By Chef John Selick
Getting together with friends and family — albeit with limitations — has never been more important than this year. We’ve spent all year staying at home in efforts to maintain social distance, so if you have the opportunity to safely get together and break bread with loved ones, make sure it’s memorable.
There is nothing more special than cooking and sharing that meal with the people you love.
Food Season
Cooking during the holidays is my favorite time to cook. First of all, it is a shift in the seasons. We’ve moved away from zucchini and tomatoes and gotten into butternut squash and root vegetables. In other words, it’s officially mashed potato season.
We are also putting the grill away for the year and bringing out the Dutch oven to make rich stews and pot roasts, perfect partners for mashed potatoes. Is there anything better than a house filled with the aroma of a slowly cooked stew?
The other reason I love to cook during the holidays is because, at least in a typical year, it’s generally for more people. When we serve meals family-style, we lay everything out on the dining room table and we help ourselves to as much as we like. It is truly my favorite way to eat.
In fact, a few years ago, I did some chef work at the Culinary Vegetable Institute at the Chef’s Garden in Milan, Ohio, and we would host monthly Earth to Table Dinners that featured a visiting guest chef. We would prepare some incredible meals utilizing ingredients from the Chef’s Garden farm and serve it family-style to 80 or more people. The energy from the dining room of people passing plates and sharing laughter made it the place to be. It was a recreation of the perfect family dining room.
If you have a chance to travel for the holidays, it is still great to bring something made by you to the gathering. I often like to make a dessert, but if you know the menu your host is preparing, you might want to bring a savory side dish. The host may even appreciate the offer to bring a potato dish, as it would provide a little relief in what they need to prepare.
Side dishes that you can throw in the oven to reheat easily are great choices, especially if you can bring it in an attractive oven-proof dish. Fresh vegetables are a good idea, too, as much holiday food can be a little heavy. A dish of balsamic-roasted Brussels sprouts might be a welcomed addition.
Whatever you decide to bring to share, please keep food safety in mind and take great care to cool the food properly. When you travel with food, it has to stay hot (140° or above) or stay cold (40° or below), not room temperature.
Getting together with family this year could be the most memorable of our lifetime. Surround yourself with food and laughter of loved ones.
John Selick is a Certified Executive Chef and President of the American Culinary Federation, Cleveland Chapter.
