New Year's Eve Sangría

"Y aunque para las uvas hay algunos nuevos, a los que ya no están los hecharemos de menos."

Mecano, Un Año Mas.

As you may have noted, I love folktales, urban legends, and superstitious traditions. One of my favorite ones is the Twelve Grapes of Nochevieja.

In Spain and many Latin American countries its customary to serve green grapes on Nochevieja (Old Night, a term for New Year's Eve). When the clock strikes twelve guests hurriedly consume twelve grapes. The superstition is that, if you manage to get the twelve grapes down before the year ends (when the last clock chime rings) you will have good luck in the new year. Also, if you make a wish while eating the grapes you'll wish will be granted. If you really want to have good luck you should travel to Spain's Puerta del Sol and eat the grapes there. Alas, those of us who can't afford that settle for listening to Mecano's Un Año Mas.

I haven't found a source for this custom. Spanish Wikipedia says that it started in the eighteenth century either as a way to mock rich people or as a clever grape marketing technique.

In any case, it's a very popular custom and one of the few Latin American traditions that I've seen gain popularity as the years go by. American customs like Santa Claus have taken over the holidays, but there is no American equivalent to the New Year's grapes.

So throughout Latin America the grapes have taken over. People now make New Year's Eve menus with a grape theme, serving cheese tray with grapes, grape tarts, grape skewers, and lots of wine (of course).  Martha Stewart has several grape recipes to choose from (I love the grape and couscous salad) and so does Food and Wine magazine (that flatbread looks amazing).

But my favorite grape recipe is (of course!) sangría. I serve this every New Year's Eve (with a bunch of grapes on the side) and it's always a hit.

Sangría de Nochevieja 

1 bottle of gold prosecco or cava wine (I know it's heresy but I actually prefer prosecco)
1/2 cup of Liquor 43 (this is a Spanish liqueur. You can substitute orange liqueur or brandy)
1 can of Sprite
1 cup of apple juice
1 sliced, peeled peach (preferably a golden color)
1 bunch of green grapes
1 sliced starfruit

Stir, add ice and chill.

The sangría has a beautifully festive gold color, perfect for New Year's Eve. Enjoy.

Happy New Year!

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Recipe - Red, White and Blue Sangría

This has been a summer staple for me. I've made it several times, because it's delicious, but also because it's easy to make and pretty to look at.

1 bottle of prosecco wine
1 cup of chopped strawberries
1/2 cup of blueberries
1/2 cup of raspberries
1/2 can of lemon/lime soda
1/2 cup of apple juice or white grape juice
1/2 cup of orange liqueur

Photo via Mourguefile.

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Bourbon sangría from Bon Appétit.

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Memorial Day Planning - Recipes

I'm prepping for Memorial Day. That means I'm spending a lot of time on the internet looking for recipes. I know I'll end up being lazy and opening up bags of potato chips, but, hey, a girl can dream, right?

For drinks I like this Red, White and Blue Sangria. I looooove the star-shaped pineapple pieces. You have to slice a pineapple to make them, though, and I'm not sure I want to do that. Maybe I can use carámbola slices instead. I also like this Red, White and Blue Mojito.

My favorite, though, is the Red, White and Blue Piña Colada. I wouldn't use piña colada mix (heresy!), but blending berries and rum to make colored layers is genius.

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Grilled Chorizos with Salsa would also be good. I think the chorizo would require a really chunky, fresh salsa. Scratch that, I'm not sure salsa will stand up to the chorizo. I would try chimichurri sauce. I may not have time to make it from scratch, but Goya has a really good jarred chimichurri sauce. I can use that.

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I need some other side dishes. I found an Adobo Corn Salad recipe that looks yummy. I might add some tomatoes and maybe some sweet green peppers to the recipe though. I also found a Mango Coleslaw recipe that looks interesting.

Cheese Flan would be great for dessert. I would garnish with strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries to go with the Memorial Day theme.

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What are you making for Memorial Day?

Photo from Morguefile

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