Christmas food plans
Discussion
I will be on the road again this Christmas having not been at "home" for Christmas for about 25 years. I will be in Milan this year as part of a trip round Italy but I was wonder what all of you lot will be cooking and what nice treats you have lined up for yourself. Feel free to share recipes to help others make their day a good one!
Good idea for a thread. I shall be cheating slightly, as Christmas will be at a hotel in Cap Verde. For the New Year week I'll drive to Puglia in Italy and have rented an apartment overlooking the beach, so I shall grapple with strange cookers and borrowed implements! I'll prepare whatever I can find locally and make it up as I go along.
There'll be 15 at ours on Christmas Day.
Last year, we broke with tradition and went with a selection of homemade tapas for starters with surf 'n turf mains - tomahawk steaks, lobster tails, garlic crevettes, hassleback potatoes, a choice of salads, homecooked breads and a couple of kilos of moules marinières on the side. Desserts & cheese board for anyone with any room left.
The rationale was that we could have a roast any day of the week, but the above just felt a bit more special. Added to which, there's considerably less to do in the kitchen which means the chef (mostly Mrs SS) gets to enjoy more time with the guests.
It was such a success that it's being repeated this year.
Last year, we broke with tradition and went with a selection of homemade tapas for starters with surf 'n turf mains - tomahawk steaks, lobster tails, garlic crevettes, hassleback potatoes, a choice of salads, homecooked breads and a couple of kilos of moules marinières on the side. Desserts & cheese board for anyone with any room left.
The rationale was that we could have a roast any day of the week, but the above just felt a bit more special. Added to which, there's considerably less to do in the kitchen which means the chef (mostly Mrs SS) gets to enjoy more time with the guests.
It was such a success that it's being repeated this year.
As 'er indoors is cooking I have requested a lump of smoked ham, beef is always over cooked and a turkey crown is undercooked so that is the safe option!
Any left overs can be combined with a big bag of frozen
to make and ham soup for next winter!
However, we will be starting with Seasoned Pudding, a bit of a tradition in the Ferret household. The reciepe handed down to my late mother by her MiL's mother in 1945 starts with.... 'Take three mouldy loaves...'
Any left overs can be combined with a big bag of frozen
to make and ham soup for next winter!However, we will be starting with Seasoned Pudding, a bit of a tradition in the Ferret household. The reciepe handed down to my late mother by her MiL's mother in 1945 starts with.... 'Take three mouldy loaves...'
We are sharing the workload this year as we are at my Mum’s. Traditional Christmas dinner.
I start cooking/prepping the veg on Monday.
My share is
Butternut squash and celeriac gratin
Broccoli and cauliflower baked in a cheese leek and bacon sauce
A red cabbage braised in balsamic and onion
A pork sausage meat based stuffing with lots of sage onion and chestnuts
I also make a gravy with a kilo of chicken wings that gets the roasting juices on the big day from the turkey and maybe the gammon if it’s not too salty.
Potatoes and parsnips are roasted on the day along side the meats and the rest gets cooked at mine early on Christmas Eve and transported in the tightly wrapped baking dishes and goes in the oven when the meats are resting.
Makes for a relatively stress and mess free day and plenty of leftovers for Boxing Day sandwiches
I start cooking/prepping the veg on Monday.
My share is
Butternut squash and celeriac gratin
Broccoli and cauliflower baked in a cheese leek and bacon sauce
A red cabbage braised in balsamic and onion
A pork sausage meat based stuffing with lots of sage onion and chestnuts
I also make a gravy with a kilo of chicken wings that gets the roasting juices on the big day from the turkey and maybe the gammon if it’s not too salty.
Potatoes and parsnips are roasted on the day along side the meats and the rest gets cooked at mine early on Christmas Eve and transported in the tightly wrapped baking dishes and goes in the oven when the meats are resting.
Makes for a relatively stress and mess free day and plenty of leftovers for Boxing Day sandwiches
What was supposed to be a quiet 5 has now turned into 9, I am currently sat here trying to work out if the boned and rolled turkey I have ordered is big enough and if it isn't if it is too late to up the quantity.
Beyond that we are standard Christmas dinner.
Turkey
Stuffing
Veg (Roast carrots and parsnips, shredded brussels cooked in bacon fat with water chestnuts)
Roast potatoes
Pork wrapped in more pork
4 or 5 gallons of gravy
Christmas Pudding
Cheese
Port and Scotch
Then in the evening its leftovers with some gammon, various pickles and chutneys and "picky bits" and more cheese
Beyond that we are standard Christmas dinner.
Turkey
Stuffing
Veg (Roast carrots and parsnips, shredded brussels cooked in bacon fat with water chestnuts)
Roast potatoes
Pork wrapped in more pork
4 or 5 gallons of gravy
Christmas Pudding
Cheese
Port and Scotch
Then in the evening its leftovers with some gammon, various pickles and chutneys and "picky bits" and more cheese
Edited by geeks on Monday 15th December 20:34
Palmela said:
EatMyPants said:
Christmas day - prawn and boiled egg Dhansak with Naan bread and mango pickle
Boxing Day - Nasi Goreng
I like the sound of that. What recipe do you use for the Dhansak?Boxing Day - Nasi Goreng
Brown off the onions
Add the paste with a very small amount of water and mix it all together.
Add the lentils and stir to get coated with the paste, followed by the turmeric, ginger ,tomato and chillies.
Cover with water and simmer until the lentils are nice and soft. Might need to keep adding water to stop it drying out.
Once it’s done, throw in the prawns and quartered boiled eggs.
If it’s a bit too hot just put a couple of dollops of plain natural yoghurt on the top when serving.
EatMyPants said:
Red lentils, leave to soak in water for a couple of hours. Diced onions, finger chillies, Pataks korma or madras paste, tomato, teaspoon of turmeric, teaspoon of garlic paste, maybe some tamarind right at the end if it needs a bit of boost.
Brown off the onions
Add the paste with a very small amount of water and mix it all together.
Add the lentils and stir to get coated with the paste, followed by the turmeric, ginger ,tomato and chillies.
Cover with water and simmer until the lentils are nice and soft. Might need to keep adding water to stop it drying out.
Once it s done, throw in the prawns and quartered boiled eggs.
If it s a bit too hot just put a couple of dollops of plain natural yoghurt on the top when serving.
Many thanks. Might give that a try, but not for Christmas lunch I don't think!Brown off the onions
Add the paste with a very small amount of water and mix it all together.
Add the lentils and stir to get coated with the paste, followed by the turmeric, ginger ,tomato and chillies.
Cover with water and simmer until the lentils are nice and soft. Might need to keep adding water to stop it drying out.
Once it s done, throw in the prawns and quartered boiled eggs.
If it s a bit too hot just put a couple of dollops of plain natural yoghurt on the top when serving.
EatMyPants said:
Red lentils, leave to soak in water for a couple of hours. Diced onions, finger chillies, Pataks korma or madras paste, tomato, teaspoon of turmeric, teaspoon of garlic paste, maybe some tamarind right at the end if it needs a bit of boost.
Do you use fresh tomatoes or tinned please?The Gauge said:
EatMyPants said:
Red lentils, leave to soak in water for a couple of hours. Diced onions, finger chillies, Pataks korma or madras paste, tomato, teaspoon of turmeric, teaspoon of garlic paste, maybe some tamarind right at the end if it needs a bit of boost.
Do you use fresh tomatoes or tinned please?
), so now I'm looking for inspiration?Ham, cooked in Coke (high sugar variety) and in the oven with a glaze - probably maple syrup but still to be decided. I bought a 4kg gammon with the bone in from Tesco, the quality of the meat should be fine and most of the flavour will come from the Coke and glaze so hopefully the supermarket quality won't be a problem.
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