So what counts as a traditional Christmas meal? Most votes go for turkey with two stuffings, a glazed ham, plum pudding on fire with brandy, high- or low-octane trifle and, if there’s any space left in the cholesterol department, brandy butter. Alternatively, if you were Christmasing in Poland, the main dish would be a giant carp, while other Central European countries would probably feature a goose. In my humble view, a roast goose beats any turkey, anywhere, any time. In those bits of the Middle East where Christmas is a festival, hummus, lamb and tabbouleh may grace the table. But all this begs the question: why eat this high-density stuff, designed to provide extra fat to protect the diner from the ravages of a bitterly cold winter, when we live in God’s own country, where the weather is marvellous and the women are beautiful? non sequitur, I grant you, but consider the “beautifying” effects of a traditional Christmas meal on most waistlines.
With these thoughts in mind, plus the open brief I got from the managing editor, I decided to consult a couple of food experts just to see what they’d recommend. Imagine my shock and horror when quite a few went for the traditional turkey. It took the imagination of Durban chef Clive Aaron to break away from the pack, and these three dishes are his personal recipes, made at his outstanding restaurant, Eat Me Gourmet Café. Before hitting the hob, let’s examine the menu: we begin with a sweet potato gnocchi with a rocket and chilli pesto. This is followed by chicken breast stuffed with sausage served on a bed of asparagus and to finish the meal, a classic crème brulee. Not bad, hey? But what’s this got to do with Christmas, I hear you say? About as much as turkey, carp and hummus. In short, a good Christmas meal has no special reference to the blessed event. Instead, it’s a festival in which cooks and diners come together in a glorious celebration of good eating. And this is how you get this culinary show on the road …
Starter
Straight from the chef’s mouth, so to speak, comes this light and delightful festive starter. This will make enough for six:
For the pesto:
500g rocket leaves (aka ragula)
1 big red chilli
30g fresh basil leaves
50ml extra-virgin olive oil
100g grated parmesan cheese
Heat half the olive oil and lightly sauté the chopped garlic and chopped, deseeded red chilli. Add half the rocket leaves, coarsely chopped, switch off the heat and put the lid on the saucepan. Let the leaves wilt lightly, then transfer the contents, the rest of the rocket and the remaining olive oil into a food processor. Rev to the red line, then season to taste with the salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Right. Now for the gnocchi. For this you will need:
1kg sweet potato
1 extra-large egg
150g cake flour
60g grated parmesan cheese
3g freshly ground nutmeg
Peel and slice the sweet potatoes, then boil until tender. Remove, drain, mash. Let stand for half an hour. When cool, add the egg, flour, nutmeg and a little salt and black pepper. Mix in the grated parmesan cheese, cover the bowl with cling wrap and reserve for at least two hours, but preferably overnight, in the fridge.
It is now the next day. Good morning. Lightly flour your hands and the work surface, then roll the sweet potato dough into mini-dumplings. Bring a 4â„“ pot of lightly salted water to a rolling boil, lower the heat and add the gnocchi. When cooked they’ll float to the surface. Give them another 60 seconds then remove and drain. Return the gnocchi to the pot and pour in the rocket and chilli pesto. Stir carefully so as not to break up the gnocchi. Serve on a bed of fresh, raw baby spinach leaves with a little crumbled feta.
Main Course
So much for the starter. Now for the main: roasted chicken breasts stuffed with sage, rosemary and thyme. Not to mention pine nuts, currents and parsley. This is one hell of a production but then, only the best is good enough for Christmas.
You will need:
6 filleted chicken breasts
500g chicken sausage
2 cloves garlic
5 sprigs fresh thyme
1 sprig fresh rosemary
30g fresh sage
50g toasted pine nuts
50g currants
30g fresh Italian parsley
1 large onion
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Squeeze the chicken sausage out of the casing into a mixing bowl, then discard the casing. Sweat the chopped onion in a little olive oil until reduced to a transparent hash. Finely chop the sage, thyme, rosemary and garlic and add to the cooked onion mixture. Add a little salt and pepper. Combine this with the chicken sausage meat plus the pine nuts and currants. Roughly chop the Italian parsley, add it to the sausage mixture and stir well.
Make a deep incision in each chicken breast (look at the picture) and stuff this with a couple of teaspoons of the seasoned sausage mixture. Heat extra-virgin olive oil in a deep frying pan, bring it up to medium simmer then seal the stuffed chicken breast on both sides until golden brown. Don’t get too excited: it’s not over yet!
Season the browned chicken breasts with salt and pepper then place them in a roasting pan. Roast in a preheated oven at 200ºC for 12 to 15 minutes or until cooked to your liking. Serve each breast on a bed of fresh basil leaves and lightly steamed fresh asparagus.
dessert
So you’re still hungry? Here’s a light classic dessert, just the thing to finish off this great, untraditional Christmas dinner.
To make crème brulee for six, you will need:
6 ramekins or six small coffee cups
1 bain marie or a large baking pan
500ml cream
6 eggs
1 vanilla pod
1 teaspoon fresh orange zest
1 cup castor sugar
Brown sugar
A pinch of salt
Pour the fresh cream into a saucepan and bring it up to a slow simmer, but not to boil. Add the vanilla pod slit lengthways and the fresh orange zest. Remove from the heat. In a bowl, mix four whole eggs with two yolks. Add half a cup of castor sugar plus a pinch of salt. Mix lightly; do not whip. Sieve the flavoured cream to remove zest and pod, then add to the egg and sugar mixture. Place six ramekins or small coffee cups in a bain marie or large baking pan. Pour the mixture into the cups, filling them to 80%. Pour hot water into the baking pan or bain marie, up the level of the mixture in the cups. Place carefully in an oven preheated to 150ºC and bake for 30 minutes, or until the crème brulee has set. Remove. Just before serving spread a little brown sugar over the top of each crème brulee – then nuke it with a butane torch to caramelise it. – David Basckin |fw
