Wrapping up the holidays
By now, you’ve probably packed away the last of the holiday hoopla and swept up the confetti from New Year’s Eve. If so, you might have cleared the decks for a fresh start in 2007, but wait just a minute … I see vestiges of 2006 on the horizon.
Take Saturday. Many Christians believe that Christmas gift giving should be celebrated on the Twelfth Night; the evening gift-bearing wise men found the manger. In our home, we take the date as a perfect opportunity to wrap up the holiday with re-gifting. We invite our friends to cull from their presents one perfect present that must have been meant for somebody else. One year, a chintz-and-antique loving buddy with faraway grandkids got a pair of beautiful, architecturally-modern Nambe candlesticks, and another friend with a houseful of toddlers got a Waterford crystal picture frame. A natural swap, to be sure, but if we just offered guests straightforward tit-for-tat there would be no fun for a party. Instead, we ask friends to rewrap a really nice, albeit unwanted, gift of any reasonable value and slip it under our tree. A few hours and a great deal of wine later, the crowd gathers for a gifting ritual.
It goes like this. Guests draw lots. Number one selects a gift, unwraps it and displays it to one and all-receiving copious commentary, admiring and derisive. If the gift is a dud, meaning it draws only stupefied silence or is totally tasteless, a jury of peers can “gong” the gifter, who tosses $20 into a charity pot. The player chooses again. The next player may seize an opened gift or choose one from under the tree. The rules are simple: a gift can move only once in a round and the rule of three states it can be exchanged only three times in the game and the last holder wins. Strategic struggles become intense as the game reaches its conclusion-and there’s always a fair amount of post-game horse-trading. Still, a guest rarely leaves without carrying off a trophy he or she really wants.
We’ve made this an almost annual season-ending event, but the advent of the BCS College Championship has meant our carry-over festivities continue. Yes, the 2006 football championships, both college and pro, prompt get-togethers all month with the capper being Super Bowl Sunday.
I’m a lazy hostess and I like to party with my pals, but I know that good food is at least half the reason folks gather at our house. We don’t have the biggest television or the deepest wine cellar. This means I cook ahead and choose dishes that age well in the refrigerator and are easy to port around our great room. During football season, I also ensure that I serve comfort food, for there’s always someone whose swallowed pride goes down sweeter with familiar fare. I hope your season brings many more wins than losses and the year just started is a happy one. Enjoy!
Pulled Pork Sandwiches
Serves 12
Adapted from Charlie Palmer
This recipe lends itself to fooling around with flavorings. I’ve made it with beer instead of coffee, chipotle instead of red peppers, pickle juice instead of vinegar. Just remember the basic taste you want to achieve-tangy, dark and sweet. Make it a day or two ahead and it just improves.
1 8-9 lb. pork butt
12 cloves of garlic, peeled and halved
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 Tbs. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground cloves
2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 cup honey
2 cups orange juice
2 cups strong coffee and 1 Tbs. instant espresso
1 1/2 cup ketchup and 3 Tbs. tomato paste
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 c. vinegar, cider or wine
2 Tbs. Dijon mustard
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Pierce pork and insert garlic randomly.
3. Roast on a rack 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 degrees; cook 2-3 hours until tender. Remove pork to cool but leave oven on.
4. Make sauce: In a stockpot, sweat onions in oil with cumin, cloves and pepper flakes until transparent. Add honey and cook until it starts to darken. Add juice and bring to a simmer. Add remaining ingredients; simmer 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
5. When the pork is finger-cool, pull off strings and plop them into the pot. Cover and cook in the oven 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add liquid if necessary.
6. Serve on soft buns with salsa and a nippy slaw.
Mango Salsa
3 ripe mangoes, peeled and diced
1 sweet onion, diced
Juice from 2-3 limes
1 tsp. jalapeno, minced
1 cup cilantro, chopped
A few hours ahead, mix all ingredients except cilantro and season with salt and pepper. Add cilantro at serving time.