Issue #82: Entering the Holiday Tradition Stratasphere
Christmas in Maine, Herring Salad, An Italian Sausage Strata Tradition
This week’s dispatch is from Rockport, Maine, where we didn't expect to be for reasons you will read about below. Hope everyone has a happy new year, full of all the love and warmth and success you desire, as well as plenty of delicious, home-cooked food. —Mitchell
After our original plans of spending the holidays at the lakehouse we rent in the Fingerlakes were foiled by a flood, Nate and I weren’t sure what we would end up doing for the week from Christmas to New Year’s. My family was rooting for Toronto, which had been in the plans when we thought we were going to be in Ithaca. We looked for possible alternate destinations, cheap airline tickets, Airbnb rentals that took dogs, and also entertained the prospect of a staycation in NYC. Prices for everything were high. The looming Elliot storm wrought by the polar vortex that threatened travel by both air and road was also a serious consideration.
In the end, at the last minute, we ended up back in Maine, where we typically spend Thanksgiving, but never Christmas. Viral infections and flight cancellations had altered the plans of relatives of our friends, so their guest room in Rockport became free. Excited for our first Christmas in Maine, we bought a few gifts, loaded up the car, and set out for the Mid-Coast.
I was intimately familiar with the Eggena-Liechty family’s Thanksgiving food traditions, having helped prepare the big meal for years. But about their Christmas traditions I’d only heard told. Among the stories, a German herring, potato, and beet salad served on Christmas Eve that was a beloved tradition of Mark’s while growing up, but was reviled by his wife and children. I was excited to try it. New to me were the Christmas Eve day lunch of vánočka, a braided Czech sweet yeast bread sliced thin, slathered with sweet butter, dusted with powdered sugar, and served with hot cocoa, and the Christmas morning strata—savory bread pudding—studded with Italian sausage and topped with melted cheese. What’s not to like?
Honored to be welcomed into their home and to share in their traditions, Nate and I enjoyed it all, even the herring salad, which combines two categories of food Nate doesn’t usually like into one—pickled fish. Of course, Christmas tradition or not, we Jews are familiar with herring salad. We both agreed this probably was the best we’d ever had, less fishy tasting, even, than the fancy cans of Spanish tuna I brought for hors d’oeuvres.
So here are the recipes for two of the three Liechty-Eggena family traditions, herring salad and sausage strata, with my own adaptations, of course. Of course you can make these recipes any time of year. I think the strata would be particularly nice on New Year’s Day, too. Mark’s mother, Zuzka, won’t share her recipe for the vánočka. Instead, she bakes it herself in Los Angeles and mails it every year to Maine. Some traditions aren’t just sacred, they’re secret. You’ll have to find your own.
RECIPE: Zuzka’s Herring Salad
1 large or 2 medium red potato(es), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice (1 1/2 cups)
1 large or 2 medium cooked red beet(s), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice (1 1/2 cups)
One 10-ounce jar herring in wine sauce, drained, herring diced
1/2 large Granny Smith apple, peeled and diced (1/2 cup)
1/2 small white or red onion, finely chopped (1/4 cup)
1 dill pickle, finely chopped (1/3 cup)
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
About 1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup mayonnaise, sour cream, plain full-fat Greek yogurt, or a combination
Chopped parsley
Gherkins, cornichons, pickled onions, and/or sliced hard-boiled eggs for garnish
Place the diced potato in a small saucepan, cover with cold water, add a pinch of salt, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to a steady simmer and cook just until tender, but not falling apart, about 10 minutes. Drain and place in a medium mixing bowl. Add the diced beet, herring, apple, onion, and pickle, and toss gently.
Combine the vinegar, sugar, and about ½ teaspoon of salt. Heat in the microwave or over the stove until the sugar dissolves. While hot, add about half this dressing to the herring mixture, along with a decent amount of freshly ground black pepper. Toss carefully so as not to break up the ingredients. Taste and adjust the seasoning with more of the dressing and/or salt, as desired. It should be tangy. Cover and refrigerate overnight so the flavors meld.
The next day, add the mayonnaise and a handful of chopped fresh parsley, and toss again. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Transfer to a serving bowl, smooth out the surface, and garnish with pickles and/or sliced hard-boiled egg.
Some Notes
There are many different ways to cook beets, steaming, boiling, roasting, and pressure-cooking among them. Choose whichever you prefer. I usually cook beets a day or two in advance of needing them because it can take anywhere from 45 to 90 minutes, depending on the beets. But if/when I see cooked beets in vacuum packs in the grocery store, I usually buy them and use those instead.
Jarred herring in wine sauce is traditional here, but if you live somewhere you can find whole herring fillets, perhaps matjes herring in season, you can use that, instead. Adjust the salt based on how salty the fish is and use all the dressing to provide the right tang.
For mayonnaise, Hellmann’s or Best are traditional, but you can also use homemade, of course. (See Issue #6)
RECIPE: Mark’s Italian Sausage Strata
Although this has become a Christmas morning tradition, the original recipe first appeared in Bon Appétit. The strata can be assembled a day in advance and baked just before it is going to be eaten. Mark serves it with fruit salad on the side.
1 pound hot Italian sausage, removed from casings
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and diced
6 large eggs
2 ½ cups whole milk
½ cup heavy cream
½ cup finely grated Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
2 bunches scallions, sliced (about 2 cups)
2 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano, marjoram, thyme, or a combination
½ teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
One 1-pound loaf crusty French or Italian bread, sliced about ¾ inch thick.
½ pound Fontina or Provolone cheese, grated (about 2 cups)
If baking the strata immediately, preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 3-quart, 9-by-13-inch baking dish, preferably ceramic or glass, with butter or olive oil.
Heat a large sauté pan over high heat. Add the sausage and diced bell pepper and cook, breaking up the sausage with a wooden spoon, until the meat is cooked through and the pepper is tender, 7 to 10 minutes. While the sausage is cooking, in a large bowl, beat the eggs with the milk and cream. Add the Pecorino or Parmigiano cheese, scallions, fresh herbs, salt, and a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper, and beat to combine.
Arrange half the bread slices in the bottom of the greased baking dish. Pour half the egg mixure over top, scatter half of the sausage and pepper mixture, and then sprinkle half of the Fontina cheese. Repeat the layering, ending with Fontina. Let stand at least 20 minutes, pressing down the bread to submerge, or cover and refrigerate overnight.
Bake the strata in the preheated oven for about 1 hour, until puffed and browned. Cool slightly before serving.
