‘Tis the season for plenty of cooking, baking, and drinking! Here are a few recipes shared by fellow WGBH co-workers. From Swedish mulled wine to the timeless and classic pumpkin pie and more, each one has become a holiday tradition.
Christopher Anderson's Swedish Glogg
This mulled wine recipe is delicious and also offers plenty of entertainment for Audio Mixer/Sound Designer Christopher Anderson and his family. “It was always a favorite of us kids (watching, not partaking!) because it was a chance to see the normally stoic Swedish elders get a little silly,” he says. “Plus, it had a substantial fire element and risk.”
Ingredients:
- 2 bottles of port
- 1 bottle of Scandinavian 100 proof vodka (Because Swedes gotta represent — there is no reward for using all the vodka!)
- 1 box sugar cubes
- 20 cardamom pods, crushed
- 10 cloves
- 1 navel orange, sliced into thin discs
- 4 cinnamon sticks for the mulling process, plus an additional 6-10 for serving
- 2 inch fresh ginger root, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 cup currants (or raisins)
- 1 cup sliced almonds
- Large wide soup pot with lid
- Screen to cover the pot (We use a spatter screen, you could also use a metal straining baske.t)
- 1 fire extinguisher in working condition (It is its own reward to not need the fire extinguisher. But keep it close.)
- Strainer
- 6-10 mugs for serving
Instructions:
Mix all ingredients except the sugar cubes, vodka and almonds. Let them mull at low heat for two hours — it shouldn't ever come to a simmer.
Place the sugar cubes on the screen positioned over the open pot. Pour just enough vodka onto the cubes so that they're soaked but not melting away. Make sure the area above the stove is clear of flammables and the fire extinguisher is nearby. (What's a holiday with some low budget fireworks?) Ignite the sugar cubes - they will caramelize and melt through the mesh and drip into the pot below.
Once you feel like enough sugar has melted through and the flame has died down some, snuff any remaining flame with the lid of the pot. Give it all a good stir and enjoy! Add sliced almonds and a fresh cinnamon stick to each mug as a garnish. Makes about a dozen servings, unless Uncle John is visiting.
Henry Santoro's Squid Pro Quo
WGBH News Host/Anchor Henry Santoro’s holiday dish is perfect for the Feast of Seven Fishes, or when current events are influencing your cooking. “I made the dish during the Trump impeachment hearing,” he says. “And I served it with brown sushi rice topped with salmon roe.”
Ingredients:
- 1/2 pound squid bodies (on the larger side)
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons agave nectar
- 2 tablespoons mirin
- 1 teaspoon dashi powder
- Enough cooked (brown or white) rice, or seafood stuffing to stuff inside the squid
Instructions:
Mix the water, soy sauce, agave nectar, mirin, and dashi powder and set aside.
Stuff the squid bodies with the rice, or seafood stuffing, and hold the bodies closed with a toothpick.
Heat a frying pan, big enough to hold the squid, to medium/high heat. Add the soy sauce mixture and bring to a boil.
Add the squid, cover, and bring to a low boil for 5-8 minutes, depending on how large the squid are.
Turn the squid over, cover again, and simmer for another five minutes or so. Do not cook it too long or it will be rubbery.
Remove the squid bodies to a cutting board, slice into stuffed rings, plate, and drizzle with some of the leftover sauce from the pan. Garnish with thinly sliced scallion greens and serve.
Bob Donahue's Infamous Graham Toffee Bars
Senior Developer Bob Donahue swears by these sweet treats, and so do several others in the building. “I once brought some in and they all disappeared before 10am,” he says. “I expected they’d get passed around at meetings, but the entire batch disappeared and was never seen again!”
Ingredients:
- Graham crackers (13 will cover a 15x10 baking sheet)
- 2 sticks butter
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- Dark chocolate pieces (microwavable wafers)
- 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
- Sea salt (This is the secret ingredient.)
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350F.
Lay out graham crackers to cover a baking sheet/cookie tray.
In a saucepan, melt the butter and mix in in the brown sugar. Heat to boiling and simmer for four minutes. Pour the caramel on the graham crackers.
Bake for 10 minutes, then let cool.
Melt chocolate in the microwave with 30 second bursts until they get soft. Stir. Pour the melted chocolate on the graham crackers and caramel.
Before the chocolate hardens, sprinkle sea salt, sparingly, and top with the crushed pecans.
Cool and break apart.
The Urquhart Family Spicy Pumpkin Pie
This family recipe from Affiliates and Consolidations Manager Andrew Urquhart has been passed down from his grandmother to his mother, and now to him. “It is my favorite because it reminds me of home, it reminds me of Thanksgiving and Christmas, and because it is delicious,” he says. “I find other pumpkin pie recipes bland and boring by comparison.”
Ingredients:
- 1 can of pumpkin pie filling
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon powdered cloves
- 3 teaspoons ginger
- 3 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon mace
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups heavy cream
Instructions:
Mix all of the ingredients together and pour over a pre-made crust (see note below.)
Put in preheated oven set to 450F for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350F and bake for another 30 minutes or until the pie looks set. There should be a little jiggle in the pie at the end of bake.
Let cool to solidify before serving.
Note: This recipe works well with frozen pre-made, graham cracker, or ginger snap crusts.
Sophie Calhoun's Chicken Lumpia
Digital Designer Sophie Calhoun’s family loves this Filipino egg roll recipe. “My grandma on my dad’s side always makes a giant feast for the holidays, but my favorite dish she makes has always been lumpia (a Filipino egg roll.)” she says. “They’re really fun to make in a big group and they’re super crispy and delicious! This recipe is similar to my grandma’s — although she puts cabbage in there.”
Ingredients:
For the wrapper:
- 30 pieces lumpia wrapper
- 2 cups cooking oil
For the filling:
- 1 1/4 lbs ground chicken
- 2 sachets Knorr Savor Rich Chicken Liquid Seasoning
- 1 medium onion, minced
- 3/4 cup carrot, minced
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions:
Combine all the filling ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well.
Start to wrap the lumpia. Lay a wrapper on a flat surface. Scoop 1 1/2 tablespoons of the filling and place it on the lower bottom part of the wrapper, two inches from the tip. Spread the filling sideways 3 1/2 to 4 inches in length. Initially fold the bottom part of the wrapper until the filling is covered. Fold the sides of the wrapper inward to secure the filling. Roll from bottom to top and secure by brushing a bit of water on the tip of the wrapper. Perform this step until all the filling is used.
Heat oil in a pan to around 260F. Deep fry a batch of lumpia for eight minutes. Note: cooking in low heat over a long period of time ensures that the filling gets cooked completely while the wrapper slowly browns.
Remove the lumpia from the pan. Arrange over a wire rack or on a plate lined with paper towel. Let it cool down for five minutes.
Transfer to a serving plate. Enjoy!
