Think about the holidays with your family and the meals you share together. There's probably a dish that stands out as something you always have at the table this time of year.
In my family, we always have a tin of Cadbury Roses to eat after Christmas dinner. If the brightly-wrapped, British chocolates were missing, it just wouldn't feel right.
Our local chefs also have family traditions, and shared them this year with PhillyVoice – one even shared a recipe.
RELATED: 20 of the best places to dine out on New Year's Eve | First Center City District Restaurant Week of 2019 to last 13 days
Jenn Grosskruger
Executive chef of Ocean Prime
When my brother and I were little, we were super picky eaters. One year my mom went all out on a traditional German Christmas dinner, and all we wanted was pizza!
Since then we’ve had pizza every year on Christmas Eve, my dad always makes the dough from scratch, then we all take turns making our own personalized pies. It's fun to have everyone in the kitchen together and there's no stress of big meal prep.
Jose Garces
Award-winning Iron Chef
A big part of being together over the holidays, of course, is food, and Christmas means slow-roasted pork. The traditional Ecuadorian Christmas meal stars hornado de chancho, or slow-roasted pork leg.
When I was growing up, my mom served it alongside black beans and roasted hominy salad. The night is capped off with canelazo, a hot cinnamon drink that can be made with or without aguardiente (a distilled spirit made from sugarcane).
Justin Swain
Executive chef of Rex 1516
I do however make sure to give everyone pimento cheese as a gift each year, and they might murder me if I showed up without it. They even pester me for it mid-year for birthdays and such.
Swain's Pimento Cheese Recipe (yields 3 quarts)
1 pound of cheddar
1/2 cup of mayo
6 ounces of pickled hot cherry peppers, de-seeded and minced fine
1 teaspoon minced onion
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup cream cheese
1/4 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 tablespoon black pepper
1/4 tablespoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
Pinch of dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon Crystal Hot Sauce (or any preferred hot sauce)
Put all ingredients in a bowl and mix with rubber spatula until thoroughly combined.
Kristopher Neff
Executive chef of Buddakan Atlantic City
JC Piña
Executive chef of Café Ynez
Also known as Mexican pork and hominy stew, pozole rojo, is a traditional Mexican dish eaten on Christmas Eve. I make this dish every Christmas and it reminds me of home.
Follow Sinéad & PhillyVoice on Twitter: @sineadpatrice | @thePhillyVoice
Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice
Add Sinéad's RSS feed to your feed reader
Have a news tip? Let us know.