Posadas: Celebrating Life and Prosperity

“In the name of heaven, oh grant us shelter. . . .”

With these words begins one of Mexico’s great customs: the Posadas or pre-Christmas celebrations. During these nine magical days before Christmas Eve, family and friends throughout the country gather to commemorate the lonely wandering of Joseph and Mary in search of shelter.

From behind the door of the house where the carolers stand comes the familiar answer to their plea:

“This is no inn.

“Continue on your way.

“I cannot open,

“For you may be a thief.”

The “pilgrims” outside continue to plead, their sweet voices filling the still evening air and their candles enveloping them in a halo of light. Finally their persistence triumphs and they are welcomed:

“Come in, little pilgrims,

“And receive this corner.

“Tonight our home is yours,

“And so are our hearts.”

The door swings open, revealing the Mexican home in all its Christmas splendor. Brilliant red poinsettias adorn virtually every surface, and the fragrances of jicama and tejocote (a sort of crab apple) fill the air.

A Christmas tree occupies one corner, but it is really secondary to the elaborate creche scene sheltered beneath its boughs. This wondrous arrangement of the handmade figures is the heart and soul of the Mexican holiday home. Out on the terrace hang whimsical pinatas, awaiting the joyous crowd that will soon knock them to the ground and scramble for the fruits and candies that scatter from inside.

And, of course, there is the large table laden with the marvelous delicacies of the Posadas season. As a child, I beat the pinata frantically, not for the treats it bore but because I knew I could then indulge in the carnival of flavors that awaited us.

As do most cultures, Mexicans celebrate life and prosperity with food. And at no time is the bounty as extraordinary as it is during the Christmas season--the country’s most joyous holiday.

The flurry of eating begins with the Posadas. For this day, families spend days preparing the marvelous array of masa treats that are traditionally served during this time. In addition to the more common quesadillas, tacos and tostadas, the Posadas table boasts a fascinating array of traditional specialties.

A particularly fabulous dish everyone seems to fight over is tacos al pastor. For this delicacy, beef is marinated with fruit in a robust red sauce, called adobo, and roasted over a direct fire. It is then thinly sliced, wrapped in a fresh tortilla and sprinkled with a tangy tomatillo (roasted tomato or green chile) sauce.

Bean gordas-- thick tortilla patties filled with bean paste, cooked on the comal (Mexican griddle) and drenched with salsa and creme fraiche-- also disappear very quickly. Occupying a prominent position at every Posadas celebration is the indispensable holiday punch, a pungent wine-based brew made with crab apples, sugar cane, guava, prunes, apples and a healthy shot of aguardiente liquor.

In a sense, the Posadas are one long “appetizer” for the Christmas Eve feast. The appetites are teased and tempted for nine joyous days. Finally, families gather for this fabulous meal in the warmth and intimacy of their own homes.

The foods served at the Christmas Eve tables are as symbolic as the silver and crystal heirlooms that decorate it. The ritual of preparing these traditional recipes brings back the memory of those who shared them with us and reinforces the bond of family and culture.

Much like the American Thanksgiving, Mexico’s Christmas Eve menu consists of several standard dishes varied slightly by each family, depending upon their particular traditions and ethnic roots.

The feast begins with a Champagne toast and a delicate salad made with sectioned oranges, cooked beets, roasted peanuts and romaine lettuce. No dressing is necessary, as the wonderful juices of the oranges and beets form their own perfect marinade.

Then, a luxurious cream soup, gentle and soothing in flavor and texture, is brought to the table. In my family, we have always served a hearts of palm soup that my mother’s mother-in-law introduced from Veracruz. In her day, the family would cut fresh palms from outside and remove the tender hearts just before preparing the dish. Today, we use canned palm hearts that are readily available at the grocery store.

Two main dishes are usually served: turkey, which represents our Indian ancestry, and a spicy codfish stew that comes from the Spanish. The turkey, which was referred to as a mystical bird in early Aztec writings, is served either with an adobo or mole sauce, or is roasted and stuffed.

My grandmother’s roasted turkey is truly a work of culinary wizardry. The huge bird is first injected with tequila and then marinated in a heady concoction of garlic, fresh herbs and olive oil. The stuffing--unlike any found in the United States--consists of a wild array of sweet and savory ingredients including ground meats, roasted chestnuts, pine nuts and almonds, ripe tomatoes, potatoes and dried fruits. The bird is then baked on a bed of leeks. Among the wonderful side dishes that grace the Christmas table are mashed yams, applesauce and fresh rosemary in a mole sauce made with chile ancho, cactus paddles and new potatoes.

The meal is topped off with a rich, almond-based Christmas cake fragrant with rum and studded with dried fruits. Bowls of marzipan candies, nougat, pickled fruits and pine nuts are passed around the table. As the meal winds down, the room flushes with warmth and family members raise their glasses once more to toast the joy they share with others around the world:

“Silent night,

“Holy night,

“All is calm, all is bright . . . .”

SOPA DE PALMITO

(Hearts of Palm Soup)

16 chiles de arbol or other hot dried small red chiles

Oil

3/4 cup butter

2 cloves garlic

1 1/2 medium onions, quartered

1 leek, sliced

4 celery stalks, sliced

2 tender fresh hearts of palm or 5 (10-ounce) cans, drained

Salt

5 cups chicken broth

6 cups boiling milk

2 cups creme fraiche or combination whipping cream and sour cream

6 tablespoons chopped chives or green onion tops

Fry chiles in small amount of oil. Drain and set aside.

Heat butter in saucepan and add garlic, onions, leek, celery and palm hearts. Season to taste with salt. Simmer 25 minutes. Add chicken broth and cook until palm hearts are tender. Allow to cool, then puree in blender or food processor. Strain and transfer to medium saucepan.

Add boiling milk, then gradually incorporate creme fraiche. Simmer 20 minutes longer, stirring occasionally. Pour into bowls and garnish with chiles and chives. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

BACALAO A LA

VIZCAINA

(Codfish With Potatoes,

Olives and Chiles)

4 generous pounds dried codfish

12 cups milk

1 to 1 1/2 quarts olive oil

26 cloves garlic

4 1/2 large onions, finely chopped

15 large tomatoes, roasted

1 1/2 medium onions, quartered

Salt

2 3/4 cups finely chopped parsley

1 1/2 pounds baby potatoes, boiled and peeled

3 cups pimiento-stuffed olives

2 (8-ounce) cans pickled chiles guerros, jalapenos or other hot chile peppers

1 (8-ounce) can pimientos

Soak codfish overnight in water, changing water 3 or 4 times. Drain. (Fresh-poached firm-fleshed white fish may be substituted but do not soak.)

Soak fish in milk about 2 hours. Remove fish and clean, discarding skin and bones. Finely shred fish and set aside.

Heat olive oil in saucepan. Brown 20 cloves garlic, then remove and reserve. Add finely chopped onions to remaining oil and brown lightly.

Place roasted tomatoes, quartered onions, remaining 6 cloves garlic and reserved fried garlic cloves in blender or processor. Blend to puree, then strain. Add strained mixture to browned onions in saucepan. Cover and simmer 2 to 3 1/2 hours, or until thick and mixture has caramelized aroma. Season lightly with salt. Add 2 cups parsley, shredded fish, boiled potatoes, 2 cups stuffed olives and 1 can chiles guerros along with little chile juice. Simmer 1 hour longer.

Spoon mixture into deep platter and garnish with pimientos, remaining can chiles guerros and remaining stuffed olives. Sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup parsley. Makes 8 to 12 servings.

PAVO DE LA ABUELA

(Grandmother’s Turkey)

1 (15- to 17-pound) whole turkey

2 cups white wine

2 cups aged tequila

10 cloves garlic, roasted

10 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons dried thyme or 10 sprigs fresh

2 tablespoons dried marjoram or 10 sprigs fresh

8 bay leaves

2 cups butter, softened

1 cup olive oil

1 1/2 tablespoons ground allspice

2 1/2 tablespoons salt

1 tablespoon garlic salt

1 tablespoon onion salt

2 large leeks, thinly sliced

3 onions, thinly sliced

Milk

Stuffing

Sauce

4 fresh poinsettia flowers

2 bunches grapes

2 egg whites, beaten

Sugar

Cilantro sprigs

Wash turkey and pat dry. Mix together white wine and tequila and inject turkey, including breast, legs and inside cavity, with liquor. Set aside.

Puree roasted and raw garlic, thyme, marjoram, bay leaves, butter, olive oil, allspice, regular garlic and onion salts in blender or food processor. Spread mixture outside and inside turkey. Carefully loosen skin and spread marinade beneath it. Place leeks and onions in turkey roaster. Place turkey on top and cover with dishcloth soaked in milk. Refrigerate 1 day.

Fill cavity with Stuffing. Roast at 400 degrees 30 minutes. Cover with foil, reduce temperature to 375 degrees and roast another 4 to 5 hours, depending on size of bird, basting every 45 minutes and turning turkey from time to time to ensure even cooking.

During last 45 minutes of roasting, uncover bird and baste every 10 minutes to brown evenly. Pierce legs to test for doneness (juices should be transparent). When done, remove turkey from oven and allow to rest 45 minutes before carving. Reserve leeks, onions and pan drippings for use in Sauce.

Place roasted turkey on large round serving platter. Decorate edges with poinsettias. Dip grapes in beaten egg whites, dredge in sugar and place over flowers. Garnish other sides with cilantro. Carve turkey at table just before serving. Serve Sauce on side. Serve with sweet potatoes, if desired. Makes 12 to 16 servings.

Stuffing

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup butter

12 cloves garlic

2 cups grated onions

3 1/2 pounds ground meat (beef, pork, veal, chicken or ham)

6 tomatoes, finely chopped

1 generous pound mushrooms, chopped

4 potatoes, peeled and diced

1 cup raisins or currants

2 cups pitted and finely chopped prunes

1 1/2 cups finely chopped candied pineapple or citron

1 cup stuffed olives, finely chopped

3/4 cup pine nuts

3/4 cup finely chopped almonds

2 cups finely chopped chestnuts

4 apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 tablespoon black pepper

4 bay leaves

3 sprigs thyme

3 sprigs marjoram

1 1/2 cups dry Sherry or white wine

Heat olive oil and butter in large saucepan. Add garlic and cook until browned. Remove garlic and discard.

Add grated onions and cook until browned. Add ground meat and cook until fat is rendered. Stir in tomatoes, mushrooms, potatoes, raisins, prunes, candied pineapple, olives, pine nuts, almonds, chestnuts, apples, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, pepper, bay leaves, thyme, marjoram and wine.

Simmer 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until thickened, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. Allow mixture to cool before stuffing turkey.

Sauce

1/2 cup sugar

Reserved bed of cooked leeks and onions

Pan drippings from cooked turkey

4 cups chicken broth

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1 cup cold water

1 cup dry Sherry

Melt sugar in heavy saucepan 6 to 8 minutes until caramelized. Puree leeks and onions along with pan drippings in blender. Add chicken broth and strain. Combine cornstarch and water. Stir cornstarch mixture into saucepan along with Sherry and leek puree. Simmer 25 minutes or until mixture thickens slightly.