Christmas Crackers, a Christmas Hamper, and Stuffed Artichokes
Growing up, my brother and sister and I were constantly struggling with the acculturation process and trying to figure out who we were. When you’re an Italian-American kid, you grab onto the traditions of other cultures you experience in this country. My family exists at the center of the Italian way of life, the American way of life, and all the rich traditions that come with both cultures.
On Thanksgiving, it was always very clear, because there isn’t an Italian Thanksgiving. It was an American holiday and we should be cooking turkey, there should be stuffing, there should be gravy and cranberry sauce, and a 12-hour turkey fest. For Christmas it was a little more difficult to sway my parents toward the American version of Christmas because there is such a strong, thousand-year-old tradition for Christmas in Italy, which was actually pretty great. The Christmas we had was la Vigilia di Natale, the Feast of the Seven Fishes, on Christmas Eve, when we opened our gifts. Our Christmas Eve dinner was off the charts. It was the meal we looked forward to all year, my first cousins, second cousins, third cousins--everyone. It was hosted family to family, year by year, because it was a really big splurge. There had to be shrimp and lobster, and fancy vegetables like artichokes--all the richest, most extravagant ingredients. There was so much fish to buy, and it was so expensive, that the men went shopping for the fish, because they had to go and do the negotiating.
Over the years, little by little, some American traditions crept in to our Feast. As my cousins got married and had their own kids, we started opening gifts Christmas morning to be like the other kids in the neighborhood, and there were fewer gifts exchanged on Christmas Eve. Then, I moved to France and lived there for almost two years, and became friends with a girl from England. I spent a couple holidays with her family, including a Christmas, and I learned about the traditions of Christmas crackers and a Christmas hamper.
A Christmas hamper was the big, giant container of food that you filled with everything you would need for the entire Christmas holiday, because all the stores literally closed for two weeks. Really closed, not just short hours; they were closed. This was in the 80s. I thought it was fantastic. I loved seeing English tradition played out at the Christmas table, and one of the things I loved the most was the Christmas crackers, because of the silly little hats that came with them. I remember her father putting on the hat and making jokes, telling stories, and thought how different this was from what I experienced growing up. My Christmases had more of a religious bent to them. We went to Mass and even the food was full of religious symbolism. There were seven fishes to commemorate the Stations of the Cross.
Then I found you could make your own Christmas crackers--or poppers, and that there are all different kinds. Some come with very expensive gifts, some with small inexpensive tokens, but they always have a hat, a toy or gift of some kind, a joke, a whistle…they basically are a way, at the start of a Christmas Eve or Christmas meal, to get the festivities going. You break down the barriers of everyday life and you establish that this is a special day. It’s the kind of day where we put on silly hats and celebrate the beginning of a meal, and I fell in love with it. And from then on, I brought the tradition of Christmas crackers to my family and everyone loves it. I even got my dad to put on a silly hat, and he’s a kind of serious guy. My brother does it now and so does my cousin. It’s a really sweet tradition, and I think a clever way to draw a distinction between that day and every other day of the year. In England, the silliness leads to pageants, and relatives and cousins getting together to put on little shows, and dancing by blindfolded people, or giving tours of the Christmas house and trying to fool guests into thinking they are touching Santa’s beard, or a reindeer’s nose by putting a cherry tomato on their hand…it’s a lot of lightheartedness, which is great.
So Christmas went from being a very solemn event to being solemn plus silly; I think we’ve struck a good balance. Plus now we do things like prime rib on Christmas Day. I’ve also brought in different kinds of fish experiences, like caviar and stone crab claws, things my parents were unfamiliar with; it’s really fun, and now they are very open to it and love it. Now it’s like, bring it on.
Rocco’s Stuffed Artichokes
From Rocco Gets Real
Ingredients:
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
5 cloves garlic (2 cloves chopped, 3 cloves smashed)
3 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
2 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup Bertolli® extra-virgin olive oil
Juice and zest of 2 lemons
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 fresh artichokes
1 sprig fresh thyme
1-1/2 cups dry white wine
1 cup vegetable broth
Directions:
1. For the filling, in a medium bowl, combine breadcrumbs, cheese,
chopped garlic, parsley, oregano, the 2 tablespoons olive oil, and
lemon zest. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
2. Cut the stems off of the artichokes and pull off the tough outer
leaves. Cut about 1/2 inch off of the top of each artichoke to create a
flat top. Make sure the bottoms are flat so the artichokes can stand
up. With your fingers, spread the leaves apart as much as you can,
stuffing the breadcrumb mixture between them. Put plenty of the filling
on top of the artichokes.
3. In a Dutch oven, heat the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil over medium
heat. Add the smashed garlic cloves to the oil and cook until fragrant,
about 1 minute. Add thyme, wine, lemon juice, and vegetable broth.
Arrange artichokes in pot, cover, and place over medium heat. Simmer
until artichokes are tender throughout, about 30 minutes.
Makes 4 servings
© Meredith Corporation
Christmas on December 06, 2008 at 02:43 PM
Hii, I just want to say Merry Christmas 2008. :))
Christmas Hamper on October 20, 2009 at 05:42 AM
Great write up. It is amazing how different people and cultures all approach and have different views to Christmas and Christmas presents ... and thanks for the stuffed artichoke recipe, can't wait to give it a go.