A WEEK BEFORE CRISTMAS

Christmas Joy to You All!! 

A week before Christmas, the great Cristian feast commemorating the birth of the Lord Jesus.  My very best wishes for health, happiness, peace and joy for the whole world and my sincere hope that racism, prejudice and hatred will be totally eradicated.

Each year, I feel extremely guilty about words of support that I should have said but haven’t, and acts of compassion that I should have done but didn’t.  My genuine intentions are to improve my character and become more thoughtful and tolerant.  Hard work, but I shall definitely try.




Here are a few recipes for Christmas eve that you might find useful:

                                                         CARROT SOUP

Do start a celebration dinner with this wonderful soup!

1 kg carrots, peeled and roughly sliced

2 potatoes, peeled and cut into pieces

2 leeks, white parts only, sliced

1 onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, thoroughly trimmed and thinly sliced

1 bouquet garni, (1 slice ginger, peeled +1 tsp coriander seeds, slightly crushed + 1 thyme sprig)

1½ litre (6 cups) tasty chicken stock

60 g (2 oz) kasseri or Gouda or bland Cheddar

2 tbsp San Mihalis or Parmesan, grated

1 tsp grated nutmeg

1 liqueur glass Metaxa brandy, optional

125 ml (½ cup) thick cream or yogurt
Parsley leaves for garnish

Place all the vegetables in a large saucepan, pour in enough water to just cover, place in the spice-pouch cover and cook gently, until tender.

Remove the bouquet, and blend the vegetables until smooth.   Pour in the chicken stock sprinkle with freshly ground white pepper and a little nutmeg.  Simmer gently until the soup thickens.  Stir in the cheese, taste and season with salt and extra pepper and nutmeg, if necessary.

Bring the soup to the boil and pour in the brandy, if using.  Serve with a tbsp of thick cream or yogurt and garnish with leaves of parsley. 

                                          FRESH SALMON MOUSSE

                                          

Fresh salmon is abundant in Greece.   Here is a recipe for a basic salmon mousse.

.

800 g (about 1 lb 10 oz) fresh salmon, skinned and boned

180 ml (¾ cup) dry white wine

60 ml (¼ cup) water

1 carrot, sliced

½ onion, sliced

1 leek, white part only, sliced

1 tender celery stalk, finely sliced

1 bay leaf

A little salt

2 – 3 thin lemon slices, halved

Salt

5-6 peppercorns

Sauce

4 tbsp butter

5 tbsp cornflour

500 ml (2 cups) or more, hot milk

½ large onion

1 bay leaf

Salt and pepper

5 sheets gelatine steeped in iced water for 5-7 minutes

125 ml (½ cup) mayonnaise, low fat if preferred

2 tbsp lemon juice, or according to taste

2 tbsp finely chopped dill, or more if preferred

1-2 spring onions, very finely chopped

1-2 tsp Dijon mustard

250 ml (1 cup) full cream whipped into soft peaks

Salt and pepper, to taste

Pour wine and water in a shallow saucepan and add the onion, sliced vegetables, peppercorns, salt, bay leaf and simmer for about 7 minutes.   Place the salmon in the stock, spoon a few vegetables over, and spread the lemon slices on top.   Cover the saucepan, and poach for 7 minutes, then turn the fish over and simmer for 8 minutes more or until it flakes easily.  Remove the salmon and cool.  Reduce the cooking liquid to 2-3 tablespoonfuls, strain and reserve.

 In the meantime, bring the milk to the boil, with the onion and bay leaf.   Remove from the heat and leave it to infuse, for at least 10 minutes.  To prepare the sauce melt the butter, add the cornflour and cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes.  Strain the milk and add it gradually to the roux, stirring constantly.  Simmer the sauce until it thickens, stirring, and continue cooking for 3-4 minutes more.  Remove from the heat and cool a little. Squeeze the gelatine sheets and mix very well into the warm sauce, until completely dissolved.

Add the sauce and the reserved cooking liquid to the poached salmon and blend, until the mixture is quite smooth.   

Transfer the mixture into a large bowl, add the mayonnaise, lemon juice, mustard, chopped dill, spring onions and mix well together.  Fold in the whipped cream and, then, taste for seasoning and adjust with salt, lemon juice, white pepper and chopped dill, if necessary.  Finally spoon the mixture into a soufflé dish or individual dishes, lined with cling-film, cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.  You could line the soufflé dish/individual dishes with smoked salmon slices, if you prefer.

One hour or more before serving, invert the salmon mousse on a serving dish/es and garnish with halved lemon slices, smoked salmon roses and parsley twigs.  If you use individual dishes remove the film and place them in cups, garnished with smoked salmon   Serve with 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 for your guests.

1 kg (2 lb) turkey breast, butterflied and pounded to a 2 ½ cm (1 inch) thickness

A little salt and freshly ground black pepper

Butter/herb mixture:

1½ tbsp butter a room temperature mixed with

1 tbsp finely chopped fresh tarragon

1 tbsp finely chopped fresh sage and

½ clove garlic smashed

210 g (7 oz) lean bacon, visible fat removed

250 g (½ lb) white mushrooms, sliced, sautéed in olive oil and sprinkled with a little salt

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:

30 g (1 oz) dried wild mushrooms, soaked in warm water for 30 minutes, squeezed from excess water and chopped

1 tbsp plain flour

1 small bay leaf

Extra turkey or chicken stock

Sprinkle the butterflied turkey breast, on both sides with freshly ground pepper and a 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 another dish.   Drizzle the turkey with brandy and cook for 3-4 minutes more, until the alcohol evaporates, and pour in enough hot stock to cover, halfway, up the roll.   Lower the heat, and simmer, covered, for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the turkey is thoroughly cooked and tender, turning around every 15 minutes and adding extra stock if 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 in the reserved cooking liquid and extra stock, if necessary, and cook stirring until the sauce thickens and bubbles.    Discard the bay leaf, blend it with a rod blender and sieve it, if necessary.  If the gravy is too thick lighten it with a little hot stock, taste and season to taste and keep it hot. 

Meanwhile, discard the string from the hot turkey roll, slice it and cover with gravy.   Serve with Christmas stuffing, au gratin potatoes, and vegetables of your choice. 




                                 SALADS WITH POMEGRANATE DRESSING 

A Green Salad with Feta and Pomegranate Seeds

Try this dressing with baby spinach, cos lettuce, and fennel bulbs sprinkled with juicy pomegranate seeds.  It is also very good with white and red cabbage salad or a potato and spring onion salad or a rocket salad.

Dressing:
1 tbsp vinegar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp mustard with honey
1 tbsp pomegranate syrup (Please see recipe below)
1/2 tsp salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Combine all the ingredients together and whisk until the dressing thickens.   Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.




                                              *POMEGRANATE SYRUP

Pomegranate makes a lovely, translucent, ruby-coloured syrup.   As for the taste, it is fruity, fresh and delicious.  Serve it with ice creams, Greek yogurt, drizzle it over crepes and pancakes or use it in salad dressings instead of sugar and honey.  You could also use it as a glaze for meat and poultry dishes.

500 ml (2 cups) pomegranate juice, strained
400 g (2 cups) caster sugar
A tiny pinch of salt
2 tbsp lemon juice


Bring the pomegranate juice, sugar and salt to the boil, lower the heat and simmer gently until it thickens into a glossy syrup, then add the lemon juice and cook for 2 minutes more.

              

                                              DOLLY’S CHOCOLATE ROLL

                                        

 Dolly Cocali, my sister-in-law and dear friend gave me the recipe for this lovely chocolate dessert, so many years ago.

7 medium-sized eggs separated, whites whipped into stiff peaks with a pinch of salt

400 g (2 cups) sugar

100 g (1 cup) cocoa

500 g (2 cups) lightly sweetened whipped cream

Garnish:

Icing sugar or

Strawberries or crystallized chestnuts

Beat egg yolks with sugar until light and creamy.   Sift in the cocoa and mix thoroughly.   Gently fold in the whipped egg-whites until no traces of white is visible.

Spoon the mixture into a Swiss-roll tin, lined with baking parchment, and level the surface with a wet spatula.  Bake in an oven preheated to 190 C (375 F), for about 20 minutes until well risen, but do not overcook.  Remove from the oven and cool slightly.

     

Turn out the cake on baking parchment sprinkled with icing sugar, detach the baking parchment from the top and trim the edges. Then roll the warm cake and the baking parchment together, and set aside to cool. 

Unroll the cake carefully and remove the parchment.   Spread with whipped cream, fold it up like a Swiss roll and place it on a serving dish.  Dust the top of the roll with icing sugar or garnish with whipped cream and fresh strawberries, partly dipped in melted chocolate.

TO YOU ALL