food to glow

Today I have put together three recipes that you can give as gifts and/or keep for your Hanukkah or post-Christmas table. All three are extremely easy to prepare, possibly even at the same time. The mustard seeds  need an overnight soak but otherwise this trio of condiments is straightforward. They also require a minimum of kitchen skills, so shouldn’t stress you out during the time of year when many home cooks are up to their eyes in fiddly cake decorating and gingerbread house making (that isn’t me though).

I hope you have time to make at least one of these recipes, but even if you bookmark them for later you will find them a useful and tasty addition to the table, whatever the season. I will definitely keep all three handy for jazzing up our Christmas leftovers. If there are any. There’s a reason why some men willingly do the washing up…

The Anderson Family Christmas Tradition, of sorts: Christmas is always at our house these days, which suits me fine. There are only six of us on the day, so it tends to be a low-key affair food-wise, no turducken or whole turkey. The idea of the turducken slightly alarms me so I am glad to have the excuse of a small family not to try it. Anyway, we traditionally open our presents during the late morning, fortifying ourselves with smoked salmon blinis, which we make by mixing fresh lemon juice and grated horseradish into creme fraiche, smearing it onto heated up mini blinis and topping with folded shards of best Scottish smoked salmon, dill fronds and tiny lemon pieces. If Christmas lunch is more veering into early dinner territory I may also put together homemade sausage rolls. For this I will on Christmas Eve mix together butchers’ sausage meat with some crushed fennel, a pinch of dried sage, a bit of chilli, some salt and some onion and garlic powder. Come the morning one of us, whoever is not still wrapping last minute gifts or rattling things under the tree, will wrap the seasoned meat in sheets of puff pastry, brush with milk and cut into little nuggets for a quick blast in a hot oven. We enjoy these treats with a glass of champagne or prosecco while opening presents. Caution: late present opening only advised for those with older children and adults who act their age.

From then on Mr A and I will take it in turns to consult the posted time table for what needs cooking/heating up when. Unlike many British families we usually have a gammon, boiled the day before and quickly roasted on Christmas Day. This I do Nigella style in Coca Cola (I know, weird. But good) and then burnish in the oven under a honey-mustard glaze (this year using my own mustard!). But it is mostly – as would be expected from me, I suppose – about the vegetables and various permutations thereof. I stick to my American heritage, with my lovely and fellow-foodie mother-in-law bringing along the British elements of chestnut stuffing – a glorious puddle of creamed chestnuts, clove and nutmeg-laced bread sauce, Christmas pudding and brandy sauce. During the preceding week I will make up chestnut, celery and onion laced cornbread stuffing (this is close to what I do for us), sweet potato souffle sans marshmallows (why marshmallows???), spiced red cabbage, roasted parsnip and carrot puree (with nutmeg, thyme, mustard and creme fraiche), and cranberry sauce (with port, orange and star anise). The day before Mr A, Miss R and I will blanch tiny fresh Brussels sprouts, par-boil an unseemly amount of Maris Piper potatoes for roasting in goose fat (the cooked leftovers of which are the pot washers’ perk), boil up the gammon for roasting on the Day, and any other prep that we can get away with that allows us to spend maximum time with our family.

One year I  ‘let’ Mr A and his father be in charge on the Day itself, but as there was a small kitchen fire involving a tea towel, a naked flame and one too many strong beers, that has not become a tradition. Admittedly, the meal was on time and delicious, but even without the fire (a smouldering, really) it was too stressful for me to have them loose in my domain, especially as I suspect – although I have never had it confirmed – they might have stretched the ‘five-second rule’ too much for my liking. I am thankful that they were so keen to help, I really am, but…