FEATURE | RECIPES
Traditional flavors for the Holidays
Simon Webster
The holidays are right around the corner , and everyone is getting ready for family gatherings , parties and celebrations . It ’ s a great to time to see friends , reconnect and also enjoy some good food .
Thanksgiving is a holiday I ’ ve learned to enjoy since moving to America . We don ’ t celebrate Thanksgiving in New Zealand and England , so I had to learn the traditions surrounding this day . Now after 20 years of living in the U . S . and also serving Thanksgiving dinner at Sabor a Pasion , I ’ ve become an expert on cooking turkey , dressing and all the traditional sides . Christine also makes both pumpkin and pecan pies – honestly , who can choose – and for those who want something different , we also serve New Zealand Pavlova .
Christmas was definitely a time I enjoyed as a kid in New Zealand . We always had turkey and mom and dad would cook together . But the odd thing about Christmas in New Zealand is that December is the height of summer so the meal was lighter and we ’ d later enjoy turkey sandwiches on the beach , along with pavlova .
For either holiday , I ’ ve learned that people don ’ t stray too far from what they were served as a kid . You have to follow Grandma ’ s recipe or make it just the way Mum would do it . They were the goddesses of the kitchen and the keepers of the recipes . Don ’ t change a thing or mess with tradition .
Here are a few recipes we ’ ll be enjoying over the holidays . One is my mum ’ s recipe for Turkey Rissoles , a patty made from turkey meat and leftover sides that we would eat the day after Christmas for Boxing Day – a fun day in England where all the Christmas leftovers would be shared with friends and neighbors .
Chef Simon carving the turkey , just like his dad .
COURTESY PHOTO
14 | PALESTINE MAGAZINE | HOLIDAY EDITION 2022