Archive for December 2020

Traditionally in Catholic countries like Italy, Christmas Eve was a day of abstinence, like Fridays. That meant no meat, thus convincing a lot of believers who still got hungry it was the perfect day to eat boats full of seafood. So The Feast of the Seven Fishes was born. In Sicily especially, but also across…

As I see it, a lot depends on whether Santa Claus is actually driving that sleigh or simply riding, a holly-jolly brand ambassador for the Christmas event. For all I know, he has a designated reindeer. That matters to me, since the first time I tasted these oatmeal cookies with cranberries and pecans, I entertained…

Hungarian goulash, or gulyas if you happen to be Hungarian, deserves better than it gets from the recipes piled upon each other on the internet. Some carry the authenticity kiss of death by self-introducing as “American goulash” (one slow-cooker version subtitles itself “American Chop Suey,” of all things). But virtually all overlook the tangles of…