HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2008-12-24, Page 14Christmas at a school with more
traditions than most would be a hard
transition, but Mario Gagne has
adapted quite nicely.
Gagne will be celebrating his first
Christmas with Grey Central Public
School and he says he hasn’t brought
much tradition to the school because
it had deeply-rooted Christmas
traditions long before he arrived.
Grey students have been enjoying
the annual Christmas dinner for
years now. The parent advisory
council goes to great lengths to
prepare and serve a full-scale turkey
dinner to the students in December,
before they head home for their
Christmas breaks.
Gagne came from a family with
deeply-rooted traditions once the
holiday season rolled around as well.
Gagne grew up in Quebec, in a
household that followed tradition
very closely.
On the afternoon of Christmas
Eve, Gagne’s family would typically
catch a nap to prepare for the night
ahead. The Gagnes would thenattend midnight mass beforereturning home to enjoy a feast oftraditional Quebec cuisine forChristmas dinner, Réveillon(Awakening).
The main menu item at Réveillon
is a meat pie, typically made of
ground pork or beef, cooked with
traditional spices and enclosed in a
flaky pastry.
There are other foods typically
enjoyed at Réveillon, like maple-
glazed ham, Quebec sugar pecan pie,
sugar fudge and baked beans. For the
most part, Gagne says, he attempts
to keep this tradition alive with his
family now, but keeps the meal
healthier.
He does, however, keep the pig’s
feet stew, which he says is one of his
favourite foods, though it’s taken
him a while to figure out how to
make it, and homemade donuts,
which he also enjoys.
While trying to keep tradition
alive, he has spent the holiday
season abroad. Years ago when
Gagne was teaching in Asia, thefamily vacationed to the Phillipines,where they celebrated Christmaswith traditional Phillipino food onthe beach in shorts and t-shirts.Since Gagne’s family was with
him while he worked overseas,
tradition had to be rewritten for the
year, but Gagne says, it was just fine,
because the family was all together.
Gagne has been happy to be
working at a school with as much
tradition as Grey Central Public
School.
In addition to the Christmas
dinner, which happens annually and
is completely donated by the parent
advisory council, Grey students hold
their own Christmas concert
annually as well.
The school also participates in
Operation Christmas Child, an
initiative that fills shoeboxes full of
school supplies, hygiene products or
toys and are send to a third world
country. The shoeboxes make their
way to a boy or a girl. Last year, the
school put 20 boxes together.
PAGE 14. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2008.
(NC)—Try making this delicious
homegrown Ontario pulled pork
simple slow cooker recipe this
holiday season and see the
difference a little planning makes.
Great as an appetizer served on a
crostini, this savoury morsel will
save you time in the kitchen while
impressing your guests. More
delicious appetizer recipes can be
found on-line at
homegrownontario.ca.
3-1/2 lb (1.75 kg) homegrown
Ontario pork shoulder blade roast
1/2 tsp (2 mL) each, salt and
pepper
2 tbsp (30 mL) canola oil
2 onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp (30 mL) chili powder
2 tsp (10 mL) ground coriander
3 bay leaves
1/4 cup (50 mL) tomato paste
1 - 14 oz (425 g) can tomato sauce
2 tbsp (30 mL) packed brown sugar
2 tbsp (30 mL) Worcestershire
sauce
2 tbsp (30 mL) cider vinegar
2 green onions, thinly sliced
Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper.
In a large skillet, heat oil over
medium-high heat and sear pork
until brown all over. Transfer to slow
cooker.
In the same skillet, add onions,
garlic, chili powder, coriander and
bay leaves. Fry ingredients while
stirring occasionally, until onions are
softened, about 5 minutes. Add
tomato paste, tomato sauce, sugar,
Worcestershire sauce and cider
vinegar, scraping any brown bits
from bottom of pan; bring to a boil.
Pour sauce into slow cooker, cover
and cook on low until pork is tender,
8 to 10 hours.
Once cooked, transfer pork to
cutting board and tent with foil; let
stand for 10 minutes. With two
forks, shred or “pull” pork.
Meanwhile, pour liquid from slow
cooker into large saucepan and skim
off fat. Bring to a boil over high heat
and let boil vigorously until reduced
to 3 cups (750 mL), about 15
minutes. Discard bay leaves.
Add pulled pork to reduced sauce
mixture and lower heat to simmer
until hot, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle
with green onions. Serve on crusty
rolls with a green salad. For an
appetizer, place pulled pork on a
crostini and top with caramelized
onions.
Create a simple festive recipe
Global Christmas
Mario Gagne, Grey Central Public School principal, has spent time teaching all over Canada
and internationally. He spent Christmas 2004 in the Philippines with his family, celebrating on
a beach in their shorts, sandals and t-shirts. From left: Gagne and sons, Erik, Noah and
Dominic. (Courtesy photo)
Pig’s feet stew remains on Christmas menu
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we wish
you a Merry
Christmas
and a
Joyous
New Year
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By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen