Article from the December 2015 issue of Food and Home Entertaining Magazine.
Whether you prefer pork, chicken, duck, fillet, or fillet vegan, make sure your dish is the star player on-this year’s festive table.
Christmas is about giving, so we’re treating you to these cracking roast and stuffing recipes to ensure a magical main event.
Sticky maple and ginger-glazed pork belly with crunchy crackling and hot English mustard
This is the ultimate fuss-free, maximum-result-with-minimum-toil Christmas roast. It’s fabulous as a main course, or try it sliced into bite-sized pieces and served as a little nibble before Christmas lunch begins!
Serves 6 easy 2 hrs
The flavour combination
1,5kg pork belly, bone in fine salt, to taste handful fresh thyme sprigs 5 garlic cloves, unpeeled 250ml (1 cup) white wine
Maple-ginger glaze
100ml maple syrup
50ml ginger-preserve syrup (serve the ginger pieces on your next cheeseboard)
hot English mustard, to serve Maldon Sea Salt, to sprinkle
How to do it
1. Preheat your oven to its hottest setting – this is the secret to super-crunchy crackling! Our hottest setting was 230°C. Place your pork belly in a roasting tray, score the skin and rub the skin with salt. Allow the salt to draw out the moisture, 10 minutes. Blot the skin with paper towel – make sure it is very dry.
2. Place the pork in the hot oven and roast until the skin becomes golden, puffed and crunchy, about 35 minutes. Remove from oven and turn the oven down to 180°C. Add the thyme, garlic cloves and wine to the roasting tray, return to the oven and roast until the meat is cooked through, 1 hour-1 hour and 15 minutes.
3. While the meat cooks, make the glaze by combining all of the ingredients.
4. To serve, cut the base of the pork belly off to remove the bones (discard these) and slice up. Brush each slice generously with the maple-ginger glaze, sprinkle with Maldon Sea Salt and serve with hot English mustard for dipping.
Pecan nut, gingerbread and mushroom loaf with sage-roasted apples and basil pesto
This is the perfect recipe to serve any vegan or vegetarian guests you have around your Christmas table. In fact, you may want to make two loaves as you’ll have a hard time keeping your carnivorous guests from indulging too!
Serves 6 easy 2 hrs 30 mins
The flavour combinations
Gingerbread
oil, to grease
190g cake flour
2,5ml (1/2 tsp) bicarbonate of soda
2,5ml (1/2 tsp) ground ginger
2,5ml (1/2 tsp) ground cinnamon
1,25ml (1/4 tsp) ground allspice pinch ground cloves pinch salt
60g vegetable shortening, softened
70g demerara sugar
zest of 1 lemon
125ml (1/2 cup) molasses
5ml (1 tsp) apple cider vinegar
125ml (1/2 cup) boiling water
Pecan nut, ginger bread and mushroom loaf
30ml (2 tbsp) olive oil 2 onions, peeled and finely chopped 1 garlic clove, peeled and minced small handful fresh sage leaves, torn small handful fresh thyme leaves
160g portabellini mushrooms, sliced gingerbread
50g pecans, roughly chopped
80g pecans, blended to a fine crumb
500ml (2 cups) almond milk salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Roasted apples
4 Pink Lady apples, some halved and others quartered
60ml (1/4 cup) olive oil
small handful fresh sage leaves
Basil Pesto
2 handfuls fresh basil leaves
60ml (1/4 cup) olive oil
50g almonds
sauteed sliced mushrooms, to garnish
deep-fried sage leaves, to garnish
How to do it
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a 20cm-square baking tin with oil and line the base.
2. For the gingerbread, sift together the flour, bicarbonate of soda, spices and salt.
3. Using electric beaters, cream the shortening and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the lemon zest. Gradually add the flour mixture and beat until smooth.
4. Combine the molasses, vinegar and boiling water in a bowl and mix well. Gradually stir this mixture into the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared baking tin and bake in the oven until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean, 30 – 35 minutes. Remove from oven (leave the oven on) and allow the gingerbread to cool completely.
5. For the pecan nut, gingerbread and mushroom loaf, grease and line a standard loaf tin. Heat the 30ml (2 tbsp) olive oil in a pan over low heat and saute the. onions and garlic with the torn sage and thyme, 10 minutes. Remove the mixture from the pan and place in a large bowl.
6. Heat the same pan over high heat and add the mushrooms. Stir often until cooked, 5 minutes.
7. Crumble all of the cooled gingerbread into the onion mixture, add the cooked mushrooms, chopped and ground pecans and almond milk and combine well. Season to taste and pour into the prepared loaf tin. Bake in the oven, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.
8. For the apples, toss the apples with the 60ml (1/4 cup) olive oil and sage and season to taste. Roast in the oven with the loaf, 30 minutes.
9. For the basil pesto, blitz together all of the ingredients until almost smooth.
10. Serve the loaf topped with sauteed sliced mushrooms and deep-fried sage leaves. Add a side of roasted apples and basil pesto to finish.
Cook’s tips
If you’re pressed for time and cooking for vegetarians – who eat butter and eggs – simply buy a pre-made gingerbread loaf (about 400g). Crumble and use the crumbs instead of making your own vegan gingerbread.
Honey-glazed duck with rosemary-roasted grapes and prosciutto-wrapped potato wedges
Many home cooks find the idea of roasting a duck intimidating, but this recipe makes it just as simple as roasting a chicken!
Serves 8 a little effort 3 hrs
The flavour combination
Prosciutto-wrapped potato wedges
700g potatoes, parboiled, some cut into wedges and others cut out using a star cutter (if desired)
olive oil, to drizzle
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
140g prosciutto, cut into strips
Duck
1,5kg – 2kg duck, fully defrosted if frozen
1 onion, peeled and quartered 3 cinnamon sticks
3 star anise
handful fresh thyme sprigs 1/4 lemon
4 garlic cloves, peeled and halved large knob butter, softened
Rosemary roasted grapes
500g red grapes
small handful fresh rosemary needles
olive oil, to drizzle
honey, to glaze
fresh bay leaves, to garnish (optional)
How to do it
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. For the potato wedges, place the potatoes on a roasting tray, drizzle with the olive oil and season well to taste. Roast in the oven until golden and crispy, 40 minutes. Remove from oven, turn the oven down to 180°C and set the potatoes aside.
2. For the duck, remove the wing tips from your duck. Stuff the cavity with the onion quarters, cinnamon sticks, star anise, thyme, lemon quarter and 3 of the garlic cloves. Truss the duck with string and rub the skin all over with the remaining garlic clove. Rub the skin with the butter, generously season and rub the seasoning into the skin. Place the duck in the oven and roast, 30 minutes per 500g.
3. While the duck roasts, make the grapes. Place the grapes in a roasting tray and toss in the rosemary and a little olive oil. Season well to taste.
4. Wrap the potato wedges in prosciutto strips. Pop the potatoes and grapes into the oven with the duck, 30 minutes before the end of the duck’s cooking time – this way, everything will be hot and ready to be served at the same time. Brush the duck skin with honey, then brush again 10 minutes before the end of the cooking time.
5. Carve the duck and serve with all of the trimmings. Garnish with fresh bay leaves, if desired.
Baby marrow and cream cheese-stuffed deboned chicken with summer greens and herb butter
This is a lighter, fresher take on Christmas fare – perfect for those who find traditional roasts and accompaniments too rich. Ask your butcher to debone your chicken for you, but do this a few days before you plan to serve it as most butchers will need a little time
Serves 4-6 a little effort 1 hr 15 mins
The flavour combinations
Baby marrow stuffing
olive oil to fry
1 onion, peeled and finely diced
1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
100g baby marrows, grated
30g Parmesan, grated
60g dried breadcrumbs
90g cream cheese, softened
30ml (2 tbsp) chives, chopped salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 chicken, tunnel deboned with leg bones still in
1 garlic clove, peeled and cut in half large knob butter, softened fresh thyme leaves, to sprinkle
Herb butter
120g butter, softened handful fresh parsley, roughly chopped
handful chives, chopped
Summer greens
200g asparagus, blanched
180g fine beans, blanched
120g fresh peas, blanched
120g sugar snap peas, blanched
lemon wedges, to serve
How to do it
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. For the stuffing, heat a little olive oil in a pan over low heat and saute the onion and minced garlic until soft, 10 minutes. Combine with the remaining stuffing ingredients and season to taste.
2. Stuff your deboned chicken with the stuffing and truss the legs using string. Rub the chicken skin with the garlic-clove halves and butter and sprinkle with thyme leaves. Roast your chicken in the oven until the skin is golden and a small incision on the thigh reveals that the juices run clear, about 1 hour.
3. While the chicken roasts, make the herb butter by combining all of the ingredients and seasoning to taste.
4 Serve the chicken with room-temperature summer greens, herb butter and lemon wedges for squeezing.
Kale almond & feta-stuffed fillet with Parmesan and parsley cream
This fillet can be stuffed a day in advance and is equally delicious braaied over hot coals as it is browned in a pan
Serves 6-8 a little effort 45 mins
The flavour combinations
Stuffed fillet
1 bunch kale leaves, stalks removed
30ml (2 tbsp) olive oil
2 onions, peeled and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
2 feta wheels, crumbled
150g dried breadcrumbs
100g almonds, roughly chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 whole fillet, cleaned, cut in half widthways and tails trimmed off 30ml (2 tbsp) olive oil
Parmesan and parsley cream
500ml (2 cups) double cream
60g Parmesan, grated large handful fresh parsley, roughly chopped
How to do it
1. For the fillet, pour boiling water over the kale leaves to soften them. Drain and set aside.
2. Heat the 30ml (2 tbsp) olive oil in a pan over low the onions until soft, 10 minutes.
3. Place the kale leaves and onion mixture in a blender and blitz until smooth. Combine the kale mixture with the feta, breadcrumbs and almonds and season well to taste.
4. Place 1 fillet half on a chopping board. Slice lengthways down the middle of the fillet, stopping 2cm from the one side, to form a pocket. Open the fillet up like a book and place a strip of stuffing down the ‘spine’ of the book. Carefully roll up the fillet around the stuffing so that the stuffing sits in a neat circle in the centre. Tie the fillet with several pieces of string to secure. Repeat with the other fillet half and refrigerate until needed.
5. Just before cooking, rub the fillet halves with the 30ml (2 tbsp) olive oil and season well to taste. Heat a pan until smoking hot or prepare a hot braai Brown the fillet, 3 minutes per side or until cooked to your liking.
6. Allow the fillet to rest for 10 minutes while preparing the Parmesan and parsley cream. Heat the cream in a small saucepan until just before boiling point. Remove from heat, stir in the Parmesan and parsley and season to taste.
7. To serve, slice the fillet into rounds and serve with the Parmesan and parsley cream.
Related Content
