The Lucky Elephant--March, 2010

Cuban Christmas Eve Dinner.

Christmas in Cuba has had its ups and downs over the last few decades. What was long one of the most festive days of the year for the Cuban people went underground in 1962, when Cuba officially became an atheist country, and Christmas was no longer celebrated as an official holiday. For many years, public displays of Christmas decorations were banned. However, President Castro restored the holiday in 1997, in honor of a visit from Pope John Paul II, and it is now becoming a joyous and festive holiday once again.

Christmas Eve is the important day of celebration for the Cuban people, and one of the most cherished traditions in Cuba is Christmas Eve dinner, which has a very specific menu, prepared by Cubans everywhere. After dinner, many go to Midnight Mass and exchange gifts. My father in law was born and raised in Cuba, and Christmas Eve dinner was one tradition that he made sure to pass on to the next, American generation of his family. He is no longer with us, but we continue to enjoy this delicious meal every Christmas Eve.

Occasionally, I get it in my head to experiment with something new. These impulses are usually short-lived and relatively harmless, but during my bouts of activity, I learn all kinds of fascinating things. Earlier this year, I learned that you can make a pretty decent cake from scratch. I also learned how to make cornbread stuffing (from scratch), how to brine turkey, and how to make my own pasta. A different sort of madness possessed me this year. I wanted to learn about pumpkins. Specifically, I wanted to learn how a pumpkin became a delicious, delicious pie. Like so.

This was my favorite baked good that my mom made when I was growing up. The recipe is (apparently) from Marlene Sorosky's Holiday Cookbook.