Of course, Memorial Day means more than Macaroni salad. It is the day that we remember all the soldiers that have given so much, so that we can enjoy the freedoms that we do. For that, we can-not thank the veterans enough for their service.
However, certain holidays mean certain foods. In our family by tradition, we have Turkey on Thanksgiving, Prime Rib on Christmas, Chargrilled Ham on Easter, and Macaroni Salad on Memorial Day.
Above: Thanksgiving Turkey, Christmas Prime Rib and Easter Ham
Macaroni Salad is a must for Memorial Day.
Above: The classic Kenny Marinated Macaroni Salad
Memorial Day is the kick-off for the summer. It usually means we are eating outside and using the grill. Macaroni is a perfect side. I use one of my mother’s tricks that she uses to make her legendary potato salad/ The key to mom-mom’s potato salad is to marinate the cooked potatoes in olive oil, vinegar, onion and celery. That trick works wonders with Macaroni salad as well. They say that you marry the girl just like the girl that married dear old dad. Well, I knew I was in trouble when a third generation picked up on the marinate the Macaroni trick.
- Mom-Mom started it
- My wife Susan asks for it every Memorial Day
- My son’s wife Lauren has become the newest fan
Above: Susan with les enfants, Mom mom and Lauren with Declan
The traditional roast turkey has been replaced by a fried turkey.
A few years ago my daughter’s in-laws from Brooklyn NY came to Memphis for thanksgiving. To give them a taste of southern cuisine I decided to fry a turkey in addition to my conventionally roasted turkey. In effect we had a taste panel where our twenty guests got to try both a roasted and fried turkey. There was no question that the fried turkey tasted better. It was very savory, and had a richer flavor. It gave new meaning to the saying: “you can fry anything, and it will taste better”. Fried turkeys are great, but frying is dangerous.
I had a neighbor who once almost burned down his house. The poor guy thought you had to have the oil boil, before putting the turkey in. He was lucky he didn’t kill himself. He did however, set his house on fire. The funny part of the story was that my buddy just happened to be wearing a tee shirt that said “Chicago Fire Department”. When the local fire department got to the house my friend noticed one of the firemen looking at his shirt quizzically. My buddy told him the shirt was a gift. To which the fireman responded: “I figured”.
The Kenny family tradition was to overcook the prime rib
Above: The perfect medium rare Prime Rib
Every family has their holiday traditions. A prime rib of beef for the Christmas meal was the standard fare. Without fail, no matter who was the cook , the prime rib would be overcooked. Most cookbooks call for cooking to 135 degrees. This is a recipe for disaster. If you take the roast out of the oven at 135 it will continue to cook to 145 degrees and higher. That produces well done versus medium rare.
Paula Dean’s recipe that targets pulling the roast out at 120 degrees works really well just don’t tell my sisters.
Our tradition is to Char Roast a ham at Easter
What do you if your family wants ham and turkey at thanksgiving and you only have one oven? Years ago, I used my grill to roast a ham. The result was a ham that charred black on the outside, but juicy and flavorful on the inside. The char-roasted ham looks horrible but tastes great.
Several years ago, I char roasted a ham at my sister’s house. My nephew Jimmy kept telling me that my ham on the grill was burning and I kept telling him it was supposed to. Boy was he shocked when he tasted my ham with subtle char notes. I can still see in my mind the picture Jim and his brother Mike fighting over the last pieces of burnt ends after dinner. As a result, every thanksgiving, and Easter we have to char roast a ham
Above: A Char Roasted Hamon the Grill
Every family has their traditions. Somehow, food is central to the Kenny family traditions. I have to believe that Macaroni Salad will be central to Kenny Family Memorial days for generations to come.
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