LAMORINDA WEEKLY | Mayor Days Be Merry


From left: Steven Glazer, Carol Federighi and Mike Metcalf Photo Andy Scheck

The holidays are the perfect time to bring out treasured family recipes, but also a fun occasion to experiment with new dishes to add to the repertoire. Our Lamorinda mayors have come up with some of their favorite holiday dishes for you to enjoy at home!

Moraga Mayor Michael Metcalf

Mayor Metcalf's Christmas culinary masterpiece was inspired by Julia Child many years ago, when he decided to braise a goose.

"This is not just any stuff-in-the-oven goose," reported the mayor. "This is a full-on 'meat and chestnut' stuffed bird, braised in turkey stock made from the Thanksgiving turkey."

He says the key is a "properly prepared and carefully installed" veal and pork stuffing, or farce in French. His wife, Sharon, works by his side preparing braised red cabbage with chestnuts and Brussels sprout-potato mash.

"This meal is best served with a robust pinotage, and, of course, excellent company," added the mayor.

Metcalf said that his guidance for this dish was and remains Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, which is still available for purchase, and, in fact, can be downloaded right onto your iPad! That is where mine resides, so it is always accessible ... even while travelling.

"Julia never made anything simple, and this is no exception, but she nailed it with this recipe," Metcalf remarked. "When I first did it, the entire operation took well over six hours. Now, 30 years later, I knock it out in about three ... and at a much more leisurely pace."

Because Mayor Metcalf's menu is extensive, we invite you to visit the Lamorinda Weekly website for a full accounting of his recipes for the holidays.

Now that you are equipped with a few more holiday recipes, I wish all of you a delightful and delectable holiday season!

Orinda Mayor Steven Glazer

He was a picky eater as a youngster, preferring cereal with no milk for breakfast and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches - hold the peanut butter - for lunch. But, there is one special dish Orinda Mayor Steven Glazer remembers especially fondly.

"I grew up with my mother's kugel being a favorite holiday treat," Glazer said.

While Glazer does not have his mom's exact recipe, he said that his neighbor, Dvora Citron, passed hers along and it closely matches his mom's.

Kugel literally means "ball" in Yiddish and German, but also refers to a custard-style side dish or dessert, made with milk, eggs, sour cream and cottage cheese. Originally made from bread and flour, kugel was a savory rather than sweet dish. Some 800 years ago, bread was replaced by noodles, and in the 17th century the addition of raisins, cinnamon and sugar allowed the dish to also be served as dessert.

Mayor Glazer said it was used more as a side dish in his family, but with the sugar and spice, we opted for the dessert route!

Lafayette Mayor Carol Federighi prepares a very special soup for her holiday fare.

"My Christmas Eve selection involves a lot of chopping, but the result is well worth the effort," Federighi noted. "It is a curried carrot-apple soup with ginger creme fraiche, but I must credit Bay Cafe who ran this recipe from Chef Gloria Ciccarone of The Big Four in 1998."

And, I must credit Mayor Federighi for passing this fabulous recipe along to me. I have never tasted a soup so bursting with flavor! The spicy flavors lend themselves festively to any holiday occasion.