Article Title: Christmastime: The Spanish Way

Edition: December 2000
Category: Dining Out
Author: Edie Zfass
Article:

A genial welcome into the beautiful home of brothers Manuel and Joseph Miana is to be received into a home that wraps its arms around you. They talk about the home the family has lived in for forty-five years as "full of happiness". The impeccable home clearly speaks to the teamwork of the two brothers. Jokingly they refer to themselves as the "outside man" and the "inside man". Manny, the outside man, takes care of the exterior, including a vegetable garden. Interior repair work is also "Manny managed". Having been a draftsman in the granite industry before his retirement, the intricate workmanship on special ceilings in the home is a testament to Manny's craftsmanship.

Joe is the most fastidiously attired person this reporter has ever encountered. His exquisite taste and attention to details in his clothes is reflected in the interior. Cooking is Joe's labor of love and many a happy guest has affirmed Joe's far-flung reputation as an outstanding cook. He cooks intuitively and attributes his culinary expertise to his mother. When interrogated about proportions in a recipe, Joe cupped his hands, as both brothers described their mother doing, and said "this much, that's all I can tell you, because that's just the way Mama did it. I'd be in the kitchen cooking and Mama would be a good distance away and she'd say, Joe, you have too much flour or too little of this or that and she'd always be right. Mama used to say that I could cook in my dark suit and never get any flour on me. I can still do that".

Papa Manuel Miana arrived in Barre from Spain in 1915. Mama Eugenia Peroja followed in 1920. Living only four miles apart in Spain, they didn't know one another until they met and married in Barre, where they raised their three sons. The Mianas are a deeply religious family, and the brothers uphold their Spanish culture in a profound way. Joe teaches Spanish at Norwich College and amusingly alludes to the fact that he sometimes spouts his mother's inimitable sayings in his classroom. While Joe has made many pilgrimages to Spain, Manny isn't in love with flying. He has only visited once.

Holidays in the Miana household were a joyous mixture of religious observances and traditions, along with extraordinary special foods prepared by Mama Miana. The elaborate nacimiento (nativity scene), holding a reverent pride of place in the dining room for so many years, continues to be used today in the same dining room. They artfully place nine other treasured nacimiento around the home.

"Our big meal was on Christmas Eve, so we ate lightly during the day. On Christmas Eve morning, Mama would start preparing her tostados at 7:30 in the morning and worked on it until about 1:00 o'clock. No one could touch it until it was served at dinner. Some people who make this today use maple syrup instead of honey and, grimacing in distaste, Joe declared, 'There's just no comparison. It is sacrilegious to adulterate the tostados with maple syrup!' Mama also served several different kinds of fish, but 'Bacalao en tomate' or cod, was a special delicacy and I prepare it just like Mama did".

Because the "Three Wise Men" bearing gifts visited on Little Christmas, January 6th, the Miana children did not grow up believing in Santa Claus, but they did receive gifts on Christmas. New Year's Eve was celebrated with great merriment, and at the stroke of midnight everyone had to eat exactly 12 grapes. The grapes had to be eaten one at a time and at each stroke of the clock. If you could manage to eat all 12 grapes before the clock stopped striking, you'd have 12 good months in the New Year. Everyone raced hilariously toward the end to get a mouthful stuffed with grapes.

Fanfare for Flan
Joe's flan receives incredible fanfare. Friends return from Spain pleading for his recipe, because they declare Joe's to be far superior to the flans in Spain. Joe swears he's unable to detail the recipe and, with a wicked grin, adds that if he were to acquiesce in the demands of his friends and reveal the recipe, he'd "simply have to kill them after that!"

BACALAO IN TOMATO SAUCE

INGREDIENTS
2 pounds fresh cod
olive oil

SAUCE
1 large onion
1 green bell pepper or 1/2 green and 1/2 red
3 cloves of garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
parsley, fresh or flakes
2 large cans whole tomatoes or 2-3 pounds fresh, ripe tomatoes

FOR SAUCE
In about 2 tablespoons of olive oil, sauté finely chopped onions until golden
Add minced garlic, peppers, salt, pepper and parsley
Sauté about 2 minutes, add chopped up tomatoes and cook down to a sauce consistency
Cut fish into pieces 2 1/2 to 3-inch squares and salt lightly
Fry in oil, golden on each side

TO ASSEMBLE
In a casserole or large non-aluminum dish, cover bottom lightly with sauce, evenly distribute cod. Add more sauce to cover completely. Place in 350-degree oven (preheated) and cook for 30 minutes. Garnish with strips of canned roasted peppers.

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