Cooking is one of the most hands-on ways to celebrate the season. On Thursday, December 21st, chef Michael Lomonaco joins us for a Holiday Recipe Swap. He shares some of his best-loved dishes, and talks to listeners about their favorite holiday treats.

ROASTED RED SNAPPER WITH BASIL and CAPERS
© Michael Lomonaco

2 red snapper filets, skin on, scales removed, 1-1/2 pounds, or similar fish
2 tablespoons olive oil + additional for roasting
2 cloves garlic, finely-minced
¼ cup fresh basil leaves, shredded
2 sweet red pepper, seeded and julienned
1 small onion, sliced
2 tablespoons capers
1 cup white wine
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450°.

Season both sides of the fish with salt and pepper. Rub the fish with olive oil, chopped garlic and half the basil.

Spread the red pepper and onion in the bottom of the roasting pan.

Place the red snapper filets, skin side up, on the vegetables in the roasting pan.

Sprinkle the capers and the white wine over the fish and place the roasting pan into the preheated oven.

Roast for 18-22 minutes before removing from the oven or when cooked to desired doneness.

Allow to rest for 5 minutes.

Use a spatula to move the fish and all the vegetables to a serving platter.

Yield 2 -3 servings.

SICILIAN COUSCOUS WITH SHRIMP
© Michael Lomonaco

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, diced, about ½ cup
1 cup quick cook couscous
¼ teaspoon saffron
½ cup crushed tomatoes
½teaspoon salt
½teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, more if desired
1-½ cups hot canned clam broth
1 pound cleaned, fresh shrimp, about 26 pieces
¼cup shelled almonds, finely chopped

In a bowl mix the uncooked couscous with ¼ cup olive oil and ½ teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Rub the couscous between your fingers to fully incorporate these ingredients.

In a large casserole heat 2 tablespoons of oil over low heat. Add the onions and begin to cook them to a translucent stage. Without browning the onion, add the saffron, crushed tomatoes, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Stir these ingredients in quickly.

Pour the hot broth into the couscous, and quickly bring to a boil before reducing the heat to a simmer. Allow to simmer for 3 minutes. After simmering gently for 3 minutes, add the peeled shrimp to the couscous and simmering broth, stirring to combine with the couscous. Once it begins to simmer again cook for 6-7 additional minutes. The shrimp will gently poach and cook along with the couscous.

Once the shrimp have cooked fully, transfer to a serving platter and keep warm.

Serve the shrimp and couscous, ladling any remaining broth over the top. Sprinkle the crushed almonds over the whole dish as being served.

Yield 4-6 servings.

FRIED CALAMARI
© Michael Lomonaco

2 cups canned imported plum tomatoes
¼ cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons crushed red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper
2 pounds fresh clean squid, cut into ringlets, with tentacles
3 cups flour
Deep frying vegetable oil

Preheat fryer with deep frying oil to 325 degrees.

Drain excess liquid from tomatoes. Crush by hand into smaller pieces. In a small pot or casserole, heat olive oil. Sauté garlic briefly, taking care not to brown the garlic. Add the red pepper flakes and tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 20 minutes. Set aside and keep warm.

Working in batches, dredge clean, well washed squid in flour, shaking off excess. Fry squid in batches, making sure not to overload fryer, until crisp and golden brown. As squid is removed from fryer, shake off excess oil, dump onto brown bag paper and season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.

Serve with spicy tomato sauce on the side.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

TUNA MARINATED SICILIAN STYLE
(AGRODOLCE)
© Michael Lomonaco, Adapted from Joan Nathan

1-½ pounds fresh fatty tuna belly (known as toro in Asian markets, commonly used
in prime Sashimi preparations) cleaned of all skin, bones and cartilage
¼ cup olive oil
2 large white onions, thinly sliced, about 1-¾ cups
¼ cup white sugar
¼a cup red wine vinegar
10-15 fresh, clean mint leaves, chopped moments before use
salt and pepper

1. Have your fish butcher clean any skin or cartilage from the tuna and cut into steaks that weigh approximately 4-5 ounces. Heat a large frying pan, casserole, or skillet on the stove with half the olive oil over medium heat for 1 minute. Lightly season the tuna with salt and freshly ground black pepper turn the heat to high and add several pieces of tuna to the pan in a single layer. Do not crowd the fish in as this will cool the pan too quickly and the fish will not brown but instead will steam and overcook. The fish should be quickly browned on both sides before being removed from the skillet and placed on a serving platter large enough to hold all the fish in one layer and with a lip to prevent the onion sauce from spilling over. Cook the fish in several batches using the remaining oil.

2. After all the fish has cooked, add the onions to the pan, reduce the heat to medium, and cook the onions to a golden, caramelized colaor. When the onions have browned to a luscious sweetness, add the sugar and stir to combine. Give the sugar a moment to cook but be careful no to allow the sugar to burn or turn to caramel.

3. Be careful of dangerous splattering, add the vinegar to the pan, stir. Cook for 2-3 minutes before adding half the mint leaves, stirring to cook the leaves and release their flavor. Reserve the remaining mint as a garnish for the finished platter of fish. Remove the agrodolce and onions from the fire and pour the entire contents of the pan over all of the cooked tuna, allow to marinate for 15-20 minutes. This should be enjoyed at room temperature and can be served as either a main dish or as part of an appetizer salad.

Yield 4-6 servings.

Zucchini Potato Latkes
© Michael Lomonaco

2 pounds small green zucchini
3 large potatoes
2 small white onions
5 eggs
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup matzo meal
Salt and pepper to taste
Pure Olive oil for frying

Makes 24 large pancakes to serve 6-8.

Peel the zucchini, cut in half lengthwise and scoop out and discard seeds. Using a vegetable grater, grate the zucchini into a bowl lined with several paper towels. Grasp grated zucchini in additional paper towels and squeeze out excess liquid.

Peel the potatoes and grate into another bowl. Squeeze out and discard excess liquid.
Combine the potato and zucchini in a large mixing bowl. Grate the onion and add to the zucchini mixture.

Add the eggs, oil and matzo meal, starting with ½ cup matzo meal and continuing to add more if as needed. You are looking to see that the mixture binds well, allowing you to mold some into a flat cake as a test. Add additional matzo meal as needed.

Season the mixture with salt and pepper to taste.

In a large, heavy frying pan, heat enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan for one minute. Using a large tablespoon, portion out a generous spoonful into the hot mixture, tamping the mound down to a flat cake, browning one side before turning it over to brown the second side. Cook several potato latkes at a time, placing on paper toweling to absorb excess oil after cooking. Continue in this way to cook all or some of the latke mix. The uncooked mix, if covered with plastic wrap, will stay for several hours, refrigerated.

Serve hot with sour cream or applesauce.

LISTENER RECIPES:

Name: Rinku Bhattacharya

Baccala
Merging both Indian spices with the locally available Baccala (salt cod), this recipe has emerged. We have this with a saffron paprika roasted vegetables. Baccala with caramelized onions, spices and mixed herbs. Serves 8

Ingredients
2 lbs baccala (salt cod)
¼ cup olive oil
3 onions finely chopped
2 tbsp chopped garlic
1 tbsp chopped ginger
1 tsp sugar
8 green cardamoms
2" piece cinnamon
4 cloves
2 star anise
8 ripe tomatoes chopped into a dice
2 green chilies (optional)
1 cup chopped cilantro (4-6 leaves) basic
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup heavy cream

To soak and prepare the baccala for cooking, it needs to be soaked in a large bowl for 24 hours in plenty of water. This needs to be changed 3-4 times.

Heat the oil and add the onions. Cook on medium heat for 10 minutes till the onions begin to turn brown.

Add the sugar with the ginger and garlic and cook for another 5 minutes.

Add the cardamoms, cinnamon, and anise to the chopped tomatoes. Cook another 15 minutes till fairly soft and smooth. This needs to be stirred fairly frequently.

Add in the chilies, cilantro, and basil. Cook for 2 minutes.

Add the water and cream.

Preheat the over to 350 degrees.

Drain the water from the fish and lay flat on a surface and cut into medium sized pieces.

Grease a large casserole, and put these pieces on a single layer.

Pour the prepared sauce over the fish and bake uncovered for 25 minutes. Serve with rice or pasta.

Name: Anthony Chiffolo

From our new cook book, "Cooking with the Bible: Biblical Food, Feasts, and Lore" (Greenwood Press), here are two recipes that we know are proven crowd pleasers and sure to be a hit this holiday season. They are two of the recipes that we developed or found that reflect the kinds of dishes that were very likely to have been served during biblical times and which have a direct correlation to 18 passages/stories from the Torah and New Testament.

"Mary's Almond Cookies"
This recipe appears in the chapter "The Wedding Feast at Cana." This chapter recounts the story/feast of the wedding attended by Jesus and his friends, along with his mother, Mary. Jesus and Mary were probably relatives of the bride and/or groom and, thus, were required by tradition to help entertain and feed the wedding guests, who would have found these almond cookies truly delicious.

4 cups flour
1 pound butter
1 cup warm milk
1 teaspoon almond extract
Tap water
2 cups almonds, ground
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup white granulated sugar
1 and ½ cups clarified butter
1 cup colored granulated sugar shortening

Make a dough of the flour, butter, and milk. Knead for about 5 minutes. Add the extracts and a bit of tap water, and knead again until the mixture is soft and easily shaped. Cover and let sit for an hour or two (or overnight, if you have the time).

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Knead the dough again and form it into small balls. Make a thumb print hollow into each ball, and pinch up the sides to make a container shape. Fill the hollow with almonds that have been coated with nutmeg, cloves, sugar, and clarified butter.

Place the cookies on a greased cookie sheet and decorate them by making little impressions with the tines of a fork. Bake for about 20 minutes; do not allow them to brown.

Dust the cookies with colored sugar while they are still warm. Makes 3 to 4 dozen cookies.

"Israeli Watermelon Soup with Ginger and Mint."
The recipe appears in the chapter "By the Numbers," which is based on the story of the Israelites and their Exodus from captivity in Egypt. While in Egypt, the Israelites became familiar with foods like melons and cucumbers--foods that they dearly missed during their wanderings in the desert. This delicious soup is a reminder of what the Israelites had to leave behind in order to have their freedom, and something to look forward to when they reach the Promised Land.

8 cups seedless watermelon
1 mango, diced
6 tablespoons lime juice
¼ cup fresh spearmint, chopped
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon orange blossom water
1 piece fresh ginger root, sliced into large pieces
fresh mint sprigs

In a blender, mix all the ingredients except the ginger and mint sprigs. Add the ginger slices and chill the soup for several hours.

Remove the ginger, and serve the soup garnished with mint sprigs. Serves 8.

For more about these or any of the 200+ recipes featured in "Cooking with the Bible", please feel free to contact either myself or my co-author, (The Rev. Dr.) Rayner W. Hesse, Jr., at the email or phone listed above.

Name: Andrea Sandvig

Norwegian Potato Dumplings
These dumplings were part of Christmas Eve dinner during my North Dakota childhood in the 50's. They are a humble addition to a meal, but for my family, Christmas was not complete without them. The salt pork was gradually replaced with the more luxurious ham, as lard gave way to shortening. Now when I make this for my New York friends I go back to the original recipe.

2 cups cold mashed potatoes (preferably made with butter and whole milk or cream)
¼ c shortening or lard
1 egg
1 Tbs. salt
Rye flour
Ham or salt pork cut into 1 inch cubes

Mix the first four ingredients thoroughly and add enough rye flour to make a stiff dough - usually the amount is equal to the potatoes.

Form the dough into ovals about the size of your palm. Push a cube of meat into the center, covering it completely with the dough. Cover the dumplings with a damp towel for up to an hour.

Bring a large pot of water seasoned with salt, pepper, a ham hock, one large onion and a few stalks of celery to boil.

Add the dumplings and cook for 20 minutes (or more).

Makes about 12 dumplings.

Drain and serve with melted butter.

Traditionally the leftovers are served sliced and fried for Christmas breakfast.

Name: John Farago

GOOSURKEY: This is a Christmas variant on Turducken...a boned turkey stuffed inside two boned geese...Tiny Tim, watch out!

Prepare turkey stuffing.

Turkey stuffing:
Dice two large onions; saute till golden brown.
Take 6 ounces dried chestnuts; boil for 10 minutes in 2/3 cup Calvados plus 1/3 cup water. Let sit for 1 hour.

For the turkey, use 2 lbs stale challah or brioche; saturate with whole milk, squeeze out excess milk.

Peel and core, then dice one large, crisp, tart apple.

Combine soaked bread, onions, chestnuts, 4 lightly beaten eggs, salt, pepper to taste.

Stuff turkey:
Completely bone a 12 lb turkey. Place turkey skin side down, pat dry then liberally salt and pepper and garlic powder the inside of the turkey; place healthy amount of stuffing (sufficient to make it full but not tight when closed), and wrap the turkey around the stuffing.

Seal openings with wooden skewers temporarily. Liberally salt, pepper, and garlic powder the outside of the turkey.

Prepare goose stuffing:

In a large cast iron frying pan, melt 4-6T or more of goosefat and saute 2 large diced onions with salt and pepper until golden brown.
Remove from fat. Trim skin from edges and neck and all orifices of geese and cut into 1" square pieces. Fry in goose fat until brown and crisp. Remove from fat.

Coarsely crush 4 cloves of garlic and saute in the hot fat to flavor fat; remove; bring fat to near smoking and add 1 lb of egg barley.

Continue on high heat, shuffling the pan and turning the egg barley until it is irregularly brown but not burnt. Add 2 qts goose broth or stock or water, as available, reduce heat to a simmer, and allow egg barley to absorb the liquid. Should be slightly firm, even a bit crunchy, it will absorb much more while baking. Allow to cool.

Take 1-2 oz of dried porcini mushrooms and soak in a very good quality (5 or 6 putanyos) Tokaji or similar dessert wine.

When soft, loosely squeeze out excess wine.

Make sweet and sour red cabbage (or use bottled).

Combine the egg barley with 4 lightly beaten eggs, the porcini, the fried onions, the fried goose cracklings, and one cup of the sweet and sour red cabbage.

Bone two large geese, leaving legs and wings intact (but boning out the thighs).

Place the two geese on the counter skin side up. Prick with a sharp fork all over; liberally salt, pepper, and garlic powder the skin; make a series of very small slits and insert slivers of garlic liberally.

Turn so that the geese are skin side down, and so that they are immediately adjacent to each other, pointing in opposite directions (leg adjacent to wing). Stitch the two geese together at the edge at which the couch (seam should be inside the goose; use coat thread in one long piece, so it can be pulled free at the end).

Liberally distribute ½ the egg barley stuffing on one goose.

Place the turkey on top of the stuffing and bring the other goose over the top of the turkey. Stitch the two geese together on the other long seam with a single long piece of coat thread (seam inward if possible).

Liberally distribute remaining stuffing inside gees around top and sides and front and back of turkey, skewering shut the two openings at either end of the geese. Truss to form a plump, moderately bird-like heap.

Place in a roasting rack in a large roasting pan, above ½ C of water. Place the less attractive goose upwards.

You are now going to roast the Goosurkey for 10-12 hours in a 250 degree oven.

Approximately halfway through, flip it so the other goose is facing upwards. During the final couple of hours you can baste it in a mix of equal parts Jack Daniels, apple cider, and the drippings from the pan, simmered with the goose bones and necks and celery, carrots, onions, garlic, and one large orange, quartered and seeded. It should turn a beautiful golden brown by the time the thermometer says it’s 170 degrees, but if not you can turn the oven up quite high for a few minutes to crisp the skin. Keep a close eye so it doesn’t burn.

Take it out and let it sit for at least an hour. You can reduce the stock/Jack Danels/Cider and use it as a base for a gravy.

Name: Susan Lesh and David Bland

Depression Raisin Cake
It’s unusual because it's a "one pot" cake recipe and does not use eggs (hence the reference to the Depression), yet it’s very moist. It is also quite tolerant of imprecise flour measurements

2 ½ c raisins (15 oz box)
In 2 cups hot water, boil raisins 5 min.

Add 1 c water, 2 c sugar, ¾ c shortening, 1 tsp cloves, 1 tsp nutmeg, 1 tsp cinnamon, 2 tsp baking soda, ¼ tsp salt.

Add enough flour to make stiff (about 3 ½ c -- no need to sift).

Bake at 375 for 35-45 min in a 9/13 pan.

Name: Amanda Mayer Stinchecum

Julia B's Nut Pudding [Pecan Torte]
The torte is at its best for breakfast the following morning. This recipe was given to me by my mother, Bertha Tepper Mayer, who was born in Selma, Alabama, in 1906. Julia B was her mother's first cousin, Julia Block Herzfeld, who lived in Mobile and inspired some of my mother's finest dishes. Those familiar with European desserts will recognize it as a variation of a hazelnut torte, converted to pecans to suit its Alabama source.

6 eggs, separated
1 ½ C granulated sugar
3 C finely chopped (not ground)pecans
1 t. vanilla
1 t. baking powder
3 T. flour
2 9-inch cake tins
Unsalted butter and flour for preparing the cake tins

For serving: 1 pint heavy cream, NOT ultra-pasteurized, no gum or other additives
Bourbon, to taste

Preheat oven to 350.

Preparing the pans: Butter two 9-inch cake tins. Cut two rounds of waxed paper (probably plain paper would do) to fit bottom of tins. Lay paper rounds in pans, and butter paper surfaces thoroughly. Dust inside of tins with flour, knocking off excess.

The torte: Sift flour and baking powder and set aside.

Beat egg yolks until light in color, gradually add sugar while beating, and beat mixture until pale yellow. Beat egg whites until stiff, adding a pinch of salt after first few strokes. Fold chopped pecans into egg white (do not beat), then fold this into beaten egg yolk-sugar mixture (do not beat). Lastly, fold in vanilla and then flour-baking powder mixture.

Quickly turn the batter out into the two prepared cake tins, shaking the tins slightly to even out the layer of batter in each. The batter will become more evenly distributed during the cooking process.

Bake in top 1/3 of preheated oven for 25-30 minutes before testing.

The torte layers should be very lightly browned on top and slightly pulled away from the sides of the tin. Plunge a hairpin, broomstraw, or fine skewer (or substitute) into center of torte and immediately withdraw it. It should have some specks of torte sticking to it, but not wet batter.

DO NOT OVERCOOK. The torte should remain somewhat moist in the center (the reason it is called a "pudding").

Remove tins from oven and place on cake racks to cool. When cool enough to handle, run a sharp knife around the edge of each tin, place a wire rack on top and invert. The torte should come out cleanly. Remove waxed paper from bottom of each layer as soon as it is turned out. Cool completely before serving.

To serve: beat one pint of heavy, non-ultra-pasteurized cream until thick. Add bourbon (Jack Daniels will do) to taste, but no sugar. Place one layer of torte on a suitable cake plate, and, using a rubber scraper, cover completely with whipped cream. Place second layer on top of this, and cover top and sides with remaining cream. Since the entire torte will be veiled in whipped cream, it is not essential to turn the layers right-side up. The cream will also mask any broken places, should they occur.

Name: Georgia Jadick

Roasted Butternut Squash:

8 cups peeled, 1" cubed butternut squash
3 cups Spanish or Vidalia onion, large chop.
3 cups apple 1" cubed, Cortland or Granny Smith.
¼ cup olive oil
3 Tbs. ginger juice (grate ginger and squeeze out the juice
2 Tbs. brown sugar
salt and fresh ground pepper

Mix all together and bake on a sheet pan at 450 degrees until tender. Stir occasionally. Can go under broiler when done for extra browning. Ingredient amounts easily adjusted to taste.