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| Peace on Earth |
We plead and pray:
That the Spirit of Christmas will prevail all over the world.
That the Spirit of Christmas will prevail all over the world.
That wars, civil wars, and acts of violence and terror will become afflictions of the past.
That new wonder drugs will be discovered to conquer incurable diseases.
That the thousands of unfortunate refugees that flood Europe will, eagerly, return to their countries, to rebuild their homes and cities, and live in peace and harmony with their neighbours.
We wish you, dear reader, a very Happy Christmas and the best of health, happiness, success and good luck for the coming year.
Many traditional festive recipes were published on the Christmas posts of this blog, since 2012. Here are few more with a new touch.
CREAMY BEETROOT SOUP
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| Ready to Serve |
This is a lovely, comforting soup with a rich colour, a very appropriate choice for starting a Christmas meal.
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
2 large leeks, trimmed, split in half, washed and sliced
1 kg (2 lb) beetroots, peeled and cut in small pieces, (leaves reserved for another meal)
3 large potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1½ (6 cups) hot tasty chicken stock
1 bouquet garni (1 bay leaf + 1 large dill sprig + 1 thyme sprig + a thin slice peeled ginger)
½ cup grated kasseri or Graviera from Crete or Cheddar or Gouda
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp butter
Garnish:
250 g (1cup) Greek yogurt mixed with
Salt and pepper
Snipped chives
Garlic croutons, optional
Sauté the vegetables in olive oil, over low heat. Sprinkle with freshly ground white pepper, a little salt and stir for about 7-8 minutes, until the onions and leeks are limp and the beets and potatoes start softening.
Pour in the hot chicken stock, add the bouquet garni, cover the saucepan and simmer for 20 minutes or more, until all the vegetables are thoroughly cooked.
Discard the bouquet garni. Puree the soup with a rod blender until smooth and strain through a fine sieve, pressing any pieces of vegetable with the back of a spoon to release the taste. Pour the soup into a clean saucepan and bring to a simmer. Sprinkle with cheese and stir until well combined. Taste and add freshly ground white pepper and salt, if necessary.
Serve in hot soup bowls, with a swirl of yogurt sprinkled with snipped chives and garlic croutons, if using
SMOKED TROUT MOUSSE
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| Smoked Trout Mouse in a Round Tin |
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| Smoked Trout Mousse in a Terrine |
Greek smoked trout, and smoked salmon are of an excellent quality. We are very proud of our Food Industry and of small food producers, all over
This is a festive first dish that your guests will surely enjoy!
620 g (1 lb 4 oz) smoked trout fillets, checked for possible bones and cut into small pieces
6 -7 thin slices smoked salmon
Sauce:
4 tbsp butter
5 tbsp cornflour
500 ml (2 cups) or more hot milk
1 medium-sized onion
1 bay leaf
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
5 sheets gelatin, separated and steeped in iced cold water for 5-7 minutes
125 g (½ cup) mayonnaise, low fat if preferred
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 grated rind of 1 lemon
2 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced
2 tbsp chopped dill
250 ml (1 cup) full cream, whipped into soft peaks
Salt to taste
Freshly ground white pepper
2 tbsp chopped parsley or dill
2 tbsp chopped parsley or dill
Parsley, halved lemon slices, a few chive stalks for garnish
Bring the milk to the boil, with the onion and bay leaf. Remove from the fire and leave to infuse for at least 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, line a cake tin or a terrine, first with cling film, leaving the excess hanging over the sides. Then, cover neatly with the salmon slices also leaving the excess, overhanging.
Prepare the sauce. Melt the butter, add the cornflour and cook, stirring for 2-3 minutes. Strain the milk and stir it gradually into the roux, Simmer the sauce until it thickens and bubbles, stirring for 3 - 4 minutes more. Remove from the heat and cool a little.
Squeeze the gelatin sheets, in order to extract all the water, and mix robustly into the warm sauce, until completely dissolved. Add the sauce to the smoked trout and blend until smooth.
Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Quickly add the mayonnaise, lemon juice and zest, stir in the spring onions, chopped parsley and mix very well together. Finally, fold in the whipped cream, taste for seasoning and adjust with salt, freshly ground white pepper and lemon juice, if necessary.
Spoon the trout mousse, evenly, into the prepared cake tin or terrine, even the surface and fold the salmon slices that are overhanging, over the mouse. Place extra pieces of smoked salmon to cover any possible gaps. Cover securely with cling film, place in a plastic bag and refrigerate overnight.
One hour before serving. remove the mousse from the refrigerator, unfold the cling film and carefully reverse it onto a serving dish. Garnish with parsley, lemon slices and chives. Cover the mousse and refrigerate it, until you are ready to offer it to your guests. Serve with a zesty green salad and crusty, warm bread.
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| Turkey Roulade with Wild Mushroom Gravy |
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 a 1 cm thickness
A little salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp butter at room temperature mixed with
1 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon,
1 tbsp chopped fresh sage and
½ clove garlic
250 g (½ lb) white mushrooms, sliced and sautéed
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp clarified butter
2 liqueur glasses Metaxa brandy or any other of your choise
500 – 725 ml (2 – 3 cups) tasty, hot turkey or chicken stock
For the gravy:
30 g (1 oz) dried wild mushrooms, soaked in warm water for 30 minutes, squeezed thoroughly and chopped
1 heaped tbsp plain flour
1 small bay leaf
Extra turkey or chicken stock
2-3 tbsp cream
2-3 tbsp cream
Sprinkle the butterflied turkey breast, on both sides with freshly ground pepper and very little salt. Rub the butter/herb mixture over the turkey and place the bacon rashers over, in a criss-cross pattern. Arrange the sautéed mushrooms evenly over the turkey, and roll it neatly into a cylindrical shape. Tie tightly with kitchen string.
Sauté the turkey roll, in olive oil and clarified butter, until lightly browned. Remove all, but 1 tbsp of the olive oil and butter mixture and reserve for later use. Drizzle the turkey with brandy and cook for 3-4 minutes more, until the alcohol evaporates. Pour in enough hot stock to cover half the roll. Lower the heat, and simmer, covered, for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the turkey is thoroughly cooked and tender, turning around every 15 minutes and adding extra stock when needed. Remove the roll from the saucepan and keep hot. Also, reserve the cooking liquid separately.
Meanwhile, prepare the gravy. Simmer the chopped wild mushrooms in 1 tbsp of the reserved olive oil and clarified butter, cover with stock and cook until the mushrooms are cooked and dry. Sift the flour over add the bay leaf and cook, stirring, until no taste of raw flour is evident. Pour the reserved cooking liquid over, plus extra stock, if necessary, and cook stirring until the sauce thickens and bubbles. Discard the bay leaf, blend the gravy with a rod blender and sieve it, if necessary. If it is too thick lighten it with a little hot stock and cream. Taste, season accordingly and keep the gravy hot.
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 vegetables of your choice.
CREAMY AU GRATIN POTATOES
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| A Perfect Dish |
This is certainly my favourite potato dish. Traditionally it is prepared with raw potatoes, sliced with a mandolin. I boil them to save time.
1 kg (2 lb) potatoes, boiled in salted water with
A twig of sage and
1 chopped garlic clove
1 clove garlic, peeled and cut in half
A large knob of butter, for greasing the baking dish
Freshly grated nutmeg to taste
Freshly ground white pepper
1 heaped teaspoon fresh, chopped thyme, leaves only
300 g (10 oz) kasseri or graviera from Crete or Gruyere or Cheddar, grated
3 tbsp San Mihalis or Parmesan, grated
250 ml (1 cup) full milk mixed with
250 ml (1 cup) thick cream
And season with a pinch of salt
Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F).
Rub the base and sides of the baking dish with garlic and brush it, lavishly, with butter.
Peel and slice the potatoes and place them in the baking dish in a row, slightly overlapping each other. Sprinkle the first layer of potatoes with half the amout of the grated soft cheese and season with grated nutmeg, ground white pepper and thyme. Place another layer of boiled potatoes over and sprinkle with the remaining cheese, spices and thyme. Sprinkle the last layer of potatoes with grated San Mihalis or Parmesan and pour the milk/cream mixture evenly over.
Clean the sides of the baking dish with a damp cloth, if necessary, and bake for 30 - 35 minutes until the top is slightly golden and bubbly. Serve immediately.
QUINCE POACHED IN SWEET RED WINE
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| A Quince Tree in Bloom |
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| A Superb Fruitful Tree |
All I want for Christmas is a quince tree in my garden. It has beautiful pink flowers that ripen into large, yellow fruit and appear so tempting through the foliage. Could it be the forbidden fruit of the Garden of Eden, instead of the absolute apple?
It is one of the very few fruits that can’t be eaten raw. It can be baked and stewed with meat and poultry, it makes fantastic savoury sauces, delicious jellies, jams, pastes (kydonopasto) and chutneys. Also, lovely cakes and pies. Poached in a syrupy wine and served over thick Greek yogurt, it becomes a superb dessert. You could even prepare a special Bellini cocktail with quince jelly and iced sparkling wine!
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| Savoury Poached Quince |
It is one of the very few fruits that can’t be eaten raw. It can be baked and stewed with meat and poultry, it makes fantastic savoury sauces, delicious jellies, jams, pastes (kydonopasto) and chutneys. Also, lovely cakes and pies. Poached in a syrupy wine and served over thick Greek yogurt, it becomes a superb dessert. You could even prepare a special Bellini cocktail with quince jelly and iced sparkling wine!
3 medium-sized quince, washed, cut in four, then each section cut in half, core removed
2 tbsp butter
1 liqueur glass Metaxa brandy
250 ml (1 cup) Mavrodaphne or any other sweet red wine of your choice
750 ml (3 cups) hot tasty meat stock, you may not need it all
A spice pouch with
1 cinnamon stick
4 cloves
A small slice of ginger
2 pieces star anise
1 tsp black peppercorns
Salt, if necessary
In a large, flat saucepan, over low heat, sauté the quince slices in butter, for about 10 minutes, until they start to soften a little. Add the spice pouch, and pour first the brandy and then the wine over the fruit and cook for 5-6 minutes more, until the alcohol evaporates.
Then add enough hot meat stock to just cover the fruit. Place a piece of parchment paper over, cover the saucepan and simmer for 10 -15 minutes more or until the quince are cooked and tender. Remove the fruit with a slotted spoon and arrange them in a round Pyrex dish. Simmer the sauce, uncovered, until it thickens, and becomes syrupy and pour it over the quince. Cover with cling film.
Just before serving, add a tiny knob of butter and heat thoroughly in the oven. It is lovely, served with any meat or poultry dish.
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| A Green Christmas Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette |
POMEGRANATE VINAIGRETTE
Try this salad dressing, over young spinach, cos lettuce, endive, baby rocket sprinkled with sweet, juicy pomegranate seeds. But it is also delicious with white and red cabbage, onions and paper thin slices of fennel bulbs.
2 tbsp wine vinegar or
1 tbsp vinegar and 1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp mustard with honey
1 tbsp pomegranate juice
1 tbsp pomegranate syrup* (pease see recipe below)
½ tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper
6 tbsp olive oil
Combine all the ingredients and whisk together until the dressing thickens.
Taste for seasoning and adjust, if necessary.
* POMEGRANATE SYRUP
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| A Luscious Sweetening Agent |
Pomegranates make a lovely, translucent and ruby-coloured syrup. As for the taste, it’s fruity, fresh and mellow. Serve it with ice cream or Greek yogurt, drizzle it over crepes or pancakes and use it in salad dressings instead of sugar or honey.
500 ml (2 cups) pomegranate juice, strained
400 g (2 cups) caster sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice
Bring the juice and sugar to the boil. Stir until the sugar melts and skim when necessary. Lower the heat and simmer until thick. Add the lemon juice and simmer for 10 minutes more. Cool the syrup, pour into prepared bottles and store in the fridge.
CHOCOLATE ROLL FILLED WITH CHESNUT CREAM AND WHIPPED
CREAM
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| Yule Log |
This is a very popular Christmas dessert. The recipe for the chocolate roll was given to me by my dear friend Olga, who is Ukranian.
Chocolate roll:
5 medium-sized eggs, separated, whites whipped stiff with a pinch of salt
5 tbsp sugar
Vanilla
3 heaped tbsp self-raising flour sifted with
2 tbsp cocoa
Fillings:
1st . Sweet chestnut cream:
7 chestnuts in rum and syrup (please see recipe below)*, blended and mixed well with
2 heaped tbsp whipped cream, until spreadable
2nd . Chantilly:
500 ml (2 cups) double cream, whipped with
500 ml (2 cups) double cream, whipped with
2 tbsp icing sugar
Extra icing sugar for dusting over the roll or
Dark chocolate ganache, to cover.
Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F).
Whip the egg yolks with sugar and vanilla until light and doubled in bulk. Sift in the flour/cocoa mixture in three portions, mixing very well after each addition before adding the next. Finally, fold in the whipped egg whites, until no traces of white are visible. Pour the batter evenly into a Swiss roll tin, lined with buttered baking parchment, bake for 10-12 minutes and remove from the oven.
Peel off the baking parchment, cover with a clean sheet of a parchment, roll up like a Swiss roll and set aside until the cake is cold.
Unroll the cake and spread it first, with the chestnut filling, then cover with 3-4 tbsp whipped cream. Gently roll it up again, cover with baking parchment and refrigerate.
Unroll the cake and spread it first, with the chestnut filling, then cover with 3-4 tbsp whipped cream. Gently roll it up again, cover with baking parchment and refrigerate.
One hour before serving, remove the dessert from the fridge, discard the baking parchment and sprinkle with icing sugar or pipe with ganache**. (Please see recipe below) to shape a Yule Log.
* CHESTNUTS IN SYRUP AND DARK RUM
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| A Lucious Preserve |
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| A Small Delicacy |
Zena Patelis, a dear friend, gave me this lovely recipe.
1½ kg (3 lbs) chestnuts, parboiled with a tsp of salt and a twist of lemon peel.
330 g (11 oz) sugar
2½ cups water
1 vanilla bean
½ tsp salt
1 cup dark Jamaican rum
In a large saucepan place the sugar and water and simmer stirring until the sugar melts. Add the parboiled chestnuts, slit the vanilla pod and place it over the
chestnuts. Gently simmer for about 15 minutes, then remove from the fire, cover the saucepan and set aside for 12 hours, at least.
The next day, remove the chestnuts with a slotted spoon and simmer the syrup for 10-15 until it thickens. Place the chestnuts back into saucepan and simmer very, very gently for 12 minutes more. Check a chestnut. It should be quite soft, but not falling apart. Remove from the fire, cover the sauce pan and set aside overnight.
Finally, on the third day remove the chestnuts with a slotted spoon, and place them into sterilized jars. Divide the rum, pour it over the chestnuts, and cover them completely with syrup. Seal tightly and refrigerate.
**GANACHE:
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| A Dark Shiny Temptation |
- Heat 250 ml (1 cup) full cream and
- 1 tbsp butter, pour over
- 250 g (½ lb) dark chocolate, finely chopped and
- 1-2 tsp honey or
- 1 tbsp sweet condensed milk
- Blend with a rod blender until the sauce is smooth and glossy.
VASILOPITA
New Year’s Cake
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| Vasilopita for Good Luck |
Vassilopita is a special cake for the New Year. A silver or gold coin is inserted in the cake and whoever finds it has good luck throughout the year. It is customary to cut and serve it at midnight when the New Year starts.
You can either prepare it with a tsoureki (sweet brioche) dough or a just bake your favourite cake. This recipe was given to me by my very dear friend Maria Spathopoulos.
5 medium-sized eggs, separated
1 pinch of salt
1 pinch of salt
300 g (1 ½ cups) sugar, separated
The zest of 1 orange
390 g (3 cups) flour sifted with
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp dried ginger powder
1 tsp cinnamon powder
¼ tsp cloves
250 ml (1 cup) orange juice (minus 1 liqueur glass) mixed with
1 liqueur glass orange-flavoured liqueur, Grand Marnier would be wonderful
230 g (1 cup) butter at room temperature
Extra butter and flour for the cake tin
Icing sugar for garnish
Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F). Also, butter the base and sides of a cake tin, dust the sides with flour, and line the base with baking parchment.
First whip the egg whites with a pinch of salt to the soft peak stage. Then add ½ cup sugar, by the spoonful, whipping after each addition until the egg whites are stiff and shiny.
Beat the egg yolks with the orange rind and the remaining sugar in a mixer, until the mixture is light and fluffy and doubled in bulk. Lower the speed of the mixer and add the flour mixture in three portions alternately with orange juice and Grand Marnier.
Transfer the batter to a large bowl and fold in one-third of the whipped egg whites to lighten it slightly. Then, gently fold in the remaining whipped egg whites, until well combined. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake to 35-40 minutes, until the cake in golden brown and a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean. Reverse it on a pretty dish to cool. Then sprinkle with icing sugar and form the number of the year with white butter icing or chocolate ganache.* (please see recipe above) Hronia Polla!!
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| A Merry Christmas and a Very Happy New Year |
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