The holiday season is upon us; the season to eat, drink and be merry, which brings me to the topic of food and that leads me to the topic of favorite family dishes.
The traditional Christmas dinner at my mother’s house was chili. As a child, it didn’t seem strange, but as I got older, I questioned Mom.” Everyone else has turkey or ham. Why do we have chili?” She reminded me that her family lived in Mexico for several years before immigrating to the U. S. and had adopted the custom of chili as a Christmas meal.
As a young bride, I assumed my new husband would love the “green bean” soup that was a favorite meal of my family. I loved it—fresh green beans, a ham bone simmered for hours to make broth and a few potatoes and carrots. I never thought of it as the thin broth that it was. My new husband was not thrilled. I couldn’t believe it. Who wouldn’t love green bean soup?
Another favorite of my family was cinnamon rolls (freshly baked, of course) and rice soup. The soup was simply rice slowly simmered in milk and served with cinnamon and sugar. The cinnamon rolls were a hit. The rice soup not so much.
To be fair, my husband’s family had some favorite meals I didn’t care for. The most outstanding was Finnan Haddie; lightly smoked haddock, covered with milk, baked for half an hour and served with parsley and butter. Not a favorite of mine. Husband loves it!
Or take Oyster soup, which his family served as a special treat for a New Year’s meal. Not a favorite for me.
Our marriage lasted despite these obstacles, and we’ve found many more foods to share than not. One of our favorites is liver. Yes. We both love liver.
Using my mother’s technique, I fry a batch of bacon, sauté a handful of chopped onion, then add floured slices of liver. After browning them at a high temp, I turn down the heat and slowly finish cooking for 10- 15 minutes, making sure the liver slices are thoroughly cooked. I serve with onions and bacon. Mmm.
My guess, however, is that many people reading this column will not agree with me and utter the word I always hear when declaring my love of liver.
Euugh.
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