There may be no traditions more deeply rooted in our holiday memories than food. Our holiday menus often include mainstay recipes we can rely on year after year. Looking at you, Nana’s stuffing! But, like many other aspects of our lives, the holidays might look different in 2020. Let this be a time to make new traditions. Instead of the obligatory dishes, be bold and serve something you’ve never made before. Instead of traveling, bring global flavors to you and your household with holiday recipes from around the world.
Snacks & Starters
Holiday meals take planning, preparation, and time. That means you’re going to need some hors d'oeuvres to hold you over until the feast is ready! Try potatoes prepared two ways, with one preparation from eastern Europe in the form of traditional latkes—don’t forget the sour cream and apple sauce—and a festive spin on Indian samosas, packed with sweet potatoes and accompanied by a cranberry chutney.
Main Courses
Whether meaty or plant-based, the heart of your holiday meal is undoubtedly the protein. Warm up your palette with an African Ghanajan Chicken and Groundnut Stew, which can also be made vegan or vegetarian. Crowd-pleasing Mexican tamales are a gluten-free dish that can be made with a variety of fillings to suit different tastes or dietary restrictions. For a twist on traditional meat dishes, try a mouthwatering Asian-inspired marinade on lamb chops, or roast up thick slices of bacon Danish-style with apples, onions and thyme.
Side Dishes
Break away from your mashed potato routine and bring some color to your holiday table with a root vegetable gratin, a dish with origins in French cuisine. Then travel slightly southeast andarrive in Italy to a massaged kale antipasto salad, and keep the greens coming with spanakopita, Greek for spinach pie.
Dessert
Classic German Walnut macaroons, Chinese New Year cookies, the French favorite Buche de Noel, the British classic figgy pudding, or a Peruvian spiced hot chocolate are just some of the ways you can get a taste of how sweet the world can be from the comfort of your home.
From Our Table to Yours
However you may be celebrating the holiday season, remember home is where the heart is, and the heart is close to the belly. Morguard wishes you a very happy holiday.
“Food is our common ground, a universal experience.”
–James Beard