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

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.

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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

My Weekend Baking Meltdown 🤯

The Before

The After

Cake Goop

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

Chow,

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