Holiday and Christmas Recipes:
Ethnic New Year's Recipes

Kielbasa and Kraut
Christmas (Holiday) Soup
New Year's Pretzels
Hoppin' John
Mixed Greens
Collard Greens
Easy Fruit Salad
Black Bun
Mincemeat Pies
Authentic Shortbread
Italian Lentils (Lenticchie)
Olie Bollen
Simple Pickled Herring
Chinese Dumplings
Korean Rice Cake Soup
Lo Han Jai

Kielbasa and Kraut

6-8 large red potatoes cut into quarters
4 yellow onions sliced into fourths
2 lb. Kielbasa, diagonally sliced into 1 1/2" pieces
1 large package (about 1 lb.) sauerkraut, undrained
1 T. dill
1/2 T. ground caraway seeds
1-3 T. sugar to taste.

Place all ingredients in a slow cooker/crock pot on medium for 2 hours. Check to make sure there is enough juice; you may need to add up to a cup of water to keep it simmering in its juice. Note: Sometimes, I use only 1 lb. Kielbasa, and add about 2 lb. country-style spareribs, cut in small pieces. Serves 3-4.

Christmas (Holiday) Soup

2 T. butter
1 heaping T. flour
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 c. cold water
4 c. boiling water
2 diced potatoes
1 c. chopped mushrooms
1/2 c. sauerkraut juice

Brown flour in butter until light brown. Add paprika and cold water; boil until dissolved. Stir this into pot of 4 c. boiling water. Add potatoes and mushrooms; cook until potatoes are done. Season with salt and pepper. Add sauerkraut juice, bring to boiling point. Add noodles (recipe follows).

Soup Noodles

1 egg
1 c. flour
water

Combine egg, flour and enough water to make a stiff dough. Chop the dough until the mixture resembles small peas. Sprinkle with flour while chopping to prevent sticking. Cook in boiling, salted water for about 10 minutes. Rinse in cold water and add to soup. 

Note: My MIL, Mary Capp Bowan, would put the dough on a plate or small cutting board, and cut off tiny pieces, pushing them into the hot water.

New Year's Pretzels

2 c Milk
1/2 c Butter or margarine
2 pkg. Yeast; active, dry
2 t Salt
1/2 c Sugar
7 c Flour; unbleached
2 lg Eggs
1 c Confectioners' sugar
1 x water
1 t Vanilla extract
1/4 c Almonds; chopped

Heat milk & butter until very warm (120-130F). Mix yeast, salt, sugar & 1 cup flour. Slowly beat into warm milk. Beat for 2 minutes. Add eggs & 1 cup of flour. Beat for an additional 2 minutes. Add enough flour to form a soft dough. Knead until smooth & elastic, about 5 minutes. Place dough in a greased bowl. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hr. Punch dough down & let rise again until doubled. (1 hour more). 

Divide dough in half. Shape pretzel as follows: Roll dough into a rope about 30"long & 1 1/2"  in diameter. Cross the ends leaving a large loop in the center. Flip loop back onto crossed ends to form a pretzel. Repeat with remaining dough. Place pretzels on greased baking sheets. Let rise 15 minutes more. Bake at 375F, 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire racks. Mix confectioners' sugar, water & vanilla to form a thin icing. Spread icing on pretzels & sprinkle with chopped almonds.

Makes 2 large pretzels.

Hoppin' John

According to the Penn School & Sea Islands Heritage Cookbook (1978), the traditional New Year's menu on the Sea Islands "is a simple one: Hoppin' John, collard greens with hog jowls, and ribs for a side dish. Hoppin' John, or brown field peas cooked with rice, is eaten for good luck throughout the year. The collard greens represent dollar bills. It is said the more one eats, the more money one will have."

In A South Carolina Christmas (1997), Jan Kiefer says to be sure to soak dried peas on New Year's Eve, at just the right time for the peas to "take up" the luck.

1 c. raw cow (field) peas
4 c. water
2 tsp. salt
1 c. raw rice
4 slices bacon fried with:
1 med. onion

Boil peas in salted water until tender. Add peas and 1 cup of the pea liquid to rice, bacon (with grease) and onion. Put in a rice steamer or double-boiler and cook for one hour or until rice is thoroughly done. (Servings: 8.)

Mixed Greens

2 lb. collard greens
2 lb. mustard greens
2 lb. kale
1/2 lb. salt pork
1/2 lb. smoked neck bones
1/2 lb. rib tips
Salt and pepper
Dash of sugar (optional)

Wash all meat; place in a large pot, cover with water and cook for 45 minutes. 

Clean greens well. Cut up and add to meat. Season to taste. Put a dash of sugar if desired. Cook over medium heat for 50 to 60 minutes or until tender.

Collard Greens

A mess of fresh collard greens
Enough water to cover in a pot
Equal parts sugar and salt, to taste
Ham hock, thick bacon or fatback, as preferred

Wash and rinse the greens thoroughly to remove grit. Put in a large pot and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer. Cook for about an hour (test them for "doneness" from time to time".)

Easy Fruit Salad

2 c. miniature marshmallows
1 lg. can crushed pineapple
1 jar maraschino cherries
1 pint whipping cream
3 T. sugar

Drain pineapple; place in bowl. Add marshmallows, stir well. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Next day, whip the cream, adding sugar, to stiff peaks. Fold into the pineapple mixture.

Drain cherries well, cut into small pieces. Add cherries to pineapple mixture. Chill well for a few hours more before serving. 

Black Bun

Famous throughout Scotland since the eighteenth century, Black Bun was often made at Christmas, when it was sometimes called Yule Cake. The filling is much like a rich, black Christmas pudding, but the delicate envelope of pastry gives it a special character. It requires neither eggs nor sugar. Also eaten for New Year's celebrations. 

Serves 10-12

PASTRY:
1 lb. all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
8 oz. butter 

FILLING:
12 oz. self-raising flour
1 tsp. cinnamon 
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. nutmeg 
1 lb. seedless raisins 
1 lb. currants 
2 oz. mixed peel, optional
2 oz. glace cherries, chopped
4 oz. blanched almonds, coarsely chopped
2 T. whisky 
Milk
2 beaten egg yolks 

Mix flour and salt in a large mixing bowl; then rub in the butter until you have a crumb-like consistency. Mix in 1 T. very cold water. If the dough is still crumbly, add another and stir and mix until it will come away from the bowl in one piece, leaving the bowl clean.

Flour a board and roll the pastry out to a little less than 1/4 inch thickness. Grease either a 10x5 inch bread tin or a loose bottomed 8-inch cake tin. Line the tin, molding the pastry against the sides and making sure there are no holes. Set aside a piece for the lid.

Mix all the dry ingredients for the filling together and then add all the fruit and the almonds. Stir well together. Add the whisky and stir in and then enough milk to bring it to a stiff consistency.

Fill the tin and smooth off the top. Roll out the pastry lid and lay it loosely so that the inside can rise a little. Thrust a long skewer through the lid and filling, right to the bottom, in about 8 places. Lightly prick the lid all over with a fork. Brush over with the beaten egg yolks. Bake at 350F., 21/2 hours.

Allow the bun to stand in the tin on a wire rack for 30 minutes before turning out. 

Mincemeat Pies

12 oz. Pre-made mincemeat 
1 c. plus 2 T. brandy, divided
2 lb. flaky pie pastry 
4 T. butter 
1 T. sugar 
1 T. milk to glaze 

Mix mincemeat with brandy. Put in jars and seal tightly. Store in a dark and cool place for 2 months. 

Preheat oven to 350F. Roll out flaky pastry. Use a glass and cut out twelve 3 inch circles. Push pastry circles into a shallow muffin pan. Cut out another twelve 2 inch circles for the lids. 

Put fermented mincemeat into the pastry cups. Moisten edges of pastry and put on pastry lids. Crimp to seal. Brush with milk and bake for 20 minutes until golden. 

Meanwhile, combine butter, brandy and sugar. Mix well in a pan until melted. Pour into a serving dish and allow to cool. Put in refrigerator to chill. Serve mince pies hot or cold with Brandy Butter. 


This recipe This recipe came from Mrs. Catherine Campbell, who ran the darkroom in our X-ray Department at Sewickley Hospital, when I was in training. I have never had better - she brought the recipe with her when she came to America.

Authentic Shortbread

1 lb. butter
1 c. sugar
5 c. flour

Cream butter and sugar. Add flour, 1 c. at a time. Place batter on 18x12" baking sheet, and using hands, spread to cover entire tray. With a fork, make rows of tine marks. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 350F for 30-35 minutes. Cut in squares when cool.

Variation: I add a little orange or rose water flavoring - the flavor is not heavy and no one can figure out what it is!

For the sugar you sprinkle on top, use colored sugar. This is great for holidays or even weddings, since the sugar comes in a wide variety of colors. Available at cake supply shops etc.

Can also use flavored sugars on top, orange or lemon is nice.


Lentils are eaten in Italian homes just after midnight on New Year's Eve. The belief is that eating lentils will bring you money throughout the rest of the year.

Italian Lentils (Lenticchie)

1 lb. dry lentil beans
2 carrots, peeled, divided
2 stalks celery, divided
2 medium onions, chopped, divided
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 T. butter
2-3 leaves fresh sage
1/4 cup tomato sauce
salt to taste

Wash the lentils and the soak them overnight in a big pan with abundant water. 

Drain the lentils and rinse them. Put the lentils in a large pan and add a whole carrot, one celery stalk, one medium onion and salt to taste. Add water enough to cover everything. Bring to a boil and the reduce to a low heat; cover and let them simmer for about 2 - 3 hours. Check occasionally to see if they are done; check for seasoning that they are salted correctly. 

If there is too much liquid towards the end of the cooking time, remove the lid and let the excess liquid cook down. Or, if the lentils are dry, add a little water. 

About a 30 minutes before they are done, heat a pan with the butter and oil. Add remaining carrot, celery and onion, all finely chopped. Sauté the vegetables for about 5 minutes; then add the tomato sauce and two fresh sage leaves. 
Cook at a low heat for another ten minutes.

Add them to the lentils and cook together for 10 minutes mixing frequently. Serve with a boiled sausage like Cotechino or Zampone .

Olie Bollen

Olie Bollen are small round Dutch doughnuts; they are traditionally served on New Year's Eve in Holland. The name literally means "oil balls." Don't let the name turn you off because Olie Bollen are delicious. The Dutch regularly add raisins, currants ore even finely diced dried apples to their Olie Bollen dough. 

1 envelope dry yeast
3 T. sugar 
1 c. warm water, divided 
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla 
1 tsp. salt
4 c. all purpose flour
3 c. fruit (diced fresh apples, raisins or dried currants) 
oil for frying 
confectioner's sugar for dusting

Pour 1/2 cup warm water, about 85 to 115 F., into the bowl of a large food processor. Sprinkle the yeast and sugar over the water and mix at low speed. Let stand for five minutes. Slowly mix in remaining water, eggs, vanilla and salt. Slowly add flour a cup at a time. Mix on high for about a minute or two. The dough should turn into a ball and roll around the processor. If the dough does not ball up because it's to dry, add water one tablespoon at a time until it does. If your mixture is more like a batter, add flour one tablespoon at a time. Mix in fruit. Remove from food processor. Place in an oiled bowl, cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours. 

Heat about 2 inches of oil in a large skillet. Punch down dough. Roll the dough into small balls, about 1/2 - 2 inches in diameter. Drop dough balls into hot oil, frying until golden brown, turning as needed. Drain on paper towels and dust with confectioner's sugar. Serve hot. 

Makes 4-5 dozen

Polish or German folklore says that eating herring at the stroke of midnight will bring luck for the next year. 

Simple Pickled Herring

Herring fillets 
Onions, sliced 
1 bay leaf 
1 T. vegetable oil 
1 tsp. sugar 
1/2 to 3/4 c. vinegar 
1 c. cold water

Soak herring for 3 or 4 hours in cold water. Wash in cold water and cut into cubes. Prepare a marinade with the remaining ingredients and marinate for 2 days. Drain and serve. 

Chinese Dumplings

Two cups shredded vegetables (cabbage or bok choy, carrots, chopped water chestnuts, onion, etc.)
Soy sauce 
Water 
Vinegar (white or rice) 
Two dozen wonton/dumpling skins 
Chopped garlic (fresh is best)
Grated or finely chopped fresh ginger 
Optional: Choose one flavoring - T. Hunan chili paste, T. plum sauce, tsp. black bean sauce, tsp. five spice powder or other flavoring 

Make the dipping sauce first and let it sit. Mix equal parts soy sauce and vinegar, about 1/8 c. per person. Add equal parts garlic and ginger, about a 1/2 tsp. total of the two per person. 

Stir-fry vegetable mix in a small bit of water and soy sauce. Add your favorite flavoring, like chili paste, sesame oil etc. Stir until translucent. 

To make the dumplings, fill a small bowl with water for dipping. Scoop about 1 1/2 tsp. of filling onto a dumpling skin. Crunch the dumpling into a nice shape and dip the end into the small bowl to seal it. 

Dumplings may be boiled for 3-5 minutes or steamed 5-10. They are done when they crinkle up and turn translucent. Dip dumplings in sauce to eat. 

Korean Rice Cake Soup

Korean people normally eat this soup on New Year's Day. They believe that each bowl eaten adds one year to your life. This is a great winter soup.

Beef
Beef broth
Rice Cakes
eggs
chopped green onions
chopped garlic
sesame oil

Cut the beef into thin strips and fry in a small amount of oil. Pour the broth into a large soup pot and bring to a boil. 

Meanwhile, separate egg yolks and whites. Beat lightly. Cook egg yolk in a small pan like an omelet. Place on plate to cool. Roll up, then cut in thin shreds. Repeat with egg whites.

When the broth begins to boil, add the onions and garlic, along with pieces of rice cake; cook. You can also add ramyun (Korean noodles). Add the meat. Season to taste with sesame oil, salt and pepper. Serve in bowls with egg strips on top.

Lo Han Jai

Also known as "Buddhist Vegetarian Stew," is traditionally served on the first day of the lunar Chinese New Year, to cleanse the body. Since ingredients for Lo Han Jai are not easily available in most food markets, this is a simplified version. Although the list of ingredients appear lengthy, once everything is gathered, the cooking is easy. 

2 T. vegetable oil
8 Chinese black mushrooms, soaked in hot water for ten minutes, squeeze excess water, remove stems, leave whole - save soaking water
1/2 c. dried fungus (cloud ears), soak in warm water, cut into smaller pieces 
1/2 c. sliced bamboo shoots
8 fresh Chinese water chestnuts, peeled, cut into quarters
1 whole carrot, peeled, cut to julienne strips 
2 c. Napa cabbage, torn into small pieces 
1 c. vegetarian or chicken broth 
2 oz. bean thread - boil in water to cover for 5 minutes. Drain.
1 c. firm bean cake (tofu), cut to 1/2" cubes 
8 snow peas, remove strings, cut to thin slivers 
2 c. fresh bean sprouts 
2 T. soy sauce (low-sodium best)
1 T. cornstarch mixed well with 2 tsp. cold water 
1 tsp. sesame oil 

Heat wok until hot; add vegetable oil. Stir-fry mushrooms, fungus, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, carrot, cabbage; cook for 3-4 minutes over high heat. Add broth; cover and cook for 5 minutes over low heat. Add bean cake, bean sprouts, snow peas and soy sauce. Cover and simmer for two minutes. Stir in cornstarch mixture to form a light gravy, adjusting if necessary. Drizzle with sesame oil. 

Note: Traditional Lo Han Jai ingredients might include: ginkgo nuts, lotus root, dried oysters, lily stems, seaweed hair, fried tofu, and dried bean curd sticks.