In Eastern Europe most Christian families prepare a large feast, usually with twelve meatless dishes representing the twelve apostles. Pickled mushrooms are popular in Poland and a sweet wheat and poppy seed porridge is necessary in the Ukraine. Serbs insist that a round of unleavened bread and a dish of salt are present at that meal while in Bulgaria they make pastries with fortunes in it for the year ahead.
Italian and Italian American families also make a meal with a large number of meatless dishes, a tradition called The Feast of the 7 Fishes. Baccala (salt dried cod), fried scallops, oysters and cod fish balls in tomato sauce are some of the well loved dishes.
In Colombia it is traditional to eat ajiaco, a potato soup, and buñuelos, a sweet pastry, while waiting up until midnight to wish everyone a merry Christmas. Christmas in Puerto Rico wouldn't be complete without a spit roasted pig, lechon asao. All over Latin America families gather to make tamales during the holiday season, a tradition I wish I could marry into sometime soon.
Some American families do their big Christmas meal on the 24th with lamb, ham, beef or even boring turkey. Not in my family, though. The beef is saved for December 25th and Christmas Eve is a time for macaroni and cheese. You may not think it holds a candle to Puerto Rican pig, Italian cod fish or Polish pickles, but my holiday wouldn't be complete without it. And yes, the potato chips and frozen peas are vitally important.
Merry Christmas!
A Modern Broderick Family Macaroni and Cheese
Salt 1 pound elbow macaroni
6 T butter
1 medium pressed garlic clove
1 t dry mustard
1/4 t cayenne pepper
6 T flour
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
3 1/2 cups whole milk
16 ounces colby jack cheese, shredded (about 5 1/3 cups)
8 ounces extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 2 2/3 cups) plus 1/2 cup more for the topping
Ground black pepper
2 cups frozen green peas
1 bag of kettle style potato chips, possibly the aged cheddar flavor
1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat to 400 degrees. Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a dutch oven over high heat. Stir in 1 T salt, the macaroni and the peas; cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 5 minutes. Drain the pasta and leave it in the colander; set aside.
2. Wipe the pot dry. Add the butter and return to medium heat until melted. Add the garlic, mustard, and cayenne; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until golden, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth and milk; bring to a simmer and cook, whisking often, until large bubbles form on the surface and the mixture is slightly thickened, 5 to 8 minutes. Off the heat, whisk in the cheeses gradually until completely melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Add the drained pasta and peas to the cheese sauce and stir, breaking up any clumps, until well combined. Stir in about 2/3 the bag of potato chips and pour the mixture into a 9 x 13″ baking dish and top with the rest of the potato chips, slightly crushed, and the reserved cheese. Bake until golden brown and bubbling around the edges, approximately 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Adapted from Cook's Illustrated and my father's age old recipe. Seriously, don't knock the potato chips until you've tried them.
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