight from the freezer.  They are ready when they float and the dough looses its raw color.  To test, pinch off a little corner and taste.  Remove from the boiling water with a slotted spoon and drain thoroughly.

To serve cherry vareniki, drizzle with a little bit of ruby red cherry sauce.
To serve potato vareniki, gently fry them in butter until they are golden on both sides.  Serve with sour cream.

What food(s) reminds you of home? Is there a story behind it? Please share with us what kinds of cultural cuisine trips you would like to see next!