Holiday Food Traditions (or Ghosts of New Years Past)

Happy New Year!

Greens are a Southern New Years Food Tradition

 Growing up it was always customary for my family to have Oyster stew on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.  I recall asking my mom once about why that was our tradition but unfortunately I don’t recall her answer.  Traditionally oysters are best eaten during the months that contain “R’s” (because they spawn during the summer and aren’t as plump during that time).  I suppose that, coupled with the fact that we’re from Nebraska so Oysters aren’t something that you traditionally found in the market on a day-to-day basis, are probably the reasons why the tradition sprang up.  Grandma Schuster (mom’s side) was a big fan of oyster dressing at Christmas so in addition to the usual white bread dressing (stuffing) there was usually a pan of oyster dressing to appease both sides of the dressing lines. 

 I was never good with math and therefore hated it (make that hate…the past tense isn’t necessarily appropriate here) so somewhere along the line I missed this word problem:

“The Jim Sehnert family decides to join the Dick Sehnert family for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.  If they alternate visits to each other’s house and embellish the table with copious numbers of side dishes, just how many pounds of turkey will each person consume?”

 Answer:  More than should be allowed.

 In addition to Thanksgiving and Christmas, New Year’s Day often meant another large roasted turkey if we were getting together with my uncle, aunt and cousins.  The Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Year’s season was definitely the Turkey Trifecta! 

 Later on after my brothers and I had left the house I recall mom started fixing spareribs and sauerkraut, a German and Czech tradition for New Year’s Day.  Shortly after I was done with college and had my own place I decided I would do the same myself.  I pulled out Grandma’s trusty pressure cooker and planned to do it just as simply and quickly as mom and grandma always did.  Mom swore by her pressure cooker for lots of things, but my main recollections where her green beans with bacon and onion and spareribs with sauerkraut.  The pressure cooker was perfect for making the meat fall-off-the-bones tender.  As much as I had grown up helping mom in the kitchen I never quite seemed to pay much attention or apparently ask many questions about using the pressure cooker.  I guess because she made it seem so effortless I never felt like there must be much to inquire about.  It was sort of the microwave oven of its day.  When people would comment on being afraid of pressure cookers exploding she would “poo-poo” the notion and say that she never had any issues nor concerns.  Perhaps that was because she followed proper procedures? 

Well this particular year I called her for directions and thought that I had followed whatever it was that she told me…waiting for the steam to start being expelled through the top before putting the pressure weight on and then waiting for it to rise the right number of lines.  Once the weight had risen to the appropriate height I timed it for the period of time I thought/was told to, and then turned it off.  Now the next part is more of a blur than anything else…I don’t recall if I let the pressure weight descend on its own before taking the whole thing to the sink as mom instructed, or not.  I’m thinking probably NOT because I recall steam shooting through the vent on the top like an eruption from Old Faithful!  Fearing that this was the problematic issue with those fearful of exploding pressure cookers I decided I needed to quickly release the steam and in that instant made the STUPID decision to remove the lid.  Hint:  If steam is being forcefully expelled in a column through a tiny vent in the lid, then there is probably plenty more inside waiting to escape. 

All it took was one partial twist of the lid… and the next thing I knew, I was standing in a deluge of sauerkraut caused by the premature release of extreme pressure.  There I stood, kraut in the hair, all over the kitchen and what was in the bottom of the pan?  At least 1/8-inch of blackened krautlike carbon making a first-rate attempt at becoming one with the pan.  To this day I still don’t know what went wrong (other than opening it too soon.).  I could swear I followed mom’s directions to the letter but I can assure you that what I prepared was not edible and I never recall mom spending 3 consecutive days soaking and scrubbing a layer of carbon from her pressure cooker.  I still have dark patches in the bottom of Grandma’s pressure cooker that I’m sure are from the all too eventful attempt at a “good luck” new year’s eve meal!

While it has taken a good many number of years (and a little counseling here and there) I have finally come around and started experimenting with it more.  They really are a great addition to the kitchen due to their speed and ability to produce excellent “one-pot” meals out of otherwise inexpensive tougher cuts of meat.  I’ve even used it to by-pass the lengthy process of making homemade chicken stock.  Unfortunately you can’t make a large volume but what you do is well flavored in a fraction of the time.

For New Year’s Eve this year I decided to find my luck the Southern way by fixing a pot of greens in the pressure cooker for speedy tenderizing of the greens which otherwise need an hour or more of steady simmering to properly tenderize.

Greens, Onions, and Smoked Pork Neckbones

How did you ring in the new year?  Any special recipes that are traditional or are at least favorites for New Year’s Eve or day?  I know there are people out there reading this but I rarely hear from you…come on, share your thoughts and recipes!  It’s much more fun and useful for not only me to hear your feedback but other readers as well.

Pressure Cooker Pot O’ Greens

Greens are often paired with cornbread and served as a one-pot meal in the south.

Cooking greens in a pressure cooker tenderizes them in much less time than standard simmering and braising methods.  Greens are traditionally served for New Year’s in the south because they are said to represent money in the coming year.  If you can get ham hocks that have already been cut into small square pieces it will save you from having to remove the meat from the bones yourself.  Just warn your guests that small pieces of bone may be attached to the meaty bits.  Smoked pork neckbones can be used if smoked ham hocks are unavailable.  Neck bones will be a bit tougher and need to have the meat scraped/cut off.  These instructions are for a 4-quart pressure cooker.

 Yield:  8 Servings

 2 bunches collard greens

1 medium onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

2 ham hocks or 3 large smoked pork neckbones

1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

1 teaspoon seasoning salt

1 (14.5-oz) can diced tomatoes, drained but reserving juice

About 1 ½ cups chicken stock or broth

Thoroughly wash greens.  If greens are muddy, use warm water to help loosen dirt.

Holding each leaf upside down by the stem-end, slice the leaf away from the center rib.

Working in batches, stack the larger leaves on the bottom with smaller ones on top.  Roll up from one side to the other long side like a cigar.  Slice across in half-inch widths.

 If pressure cooker has a bottom rack place the rack in bottom of pan.  Place half the greens in the pressure cooker and scatter with half the onions and garlic.  Sprinkle with half the sugar and 1 tablespoon of the cider vinegar.  Place ham hocks on top of greens and onions.  Continue with remaining greens pressing down firmly.  Add the remaining onions, garlic, sugar, vinegar, Tabasco sauce, salt and drained diced tomatoes.

 Measure reserved tomato juice in a 2-cup measure.  Add enough chicken stock or broth to fill to the two-cup level.  Pour juice mixture over the greens in pressure cooker.

 Place lid on pressure cooker and lock into place.  Place pressure cooker over high heat until a steady stream of steam comes out of top vent.  Place weight on vent and cook at full pressure for 15 minutes.  When timer goes off, turn off burner and allow pressure to release, about 10-15 minutes.  When weight has gone down and pressure is released, carefully remove the lid.  Remove ham hocks or neckbones from greens and remove meat from bones.  Return meat to the greens and broth.

 Serve hot with cornbread or biscuits.

Success!