Bittman - How to Cook Everything Christmas

In Good Spirits

Since these days Christmas goes nonstop from Thanksgiving through New Years, folks are enjoying good cookingand eatingduring the whole month of December. You dont even need to observe Christmas to embrace all the good cheer. For you celebrating may mean a big meal (or several!), hosting or taking food to holiday parties, baking treats for a cookie swap or office party, or giving homemade goodies as giftsor probably a combination of all of these.

Sure, theres work involved, but holiday cooking can be enormously gratifying, something people look forward to all year. For many of you, the food shared over this period is a way to wish others well and express the importance of your relationships. Even folks who dont cook much can be swept up in the joy of preparing treats and envisioning wonderful menus.

But as with any labor of love, once the calendar starts filling up, its important to get organized. This one-stop holiday cookbook will help you do exactly that, regardless of how you choose to get in the spirit.

Taking food to parties? Having a few simple make-ahead recipes can be a boon. (Remember that the most important thing to take to the gathering is your smiling presence, not perfectly decorated cookies.) ).

If the spirit moves you to prepare homemade gifts on a grander scale, then try putting together your own . Its fast and easy to package, the flavors of home-ground spices are unbeatable, and the recipients will think of you whenever they dip into it.

The fondest holiday food memories often revolve around baking. Whether youre including the kids or preparing food with friends, it can be a great pleasure to spend a day messing up the kitchen to make into your favorite recipes to take them into all sorts of kid-friendly and adult directions.

Eventually, the sparkle of parties gives way to the holiday meal itself. It can be fun to try out the special ingredients appearing in the market at this time of year: is a treat worth celebrating and a festive way to enjoy time with loved ones. With this collection you can do it allthis year, the next, or the next.

However your holiday plays out, I hope you take as much joy in the cooking as in the sharing. Whether big or small, anything you prepare is a gift to yourself and those you loveand the best way I know to get in the spirit of the season.

Appetizers, Soup, and Salad

Stuffed Mushrooms

MAKES: 4 to 6 servings

TIME: 30 to 35 minutes

Gorgeous appetizers, much simpler to make than you might think. Though mushrooms are notoriously dirty, theyre easy enough to clean: Rinse them under cold running water or in a salad spinner. (Despite what you may have heard, this doesnt make them soggy.)

14 cup olive oil

1 pound button mushrooms

1 egg

12 cup bread crumbs, preferably fresh

12 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

12 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves

1 tablespoon minced garlic

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oven to 400F. Grease a baking sheet with 2 tablespoons of the oil. Trim off the bottoms of the mushroom stems. Then pull on the stems to separate them, being careful to leave the caps intact. Chop the stems and combine them in a bowl with the egg, bread crumbs, cheese, parsley, garlic, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.

Stir the remaining oil into the mixture and fluff with a fork. Stuff the mushroom caps with the bread crumb mixture, then put them stuffed side up on the baking sheet.

Bake until the stuffing is browned and crisp on top, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool a little, then serve, warm or at room temperature, on toothpicks or with napkins.

Nutty Stuffed Mushrooms. Use chopped walnuts, pecans, or pistachios instead of bread crumbs and 2 tablespoons melted butter in the stuffing instead of the olive oil.

Stuffed Mushrooms with Bacon Bread Crumbs. Omit the cheese. Put 4 bacon slices in a medium skillet over medium-low heat and cook until crisp but not too brown. After draining, chop the bacon and add to the stuffing along with the oil in Step 2.

Boosting the Flavor of Nuts

For something that takes virtually no work, nuts really deliver, especially during the holidays, when you might need to set out a casual snack one day or bolster a buffet of finger foods the next. And when you roast and season them yourself, you know theyre going to be far fresher than anything from a can or jar. Best of all, you can choose a single nut or a combination, depending on what you like and what you have handy.

To roast nuts, heat the oven to 450F. Toss 2 cups (about 1 pound) any unsalted shelled nuts in a bowl with 2 tablespoons peanut oil or melted butter and some salt and freshly ground black pepper. Put them on a rimmed baking sheet and cook, shaking the pan once or twice, until lightly browned, 5 to 10 minutes, depending on the size of the nut. After you take them out of the oven, sprinkle with salt while theyre still warm and shake the pan again.

For a hit of flavor, toss the roasted nuts with any of the ingredients from the list that follows. Some are more potent than others, so be careful (you dont want to use a tablespoon of cayenne, for example); when in doubt, taste a bit on the tip of your finger to test their strength. Cool before serving; the nuts will crisp as they cool.

Chopped fresh herbs

Freshly ground black pepper

Ground sumac

Cayenne or hot red pepper flakes

Cheese Straws

MAKES: At least 10 servings

TIME: 20 minutes

Our beloved Cheez-Its were originallyof coursebased on a real pastry-and-cheese cracker, commonly called cheese straws . Homemade, these have become my default finger food for guests, not quite as easy as but far more unusual and impressive. To make them you basically dump everything into the food processor; you have to cut out the straws by hand, but that doesnt take long either.

8 ounces cheddar or other flavorful hard cheese

5 ounces Parmesan cheese

2 cups all-purpose flour

Pinch cayenne

8 tablespoons (1 stick) chilled butter, cut into chunks, plus a little more for greasing the baking sheet

Few drops ice water if necessary

Coarse salt, optional

Heat the oven to 450F. Grate the cheese in a food processor, then remove from the bowl. Add the flour and cayenne to the processor and pulse. Add the butter and process to combine the butter and flour; pulse in the cheese. To mix by hand, pinch the butter with the flour mixture between your fingers (or use a pastry blender or 2 forks) until it resembles cornmeal. Then blend in the cheese the same way.

Knead by hand until the dough comes together, adding a few drops of ice water if necessary. (At this point you may wrap the dough well in plastic and refrigerate for up to 2 days.)

Roll the dough out into a rectangle about 14 inch thick, using flour as necessary (or roll between 2 sheets of plastic wrap), then cut into strips as long as you like and about 12 inch wide. Put on a lightly greased baking sheet and sprinkle with the salt if you like. Bake until golden brown, 5 to 8 minutes. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

Pickled Eggs with Oranges and Warm Spices

MAKES: 6 eggs