CHRISTMAS DISHES

                                                 CHESTNUT SOUP 

A wonderful Christmas soup.

4 tbsp butter

1 medium-sized  carrot,chopped 

1 celery stalk, threaded and thinly sliced

1 onion, peeled and finely chopped

2 potatoes,  peeled and chopped

3 cups chestnuts, boiled and peeled 

250 ml (1 cup) Mavrodaphne or any other sweet red wine

1 thyme sprig

750 ml (3 cups) hot tasty chicken stock

125 ml (1/2 cup) cream

Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste

Extra cream and a few chopped chestnuts for garnish

Saute carrot, celery, onion and potatoes for about  10 minutes, stirring until softened.  Add the chestnuts and cook for 4 minutes.  Add the Mavrodaphe and thyme and cook over moderate heat until the wine has reduced by half, about 4 minutes.  

Add the stock and bring to the boil, cover partially and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes.  Discard the thyme sprig and add the cream to the soup. Blend the soup with a hand blender until smooth.  Taste and add extra salt and pepper, if necessary. 

 

Serve drizzled with extra cream and a few chopped chestnuts

                       LEG OF PORK WITH HONEY, MUSTARD AND BABY POTATOES  

                                      

A delicious Christmas main dish.

One 3 kg (6 lb)  leg of pork, fat scored into diamond shapes

4 tbsp honey dissolved in the

Juice of 1 lemon

2 tbs mustard

 1 orange, juice and grated rind

1 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped

1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

3 tbsp olive oil

2 sprigs of rosemary, chopped

2 kg (4 lb) baby potatoes

Salt and pepper to taste

Lemon and orange juice

1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary

1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves

Olive oil

Butter

 Preheat oven to 200 C (400 F).

Place the leg of pork in a deep baking dish and drizzle with the honey and lemon juice mixture sprinkle with salt, pepper, orange zest, and place the mustard on top and massage until well covered with all the ingredients.  

Pour the orange juice around the meat, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with chopped fresh rosemary and thyme and roast for 2 hours until the meat is cooked and the crackling is crisp.  Remove the meat from the oven and keep hot.

Place the unpeeled baby potatoes in the baking dish, sprinkle with salt, pepper, rosemary and thyme and drizzle with lemon, orange and olive oil to taste and bake for 1 1/2 hours until tender.  Return the meat to the dish brush with extra honey and mustard and dot the potatoes with butter and bake for 10 minutes more.  

After 20 minutes, slice the meat and serve with the crackling, baby potatoes and a green salad of your choice.  

                                 PUMPKIN STUFFED WITH RICE AND MEAT

A  3 kg (6 lb) pumpkin, baked, seeds discarded, flesh and shell reserved

1/2 kg (1 lb) meat cubed and sauteed until almost tender

5 tbsp olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

6 rashers of lean bacon, chopped

1 onion, peeled and finely chopped

1 garlic clove, peeled and minced

2 leeks, split lengthwise, washed and finely sliced

2 celery stalks, threaded and finely sliced

2 cups cracked wheat

1 litre (4 cups) tasty chicken stock

1 bay leaf

Chopped chives

4 heaped tbsp grated graviera from Crete or Parmesan

Brush inside of the pumpkin shell with melted butter and sprinkle with half the grated cheese.

Saute the onion and bacon in olive oil, add the cracked wheat and cook, stirring for 3-4 minutes.  Pour in the white wine and cook, stirring,  until the alcohol evaporates.   Pour in the chicken stock and simmer gently until the cracked wheat is almost done.  Stir in the sauteed meat and some of the cubed pumpkin and taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly, if necessary. 

Stuff the pumpkin, but not to the brim, sprinkle with the remaining cheese and bake for 15 minutes or more until the rice is cooked to perfection. 

Serve from the shell with sliced turkey and a green salad.   

 

       

                              TURKEY ROLL WITH BACON AND MUSHROOMS

If you are having a large Christmas party it is more convenient to prepare turkey rolls.

1 kg (2 lb) turkey breast, butterflied and pounded to 1 cm  thickness

A little salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 tbsp butter at room temperature mixed with

1 tsp chopped fresh tarragon

1 tsp chopped fresh sage

2 cloves of garlic minced

250 g (1/2 lb) wild mushrooms, sliced and sauteed

8 rashers bacon, sauteed 

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp clarified butter

2 liqueur glasses Metaxa brandy

500 -725 ml (2-3 cups) tasty hot turkey or chicken stock

For the gravy:

300 g (10 oz) dried wild mushrooms, soaked in hot water for 30 minutes, squeezed dry and chopped

1 heaped tbsp plain flour

1 small bay leaf

Extra turkey or chicken stock

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

2-3 tbsp cream

Sprinkle the butterflied turkey with a very little salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.  Rub the butter and herb mixture over the turkey and place the bacon rashers over in a criss-cross pattern.  Arrange the sauteed mushrooms over and roll the turkey into a cylindrical shape and tie tightly with kitchen string.  

Saute the turkey roll in olive oil and clarified butter until lightly brown.  Remove all but 1 tbsp of the olive oil and butter mixture and reserve for further use.   Drizzle the turkey with brandy and cook for 3-4 minutes more until the alcohol evaporates.   Pour over enough stock to cover half the turkey roll.  Simmer gently, covered for about 45 minutes to 1 hour until the turkey is thoroughly cooked and tender, turning around every 15 minutes and adding more stock when needed.  Remove the turkey roll and keep hot, also reserve the cooking liquid, separately. 

Meanwhile, prepare the gravy.  Simmer the chopped wild mushrooms with 1 tbsp of the reserved olive oil and clarified butter, cover with stock and simmer until the mushrooms are cooked and dry.  Sift the flour over, add the bay leaf and cook stirring to prevent the taste of raw flour.  Pour the reserved cooking liquid over, plus extra stock, if necessary, until the sauce bubbles and thickens,  Discard the bay leaf and blend the gravy with a hand blender until smooth.  Even sieve it, if necessary.  If it is too thick lighten it with extra stock and cream.   Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.

Meanwhile, remove and discard the string from the turkey roll, slice it neatly and pour the gravy over.  Serve with Christmas stuffing, au gratin potatoes and quince cooked in red wine. 

                                          QUINCE COOKED IN RED WINE

3 medium-sized quince, cut into 4, then each section  cut in half, core discarded

2 tbsp butter

1 liqueur glass METAXA brandy

250 ml  (1 cup) Mavrodaphne or any sweet red wine 

750 ml (3 cups) hot, tasty meat stock, you may not need it all

A spice pouch with

1 cinnamon stick

4 cloves

1 small slice of ginger

2 pieces of star anise

1 tsp of black peppercorns

Salt if necessary

Saute the quince in butter until they start to soften a little. add the spice pouch and pour in the brandy first and then the Mavrodaphne over the fruit and cook for 5-6 minutes until the alcohol evaporates. Pour in enough meat stock to just cover the fruit. Place a piece of parchment over, cover the saucepan and simmer gently until the quince are cooked and tender.  Remove with a slotted spoon and arrange in a Pyrex dish.  Simmer the sauce uncovered until it thickens and becomes syrupy and pour the sauce over the quince. 

Just before serving, add a tiny knob of butter and heat thoroughly in the oven. It is simply delicious served with a meat or poultry dish.  

           

                                         GREEK STUFFING FOR TURKEY

You could also add croutons to stuffing if you wish. 

500 g (1 lb) chestnuts, boiled in salted water and peeled

3 tbsp butter

2 onions peeled and finely chopped

2 celery stalks, threaded and finely sliced

2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

500 g (1 lb) minced meat

250 ml (1 cup) red or white wine

1 litre (4 cups) chicken stock 

1 cinnamon stick

1 pinch of ground cloves

Salt and pepper to taste

1 12  cup pine nuts 

1 1/2 cup raisins

Saute the onions in butter for 2-3 minutes until wilted.  Add the celery and continue sauteing until the onions and celery are soft, another 2-3 minutes.  Stir in the garlic and minced meat and cook stirring until the meat changes colour and becomes crumbly.  

Pour in the wine, add the raisins,  pinenuts and chestnuts and mix well. Continue simmering, uncovered, for 45 minutes to 1 hour until all the liquids are absorbed.  Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow the stuffing to cool a little.  Discard the cinnamon stick and set aside.