Eat pork to begin the New Year

[Deleted]

Fun fact...the pig isn't able to turn it's head side to side or to look behind itself. The pig is only able to look forward and so, in addition to being considered a symbol of good luck, the pig also serves as a reminder to us to look forward into the new year and new possibilities, not backward at what has already happened. May I suggest:

Salsicce e Lenticchie | Sausage and

Lentils, Umbrian Style


This is a classic stew from the hill towns of Umbria, where it is

prepared with freshly made sweet sausages and tiny lentils from the

fields of Castelluccio. I use Abruzzese lentils from Santo Stefano di

Sessanio, which are also tiny and, like the Umbrian ones, hold their

shape during cooking. This is a hearty dish, so make it on a bitter cold

night, when you're craving a bowl of comfort. Recipe from The

Glorious Soups and Stews of Italy.


Ingredients


1 3/4 cups lentils from Castelluccio or plain brown

lentils, rinsed and drained

3 cups water

2 cloves garlic, lightly crushed

1 rib celery, finely chopped except for a 1-inch piece

2 fresh bay leaves

1 teaspoon sea salt

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

6 fresh sweet Italian sausages, halved to make 12 pieces

1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion

1 cup tomato sauce (preferably homemade) or tomato puree

2 cups beef, chicken, or vegetable broth (preferably homemade)

Freshly ground black pepper or peperoncino


Instructions


Put the lentils in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and add the water, 1 of the garlic cloves, the 1-inch

piece of celery, the bay leaves, and the salt. Bring the lentils to a boil over medium-high heat,

reduce the heat to medium-low, cover partially, and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until

slightly undercooked. Remove from the heat and set aside.


In a Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When the oil

is hot, add the sausages to the pot and cook, turning as needed, until browned on all sides.

Remove the sausages to a plate.

Stir in the remaining garlic clove, the chopped celery, and the

onion and cook, stirring, for 7 to 8 minutes, until softened but not browned.


Pour in the tomato sauce and broth. Return the sausages to the pot and add the lentils. Season

with freshly ground pepper or peperoncino, reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for

about 30 minutes, until the lentils are completely tender and the stew has thickened. Serve in

shallow bowls, with a drizzle of good olive oil on top.

[Deleted]

Or try this:





COTECHINO WITH LENTILS


Served across Italy on New Year’s Eve, cotechino sausage and lentils is a succulent dish believed to bring good luck to those who eat it in the year to come.


INGREDIENTS:


Per 4 servings


1 Cotechino sausage, about 14 oz

2 tablespoons Toscano Extra Virgin Olive Oil IGP

1 onion

1 bay leaf

2 cloves

12 oz dried lentils, or 24 oz jarred lentils

3 tablespoons canned tomatoes

1 cup broth

salt and pepper to taste


Rinse the lentils, then soak them in a bowl full of cold water for 12 hours. If you prefer, you can used jarred lentils.



Using the tip of a skewer or a fork, poke holes in the cotechino. Place it in a pot of cold, unsalted water. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and cook over low heat for 2 hours.



In the meantime, peel and dice the onion. Place a frying pan over medium heat. Add a little olive oil and, once hot, add the onion, bay leaf and cloves. Once the onion is translucent, but not yet brown, add the lentils, drained of their soaking water and rinsed. Saute for 30 seconds, then add the tomato. Mix well and cover with broth.



Bring to a boil, then cook for 20 to 30 minutes or until the lentils are soft, but aren’t falling apart. Season with salt and pepper.



Once done cooking, remove the cotechino and cut off any kitchen twine. Cut into ½ to 1 inch slices. Remove the casing and serve with the lentils. If you like, you can grind extra pepper on top.




When you cook lentils, remember to salt them at the end of cooking, rather than the beginning, so that they don’t remain hard

I have had this growing up. My Grandma would make her own homemade cotechino. I would do this would sweet Italian sausage.

[dicklaurey]

We will also have pork for the New Year- barbecued pork ribs. Interesting directive from the Bible:
Exodus, Chap. 12, vs. 9: "Don't eat raw or boiled meat, but, cook it over a fire".

[kit]

I'm ringing out the old year with pork. I'm in Florida for a while visiting my brother and his wife. She made homemade biscuits this morning (she's an Alabama girl and very good at making biscuits) and I made a big batch of Country Sausage Gravy. We all had seconds and probably won't eat again until dinner time.

Later a bunch of people are coming over and we're making a big fire in the fire pit and consuming mass quantities of snacks and Mimosas. I doubt we'll make it to midnight, or if we do we won't remember it. I know this doesn't have anything to do with pork, but... oh well... it's like a Christmas present for me !

I hope everyone has a Happy New Year.

[Deleted]

I love Mimosas and the fat in the sausage gravy will help in allowing you to drink more. Have fun Kit and Happy New Year. We only have one life to live so take advantage it and have fun. 

[Deleted]

Holiday Mimosa

"A real treat for the holidays. My family enjoys these on Christmas morning."
Ingredients
1/4 cup orange liqueur (such as Grand Marnier(R))
2 tablespoons white sugar

1 cup orange juice
1 (750 milliliter) bottle brut champagne, chilled
Directions
Pour the orange liqueur in a shallow bowl; put the sugar in a saucer. Dip just the rims of 6 glasses in the orange liqueur and then in the sugar to form a thin sugared rim.
Divide remaining orange liqueur and orange juice among the 6 prepared glasses. Top with champagne. Serve immediately.

[Clipper]

I am glad that you are able to spend New Year with your brother and family Kit. Nothing better for the soul of an upstate New Yorker that a few days of respite from the cold in sunny Florida.

We actually made it to midnight and watched the ball drop for the first time in several years. I can't believe that people stood out there cold and rain on Times Square in plastic rain ponchos. It was said that there are no public rest rooms accessible to the revelers, and that some of them wear a double layer of adult diapers or Depends undergarments. How stupid is that? It would be a cold day in hell when I would stand in the rain, freezing my ass off while peeing myself in a diaper, just to watch a ball drop on a pole on top of a building.

We watched the ball drop, wished each other a happy new year. Shared a new years kiss and headed to bed. Staying up to watch that foolishness is not my bag. I am more into thoroughly enjoying the Rose Parade. I am watching it as we speak.

It is nothing like years gone by when Dick Clark hosted the televised ball drop. I was not impressed by Carson Daily and Chrissy Teigen. Carson Daily was fine, but I was not impressed with Chrissy's half dressed gown, which she had to keep reaching down and adjusting so her crotch was not exposed , not to mention that I think she came across as a bit dumb and with little intelligent commentary to bring to the conversation. I guess I was not impressed to see the gal most famed for "Nipple gate" hosting the event. Times change as we age, and it is not ever going to be as entertaining to our generation as it was when Guy Lombardo's music and Dick Clark's coverage as host was the norm.

[kit]

My brother Paul and some of the old-timers here in the town house complex are very clever. They pointed out that at 9:00pm here it's 12:00 midnight in Rio de Janeiro. That's New Year's Day. So we partied around the fire pit with our mimosas and snacks until 9:00, wished each other a Feliz Ano Nuevo, went home (walking, of course) and went to bed. Queek and seemple.