Growing up in Boston, we were taught about the British Red Coats, Paul Revere, the Minutemen, the Boston Tea Party all the events that led us to become a "Free United States". Some customs left with the "yankee" culture, drinking tea instead of coffee is favored among locals. Za-rex instead of Kool-aid. Dinner is called "suppa"and the bathroom is called the "pissa" which is the second word in describing something fabulous. Something fabulous in Boston speak is of course, "wicked pissa"
I remember every Sunday, my mother would make Sunday dinner. She timed it just right, home from Mass, a beautiful roast beef with roasted potatoes, baked Italian tomatoes and Yorkshire pudding. It was named after Yorkshire, England, I would guess, with a pat of butter and beef gravy, the stuff is to die for. One thing we always did was save the salad for last, almost like dessert. The reason that made the most sense to me, some of the heavy duty Italian meals, spaghetti and meatballs for example could use a little help in the digestion process, the roughage that salad provides, makes sense. I've looked at a lot of video concerning the proper way to make Yorkshire Pudding, this one came the closest. I'll let you watch it and then I'll give you my recipe, which is similar but with a few Boston tips. He's very close. My little secrets are add an extra egg or two, measuring is unnecessary. Batter should have the consistency of pancake batter, Whisk until all lumps are gone. I use Jumbo cupcake tins . Preheating the pan, #1 most important, Preheat oven to 425 degrees, I use melted butter to grease the cups. Fill cups 3/4 full. Butter should be almost smoking when the pan is hot enough. If you want the pudding cups darker in color add a drop or two of Kitchen Bouquet seasoning sauce. Oven roasted potatoes were also part of our Sunday tradition. Happy Holidays to you all and enjoy or endure you families for the holidays! I'll put up the roasted potato recipe for you.
I grew up in a small Italian/Irish neighborhood located 8.6 miles outside of Boston, Massachusetts called Stoneham about a mile from Lexington. Stoneham wasn't incorporated yet. Growing up outside of Boston, one of the subjects you were taught in school was American history. We were surrounded by it on every corner. From Paul Revere to the Lexington Minutemen, their names were immortalized by the town names, streets signs and even on local pub signs.
What I appreciate now as I look back on my own history, is the importance of passing that legacy on to those who don't know how this country started. This was instilled in me growing up in a place so rich with history and importance. The Bunker Hill Monument where I once was once assigned to count each and every stair in High School (284 if my memory serves me). The Old North Church "one if by land, two if by sea" where Paul Revere would put one lantern in the steeple, or two lanterns in the steeple depending on which way the English were about to arrive. Old Iron Sides, (USS constitution Warship) where they still do tours on the ship. What ticks me off about the ship is some people complained about the ship's cannons going off each day celebrating our Independence. It was about the loud noise. So they had to face the ship's canons out toward the ocean to make these clowns happy. That tradition has been around 150 years. Can't we say KMA anymore!
Col. William Prescott Statue
at Bunker Hill
Monument
"Don't fire until you see the
whites of their
eyes"
Old North Church
Well unfortunately for the English they did not win the war, but they did leave some English style food traditions behind which we still practice and enjoy today. For instance, more Massachusetts natives prefer hot tea with milk and sugar than coffee. Now one thing that was a tradition in our family growing up was our Sunday dinner. It was open panned baked Roast Beef with roasted potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, broccoli and fresh salad which in the Italian tradition was always eaten last. Now I have great love for my mother who raised 12 of us on her own, but God Bless her the roast beef was so tough that if you sliced it thin and applied rubber glue you could start a tire repair business. I used to call it "the meat that wouldn't go away". I thought we would first tackle the Oven Roasted Potatoes and at a later date go for the Roast Beef. This recipe is very, very easy, even for a newbie.
Recipe:
Potato size about 2 inch by 3 inch, make sure they are all about the same size so they will all be done at the same time. (1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees (2) peel and slice the bottom of each potato so it lays flat in the baking dish or pan (two potatoes per serving) (3) Put a half stick of butter or margarine on top of potatoes (3) put in the oven (I know obvious) (4) About a half hour into baking, pull potatoes out of the oven and brush melted butter over the top of the potatoes and return to oven (5) Cook until tops are nicely browned. 45 min. to an hour (6) Remove, let cool and enjoy TIP: Letting food rest is the ultimate secret to a great meal
Are you sure you want my mother's beef roast recipe? You asked for it. (1) get a 5 pound eye of the round roast (2) put it in a baking dish at 400 and cook for 6 hours or until it almost catches fire (3) remove from oven and try to slice it
If you are having guests for dinner, make sure you never want to see them again. Oh and by the way, have your kids watch this video, maybe the whole family should watch it together!
