Christmas in Japan is annoying to me, so commercial and superficial that I try not to take any notice of it. Though I miss the beautifully authentic Christmas decorations and traditions of home, I have yet to decorate my traditional Kyoto ‘machiya’ house for Christmas, though I think it would be wonderful to do so. But, I do cook and eat! So, I do try to create a proper Christmas meal every year. To me, a proper Christmas features a laboriously prepared home-cooked meal, with special ingredients and is enjoyed among loved ones and good friends. Back home I would cook a goose but I have yet to find goose available here. So, I go with a whole chicken.
I love stuffing and this Christmas dinner featured maybe the best I ever made. When I was in undergraduate school, I gathered some friends at my apartment for the first Thanksgiving meal I cooked. I recall getting recipes from Gourmet magazine. The stuffing recipe called for oysters and cranberries. It was sublime. So, I included these ingredients and also added home-made candied yuzu peel. Mashed potatoes were made with murasaki-imo, a deeply purple colored sweet potato that I quite like. It makes for some memorable mashed potatoes!
While dinner is cooking, I also make a special Christmas dinner for my doggies, Cheri and Rainy. Theirs is cooked in the rice cooker with rice, lots of veggies and some chicken innards — usually heart, liver and gizzard. This makes for some happy beagles!!
