xmas dinner menu

The recipes chosen are all simple and quick with a bit of preparation beforehand. There are a few things that are cut short with available ready made items that requires less time than starting from scratch.

I have planned the menu to cater to at least 12 pax +/- and at the same time allow me to mingle with my guests instead of getting stuck in the kitchen. It includes starter, main, dessert as well as finger food for snacking throughout the night. Not that many choices this time, but on the bright side no leftovers.

Here is the list of food and how to prepare them.

• ceasar salad

Just a simple put-it-together-yourself salad. So it's up to the guest as to how much dressing, cheese, eggs and beef bacon bits they would prefer. Sadly, there were no croutons to finish it up. Considering my guests were 99% male, i didn't use any fancy salad leaves but the all safe crunchy romaine lettuce.

Dressing:
mayonnaise
anchovy fillets
garlic
dijon mustard
parmesan cheese
salt & pepper

Again the amount of these ingredients is basically to your taste. Feel free to add more or less of each items. I personally like mine with more garlic and cheese.

• jerk seasoned roast chicken

This is a quick easy roast chicken as the seasoning is store bought. If you cant find store bought jerk seasoning (what a name!), google up 'jerk seasoning' and they'll give you a list of sites to teach you how to make your own.

I mixed the dry jerk seasoning with lime juice to make a paste. Slather it all over the chicken and marinate for 4 hours. I then stuffed in some garlic inside the cavity and slow roast it on a rack for 45 minutes to an hour with some liquid to keep the meat moist. The liquid is later used as sauce.

• roast leg of lamb

Here i used the same seasoning as the roast chicken ( so i wont need to make another). But i added fresh rosemary and thyme into it (something about the smell of these fresh herbs just goes with lamb) as well as more lime juice. Try it and you'll see what i mean. Marinate it for 1/2 hour (not too long as i do not want the seasoning to overpower the taste of lamb) and roast it just like the chicken. Beware not to overdone your lamb or the meat would be tough.

• roasted garlic mashed potatoes

Another easy recipe. Boil some potatoes, peeled and cut. Make sure they are the floury type (crumbly) and not sticky (not high in starch). Roast some garlic, skin intact. Mash the roasted garlic with the boiled potatoes. Add butter, milk and seasoning to taste. Tadaa.

• aglio olio with sundried tomatoes

I chose to do aglio olio because pasta with sauces are best served hot from the pan (e.g bolognese, cabonara, funghi etc). By the way, this one is extra easy to prepare.

Ingredients:
tricolour fusilli, boiled to al dante
garlic, chopped
chili flakes
oregano
parsley
sundried tomatoes, diced
salt
olive oil
chicken stock (optional)

Fry at low heat, garlic, chili flakes, oregano and parsley. Add pasta, sundried tomatoes and salt to taste. Add a little chicken stock for more flavour and some liquid to coat the pasta better.

• courgette toasties

These toasties may look like a lot of work. But actually it is not so. No making of pastry, no rolling or blind baking. All you need is bread, filling and bake.

Using a ring cutter, cut bread to fit the mould of muffin pans. Press cut bread into moulds and brush with melted butter. Spoon in the filling, sprinkle some parmesan cheese and bake till brown and fillings are cooked.

Filling (all mixed together):
courgette, grated
cheddar cheese, grated
eggs
milk
fresh basil, shredded
salt & pepper

• crabstick sushi

Ok, i have to admit this recipe requires a little work. Still, not too bad as long as you have the rice and crabstick prepared beforehand and a good rolling skill, consider the job easy. For the rice, cook short grain rice according to method (using rice cooker), two cups of water to one cup of rice. Mix rice wine vinegar with sugar and salt. Drizzle over cooked rice and mix well. If you have sushi rice seasoning, all the better. Now the rolling. Spread rice on nori sheets, put crabstick, japanese mayonnaise and a little wasabi. Roll and cut.

• easy trifle

To finish the dinner, i prepared a quick-fix desert. Just something that not only assembles in no time, but looks delicious. All you need is a can of fruit cocktail (drained), vanilla custard (made earlier and cooled), whipped cream and crushed crackers. In a martini glass, spoon in fruit bits followed by custard, whipped cream and crumbled crackers. Serve immediately.

Note: It has been a great joy for me to share my recipe with my guests whom i hoped enjoyed it.

Till the next cookout.