Gather your loved to ones and serve a sophisticated, showstopping spread to celebrate the most wonderful time of the year.
Mediterranean lamb with roast peppers
Cooking time: 1 hour // Serves: 8–10
Ingredients
1.5kg rolled deboned leg of lamb
Salt and black pepper
Oil, for searing
4 red peppers, quartered and seeds removed
120g basil pesto
125g mozzarella cheese, torn (or use feta)
For the dry rub
4 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp coriander seeds
1 Tbsp smoked paprika
½ Tbsp sumac or za’atar (optional)
1 tsp brown sugar
½ punnet fresh thyme, leaves picked
½ tsp garlic salt
Grated peel of 2 lemons
For serving
8 naan breads or pitas, toasted
Lemon wedges
Method
- Take lamb out of the fridge an hour before cooking to bring it to room temperature.
- Season lamb, combine dry rub ingredients and rub all over meat, coating evenly.
- Heat oil in a large pan and sear lamb on all sides until brown and caramelised.
- Place lamb in a roasting tray with red peppers around it.
- Roast in the oven at 180°C for 25-30 minutes per kilogram for medium doneness. (1.5kg = 45 minutes.)
- After 25 minutes remove the red peppers and place in a separate baking tray, cover and set aside.
- Remove lamb once done and rest for at least 10 minutes.
- Reheat peppers in the oven and arrange around rested lamb.
- Add dollops of pesto into peppers and dot with cheese.
- Serve sliced lamb and peppers with flatbreads and lemon wedges on the side.
Hasselback butternut with gremolata and baked feta
Cooking time: 1 hour // Serves: 8 (as a side)
Ingredients
4 medium butternuts, halved, seeds removed and peeled
2 whole bulbs garlic, halved
Olive oil, for drizzling
1 Tbsp smoked paprika or chilli flakes
Handful fresh coriander, chopped
Salt and black pepper
½ cup butter
Juice of 1 lemon
Handful fresh sage
3 discs feta
For the gremolata:
Handful each fresh mint, parsley and coriander
2 red chillies, deseeded and chopped
½ red onion, finely chopped
¼ cup olive oil
Juice and grated peel of 1 lemon
Salt and black pepper
½ ciabatta bread, torn into chunks and toasted
Method
- Thinly slice butternut hasselback-style – see picture below (be careful to not cut all the way through).
- Place butternut and garlic on a greased oven tray, drizzle with oil, sprinkle with paprika or chilli flakes and coriander, and season well.
- Heat butter in a pan on medium-high heat until browned and foamy. Remove from heat and pour into a heat-safe bowl, add lemon juice and sage, and set aside to infuse.
- Roast butternut in the oven at 180°C for 25 minutes, basting often with the butter.
- After 25 minutes, place the whole feta discs around butternut and roast for 10-15 minutes, basting with butter every 5 minutes.
- Blitz gremolata ingredients, except the ciabatta, in a blender to form a chunky paste (or use a pestle and mortar). Season well.
- Toss in toasted ciabatta chunks and stir to coat in paste.
- Serve butternut with gremolata and feta.
Roast chicken with bacon, sweet potato & garlic stuffing
Cooking time: 1.5 hours // Serves: 4–6
Ingredients
1.3kg whole chicken, giblets removed
2 red onions, quartered
1kg baby potatoes, washed
Oil, for roasting
Salt and black pepper
Fresh coriander, for garnish (optional)
For the stuffing:
Oil, for frying
1 packet (200g) streaky bacon, chopped
1 medium-size orange sweet potato, peeled and cubed 1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves chopped
Handful fresh parsley, chopped
1½ cups (130g) breadcrumbs
Salt and black pepper
1 egg
Method
- To make the stuffing, heat oil in a pan over medium heat and fry bacon until golden. Remove and drain on kitchen paper.
- In the same pan, fry sweet potato cubes until just starting to brown, about 5 minutes.
- Add onion, garlic and herbs, and fry for 5–8 minutes, stirring often.
- Tip in breadcrumbs and bacon, season and cook for 2 minutes more.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool before mixing through the egg.
- Season chicken, outside and inside the cavity, and spoon stuffing into cavity.
- Truss the chicken (see Chef’s Tip below). This is optional but ensures the best result – it keeps its shape and cooks evenly.
- Place red onions and baby potatoes in a roasting tray, toss with oil, season and place the chicken on top.
- Roast in the oven at 180°C for 60–80 minutes, basting regularly with juices. (It’s done when the skin is golden all over and the juices run clear when the chicken is pricked with a sharp knife.)
- Serve chicken with roasted potatoes and onion, coriander and pan juices.
Green goddess salad
Cooking time: 15 minutes // Serves: 8 (as a side)
Ingredients
1 punnet (300g) Brussels sprouts, halved
Olive oil, for drizzling
3 cloves garlic, chopped
Salt
300g asparagus, stems trimmed
125g mangetout (sugar snap peas)
350g tenderstem broccoli
Handful fresh peas
2–3 handfuls baby spinach
4–5 radishes, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp mixed seeds or nuts
For the dressing:
1 cup sour cream
Grated peel of 1 lime (or lemon)
Handful fresh mint and parsley, chopped
Salt and black pepper
Method
- Place Brussels sprouts on an oven tray, drizzle with oil, sprinkle with garlic and season with salt.
- Roast in oven at 180°C for 7–10 minutes or until lightly golden. Set aside to cool.
- Blanch the asparagus, mangetout, broccoli and peas (see Chef’s Tip above).
- On a serving platter, combine roasted Brussels sprouts with blanched veggies, baby spinach and radish.
- Combine dressing ingredients. Season.
- Serve salad with dollops of dressing and sprinkled with seeds or nuts.
Gin & tonic lemon meringue
Cooking time: 1 hour // Serves: 8–10
Ingredients
For the base
2 packets (200g each) Marie biscuits, finely crushed
1 cup (250g) butter, melted
For the filling
1 ½ cups (375ml) milk
1 ½ cups (330g) castor sugar
½ cup (125ml) cream
4 large egg yolks
½ cup (125ml) cornflour
Juice (480ml) and grated peel of 8 lemons
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 cup (250g) cold butter, cubed
¼ cup gin (optional)
For gin syrup and candied fruit
1 cup (250ml) tonic water
1 ½ cups (300g) sugar
2 lemons and 2 limes, thinly sliced
¼ cup gin
For the meringue
4 large egg whites
1/3 tsp (3ml) cream of tartar
1 cup (220g) castor sugar
1/3 tsp (3ml) vanilla essence
Method
- Line a 20cm loose-bottomed cake or tart tin with baking paper.
- Add biscuits and melted butter to a bowl and mix thoroughly until combined.
- Press biscuit base into the tin, pushing it 8cm up the sides. Chill in fridge until firm.
For the filling
- Heat milk and castor sugar in a pot and stir until sugar dissolves.
- Whisk cream, egg yolks and cornflour together in a bowl until thick and pale.
- Whisk into hot milk mixture in pot.
- Add lemon juice and grated peel, and cook, whisking vigorously, until thickened (about 5–10 minutes.)
- Stir in vanilla and butter until melted.
- Remove from heat, strain through a fine sieve into a bowl. Cool before stirring in gin.
- Pour cooled filling over biscuit base, smooth the top using the back of a spoon and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
For the syrup and candied fruit
- Heat tonic water and sugar in a pot, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add lemon and lime slices and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Using tongs, transfer fruit slices to a baking paper-lined tray and leave to set. Take syrup off the heat, add gin and allow to cool.
- Arrange cooled candied fruit on top of tart filling and drizzle with gin syrup.
For the meringue
- Whisk egg whites and cream of tartar in a glass or metal bowl over a pot of simmering water (make sure the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl) until mixture is warm to the touch.
- Transfer meringue mix immediately to a stand mixer (or use a hand-held electric mixer) and whisk until stiff-peak stage, adding 1 Tbsp castor sugar at a time at one-minute intervals. Once sugar is completely dissolved, whisk in vanilla.
- Dollop spoonfuls of meringue onto the tart. To brown the meringue (optional), use a baking/kitchen blowtorch, or place tart under a hot grill for 1–3 minutes until meringue has browned, keeping an eye out that it does not burn.
Recipes & photos courtesy of Fresh Living
