Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Apparently the Chinese word for “fish” resembles the word for “abundance.” That could account for one of the many reasons that fish has become a good luck food. In Good Luck Life , Rosemary Gong's book about Chinese celebrations, she writes that it’s important for fish be served with the head and tail intact to ensure a good year, from start to finish. Good thing we ordered pesce arrosto last night at our capodanno dinner at La Balena . Chef Brad Briske roasted whole petrale sole with chile, blood orange, and fennel and topped with Manila clams and radishes. Once again, Chef Brad knocked off my culinary socks. And, like everything else we've ever ordered there, nothing was left on the plate except the inedible parts!

Eating any round fruit is a common New Year’s tradition. In the Philippines, the custom calls for chowing down on 13 round fruits, considered a lucky number; in Europe and America, it's usually 12, which represents the months in a year. In either case, their coin-shape is the common denominator. Tonight I made a round pie with blueberries. Crust 2 C flour 1/2 C organic powdered sugar 3/4 C butter 4 T heavy whipping cream Use a pastry cutter to cut the flour and powdered sugar into the butter, forming pea-sized chunks. Add the whipping cream until the dough comes together into a ball. Roll the dough out between two pieces of parchment paper - to fit your pan with at least 1" overhang. Press the dough gently into the pan and trim the crust to the top of your dish. Flute the edges. Filling 2 lbs fresh blueberries 1/2 C organic granulated sugar 1/4 C flour Stir the blueberries with the sugar and flour and scoop them into the chilled crust. Preheat the oven ...

In some countries -  including Cuba, Spain, Portugal, Hungary and Austria - pigs symbolize progress. Some claim it’s because these animals never move backward; others assert it’s all in their feeding habits, that they push their snouts forward along the ground when rooting for food. But the lucky food is not limited to pork. Pig shaped foods count, too.  So, during our New Year's Day picnic at Mount Madonna, I broke out a Peppermint Pig to smash and share with the Novak gals.