Many families make the same recipes year after year during the holiday season. We are pleased to share some of those recipes with you, courtesy of local families. Some recipes are traditional to the holiday, and some are uniquely traditional to the family sharing them. These recipes are tried and true. They are relatively simple, not overwhelming, and used as a part of each family’s traditional holiday preparations. We hope you enjoy!
Futrell Family Bukda (Bohemian Coffee Cake)
This first recipe is from my own family. My paternal grandmother, affectionately known as “Yoyo,” made dozens of loaves each year as gifts for family and friends. When I asked my aunt, Angie Rose, for the recipe, she told me it came from a woman named Mrs. Svec. My Yoyo’s mom, Gram, was a home nurse for Mrs. Svec’s mom in Chicago in the early 1900s. After her shift one day, Gram watched Mrs. Svec make bukda and mimicked the recipe. (There was no written recipe.) Though referred to as a coffee cake, bukda is more of a cinnamon sugar-laced bread.
Bohemian Coffee Cake
2 cups milk
1⁄3 cup butter
1⁄4 cup sugar
1 egg
1⁄3 teaspoon nutmeg
Flour to make a soft dough (about 4 cups total, including enough flour for surfaces)
1 package of yeast mixed with 1⁄4 cup warm water
Additional 1⁄3 cup butter, 1⁄4 cup sugar and 1-2 teaspoons cinnamon
Scald the milk. Add sugar and butter. Let cool. Slightly beat the eggs with a fork in a separate bowl. Add a little flour (1 cup) to the milk mixture. Beat by hand. Add the beaten eggs. Add 1⁄2 -1 cup more flour, along with the nutmeg. Then, add the yeast mixture. Add additional flour – enough to make a soft dough. Turn the dough out onto a floured board and knead until elastic. Let the dough rise in a lightly greased bowl or pan until it doubles in size (about 1 hour). Divide the dough into two parts and roll out each part. Brush melted butter onto the rolled-out dough and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Roll the dough up (like a jelly roll) and let them rise in loaf pans until they double in size (about 1 hour). Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown (about 20 minutes). Remove from the pans immediately.
Latkes
Stacy Nicolau, co-publisher of Neapolitan Family, makes latkes with her family each year at Hanukkah. This traditional recipe is courtesy of the Epicurious website and submitted by Rhoda Boone. However, Nicolau adds some insider information. “I have a secret that speeds everything up (but don’t tell my mother). I substitute an equal weight of potatoes with the bags of pre-shredded potatoes. There’s less liquid and no shredded knuckles or messy food processors. They are typically meant for making hash browns. Make sure to purchase the plain style without onions, peppers, etc.”
4 pounds unpeeled russed potatoes (or 4 pounds shredded hash browns)
Potato latkes
1 pound yellow onions
1⁄4 cup matzo meal
2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1⁄2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1⁄4-1⁄2 cup (or more) vegetable oil
1⁄4 (or more) schmaltz (rendered chicken fat; optional)
Applesauce, for serving
Sour cream, for serving
Preheat oven to 250°F. Set racks in upper and lower thirds of oven. Place wire cooling racks in the rimmed baking sheets and place in the oven.
Using a food processor with a grating insert, grate the potatoes and then the onions, transferring grated vegetables to a large bowl when the bowl of the food processor is filled. Alternately, use a box grater. Working in batches, place the potatoes and onions in a clean dishtowel and thoroughly wring out the excess liquid over the sink, then transfer the potato-onion mixture to a large bowl. The more liquid you remove, the crispier your latkes will be. Reserve the potato-onion mixture. (If you are using prepared shredded potatoes, simply mix them with shredded onions.)
In another large bowl, whisk together the matzo meal, salt, and pepper. Add the eggs and whisk to combine. Add the potato-onion mixture and mix well.
In a large skillet over medium heat, melt equal parts schmaltz and oil (or oil only if omitting the schmaltz) until a 1⁄4-inch depth of fat is reached. Drop 2 tablespoons of latke mixture into the hot fat, spacing them 2 inches apart. Flatten latkes slightly using a spatula and cook, turning once, until crisp, golden brown, and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per side.
Transfer latkes to wire racks and season with salt; return to the oven to keep warm. As you remove latkes from the pan, replace them with fresh spoonfuls of potato mixture to maintain oil temperature. Add additional schmaltz and/or oil around the edge of the pan as needed to maintain a 1⁄4-inch depth of fat.
Keep latkes warm in oven and serve hot with applesauce or sour cream.
Chocolate Pie
The Lytle family has made a very simple chocolate pie for their Christmas celebration each year since the 1950s. According to Vivian Lytle, a Naples resident since the early 1950s, the recipe originated with her friend, who won a contest with the pie. The original recipe called for slivered almonds on top.
3 tablespoons water
chocolate pie
1 cup chocolate chips
1⁄2 pint of whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 graham cracker crust pie shell
Melt chocolate, vanilla, and water over low heat. Mixture should still be lumpy when you remove it from the heat. Let mixture cool. Whip cream until stiff peaks form. Fold into chocolate mixture. Place in pie shell. Keep refrigerated.
Hoppin’ John
Vivian Lytle also shared this traditional southern New Year’s dish with me. It was passed on to her from a pilot she and her husband knew in Hong Kong in the late 1940s.
1 1⁄2 cups dried black-eyed peas
6 strips bacon, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
3⁄4 cup long-grain white rice
2 tablespoons olive oil (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
Dash of hot sauce
1⁄2 cup minced green onions
3 tablespoons minced parsley
Rinse peas well; cover with 3 cups of cold water and let stand overnight. Drain the peas, discard the water, and place in a large pot. In a separate pan, sauté bacon until crisp and add it to the peas, reserving the drippings. Add onion, 1⁄2 teaspoon salt, and 2 cups water. Bring just to a boil, lower heat, and simmer until peas are tender, about 30 minutes. (A small amount of cooking liquid should remain; if liquid is absorbed too quickly during cooking, add more water 1⁄4 cup at a time.) Cover rice with cold water. Bring to a boil, stir once, cover, simmer for 20 minutes over a low heat. When peas are tender, add cooked rice to pot. Stir in 2 tablespoons reserved bacon drippings (or olive oil, if preferred), salt, pepper, and hot sauce to taste. Cover and simmer about 15 minutes longer. To serve, garnish with green onions and parsley.
Congo Bars
My husband’s Uncle Wes makes these during the holidays to give to us as a gift. His mother – my husband’s Grandma Snyder – made this recipe traditionally at Christmas as well.
2 3⁄4 cups flour
Congo bar
2 1⁄2 teaspoons baking powder
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
2⁄3 cup shortening
2 3⁄4 cups brown sugar
4 eggs
1 cup nuts and/or raisins
12 ounces chocolate chips
Melt shortening and add in brown sugar. Allow mixture to cool. Add eggs, one at a time. Mix in the dry ingredients, and then add nuts and chocolate chips. Spread the mixture into a greased 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Bake 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees. Cut while still warm.
Christmas Crack
Each Christmas, I make four or five varieties of cookies, and I arrange them in cookie boxes for neighbors and family members. I recently discovered this crowd-pleasing recipe. It’s all over the internet! There are lots of varieties and recipes available, but I like this one found on Food Network’s website by Trisha Yearwood.
Cooking spray
Christmas Crack bar
35-40 saltine crackers
2 sticks butter
1 cup light brown sugar
8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
(Optional 1 cup sliced or chopped almonds)
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line 1 large or 2 small jelly-roll pans with aluminum foil, and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Arrange the saltines salt-side down in a single layer.
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar together. Boil it until it turns a caramel color (a few minutes). Remove from the heat and pour over the crackers, covering them evenly. (Don’t worry too much if the crackers get off-kilter a bit.)
Put the jelly-roll pan into the oven and bake for 3-5 minutes, or until just bubbly, watching carefully. Remove from the oven, and pour the chocolate chips over the crackers. (Optional: top with almonds.) When the chips melt a bit, spread them over the crackers with a knife carefully. Transfer the pan to the freezer for 15-20 minutes. They will form one big sheet. Break up into pieces. Store in an airtight container.
Have a lovely holiday season, and enjoy all the traditional baking and cooking this month! Step outside your cooking comfort zone, but don’t get too crazy. Keep it simple for yourself. Have a lovely, joy-filled December, and a happy new year!