CHRISTMAS 2017

Ready for the Journey

According to the famous ditty, "Christmas comes but once a year and when it comes it brings good cheer...".   Once more, we wish, hope and pray for health, happiness, peace and sanity, in this extremely troubled world.



To my great joy, my children, grandchildren and greatgrandchildren are coming for Christmas lunch.   This year I intend to prepare a Christmas meal, without the traditional turkey. but with a modern touch, I hope.




                                                             MENU

                                               Pumpkin and Ginger Soup

                              Spinach Au Gratin with Prawns and Mushrooms

                                                           Baked Ham

                       Pork Fillet Medallions with Champignons Mushroom Sauce

                                         Lettuce. Red Lolla and Walnut Salad

                                                       Christmas Pudding

                                                        Chocolate Dessert

                                                        Strawberry Pavlova






As I have already published the recipes for Baked  Ham, Christmas Pudding and Chocolate Dessert, in previous posts,  I'm giving the remaining recipes below.

                         

                                                          

                                            PUMPKIN AND GINGER SOUP

                                                       

    

Beautiful Soup

  This a recipe for a very tasty pumpkin soup.

1 kg (2 lb) pumpkin, peeled and cleaned from seeds and fibres, cut into chunks

2 large leeks, white part only, slit in four lengthwise, thoroughly washed and sliced

1 onion, chopped

2 large potatoes cut into chunks

A thin slice of fresh ginger root, peeled

1 ½ litre (6 cups) tasty chicken stock (or half milk, half stock)

100 g (1 cup + 1 tbsp) kasseri or Gouda, grated

2 tbsp San Mihalis or Parmesan, grated

1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste

1 liqueur glass good brandy, like Metaxa (optional)

125 ml (½ cup) or more thick yoghurt or whipped cream

Parsley leaves for garnishing

 Place the vegetables and the ginger slice in a large saucepan with sufficient water to just cover, and cook until tender.   Then, remove the ginger and blend.   If you prefer a spicier taste, blend with the ginger slice and sieve the pulp.

 Return the pumpkin pulp to the saucepan, add the stock (or stock and milk), and sprinkle with freshly ground pepper and a little nutmeg.   Simmer gently until the soup thickens.  Stir in the cheese, taste and adjust seasoning with salt, if necessary, white pepper and nutmeg.  Bring again to the boiling point and pour in the brandy, if using. 

 Simmer the soup for a minute or two, and serve with whipped cream or thick yoghurt and garnish with parsley.   For a party, you could serve the soup in a pumpkin shell, instead of a tureen.

                          SPINACH, PRAWN AND MUSHROOM AU GRATIN

A Tasty Spinach Au Gratin

 The original dish was a spinach au gratin with chicken and mushrooms.   I replaced chicken with prawns and added feta cheese to give it a Greek touch.    

2 kg (4 lb) spinach leaves, blanched and chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter

1 medium onion, grated

1 large leek, white part only, slit in four lengthwise, thoroughly washed and finely chopped

1-2 tbsp dill

Salt and pepper

1½ kg (3 lbs) prawns, shelled, deveined, washed and patted dry (about 1 kg /2 lb when shelled)

2 sprigs rosemary

125 ml (1/2 cup) dry white wine or more

Freshly ground black pepper

500 g (1 lb) button mushrooms, cut into halves or quarters

1 garlic clove, sliced

A little olive oil

150 g (5 oz) feta cheese (if salty, soaked for 15 minutes in cold water), slivered

White sauce:

150 g (5 oz) butter

150 g (5 oz) cornflour

1 bay leaf

1 ¼ litre (5 cups) hot milk, or more

Nutmeg

120 g (4 oz) equal amounts of grated Graviera from Crete, Parmesan and a bland Cheddar 

4 eggs, separated, whites whipped to soft peaks with a tiny pinch of salt

A knob of butter for greasing the baking dish and

2 tbsp dried breadcrumbs  

2 tbsp grated Parmesan 

Cook the onion and leeks in olive oil, with a pinch of salt and a little water, until soft.  Stir in the butter, spinach and freshly ground black pepper and simmer gently until the vegetables are quite dry. Add the dill and mix until well combined.

Cook the prawns in batches. on both sides, with the rosemary twig, in a little wine each time, until they just change colour.  Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.  Discard the rosemary, remove the prawns with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Also cook the mushrooms and garlic in olive oil, tossing frequently, until no cooking liquid is visible. Season with a little salt and pepper and reserve.

Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F) and meanwhile, prepare the sauce.  Melt the butter, add the bay leaf, sift the cornflour over and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring constantly.   Pour in the hot milk and stir for 10-12 minutes until the sauce bubbles and thickens.  Remove from the heat, discard the bay leaf, stir in the cheese and cool a little.  Add the beaten egg yolks and season to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg.  Finally, gently fold in the whipped egg whites, until no traces of white are visible, taste the sauce once more and season accordingly, if necessary.

Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F).

To assemble the dish, fold two cups of white sauce into the spinach, stirring well to combine. Taste again, to test the seasoning.

Spoon the spinach, carefully into the buttered and crumbed baking dish and even the surface.    Add a layer of prawns and mushrooms, pushing them, slightly, so that they are partly covered by the spinach,   Then, top with slithers of feta cheese and mask, evenly with the remaining white sauce.   Sprinkle with finely grated Parmesan and bake for 45 minutes or until puffed and golden.  Kali orexi!

                       PORK FILLET MEDALLIONS WITH MUSHROOM GRAVY

Fillet of Pork Medallions and Mushroom Sauce Over a Bed of Rice

This is one of my family’s favourite dishes, the gravy is superb.

1½ kg (3 lb) pork fillets, trimmed and sliced into 1.25 cm (½ inch) medallions

2 tbsp olive oil

1 knob butter

Salt and freshly ground white pepper

187.5 ml (¾ cup) Metaxa brandy

Sauce:
1 kg (2 lb) white mushrooms, trimmed and thickly sliced

2 tbsp olive oil
2 large onions chopped

1 clove garlic, sliced

4 tbsp plain flour

125 ml (1/2 cup) Metaxa brandy

1 lt (4 cups) hot, tasty chicken stock or more
3 tbsp duxelles* (please see recipe below)

1-2 tbsp tomato ketchup, optional

Sauté the pork medallions in olive oil and butter, two minutes on each side, over high heat.  Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground white pepper, drizzle with brandy and simmer for a few minutes until the alcohol evaporates.   Remove from the saucepan and set aside.

In the same saucepan, sauté the mushrooms, over high heat, until they are cooked and dry. remove with a slotted spoon and reserve.

Simmer the onions and garlic in olive oil, until limp and translucent.  Sift in the flour and cook, stirring constantly for 6 minutes, to prevent the taste of raw flour.   Add the brandy and cook, stirring for 2 minutes until the alcohol evaporates.  Pour in the hot stock and stir constantly, until the sauce thickens and bubbles. Then add in the duxelles and the reserved sauteed mushrooms.

Place the pork medallions into the saucepan with the mushroom sauce, swirl and cover the saucepan and simmer gently for 12-15 minutes more, or until the meat is tender and the sauce thickens, adding more hot stock, when and if necessary.   If you wish to improve the colour, add a little tomato ketchup. 

Serve with steamed rice or smashed potatoes and an interesting green salad.

* Here is the recipe for Duxelles:


                                                         DUXELLES


250 g (8 oz) assorted mushroom, (portobello, shiitake, cremini and white button + stalks) trimmed and very finely chopped

1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1 onion, peeled, and finely grated
2 tbsp olive oil, or
2 tbsp butter
Coarse salt and freshly ground  black pepper to taste
1 tbsp parsley, chopped
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves, optional


Saute the onion in olive oil or butter, stirring, until transparent, add the garlic and the mushrooms and cook stirring constantly until the mixture is dry, about 12-15 minutes or more.  Then add the seasoning and herbs and simmer for a few minutes more.   Use the amount of duxelles that you need for the dish you are preparing and store the remaining in a sterilised jar in the fridge or freezer.






                            SMASHED POTATOES WITH SAGE AND CREAM

 Delicious Potato Dish

I have given you this recipe umpteen times, but here it is once more.

1 1/2 kg (3 lb) potatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped
Tasty chicken stock
1 large garlic clove, peeled
1 small sage twig, with 4-5 leaves

375 ml (1 1/2 cup) cream or more
Salt, if necessary and freshly ground white pepper
A few gratings of nutmeg

Snipped chives for garnishing


Cover the potatoes with chicken stock, add the garlic and sage twig and simmer until the potatoes are tender but not falling apart.   Discard the sage and garlic clove and strain the potatoes, reserving the stock for a soup.

Place the potatoes in the saucepan, pour the cream over, and bring to the gentlest possible simmer. Taste for seasoning and add salt, if necessary, freshly ground pepper and grated nutmeg.    Serve sprinkled with chopped chives.






                                LETTUCE, RED LOLLA AND WALNUT SALAD

A refreshing and healthy salad.


1 curly lettuce
1 curly red lettuce
Walnuts

Dressing:
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp mustard
1 tsp honey
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
(Mix all the ingredients well together until thick)

Arrange the lettuce leaves in a salad bowl, sprinkle with walnuts, drizzle with dressing, toss and serve.

                                              STRAWBERRY PAVLOVA

A Delicious Chewy Strawberry Pavlova

This is a delicious dessert, inspired by the talented and beautiful Russian prima ballerina, Pavlova.

6 egg whites

A pinch of salt

375 g (12.5 oz) sugar

1 scant tsp vanilla extract

500 g (1 lb) strawberries or

250 g (1/2 lb) strawberries

120 g (4 oz) raspberries

120 g (4 oz) blueberries

120 g (4 oz) blackberries

(All berries washed and hulled)

Marinade:

90-120 g (2-4 oz) caster sugar or according to choice 

1 tsp lemon juice, to accentuate the taste

2 tbsp Cognac or Metaxa brandy or Grand Marnier

Cream Chantilly:

500 g (2 cups) fresh cream

1 tiny pinch of salt

2 heaped tbsp icing sugar

1 tbsp of the liquor used in the berry marinade

Two or even three days before you wish to serve the dessert, prepare the meringues.   Preheat the oven to 120 C (248 F).  Whip the egg whites with salt, to the soft peak stage.   Add the vanilla and the sugar by the spoonful, whipping constantly until the egg whites turn into a stiff and glossy meringue. 

Line baking tins with baking parchment and trace two equal circles.   Preferably with a piping bag or with two tablespoons, evenly place equal amounts of meringue within the traced circles, on the parchment.  Bake for 1 hour or more, until firm but not coloured    Then turn off the heat and leave the meringues rounds in the oven, until completely cold.   The following day, store them in tins, at room temperature.

The morning of the day you wish to serve the Pavlova, wash, hull and dry the strawberries and place them in a large bowl.   Beat the marinade ingredients together and pour over the berries and gently mix together.  Leave in the fridge for 2 hours at least. Then dry the strawberries completely.

Meanwhile, beat the cream with the salt and icing sugar until stiff.  Sprinkle the liquor over the Chantilly, fold very gently and refrigerate

Two hours before serving, place one of the meringue rounds on a serving dish and spread with whipped cream. Cover with sliced strawberries  Sandwich with the second meringue round, spread lavishly with whipped cream and garnish, attractively, with the remaining strawberries.   Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.  

   

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!