Cooking with Chef Jo: Cooking for Health, Wealth, and Happiness in 2021

Usually, for the past 25 years, I've cooked a traditionally southern style New Year's Day feast of Ham, collards, black eyed peas, rice and cornbread. Since last year is carrying on into this year the focus has been global, I'm going global with my New Year's Day feast. It can't hurt, can it? Well yes, my waist line will definitely take a hit so soon after the indulgences of November and December pig outs. But, I'll work it all off, and then some come spring and summer climbing up and down through the garden several times a day, won't I? I'll keep telling myself until it's true. LOL

So come along with me as I plan my New Year's Day meal...

• In Spain they eat 12 grapes at the stroke of midnight, but they'll grace my morning oatmeal as a side dish. It won't be at midnight so I'll lose 4-5 hours of luck, wealth, health, and happiness. .But 
• In Mexico, they eat tamales, and a tripe and hominy soup. I'll pass on the soup. Tripe is a major no-no for my heart health. But I'll make two tamales. A heck, for all that work, I'll make some up for a freezer meals.
• In the  Netherlands, Oliebollen, or fried oil balls, are sold at street carts during New Year's celebrations. I'm wondering where I can get fish fat to make these. I can always call my brother-in-law whose originally from there. I have a mental picture of me cutting open fish oil capsules from my medicine cabinet, or worse, buying cod liver oil. Do they still sell it anymore? After I called him and asked him about the fish oil, and when he stopped laughing, he explained they hadn't used fish oil in hundreds of years. Olibollen was a Dutch donut hole.
• In Germany and Austria, they create little piggies out of fresh marzipan. This I will be doing because it's my heritage. Putting almonds on my grocery list.
• In Japan, soba noodles on New Year's symbolizes longevity, great health, nights of full sleep, and wealth. Definitely doing this one too. Again, it's my heritage. I'll even pit a link to my recipe for this here.
• In France, they enjoy galette des rois, or King Cake as it's known here. I think I can find a baby new year at the store to put in it.
• In Italy, it's a lentil and sausage (cotechino) casserole. Wondering where I can find cotechino? It's too late in the game to make some. Granted it only fifteen minutes once you have all the ingredients, but would take a hour of prep work for me and then it has to boil for two hours. I'll have a little less luck,
• In Poland and Scandinavian countries, Pickled herring is served. I've actually bought some in cream sauce two weeks ago.

So my New Year's day menus are shaping up. To eat all of this will take all three meals plus snacks to eat it all. I've added the comments and actions I'll be doing while eating all this food on New Year's day just for fun. 😏

Breakfast

12 Grapes

and a slice of King cake

Two very strong cups of hot tea,

Because I spent the last two days in prep and cooking!

Mid morning snack

3 Oliebollen

Another 2 cuppers of hot tea,

Because already it's been one of those types of days!

 

Lunch

My Favorite Wintertime Soup

Lentils and Cotechino

Another slice of King cake

Extra helpings can't be a bad thing, can it?

Mid afternoon snack

Creamed Pickled Herring on toast points

Can I stop eating yet?

Dinner

The transplant duo (us) demanded a southern traditional meal.

Hoppin' John

The tradition states you have to eat 365 black eyed peas to be lucky, 

healthy, & wealthy.  I've never eaten that many before! 

I even used the meat from the smoked hog jowl instead of baking a ham.  

God HELP ME! I managed to eat 209 peas. Yes, I counted.

Collard greens

I finally managed to make them like my step mother does, 

but I could only manage two bites, WAAAH!

Buttered carrots and corn

Meant to bring wealth- coins and gold nuggets. A single bite 

of each.  I stand up trying to force the food down into hollow legs.

 It worked as a child, but not now.

Cornbread

A paper thin sliver. I didn't butter it, but sopped up the butter 

from corn and carrots. I was so ever thankful when half of it fell into 

crumbled mush with the butter.

OMG! There on my plate sat a untouched, steamed Tamale!

My stomach made an ominous rumbling sound and 

the skin stretched way too tight was threatening to 

explode! I unwrapped it with trembling fingers. I had 

intentionally made them 2- bite size. My mouth refused to 

open and the  fingers went slack. The tamale dropped 

back onto my plate. I was done! I called for a wheelbarrow to 

roll me away from the table.

Fours later, I was getting ready for bed that I remembered the German  Fresh Marzipan Piggies! 

I waddled to the kitchen and there they were on a plate grinning at me. They were positively daring me to eat one!  I  grabbed one and viciously bit its head off, SO THERE! In reality, the head equaled about 1/4 tsp of marzipan. I even managed a very small bite of a Tamale. I wanted all the bases covered. I was done with NINE countries New Year traditions for wealth, health, and luck for 2021 to head off my doom and gloom Sunday's post,

I went to bed. New Year's Day was almost done. If things are bad next year, I think I'll do five four, er um, three new countries plus the southern traditional. As I finished my nightly prayers, I added...

God, Thank you for helping me get through a mountain of food and the resources to buy what was needed.  May the traditions claimed come true for us this year. Now, someone pass me some Tums. Amen and Amen!

Back to real time. I'm busy grinding almonds for the marzipan for the Germany recipe. The tamales are made and awaiting the steamer basket. Most have been vacuum sealed and in the freezer for a couple of "TV dinners night. Two are wrapped in plastic wrap to keep them moist before steaming. Japan's soba broth is chilling out in the refrigerator.

Y'all have a blessed day!

Chef Jo