A Holiday Cultural Cookbook

It is no secret that our celebrations revolve around food. Through the holidays, we create our memories in the kitchen. We observe our loved ones crafting recipes that stay permanent in their core through generations; the scent of waking in the morning to smells of spices and warmth, the careful craft of icing gingerbread, and the conversations that are shared around a dinner table decorated with plates of food that symbolise the love that is put into creating memory.

The nostalgia of the holiday season translates differently for everybody- languages, cultures, and the stories that define our childhood continue to paint the pictures of our holidays now. As we honour our traditions, I often find that my most poignant stories are the ones written between the lines of recipe books that have been used in my family throughout my life. My holidays are a timeline of these. The first evening stroll through town, warmth honed in cups of warm cocoa, the afternoons spent decorating the kitchen in scents of cinnamon, chocolate, and fresh cookies, and the glowing candlelight that has immersed me in memory of evenings touched through the presence of the people I love; these things, to me, have created the feeling I hold so near in the holidays. 

As we go into another holiday season, we have another opportunity to decorate our lives with new traditions, just as much as we decorate our homes. For ‘auld acquaintance’ and new, here are some of the feelings of nostalgia that our readers aspire to pass onwards to you. 

Recipes 

Vera (Spain)- Spanish Hot Chocolate 

A warm beverage is not solely a physical comfort, but an emotional one, as we find ourselves reaching for the recipes that lead us to recall the homes that have defined our holidays. To Vera, home through the holidays exists in her family; and while the physical distance between each of them remains far; the closeness of the moments spent in the presence of the ones she loves brings a closeness to the season. In celebration of the Three Wise Men on the 5th of January, Vera recalls the evening spent with her parents in the city of Madrid. The distance between them and the rest of their family, in Zaragoza, was far enough that travel remained difficult. Therefore, she recounts the steps her father carefully took to ensure the holiday remained special nonetheless, with celebrations amongst them becoming as fulfilled in tradition as if it were more. She marks these celebrations with the image of her father picking up un roscón de Reyes, which was consistently paired with her mother’s famous Spanish hot chocolate. To this day, Vera illustrates this tradition; though born out of circumstance, it is one of her favorite parts of Christmas. 

Ingredients

Valor hot chocolate, or any powdered cocoa mix

Milk

Orange zest 

Cinnamon

Set a pan to medium heat and simmer your milk on the stove. Measure as much as you’d like, depending on how chocolatey you like your cocoa. After the milk is warmed, begin to stir in an entire packet of powdered cocoa mix. Vera recounts using the brand Valor, but use whatever is accessible to you. Stir into the mix until thick, ensuring the texture is similar to that of melted chocolate. When the mix begins to bubble, incorporate the orange zest, and cinnamon, and let cool until a thick layer settles on top. Be ready for wanderers to come strolling into your kitchen looking for the source of the divine smell, and enjoy alongside your family whenever you please. 

Jess (The UK, North Yorkshire) – Yorkshire Puddings 

Whether from the United Kingdom or not, the tradition of a Sunday Roast Dinner brings to mind the same feeling of comfort as a wool sweater on a chill December night – nestling in for wintertime and embracing the still contentment of simply being alongside those you love. Roast dinners, traditional in many households, are what still remains to Jess as the hallmark of her favorite holiday memories. While each component (to no doubt) holds its own place of importance, Jess marks her holiday season with the specific Yorkshire puddings and gravy made by her grandmother. It often truly does require a specific hand to create the recipes we cherish, and Jess recalls that the Yorkshire puddings done by her grandmother are the best of the ones she has had, surpassing anything not made with the same amount of love. 

Ingredients

100g plain flour 

¼ tsp of salt

3 large eggs 

225 ml milk

4 tbsp oil 

Begin by preheating your oven to 220 degrees Celsius. Using a whisk, mix your flour and salt in a bowl, leaving a well in the center with just enough room to nestle in the eggs and a little bit of milk. Do so, then whisk until your mixture is smooth. Add your remaining milk and pour your mixture into a pitcher or jug. 

This next step can be done in any sort of muffin tin you have in your home. Measure a teaspoon of the oil into each of the muffin holes, then transfer to the oven for 5 minutes, until the oil is hot. It is very important to heat this oil, as this will best crisp the outside of your Yorkshire puddings and truly embrace the fluffy insides. 

Carefully remove from the oven, pour your batter equally between the holes within the tin, then return this to the oven and cook for about 20-25 minutes. Assure your Yorkshire puddings are golden brown and well-risen, then watch as they disappear in seconds at the dinner table on Christmas day. 

Juliet (The Netherlands) – Kruidnoten, Pepernoten

Something uniquely poignant lies in the traditional foods we eat that are existent only in our countries. They feel almost like secrets, the memories we have alongside these objects, as they remain reminiscent of times when the world almost faltered to exist outside the comfort of our bedrooms and the warmth of our homes during the holiday season. Remembering her childhood celebrating the Dutch tradition of Sinterklaas, Juliet’s celebrations were spent anticipating Sinterklaas, leaving her shoe by the fireplace awaiting the morning in which she would find it filled with Kruidnoten– small gingerbread cookies that are available to purchase in different flavors. From taste to feeling, recipes such as this mark a time in which the holidays truly were the embodiment of magic, and recreation of such recipes will no doubt continue to embrace these feelings of magic in the enhancement of the holidays’ glow. 

Ingredients 

250g self-rising flour

125g brown butter

125g unsalted butter, kept at room temperature

0.25 tsp salt

3 tbsp milk 

2 tbsp Speculaaskruiden: a Dutch spice mix

For the Speculaaskruiden (serves 3 small jars)

10 tbsp cinnamon

2 tbsp nutmeg

2 tbsp ground cloves

1 tbsp ground ginger

½ tbsp ground cardamom 

Begin by preheating your oven to 180 degrees Celsius. In a bowl, knead your flour, both kinds of butter, salt, and Speculaaskruiden together, but exclude your milk. After the mixture is combined, begin to add about 2 tbsp of milk at a time, continuing to knead as the shape of the dough forms. After this, your dough is complete and can be wrapped in plastic and put to rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. 

After this time has completed, line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and roll about ¼ tsp of dough into a small, ball-shape. Flatten this gently. Repeat until all the dough has been used, then bake for 15-20 minutes. The cookies should be of a harder consistency, and have a lot of crunch, complementing the spices perfectly and ensuring the satisfaction of children and adults alike. 

Thea (Sweden)- Pytt i Panna 

When Thea thinks of the times she enjoyed Pytt i Panna at her grandmother’s house, she thinks not only of the comfort within the food enjoyed, but specifically, the way her grandmother tailored each serving towards the preference of each member of the family. Pytt i Panna, translating to “small pieces in a pan,” highlights a fried egg amongst small pieces of potatoes: a comforting, breakfast-type dish that remains equivocally delicious in any means of enjoyment. Thea, preferring the egg in the dish with a runny yolk, is reminiscent of the care her grandmother always takes in the assurance that each person has the dish the way they enjoy – the seemingly small gesture becoming a symbol of the careful factors that contribute to the nostalgia we honor throughout the holiday season and the love of our families that creates warmth in the chilly days and the glow despite the darker evenings.

Ingredients

650g/1lb 7oz potatoes, cut into1cm/½in dice

1 large carrot, cut into ½cm/¼in cubes

1 tbsp vegetable oil

150g/5½oz smoked bacon lardons

150g/5½oz leftover roast meat, such as pork, beef and lamb, diced

15g/½oz butter

2 onions, diced

150g/5½oz mushrooms, diced

large sprig of thyme, leaves only

100g/3½oz smoked sausages, diced

30g/1oz dried mushrooms, soaked in 150ml/5fl oz just boiled water

To serve

6 free-range egg yolks

few tablespoons of chopped marjoram or oregano

lingonberry jam

few slices of pickled beetroot

The ‘Small Pieces’ of this dish are intended to be cumulative of the ingredients you have accessible to you: the simplicity of it is what makes it beautiful. 

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add your potatoes and carrots. Boil these for 5 minutes, then drain them. Afterwards, heat your vegetable oil in a very large frying pan. Add your bacon and leftover meat. Fry on medium-high heat until the bacon has rendered its fat and the meat is well-seared.

Add your butter to the frying pan, and let this melt. When it has melted, add your onions, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly, then add your potatoes, carrots and sausage.

Spread all of the ingredients out well in the pan, and fry on a medium heat for 5 minutes. Add your mushrooms and thyme and cook for a further few minutes, letting the flavours mingle.

Strain the dried mushrooms. Stir the mix all together in the frying pan, then season it generously with salt and pepper. Cook this for a further 5 minutes, until an under crust has developed, then continue to cook until you notice everything is well browned.

To finish off, divide the mixture between 6 plates and top each serving with a fried egg (cooked, of course, to the preference of your audience). To truly achieve the full taste, serve with a sprinkling of marjoram, lingonberry jam and some pickled beetroot.

Ginevra (Italy) – Tortellini Fatti in Casa (homeade)

There is truly nothing like the morning of Christmas day: after the first hours of sleepiness fade away, there comes a blissful awakening in the celebration of the hours that follow. Every minute of this is a hue in the spectrum of what colours our holiday season. Ginevra does not only recall the final product of the food created throughout her Christmases, but the affair of creation: that which marks the duration of her Christmas day with each step. Starting in the morning with the process of the dough, each piece of tortellini is created by the hand of one of Ginevra’s family members. Simmering sauce on the stove mingling with the scent of a Christmas tree, this family event precedes the dinner they share altogether. Enjoying the craft of one’s efforts is exemplified when these efforts are all together, and as Ginevra’s skills of creating the tortellini grow each year, the memories of the Christmases of her youth grow more treasured each day. 

Ingredients 

For the dough 

1¾ cups all-purpose flour

¼ cup flour 

2 eggs (using the yolk)

For the filling:

15 oz. fresh ricotta

¼ cup grated Parmesan

½ cup grated mozzarella

¼ cup each chopped fresh basil and parsley

Pinch nutmeg

Salt and pepper to taste

To make the pasta dough, the flour and eggs can be effectively combined in a food processor. However, as that does often lack (I’m thinking of you, campus accommodation kitchens) whisking by hand is equally as effective. On a flat surface, make a mound, then form a well with your flour and add the egg yolks. Stir this gently with a fork. Once the dough is formed, knead it for several minutes until it is smooth. After the shape is established, the dough should rest for about 30 minutes, creating the perfect duration of time to create the filling. 

Prepare your filling by combining your ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, herbs and nutmeg in a large bowl. Once this is stirred well and thoroughly combined, season it with salt and pepper, and more herbs if you wish.

Now, it is time to use your dough again. Divide your ball of dough in half, and keep the unused half in the fridge, wrapped in plastic. Using a rolling pin (or a pasta roller, if you are truly culinary-advanced) roll the dough into thin sheets. Place these sheets of dough on parchment paper or a nonstick rolling mat, with the filling, a dish of water, and a tray lined in parchment nearby. Cut circles in the pasta dough. 

Using a small spoon (such as a stirring spoon, for tea or coffee) place a marble-sized amount of filling in the center of the circles. Working with one tortellini at a time, dip your finger in the water and moisten the edge of the circle, then fold the circle in half and pinch together well. Fold up the sealed edge like a cuff, then place the flat end of the half-circle against your pinky, fold the corners around and pinch this closed. When in doubt, mirror the shape of the tortellini you would see at the store, as this is the best example of the shape you will need to recreate. Repeat this step until you have filled all the circles. This recipe makes between 72 and 80 tortellini, and you should still have filling left over at the end, which can be enjoyed as a garnish on top of your pasta dish. 

Ginevra’s memories of these tortellini are with her family’s meat sauce, however, they can be enjoyed with any kind of garnish you’d like (red sauce, pesto, even just salt and butter, they are assured to be delicious when made with this much love). 

Lilli (US)- Neiman Marcus Cookies

To say my family is keen on the holiday season is an understatement. In my past few years at boarding school, I arrived home in early December to a fully decorated house from top to bottom, my mother even taking special care to cover my room in Christmas lights and ensure I had Christmas-themed bedding for my first night at home. We drive the town to search for the best Christmas decorations and honor the familial traditions that we have created in our little home (from exchanging early sibling gifts, to Christmas Eve gingerbread decorating, these moments are captured in photos from the very first years). Just as Santa Claus arrives by boat to my small town on Cape Cod, the holidays arrive in my household early as we all anticipate my mom’s absolutely perfect Christmas cookie baking. Last year was my favorite year of it. On the very first day of the winter holiday, my mother, sister, and I worked through our family’s favorite cookie recipes from top to bottom. Spending hours into the evening in our kitchen, the intentionality of turning something as common as Christmas baking into a memory of being altogether created the moment that is so quintessentially special. This recipe for Neiman Marcus cookies is my favorite of my mother’s Christmas baking and, while the cookies are certain to disappear very fast, the act of creating them is what truly makes them as delicious as they are. 

Ingredients 

Note that this recipe serves 60: Typically, my family freezes the dough and enjoys throughout the year, but who is to say you can’t have 60 cookies?

4 sticks unsalted butter

2 cups (425g) packed brown sugar 

4 large eggs 

2tsp vanilla extract 

4 cups (480g) flour

2tsp baking powder

2tsp baking soda

1tsp salt 

5 cups (400g) rolled oats 

Dark chocolate chips 

Milk chocolate chips (somewhat less than the dark chocolate) 

3 cups (360g) of chopped walnuts and/or pecans 

Begin by preheating your oven to 375f. While this is preheating, beat together your butter and both the brown and white sugar in an electric mixture until the mixture is combined. Afterwards, add your eggs and the vanilla. Beat this until it appears somewhat coarse and the mixture is well-combined. 

Off to the side, take a medium bowl and whisk your flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Once your dry ingredients are combined, incorporate them into your mixture of eggs/sugar/butter, stirring gently with a wooden spoon or spatula. A trick is to incorporate the dry mix bit by bit, to especially prevent your dough from being over-mixed. 

Begin to add the oats, and note that your dough will become very dense (and double in size). This is to be expected, and do not let it stop you from measuring with your heart the dark and milk chocolate, which you will stir in next, alongside your pecans/walnuts. 

After the dough is mixed, form balls the size of a golf ball on a cookie sheet, and bake them for 8-9 minutes. Make sure you remove the cookies while they are still soft and the tops are golden brown, and enjoy the most elevated chocolate chip cookies ever.

The warm glow of Christmas lights is not the only thing that will create the visuals of your holidays when you begin to honor the still moments of December with the recipes of the people you love. A passage of time in the holiday is honored by the creation of new traditions, and these new traditions spark the flame of genuine joy that deepens the ties between us and who we surround ourselves with. With new recipes and old, my time-honored traditions will forever be marked by the conversations around a dinner table, and I hope you find this magic just as much as I do.

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