20 December Tuesday

Should it taste like Christmas? What does Christmas taste like? This has been a strange holiday season, slow moving yet suddenly upon us. I feel as though I am looking forward to a celebration that has already happened. There have been a few celebrations here and there, but still the streets are mostly quiet. Well, it’s the Tuesday before Christmas. I’ m stuffing the stockings and trimming the tree, the songs blast out day and night.

21 December Wednesday

After a brief and very informal survey of my family and having made it clear that I did not want turkey, Shepherd’s Pie was nominated from a short list of suggestions. Great.

Before I write at length about the shepherds and their dishes, I am going to write about these last few nights before the festivities descend and everything goes mad. A festive platter of nachos, festive nachos.

Now nachos are wonderful and can be a really fun way to get your veggies in. I use my mostly vegetarian system, expect of course, it is entirely vegetarian because there ain’t no meat in it. Here’s the first point on which many have opinions. Sports bar nachos, smothered in low quality chili, then with a layer a third rate pulled pork carnitas crap. This stuff makes me sick, and I hate it. I guess it’s pulled pork sealed in a plastic bag and I hate it. Third rate, gray guacamole, and cooled, melted cheese that has coagulated and holds the other mess in suspension. If it’s particularly disgusting, it will have pickled jalapeno slices all over it.

I’ll admit to a love of chips and dip. I love dips. I remember when salsa got big. Microwave cheese dips. French Onion dip. Hummus. I’ve tried em’all baby. But you know, nothing compares to a boy’s first dip. My mother makes one with refried beans, sour cream with taco spices, shredded lettuce, diced tomato, sliced black olives, scooped up on a tortilla chip. I think she made two pans of it, one for the party, and one for me. I would request this dip on death row, honestly. We’re going to make it for New Year’s, that’s for sure.

Tonight’s nachos need to be heartier; a meal. Here’s what I improvised, I’m gonna try to write this recipe with as few words as possible. A pan, heat, oil, wooden spoon. Tumeric, cumin, smoked paprika, red chile, chili flakes, coriander, black pepper. Pureed together-tomato, cilantro stems, onion, into the pan. Diced green pepper, black beans, salt. Simmer till hungry.

Bowl, chips, bean chili, lettuce, diced onion,tomato, cilantro, sour cream, shredded cheese. That’s not very original, you exclaim. It’s the spice mixture, you must figure out your own. I have mine. I keep it a secret, even from myself. I’m just saying, you’ll be surprised by how much you like the result with homemade nachos.

Now speaking of keeping secrets, I have now half decided on a first draft of our simple, intimate, yet surprising Christmas dinner. Because my guests, my mother, father, brother, sister-in-law, niece, nephew represent ninety percent of my readership, it would be foolish to use this platform to share my menu and recipes, so I’m not going to. However, in the ensuing days and hours, I shall reveal little clues, like opening the doors of an Advent calendar. There are a couple of sides in the works, one of which is a surprising salad that I can’t wait to try. It does not contain lettuce; it’s based on a different winter vegetable. Can you guess which one? It is, oddly and purely coincidentally, named after other characters of the Nativity. Can you guess which one(s)? BTW, Shepherd’s Pie is not named after the shepherds in the bible story. That too, is pure coincidence.