The Holidays, Fine Art and Feasts

No sooner had Halloween come and gone and it suddenly was the holiday season. I know I've mentioned this before, but I'm not a fan of having Christmas decor infiltrate the brick-and-mortar stores in October, well before Halloween and more than two months before the actual holiday. I'm a huge proponent of Thanksgiving - that food-centric holiday that has no religious connotations and provides the simplest of sentiments: thankfulness and gratitude for our many blessings, and the opportunity to share those blessings with others less fortunate. I'm still disappointed, though, that this most wonderful of holidays continues to get short shrift in the holiday marketing agenda of the major retailers. It's a little sad, because Thanksgiving celebrates the harvest, and the colors and sights and smells of autumn...what could be more appealing and enticing? Alas, the celebration is primarily about food, not gifts (though food gifts for hosts/hostesses are always nice), so I guess I should be glad that the holiday marketing industrial complex hasn't gone totally overboard with Thanksgiving in the way that it has for Christmas.    

In my area, a long-standing tradition of one of the major human service nonprofits is to provide a huge Thanksgiving meal to anyone in the community who wishes to attend, and for those unable to get to the gathering, a literal army of volunteer drivers, pick up pre-packed dinners (all freshly cooked at a central location) and deliver them to those too fragile to venture out into the November chill. It serves several thousand people each year, thanks to contributions from individuals and major corporations in the region...it's a gratifying to see how it has grown each year as more people are served and more people and companies step up to help ensure no one goes without on this important holiday. 

I love Thanksgiving. It's hard to corrupt its simple message with "stuff." It celebrates the great bounty provided by our country's farmers. I am so fortunate to have grown up and continue live in a beautiful region of upstate New York where locally grown food is plentiful and where I love the late November scenery - stark, but not necessarily frozen, and full of evocative light and sights.

Speaking of scenery, I've discovered the gorgeous work of a marvelous contemporary American artist whose paintings of landscapes speak so directly to my own appreciation of natural beauty. Peter Fiore's works have such wonderful light and atmosphere and I love the way he interprets a scene. Here's a sample (no copyright infringement intended):

   

I'm a huge fan of Peter's work. You can see a wide selection of his work, read his bio, see where his work is being shown and where he's offering workshops and classes (mostly in the Northeast in NY and PA) on his website: peterfiore.com. Check it out. As it happens, I was, at one time, an art major in college, but I've found other creative outlets since then, and life and work and other pursuits intervened, so I haven't painted in years as a result. It's something I intend to do again, and I love the places and spaces that landscapes afford, so I think a workshop with Peter is in my future at some point.

Along with Thanksgiving, I spent Christmas and New Year's on my own, but don't feel sad for me - it was my very deliberate choice and my desire. I politely declined invitations to join others as I've had a lot going on - including a rather disturbing flood in the house in mid-September that has had a lasting impact. (Check your washing machine hoses, people! Every 3-5 years you should replace them and you are far less likely to have water spraying everywhere that mine did, uninterrupted for 8 hours!)

These year-end holidays provided a valuable and hard-to-come-by opportunity for uninterrupted time at home dealing with the lingering residual effects of the annoying flood, along with other domestic tasks that had slipped through the cracks as a result. I took full advantage of that gift of time to deal with those things, but I didn't lack for either holiday celebration or sumptuous fare.

I made a turkey (of course) and my favorite accompaniments for Thanksgiving, though, alas, I neglected to take a photo of the bird. I did, however, make a tasty turkey pot pie with some of the leftovers...

For Christmas, I whipped up a very tasty Mediterranean fish stew with tilapia and shrimp on Christmas eve that continued as Christmas Day's repast. So good! No recipe, sorry - I've been cooking for decades, so I just winged it using some frozen home-made shrimp and lobster stock (always handy to have and a good way to use it up), half a jar of marinara sauce (so as not to overwhelm the fish stock), chopped and seeded fresh tomatoes (on the vine - they always seem to be a bit more red and appealing in the off-season than other hot house varieties), sauteed diced onion, cubed red-skinned potatoes, minced roasted garlic, thyme and basil. It was so hearty and tasty!   

For New Year's Eve, I made a lovely risotto with porcini mushrooms with a splash of truffle oil and topped with freshly grated Asiago cheese...so warm, tasty and comforting on a very cold winter's night! (We're in the middle of a rather lengthy and abnormal arctic freeze with temperatures in the single digits and below 0F overnight, so this was a perfect stick-to-the-ribs kind of dish full of flavor for these frigid days!) I confess, I started with a risotto mix from Alessi (with porcini) and simply added a bit of cooked chicken, topped with 3-4 tablespoons of sweet, unsalted butter and a splash truffle oil. It's a perfect compliment to the porcini, but don't overdo it...truffle oil is pungent and not everyone is a fan...use it sparingly if you love it as I do, and simply omit it for those who don't share your passion. Topped with grated Asiago, this is one of my go-to winter dishes.  

For New Year's Day, I made my variation on a classic quiche Lorraine, but without the standard crust and made with milk and a bit of heavy cream, rather than all cream. I love heavy cream, but I've been trying to moderate the fat and keep holiday food bingeing well in check. It seems to be working, so these little concessions don't really seem like a sacrifice, and isn't that the key to effective diet management? It's all about losing the fat, but not the flavor. I've been making these crustless quiches with an array of fillings - mushrooms, onions, broccoli, carrrots and other veggies, etc. -  for years. They work so well and are just a snap to make.    

 

So, while I was on my own, I wasn't alone, speaking with friends and family from afar throughout the holidays, cooking, cleaning, filing, sorting, tossing and making a great dent in the task list and starting the new year with a cleaner, if not completely blank, slate.

Here's to a happy, healthy new year for all and a fresh start for what promises to be an interesting, and potentially personally gratifying and rewarding new year for me from here. Stay tuned!