I'm smoking a ham over maple for Christmas Day.
But first, we're having homemade tamales for Christmas Eve, then that night we bring stuffed clams and homemade jerky to my brother's house.
The next day I am making a traditional Brazilian churrasco with long skewers of tri-tip, chicken and linguica sausage, served with "feijoada" which is black beans, rice, garlic kale, orange slices and farofa- manioc meal cooked with red palm oil. I serve it with pão de queijo, which are cheesy rolls made with parmesan. We'll drink caipirinhas made with cachaça (Brazilian liquor) made of sugar cane juice, unlike rum which is made of molasses. You mix it with crushed lime wedges, ice and a ton of sugar. Great drink.
On New Year's Ve we have an appetizer buffet with a ton of oddball stuff like focaccia with anchovies and codfish cakes made of bacalao (salt cod) that must be soaked for a couple of days to reduce the salinity.
For New Year's Day dinner I am making my favorite meat- schweinhaxe- roasted pork shanks. I'll use pistachio as my smokewood. I'm serving it with risotto with shaved truffles on top.
Whew. I'm tired just by writing it down, but it is fun cooking for family coming from Atlanta, LA, DC and Cheyenne. If they can make the effort to fly in, cooking for them is the least I can do.
Merry Christmas to all!