Keeping it Casual

The holiday season tends to be an Endless Celebration and chances are you'll be partying all over town between now and the new year with all manner of fascinating types. But in your heart you know the best party is a get-together with those you love and like--main chicks, good buddies, old friends. And Christmas is prime time for such a frolic. With a tightly knit group, you want to keep things loose and easy. Forget about formal themes or organized activities. Those so inclined can help with the tree or swap gifts, but that's strictly for the self-starters. Leave the troops to their own social devices.

Extending the casual tone, your culinary preparations for the yule test should appear to be effortless, though no gambit that runs smoothly ever is. So we've taken the initiative and planned a body-and-soul-buoying, easy-to-handle menu, with an unexpected twist as the featured attraction--hot and cold hero sandwiches. But don't confuse these mammoths with your ordinary hero, hoagie, sub, zep, po'boy, torpedo or that genre. They're inspired superheroes, loaded with succulent victuals, generously bathed in olive oil and red-wine vinegar or sauce, pungent with aromatic spices and condiments; a challenge to the most heroic appetite.

One of our offerings, the Jimmy Junior, is a scaled-down version of the famous six-footer sold at Jimmy Dell'Orto's Hero-Boy restaurant in Manhattan--a king-sized sandwich that contains 15 pounds of prosciutto, provolone, mortadella, pimiento, salami, capocollo, etc. It's really no big deal to create one of these monsters at home, if you can cajole a local boulanger into baking you a six-foot loaf of bread. Otherwise, get the longest loaf of French or Italian bread available. (If you have to have a six-footer, Dell'Orto's will airfreight its sandwich for $39.50, plus tax and shipping charges. Telephone: 212-947-7325.)

For full visual effect, present your heroes whole. Guests can then serve themselves, taking what they want whenever the spirit moves them. (A serrated bread knife will cut the most imposing hero down to size.) Allow about a foot per guest, with a generous margin for gluttonous error.

Obviously, your guests won't be arriving at the same hour. So don't fight it. Accommodate the convivial coming and going with a smorgasbord of help-your-self hors d'oeuvres and appetizers color-keyed to the season: an avocado tree decorated with edible ornaments, such as cocktail frankfurters, red and green cherry peppers or cubes of ham impaled on colorful toothpicks; pepper cups filled with your favorite dips; button mushrooms topped with red caviar; balls of Edam cheese in their red-wax shells; ham-and asparagus or smoked-salmon roll-ups and a heaping platter of raw vegetables--among them Pascal celery, fennel, radishes, cherry tomatoes and pimiento-stuffed olives.

You won't need any other table decorations beyond this festive array of goodies, but if you can't resist creative impulse, try your hand at a yule arrangement of scallions or a stylized green-asparagus tree with pimiento and cranberry ornaments. Otherwise, an assortment of red and green fruits and vegetables in a bowl--pomegranates, radishes, limes, cucumbers, peppers, apples, etc.--makes a colorful centerpiece.

The following buffet will take care of both early comers and stragglers quite handily, providing sufficient sustenance for the hungry until it's time to unleash your heroes. Of course, some of your guests will wish to obtain their liquid refreshment from your well-stocked bar; but for the others, we suggest you set out several carafes of California red and white wines, along with club soda for spritzers.

Later, after your entrees have received a hero's welcome and your guests are comfortably settled by the fire, unveil a trio of easy-to-prepare desserts that range from traditional to contemporary: Tipsy Parson cake, Plum Pudding Flambé and Strawberry Slosh.

That's the grand strategy--attractive, enticing fare simply presented in three stages. It's more an assembling than a cooking job, but no one will notice or care, for that matter. 'Tis the season to be jolly, so the fewer culinary hassles you have to contend with, the merrier your holiday will be. Here's how to get your yule fete together.

Hors d'Oeuvre and appetizer buffet

Tree of Hors d'Oeuvres

Red and Green Pepper-Cup Dips

Red Caviar Mushrooms

Guacamole Dip and Corn Chips

Balls of Edam in Red Shell

Ham-and-Asparagus Roll-ups

Raw Vegetable Nibbles

Pepitas and Pistachios

[recipe_title]Jimmy junior[/recipe_title]

[recipe]Bread[/recipe]

[recipe]Prosciutto[/recipe]

[recipe]Lettuce[/recipe]

[recipe]Tomatoes[/recipe]

[recipe]Olive oil[/recipe]

[recipe]Red-wine vinegar[/recipe]

[recipe]Oregano[/recipe]

[recipe]Cooked salami[/recipe]

[recipe]Swiss cheese[/recipe]

[recipe]Ham[/recipe]

[recipe]Mortadella[/recipe]

[recipe]Genoa salami[/recipe]

[recipe]Provolone[/recipe]

[recipe]Pimiento[/recipe]

[recipe]Capocollo[/recipe]

Slice bread in half lengthwise. Layer bottom half with prosciutto, coarsely chopped or torn lettuce and sliced tomatoes. Sprinkle lightly with oil, vinegar and dried oregano. Continue spreading layers of cooked salami, Swiss cheese, ham, mortadella, Genoa salami, provolone and pimiento. Bathe again with oil and vinegar and a few pinches of oregano. Cap with capocollo and top half of bread. The trick is to add just enough oil and vinegar to lubricate but not drown the sandwich. Salt and pepper are not required, because the meats are well spiced. Pierce hero with skewers to keep everything neat. Alternate red and green cherry peppers on skewers for garnish.

[recipe_title]Kris kringle[/recipe_title]

[recipe]Bread[/recipe]

[recipe]Jar marinara sauce[/recipe]

[recipe]Garlic[/recipe]

[recipe]Oregano[/recipe]

[recipe]Basil[/recipe]

[recipe]Parsley[/recipe]

[recipe]Green peppers and onions, sliced[/recipe]

[recipe]Sweet Italian sausages--plain, cheese or fennel[/recipe]

Some of the commercial spaghetti sauces have improved considerably and will do nicely if you zip them up. Warm the marinara sauce (Ronzoni or Buitoni) with pressed garlic or garlic powder, dried oregano and basil and chopped fresh parsley. Meanwhile, sauté sliced green peppers and onions in olive oil just until peppers soften. Salt lightly. Place sausages in large pan, add water to half cover sausages. Cook, covered, for 15 minutes. Remove cover and let water cook out. Drain fat. Brown sausages on all sides. Slice bread lengthwise almost all the way through, forming a sort of pocket. Spread both sides of bread with tomato sauce. Lay on sausages, top with sautéed peppers and onions and a little more sauce. Close bread and fix in place with skewers. Serve with a bowl of sauce, kept warm on an electric hot tray, for those who want extra.

[recipe_title]Deck the halls[/recipe_title]

[recipe]Veal scallops, cut from leg[/recipe]

[recipe]Seasoned flour[/recipe]

[recipe]Mozzarella, sliced[/recipe]

[recipe]Parmesan, grated[/recipe]

[recipe]Bread[/recipe]

[recipe]Caponata[/recipe]

Tomato sauce, optional

Have veal sliced thin and pounded by butcher. Dip lightly in seasoned flour and fry quickly until just golden. Be careful; overcooking toughens veal. Remove scallops and place half on a baking sheet. Cover with fairly thin slices of mozzarella and a little grated parmesan, then top with remaining half of veal. Place in preheated 400° oven for several minutes, or until cheese starts to melt. Slice hero bread lengthwise almost all the way through. Spread bottom layer with caponata and add veal-cheese pieces. You can sprinkle lightly with lemon juice and chopped parsley if you like, or a little of the tomato sauce. Guests can help themselves to more sauce from a bowl on the table. Secure sandwich with skewers. Top skewers with small whole cocktail beets and pimiento stuffed queen olives, or garnish plate with parsley sprigs and cherry tomatoes.

[recipe_title]God rest ye merry, gentlemen[/recipe_title]

[recipe]Bread[/recipe]

[recipe]Cranberry-chutney relish (recipe on page 259)[/recipe]

[recipe]Sliced turkey breast[/recipe]

[recipe]Sliced aged Swiss cheese[/recipe]

[recipe]Sliced marinated mushrooms[/recipe]

[recipe]Sweet Spanish or Bermuda onion, thinly sliced[/recipe]

[recipe]Sliced cooked Canadian bacon[/recipe]

[recipe]Dijon mustard-mayonnaise dressing[/recipe]

Slice bread in half lengthwise. Spread bottom half with cranberry-chutney relish. Layer generously with slices of turkey and cheese. Next lay on the mushroom (concluded on page 259)keeping it casual(continued from page 132) slices with a little of the marinade and onion, separated into rings. Cover with Canadian-bacon slices. Slather top half of bread with Dijon mustard-mayonnaise dressing (equal parts of each) and cover. Plant skewer every 6 or 8 ins., going all the way through to bottom slice of bread, to hold sandwich in place. Alternate cherry tomatoes and gherkins on top of skewers for decoration.

[recipe_title]Cranberry-chutney relish[/recipe_title]

[recipe]1-lb. can whole-cranberry sauce[/recipe]

[recipe]9-oz. jar chutney[/recipe]

Place cranberries in blender and blend at chopping speed until berries are in small pieces. Pour into saucepan. Place chutney in blender and blend until smooth. Pour into saucepan with cranberries. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally for 1 hour. (Even at a bare simmer, there's a certain amount of spattering. A larger pot will cut that down somewhat.) Chill.

[recipe_title]Tipsy parson[/recipe_tittle

[recipe](Serves 12)[/recipe]

1 quart dairy eggnog

[recipe]3 tablespoons cornstarch[/recipe]

[recipe]1 large chiffon cake (from bakery or supermarket)[/recipe]

[recipe]Dark rum[/recipe]

[recipe]Apricot or seedless raspberry preserves[/recipe]

[recipe]Slivered almonds, toasted[/recipe]

[recipe]1 cup heavy cream, whipped and sweetened[/recipe]

Combine eggnog and cornstarch in a saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and cool, stirring occasionally. Cover surface with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Cut cake into 3 layers. Place bottom layer on a large serving platter. Sprinkle lightly and evenly with a mixture of 2 parts rum, 1 part water. Spread with preserves, sprinkle with almonds. Spread generously with chilled eggnog custard. Cover with second layer; repeat rum mixture, preserves, almonds, custard. Cover with top layer. Sprinkle again with rum mixture; spread with preserves; top with custard. Spread top and sides of cake with whipped cream, sprinkle with almonds. Serve remaining custard separately to spoon over individual servings.

[recipe_title]Christmas-tree plum pudding flambé[/recipe_title]

[recipe]1 prepared plum pudding[/recipe]

[recipe]1 small jar each red and green maraschino cherries, drained[/recipe]

[recipe]Bourbon, 100-proof bonded or 101-proof Wild Turkey[/recipe]

Heat plum pudding according to the directions on the package. Remove a thin slice from top of pudding, if necessary, to make a flat surface. Empty about 12 each red and green cherries into a small saucepan. Add just enough bourbon to cover and heat just until warm. Now sprinkle some of the warm bourbon over the pudding. Spear each cherry on a half toothpick and build a small pyramid of alternating circles of red and green cherries on the plum pudding. The simplest is a layer of red, a layer of green, topped with a red cherry. Warm bourbon in a ladle. Ignite and pour over the cherry "tree." Allow flames to die. Serve with hard sauce.

[recipe_title]Hard sauce[/recipe_title]

Cream 1/2 lb. sweet butter with 2 cups confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1 jigger cognac.

[recipe_title]Strawberry slosh[recipe_title]

[recipe]Fresh ripe strawberries[/recipe]

[recipe]Sour cream[/recipe]

[recipe]Granulated brown sugar[/recipe]

Rinse strawberries quickly, in a strainer. Gently pat dry. Do not hull. Pile into serving bowl. Serve with a bowl of sour cream and a dish of granulated brown sugar. The procedure is to slosh berry in cream, dip it in sugar, then pop it into mouth.

Now that you and your host of friends have hailed the conquering heroes--and other yuletide goodies--there's little left to say but merry Christmas to all and to all a good night