December is a time for gathering and celebrating with family and friends. Depending on your religion, culture and even geographical location, this celebration can look different across many households. Often, this can end up with a delightful variety of holiday traditions, local residents for some recipe ideas for Christmas and Hanukkah this year. We turned to local residents for some recipe ideas for Christmas and Hanukkah this year.
For more than 20 years Marple Newtown resident Jean Sharretts has been making Rachael Ray’s “Christmas Pasta” recipe every Christmas and sometimes at random other times over the year. “It’s easy to make the sauce ahead and/or freeze and heat up,” explained Jean. “In fact it tastes better reheated!”
Christmas Pasta
Ingredients:
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
• ¼ pound pancetta, thick cut, chopped into small bits (Italian cured pork, ask at deli counter)
• ½ pound bulk hot Italian sausage
• 1 pound combined ground beef, pork and veal
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 rib celery, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 cup good quality dry red wine
• 1 cup prepared beef stock
• 2 (32-ounce) cans chunky style crushed tomatoes
• A handful chopped flat leaf parsley leaves
• ¼ teaspoon allspice or cinnamon
• Coarse salt and black pepper
• 2 pounds penne rigate, cooked to al dente
• Grated Pecorino Romano, as an accompaniment
• Fresh, crusty bread
Directions: Heat a deep pot over medium high heat. Add oil, garlic, bay, and pancetta bits and brown for 1 min. Add meats and brown and crumble them for five mins. Chop carrot, celery, and onions near the stove and add to the pot as you work. Cook vegetables with meat five mins. and add wine. Cook for one minute; add stock and tomatoes to the pot. Stir in parsley, allspice, or cinnamon and season sauce with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring sauce to a boil, reduce heat to medium low, and cook 10 to 15 mins. minimum before serving. Reheated sauce only improves. Toss pasta (cook off only as much pasta as you need at the time: half a pound for every three people) with a couple of ladles of sauce to coat, then top bowl with extra sauce. Top pasta with cheese. Enjoy!
In 2025, Hanukkah begins at sundown on Sun, December 1 and lasts until sundown on Mon, December 22. The Festival of Lights would not be complete without delicious Hanukkah foods to keep the celebrations going (for all eight nights!)
Sandy Falcone is a Broomall resident and a member of Congregation Beth El-Ner Tamid. As a member of their Better Together program, Sandy encourages congregants to mentor teens in 6-12th grades in their Mensch Making Academy. She shared her potato kugel recipe, perfect for Hanukkah and entertaining for the holiday season.
Potato Kugel
Ingredients:
• 6 medium baking potatoes, peeled, grated
• 3 large eggs
• ½ cup matzo meal
• ¼ cup melted margarine or oil
• 1½ teaspoons salt
Directions: Preheat oven to 425º F. Mix grated potatoes, eggs, matzo meal, margarine, salt and pepper together. Once well mixed, place in greased 9×3 pan. Bake until the top is golden brown. Cool slightly before serving. Enjoy!