Some of us remember life before Presidents Day. Until 1971, Abraham Lincoln’s birthday was a state holiday, celebrated in many states on the his birthday—Lincoln was born February 12, 1809 in Kentucky in that iconic one-room cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. It was a bank, government and school holiday, not to mention a day of retail sales specials.

George Washington had a separate holiday on his birthday, February 22nd (he was born on February 22, 1732 in Westmoreland County, Virginia, to a wealthy planter family).

In 1971, both presidential holidays were shifted to the third Monday in February and combined as Presidents Day, to allow federal employees a three-day weekend. The private sector followed. Adieu, Lincoln’s Birthday; and yours too, George Washington’s Birthday. You holidays are now part of a vague Presidents Day celebration.

> More favorite foods of the presidents.
 
 
DINING WITH GEORGE WASHINGTON

The planter and surveyor who would become the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. Washington was known for keeping a bountiful table. He was fond of fine food and enjoyed fresh fish almost daily (often for breakfast with hoe cakes).

What did Washington drink with his meals?

Beer was a favorite drink of George Washington, as it was for many people living in 18th century America and Europe. Before municipal water supplies, the water supply was unreliable, with the water from lakes, rivers and wells carrying harmful pathogens. Even young children drank beer.

Washington was particularly fond of porter, a dark ale, but Madiera and wine were usually present at the table as well. Beer was brewed at Mount Vernon, and hops were grown there. In addition to grain-based beer, persimmon beer and pumpkin beer were brewed in season.

Washington’s notebooks include a recipe for small beer, which was a weak beer (lower alcohol content) consumed by servants and children. The full-alcohol beer was called strong beer.

WHAT ABOUT THE HARD STUFF?

In the era before cocktails*, punch was the way to combine spirits, sugar, lemon juice, spices and other ingredients.

Washington also enjoyed eggnog. His own recipe included brandy, rum and rye, the latter of which was made on the estate. A little-known fact about the Father Of Our Country: At the time of his death, he was the country’s largest producer of rye whiskey. The restored still at Mount Vernon continues to produce un-aged rye whiskey using Washington’s original recipe.
 
So the choice is yours: Toast to our first president with beer, eggnog, punch or a glass of rye.
 
Thanks to MountVernon.org for this information. You can read the full article here. And if you’re in the DC area, do plan a visit to this wonderful heritage site.

DINING WITH ABRAHAM LINCOLN

Given the choice of a good meal with George Washington or Abraham Lincoln, opt for Washington.

Abraham Lincoln’s father, Thomas, was an illiterate farmer. Meals in the family’s one-room cabin comprised simple farm fare.

Thus, Lincoln was not bred to be a connoisseur of fine food like Washington. His colleagues on the law circuit noted his indifference to the boardinghouse fare. As president, focused on work, he hardly remembered to eat; often, his sustenance was a nibble of apples, nuts, cheese and crackers. Chicken fricassee with biscuits and oyster stew were favorites when he took the time to for a formal meal.

Lincoln’s favorite beverage was water. He didn’t drink alcohol and it was seldom served at the White House. He did enjoy coffee, perhaps for the energy as much as the flavor.

A glass of water is fine, but we’d rather have a crisp white wine with our fruit and cheese.

He also enjoyed oysters.

 
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*Cocktails as we know them date back to the early 1800s. Here’s a brief history of cocktails and some retro cocktails.
 
 

[2] These are green almonds, harvested from the tree before shelling and roasting. They get their name from the fuzzy green coat. They can be eaten whole, and taste crunchy and tart, with a hint at unripe peaches. When the green outer layer is removed, the young almonds are delicate, milky, and subtly floral and grassy (photo © Sid Wainer & Son).

Enjoy some almond trivia, then scroll down for a butter-enhanced recipe for Chinese Almond Cookies that also includes almond butter. For Americans, this is a delicious improvement on the traditional Chinatown recipe made with oil (which we also like, but trust us—these are better).

The recipe is below. But first:
 
 
ALMOND HISTORY & TRIVIA

These almond butter cookies are a whole-wheat and almond butter version of the classic Chinese almond cookie. The recipe was developed by Ellie Krieger, author of So Easy: Luscious Healthy Recipes for Every Meal of the Week.

You can find more almond-based recipes at the Almond Board of California’s website..
 
Ingredients For 36 Cookies

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 375°F. Spray two baking sheets with cooking spray.

2. WHISK together the flours, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl. In another large bowl beat together the butter, almond butter, and sugars until fluffy.

3. ADD the vanilla and egg and beat until well combined. Gradually stir in the flour mixture, blending well.

4. SHAPE the dough into 3/4 inch balls, and place on the baking sheets. Place an almond in center of each cookie and press down lightly. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.

[4] Once Again Almond Butter is organic and non-GMO (photo © Once Again Nut Butter).

You continue to share your love of your homeland’s foods by opening a café.

Chobani founder and CEO Hamdi Ulukaya moved to New York from his native Turkey and couldn’t find thick yogurt as widely available as it was back home. The rest is yogurt history; now, hopefully, the other wonderful yogurt-based foods at his Chobani Soho café* will find as many fans.

The current café is a revision of the initial concept, which focused on yogurt with savory or sweet toppings†. They’re still on the menu, not joined by soups and simits—the bagel-like, sesame-topped street food of Turkey, available with a variety of fillings.

We’re a sucker for a simit—we had our first one just a year ago when a simit sandwich shop opened on our block.

Chobani Soho’s simits include “Bagel + Cream Cheese” (the cream cheese is actually labne, also spelled labneh, and called “Lebanese cream cheese”; Seasonal Preserves + Labne, Smoked Salmom + Herbed Labne; Spiced Chicken + Pomegranate Onion; and Tomato + Olive Tapenade.

We were invited to a media reception where we got to taste everything, all of it terrific. But for us, the star on the menu is the red lentil soup—easy to make, and so luscious and comforting that you’ll be making it again and again. Thanks to Chobani for sharing the recipe.
 
*The cafe is located at 150 Prince Street at West Broadway in New York City; 1.646.998.3800.

† SWEET CREATIONS: Blueberry + Power, Fig + Walnut, Fresh Fruit + Granola, Peanut Butter + Jelly, Pistachio + Chocolate, Toasted Coconut + Pineapple. SAVORY CREATIONS: Hummus + Za’atar, Mango + Avocado, Pomegranate + Caramelized Onion (our favorite!) Red Pepper Harissa + Feta, Zucchini Pesto + Tomato.
RECIPE: CHOBANI RED LENTIL SOUP

Red lentils (which range in color from yellow to orange to red) are sweeter than the green lentils typically used in American lentil soup, and the brown lentils used elsewhere.

Ingredients

 
‡A substitute for Aleppo pepper is 4 parts sweet paprika and 1 part cayenne. See the section below on Aleppo pepper.

1. PLACE lentils in a strainer and rinse under cold water.

2. COMBINE all ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and simmer for 25 minutes.

3. ADD yogurt. Use an immersion blender to blend until smooth.

4. COOL in an ice bath and then refrigerate. Reheat before serving. Blend with immersion blender after reheating to eliminate lumps and smooth out soup.

5. MAKE garnish: Melt ¼ pound butter in a small sauce pan until foaming. Add ½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper and remove from heat. Drizzle ½ teaspoon (for an 8-ounce portion) or ¾ teaspoon (for a 12-ounce portion). Keep butter warm and garnish with a spoon of Aleppo pepper butter before serving.

WHAT IS ALEPPO PEPPER?

Also called halab pepper, halaby pepper, Near Eastern pepper and Syrian red pepper flakes, Aleppo pepper hales from Turkey and northern Syria. The town of Aleppo, a famous food mecca, is located in Syria near the Turkish border.

Aleppo pepper is used to add heat and pungency to Middle Eastern dishes. It is not a berry, like peppercorns, but a moderately hot red chile that is sun-dried, seeded and crushed. (Ever since someone in the crew of Christopher Columbus came across a chile in the New World and called it “pepper,” the confusion has endured. Here’s the scoop on pepper, here’s the story on chiles.)

The Aleppo chile’s high oil content provides a deep, rich aroma, somewhere between coffee and smoke; it has been compared to the ancho chile. It has fruity notes with mild, cumin-like undertones. It can be compared to—but is much more flavorful, complex, and less harsh than—that generic pizza staple, crushed red pepper.

USES FOR ALEPPO PEPPER

The moderate heat of Aleppo pepper is used:

 
If you can’t find Aleppo pepper locally, you can buy it online. When you empty your jar of crushed red pepper flakes, replace it with Aleppo.
  

We’re still some weeks away from spring asparagus, so how about “Pasta Inverno”—a pasta recipe with winter vegetables. Think bell peppers, carrots, mushrooms, onion, winter squash and other seasonal choices.

The winter-hearty dish below from Giovanni Rana Pasta unites their refrigerated mushroom ravioli with winter veggies that don’t naturally come to mind when you think pasta: Brussels sprouts and fennel. Try—it’s delicious.

The second time you make it, add an even larger percentage of vegetables, with the goal of achieving a 1:1 ratio of pasta and veggies. And of course, serve with a big side salad. That’s how to get everyone to eat more vegetables!

Ingredients For 4 Servings

Preparation

1. PREHEAT oven to 425°F. Cut off the stem end of the Brussels sprouts and cut into quarters lengthwise. Place in a mixing bowl.

2. SLICE fennel into 1/8” pieces and add to bowl. Cut both ends off the onion, peel and cut in half. Then quarter each onion half, for a total of 8 chunks. Separate the onion layers and add to the bowl, along with the garlic cloves.

3. ADD enough extra virgin olive oil to lightly coat all pieces (about 3 tablespoons). Lay the vegetables on a sheet pan in one layer and roast without flipping for 15 minutes. Add the whole sprigs of fresh thyme and flip all pieces.

4. CONTINUE roasting vegetables until they are tender and well browned, flipping every 5-10 minutes; about 35 minutes total. Remove garlic cloves and sprigs of thyme. Season vegetables to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. While the vegetables are roasting…

5. MELT butter in a sauté pan over medium heat. Prepare ravioli according to package instructions. Drain ravioli, reserving ¼ cup of cooking water. Toss ravioli in the butter along with roasted vegetables. If necessary, add enough cooking water to achieve a sauce-like consistency. Plate ravioli and vegetables together and serve.

But the fourth snowfall of the month was swirling fiercely, so we did the next best thing: We tried a new recipe for Cheesecake Tart with Salted Caramel Sauce.

The recipe is courtesy U.S. Apple Association. It makes the cheesecake in a tart pan instead of a spring mold, so the pieces are half the height (and half the calories). Other tasty variations:

Ingredients For 10 servings

Crust Ingredients

 
Filling Ingredients

1. PULSE the hazelnuts in the bowl of a food processor, until they have the texture of coarse sand. Add the butter, sugar, flour, and salt, and pulse again until the mixture comes together and forms a dough.

2. GATHER the dough into a ball, then press into the bottom and sides of a 10 or 11-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Transfer to the freezer and chill for at least 15 minutes.

3. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F and set a rack to the lower position. Rinse out the bowl of the food processor, then set it back on the base and add the cream cheese, sugar, cream, egg, vanilla, and salt. Process until evenly mixed, about 1 minute.

4. SET the tart pan on a baking sheet and pour the cheese mixture into the shell. Arrange the apple slices around the tart, pressing them lightly into the filling. Transfer to the oven and bake until the filling is set and the crust is lightly browned, about 35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve with salted caramel sauce (recipe below).

RECIPE #2: SALTED CARAMEL SAUCE

Ingredients For 2 Cups

 
Preparation

1. POUR water into a 3- to 4-quart saucepan and set over high heat. Add the sugar in a mound in the center of the pot.

2. COVER the pot and cook until the sugar dissolves and the mixture begins to bubble. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue simmering until the mixture turns a pale amber, 12 to 15 minutes. Do not swirl or stir during this time.

3. REMOVE the lid and watch the caramel closely. When it turns a darker amber color, remove it from the heat and carefully add the cream. There will be a burst of steam, so be careful.

4. ADD the teaspoon of kosher salt and stir. Serve warm.