In Europe, the advent of the New Year is enthusiastically heralded with outstanding food, very noisy jubilation, a plethora of differing traditions and great optimism and hope - much like everywhere else in the world. May the year ahead bring peace and understanding and the strength to cope with the very difficult economic challenges that will face us and may we consider and help those less fortunate than ourselves who will be suffering the most.

In Hungary, Jack Straw will be burnt to get rid of the bad luck of the past year, in Germany carp will be eaten for good luck, the Portuguese and the Spanish will eat 12 single grapes to ensure 12 good months, in Poland the celebration will be one filled with relief that St. Sylvester’s dragon, Leviathan, didn’t devour the world in the year 1,000 AD and the Dutch will  light bonfires. Sylvesterabend, the eve of Saint Sylvester, is New Year’s Eve in Austria and pubs and restaurants will be decorated with greenery. It’s a loud affair and large quantities of champagne and glühwein are consumed by all.  Evil spirits are expelled at midnight when mortars, called böller are fired, midnight mass is widely attended and trumpets blown from the church towers. It’s the day when suckling pig is eaten to bring good luck and peppermint ice-cream in the shape of four-leaved clovers served for dessert.

In Denmark, if you’re lucky, you’ll find a heap of broken dishes at your door on New Years Eve because it will mean that you have many friends.  The Town Hall Clock will strike at midnight to herald the New Year and, as in many countries, fireworks will be let off. Traditionally boiled cod or a saddle of pork will be prepared. The Greeks have a New Years day that is more rowdy and festive than Christmas since it is today that gifts are given - it is St. Basil’s Day. He (image  supra) was one of the legendary founders of the Greek Orthodox Church and was a kind and generous man that died on this day and therefore highly honoured. The most important dish today is Vassilopitta, also known as St. Basil’s Cake. In Switzerland, Sylvester’s Day, or New Year’s Day was celebrated on the 13th of January according to the Julian calendar, but today everything happens on the 1st of January, like everywhere else. In Italy la Festa di San Silvestro is celebrated on the 31st of December and the most important meal of the night is lentils - they signify money and good fortune and in the South Cotechino, a spiced sausage, or a Zampone (a stuffed trotter) is enjoyed and will celebrate the richness of life.

COTECHINO AND LENTILS

Ingredients

500 g lentils, washed and rinsed
500 ml home made chicken stock
250 ml home fruity, dry white wine
100 ml extra virgin olive oil
250 g tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
200 g pancetta, finely diced
12 peppercorns
3 bay leaves
2 cloves garlic
salt to taste
1 Cotechino
1 handful parsley, finely chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped

Method

• Bring lentils, stock, wine, oil, tomatoes, garlic, half the peppercorns, 2 bay leaves and salt to boil - once boiling , reduce heat, and simmer covered for about an hour, or until lentils are soft.
• Add the cotechino, onion, carrot, celery, and rest of the peppercorns and bay leaf into a large pot.
• Add enough water to cover and bring to the boil, reducing the heat - and simmer,  covered for 30 minutes.
• Remove the sausage from the liquid, remove the tough outer skin and cut into thick slices.
• Serve the sausage slices with lentils and plenty of crusty Italian bread.

ROASTED SUCKLING PIG

Ingredients

1 x 8kg - 9 kg suckling pig
Coarse salt for initial salting to taste
Malden sea salt and roughly cracked black pepper
125 g chopped garlic
125 g lemon zest
125 g finely chopped fresh parsley
125 g roughly cracked cardamom
75 g finely chopped fresh thyme
Ground white pepper to taste
Salt to taste
6 bay leaves
2 tablespoons roughly ground cumin
2 cups julienne onions
6 oranges, halved
3 limes, halved
3 lemons, halved
200 ml extra virgin olive oil
250 ml white wine

Method

• Buy only a thoroughly cleaned suckling pig, including a cleaned head.
• Make several cuts on the pig’s skin to ensure that the skin doesn’t burst during the cooking process.
• Place a large Granny Smith apple in the pig’s mouth.
• Season the whole pig with loads of salt and pepper, place in a large plastic bag or cling wrap, making sure that it is well closed and place in the fridge for about 12 hours.
• Remove from the refrigerator and rinse thoroughly.
• Combine the garlic, parsley, thyme, cumin, bay leaves, onions, juice of the orange, lime, lemon, olive oil and wine in a huge bowl, whisking briskly until everything is well combined and season with the Malden sea salt and cracked black pepper.
• Smother in the marinade and return to another plastic bag and refrigerate again, turning it around every 2 to 3 hours for another 12 hours.
• Pre-heat oven to 180 C
• Remove the pig from the fridge and set aside the marinade.
• Stuff the cavity with the stuffing (optional)
• Thread the cavity closed with a kitchen needle and tie both front and back legs, covering the tail with tinfoil.
• Put the pig in a very big oven roasting dish, pour over the marinade that was set aside and put in the oven, roasting it for about 50 minutes per kilogram per kilogram for a stuffed pig or 30 minutes per kilogram for an unstuffed pig - it should take about 5 hours.
• Allow to rest for about half an hour before slicing.

NEW YEAR’S EVE CARP

A variation of this dish is often made with Red Roman here in the Cape by Jewish friends of mine - they bake it in cream and in the oven, obviously spiced differently.

Ingredients

2 kg carp, cleaned, bones and flesh removed
100 g any fish fillet - as long as it has white flesh
The roe from the carp, removed from the skin
2 thick slices of white bread, soaked in water, squeezed and crumbled finely
200 g salted butter
1 tsp dried thyme
2 tsps lemon zest
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
125 g onion, finely chopped Salt
Ground white pepper to taste

Method

• Mix the fillet, the roe, the zest, chopped onion, salt, pepper, herbs and bread crumbs into a food processor and process in 5 second intervals, stopping when the mixture is not quite smooth.
• Fill the carp cavity and sew it closed using a kitchen thread and a needle.
• Melt 2 tablespoons butter and brush all over carp.
• Place carp in a hot frying pan with the remaining butter and brown, turning it only after about 15 minute.
• Cook it until the skin is brown and the eyes white and stiff.
• Serve with roasted potatoes and a tangy radicchio salad.