Foods for the Holiday

By Bobbie Athon, for Hers Kansas

From pies to tamales, Topeka women have enjoyed sharing holiday taste traditions for at least 150 years. Their exchange of favorite recipes helped introduced new customs along with new foods. Through their generous trading, they have encouraged a smörgåsbord of cultural delights for the season. The magazines and newspapers of the community have highlighted and preserved a few examples.

Mrs. Nate Morales shared the tradition of her Mexican heritage in Kansas! Magazine Winter 1966. The Morales family prepared their posada-or lodging-eight days before Christmas with bright colorful lanterns. The piñatas, made of earthenware, were decorated and hung from the ceiling by a string. On each of the eight nights, children would gather to be blindfolded and take a swing at the candy-filled containers. They celebrated the nacimiento-or manger scene-on Christmas when the Morales family invited guests to gather and eat tamales and exchange gifts. Mrs. Morales shared her family's special tamale recipe.

Tamales

15 pepper pods
1 teaspoon ground comino
5 head garlic
10 pounds corn dough (Masa which can be bought at local stores)
2 pounds lard
5 tablespoons salt
6 pounds Boston Butt (lean pork)
¾ pound corn shucks
3 quarts boiling water

Remove seeds from pepper pods and place to soak in hot water for ½ hour. Grind in blender together with comino, garlic and 2 tablespoons salt, adding the water from soaking the pods. Add more water as necessary to make a creamy sauce of medium consistency. Boil for 10 minutes.

Cut meat in small pieces about 1-inch square. Slat to taste and fry oven low heat, turning at intervals until tender. Drain drippings, which have collected and place meat in the pepper pod sauce. Mix well.

Place the corn dough in a large pan, adding melted lard and 3 tablespoons salt. Mix well with both hands until it has reached a smooth consistency.

Wipe corn shucks clean, trimming off ends with scissors. Soak shucks in hot water for 10 minutes, then drain.

With a knife spread a coat of Masa mixture (corn dough) on ¾ of a shuck that is to not spread Masa on the lower three inches of the shuck. Place one or two pieces of meat in sauce in the center of the shuck and wrap, folding the lower three inches over. Repeat the procedure until all the tamales are made.

In a large granite cold pack canner, place a tin pie plate pierced in about eight places face downward. Lay several corn shucks on top of the plate to make a mat. Place the tamales on top of the mat, leaving a small space open in the center clear to the top. Pour 3 quarts boiling water into the canner and cover pan with lid. Cook one hour over a medium heat. This makes six to seven dozen tamales.

"The Magic glow of Christmas," according to Capper's Weekly in December 1954, "touches everything in the house during these last few days before Santa's visit. There's Christmas cheer in every bite." The issue featured popular holiday breakfast items. A traditional Norwegian recipe is Jule (pronounced yule) Kaga. The sweet bread, filled with tasty treats, is served as a holiday breakfast with coffee.

Jule Kaga

2 packages yeast, compressed or dry
¾ cup water (lukewarm for compressed yeast, warm for dry)
1 cup milk
¾ cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
½ cup shortening
5 ½ cups sifted enriched flour (about)
2 eggs
1½ teaspoons ground cardamom
½ tsp. Chopped candied citron
2/3 cup seedless raisins
½ cup chopped blanched almonds
½ cup melted butter or margarine
½ cup confectioner's sugar
2 tablespoons cream

Soften yeast in water. Scald milk. Add sugar, salt and shortening and cool to lukewarm. Add 2 cups flour and mix well. Add softened yeast and eggs and beat well. Stir in cardamom, citron, raisins and almonds. Add enough more flour to make soft dough. Turn out on lightly floured board and knead until smooth and satiny. Place in greased bowl. Cover and let rise in warm place until doubled (about 1½ hours). When ready, punch down and divide into two equal portions. Let rest 10 minutes. Shape each portion into loaf and place in greased bread pans. Let rise until doubled (about 1 hour). Bake in moderately hot over (400 degrees F) 10 minutes. Reduce heat to moderate (350 degrees F) and bake about 45 minutes longer. Brush with melted butter. Cool, then remove from pan and frost with glaze made by combing confectioner's sugar and cream. Makes 2 loaves.

"The delicious aroma of concoctions of sirup, sugar and the like bubbling on the stove go with Christmas just as much as the piney smell of the Christmas tree," stated the article, "Good Things to Eat," in Capper's December 1941. This article highlighted sweet treats for the holidays.

Uncooked Fudge

Be sure that your fudge will be of the texture desired by using this recipe. Use 1 egg, 2 tablespoons cream, 1 pound powdered sugar, ¼ pound bitter chocolate, 1 tablespoon butter and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat egg until light, add cream and powdered sugar. Melt chocolate over team with a large tablespoon butter. Add this to egg and sugar mixture. Add vanilla. Stir all together as long as you can. Pack into a buttered pan. When firm cut in squares. Nuts may be added, if desired.

Note from the American Egg Board Raw egg yolks are a fine growth medium for bacteria. It is best to cook yolks for use in such dishes as cold soufflés, chiffons, mousses, mayonnaise and Hollandaise sauce. To cook yolks, the recipe must contain at least 2 tablespoons of liquid per yolk. Less liquid will produce scrambled eggs. Simply combine the yolks with the liquid in the recipe. Cook in a heavy saucepan over a very low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture coats a metal spoon, bubbles at the edges or reaches 160ºF. Cool quickly and proceed with the recipe.

Holiday recipe sharing was a key component in Creative Holidays, held the first Saturday in December at the Kansas History Center and Museum for many years. In 1993, members of Temple Beth Shalom offered tastes of their popular Blintzes and a recipe.

Blintzes

3 cups flour
3 cups milk
3 cups water
Pinch of salt and sugar
3 eggs
4 tablespoons oil

Mix in mixer until liquid. Fry in pan on one side.

For Filler:

2 pounds sour cream
2 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
1 tablespoon vanilla
5 tablespoons raisins
1 cup sugar

Put filler on unfried side. Wrap into a square. Makes 20.

As women of the past will attest, there's no better time for sharing special recipes than during the holidays.