№ 90: Easter, Passover, and the Dubious Trend of Soda-Flavored Foods

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In this Episode

Highlights & “Must-Listen” Moments

* 0:00 — Welcome to the video era: A warm welcome to our podcast listeners as we officially embrace both audio and video on Substack. Plus, a big hello to Rob Machado, Christy, Marianne, Susan, Deb, and our friends watching from Brooklyn!

* 0:31 — St. Patrick’s Day shenanigans: Neither of us is Irish, but we’re definitely wearing our green and celebrating anyway.

* 0:40 — The debut of “Winchell the Wattle”: It’s the end of turtleneck season, which means it’s time to embrace the author-photo scarf look.

* 1:42 — An Irish-Italian Boston Funeral: Amy shares a beautiful story about a Quincy funeral that perfectly blended Irish and Italian traditions with potato and chicken dishes at the Sons of Italy.

* 3:25 — The Soda Bread run-down: We discuss Darina Allen’s moist yogurt version, Amy’s apple and currant recipe, and Nancy Mock’s decadent chocolate chunk soda bread.

* 7:00 — The Secret to Stuffies: A deep dive into New England stuffed quahogs, complete with Portuguese sausage, and why Mama Leite’s recipe remains a closely guarded secret.

* 9:33 — Meltdown in the Photo Studio: David recounts his struggles baking his 20-year-old Portuguese orange olive oil cake for Clare Barboza’s photoshoot. Plus, the magic of DIY “Cake Goop” to save your Bundt pans.

* 22:30 — Easter & Passover Planning: Amy preps for an Adina Sussman-inspired Passover and family biscotti, while David plans a menu featuring ervilhas com ovos and Italian roast leg of lamb.

* 28:09 — Brisket Two Ways: We discuss the legendary Nach Waxman brisket method versus the shockingly delicious mid-century Coca-Cola brisket with Heinz chili sauce.

* 30:56 — Fast Food Abominations: Taco Bell’s Mountain Dew Baja Midnight Pie and Dr

* Pepper Johnsonville Hot Dogs enter the chat.

* 36:11 — Depression-Era Baking & Mid-Century Nostalgia: A trip down memory lane discussing tomato soup cake, mayo cake, mock apple pie, and the sticky joy of collecting S&H Green Stamps.

* 39:35 — Grandma’s Cream Cheese Pesto: Amy shares her grandmother’s thrifty, modern mid-century trick for making pesto without expensive pine nuts.

Recipes

* Yogurt Irish Soda Bread

* Irish Soda Bread with Currants and Apple

* Nancy Mock’s Chocolate Soda Bread

* Eton Mess with Lemon Curd and Raspberries

* Stuffies (Stuffed Quahogs)

* Creamy French Chicken Stew (Blanquette de Poulet)

* Portuguese Orange Olive Oil Cake

* Homemade “Cake Goop”

* Applesauce Bread

* Porridge Bread

* Almond and Anise/Sambuca Biscotti

* Ervilhas com Ovos (Portuguese Peas with Eggs and Bacon)

* Italian Roast Leg of Lamb (with garlic, rosemary, and lemon)

* Nach Waxman’s Brisket

* Cider Braised Brisket

* Cider-Braised Pork, Apples, and Vegetables

* Coca-Cola Brisket

* Dr Pepper Glazed Ham

* Spiced Carrot Cake

* Tomato Soup Cake

* Mayonnaise Cake

* Hardtack/Depression Era Spice Cookie

* Ritz Cracker Mock Apple Pie

* Cream Cheese Pesto

Books and Publications

* Becky Selengut’s upcoming cookbook (photographed by Clare Barboza)

Where to Find Us

* Amy Traverso

* Instagram | Yankee

* David Leite

* Instagram | Pinterest | Facebook | Youtube