Positive Life NSW

I get really scared when I stop and think that it is 12 months since I last did my holiday column – it just doesn’t seem that long! Christmas can be the one time of the year when our entertaining can really get out of control. I don’t know what it is that makes us buy a lot more food than we need and pile it in front of people as though it was their last feed for the next 12 months.

Being Aussies, we know that Christmas falls at the start of summer. It is generally hot, yet many of us still insist on carrying on with European traditions that in no way reflect the nature of our country or our lifestyle. Unless you are willing to sit in a freezer to eat, huge hot meals are really something to be shunned!

I’ve tried to put together a simple and relatively cheap Christmas dinner for you (or lunch if you prefer), without discarding the more traditional aspects.

I would also like to offer the following advice:

• If you like a traditional ham, but don’t have the budget or you’re cooking for one or two, try buying a small piece of ham and do a baked glaze on it as you would with a full ham, then serve it cold.
• Chocolate puddings are available now and taste great with a delicious chocolate sauce and ice-cream. This is much more suitable than the standard Christmas cake or pudding. For a cake, make a light fruit cake or a plain butter cake with festive icing.
• Seafood is cheap at Christmas and is a great way to go for taste and impact. It is also very versatile, lending itself to everything from cold meals to something off the BBQ. Likewise with poultry – let’s face it, you need a huge oven to roast a turkey! A couple of chickens will go down just as well.
• Don’t overfeed people. I really hate when people think that just because it’s Christmas, I suddenly want to eat twice the amount that I normally do. I don’t!
• Instead of placing all the emphasis on food, make your table settings the centrepiece, and keep the food light and friendly. Use colourful tablecloths and napery, and drag out your best cutlery, crockery and glassware. You can brighten the table with candles and inexpensive decorations and tiny gifts such as crackers, poppers and novelties to add some humour to your meal (and a kitsch value).
• Don’t cram the courses one after the other, take your time. Start eating earlier than normal and allow time between each course so people don’t feel rushed.
• For a simple dessert, place some wedges of home-baked shortbread on a plate and serve with cream or ice-cream and some strawberries or mixed berries.
• I shouldn’t have to tell you this – don’t sit in the sun and drink. Offer guests some light, fresh cocktails or mocktails that have fruit and citrus as their base. Along with a few nibblies, this is always a pleasant way to lead yourself into a great, casual meal.

I wish all my readers the very best for Christmas and the New Year. Keep yourselves safe and don’t over-indulge.

Roasted Prosciutto and Bocconcini Salad

12 bocconcini, halved
12 slices prosciutto, halved
8 large slices crusty bread
Cracked black pepper
Olive oil, for drizzling
1 bunch rocket, trimmed
6 roma tomatoes, sliced
⅓ cup basil leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil, extra
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 200°C. Wrap each piece of bocconcini in a slice of prosciutto. Place the bread on a baking tray lined with baking paper and top with the wrapped bocconcini. Sprinkle with pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 10 minutes or until the prosciutto is golden. Serve with the rocket, tomatoes and basil tossed in olive oil and vinegar.

Serves 8

Roast Pork Rack with Apples and Sage

2kg pork rack (10 cutlets) with skin on
¼ cup olive oil
Sea salt
4 green apples, cored and quartered
2 tablespoons sage leaves
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 220°C. Use a sharp knife to score the pork skin at regular intervals. Rub the pork skin generously with the olive oil and salt. Place the pork on a rack in a baking dish and roast for 30 minutes or until the skin starts to crackle. Reduce the temperature to 200°C and roast for a further 25 minutes.

Place the apples, sage, lemon juice and sugar in a bowl and toss to combine. Add the apples to the base of the dish and roast with the pork for a further 25 minutes or until the pork is cooked through and the apples are tender.

Serves 8

Mustard Cream

300g sour cream
⅓ cup seeded mustard
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon rind
Sea salt and cracked black pepper

Place the sour cream, mustard, lemon rind, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix. Refrigerate until required. Serves 8

Coleslaw

¾ white cabbage
6 green onions (scallions) finely sliced
½ cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
12 radishes, thinly sliced
Cracked black pepper

Dressing
2 eggs
1½ tablespoons white wine vinegar
3 teaspoons salted capers, rinsed
½ cup vegetable oil

To make the dressing, process the eggs, vinegar and capers in a food processor until smooth. With the motor running, gradually pour in the vegetable oil until the dressing is creamy. Set aside.
Slice the cabbage into thin wedges and place on serving plates. Spoon over the dressing and top with onions, parsley, radishes and cracked black pepper.

Serves 8

Green Bean, Rocket and Parmesan Salad

1 baguette
Olive oil
500g green beans, trimmed and blanched
2 bunches rocket, trimmed
80g butter
¼ cup lemon juice
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon rind
Sea salt and cracked black pepper
Parmesan cheese, to serve

Thinly slice the baguette and brush with olive oil. Toast under a preheated hot grill until golden. Layer the baguette on a serving platter with the beans and rocket. Place the butter, lemon juice, lemon rind, salt and pepper in a small saucepan over low heat and stir until the butter is melted. Spoon over the bean salad and sprinkle with parmesan to serve.

Serves 8

Poached Fruits in Vanilla Syrup

8 peaches
8 nectarines
8 apricots
2⅔ cups raspberries
2⅔ cups blueberries

Vanilla syrup
3 cups water
1½ cups granulated sugar
2 vanilla beans, split and scraped

Blanch the fruit by placing the peaches, nectarines and apricots in batches in a saucepan of boiling water for 30–60 seconds. Carefully remove the skins and set aside.

To make the vanilla syrup, place the water, sugar and vanilla beans in a saucepan over medium heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Simmer until the liquid is reduced by half. Pour the hot syrup over the blanched fruit and allow it to cool.

To serve, toss the raspberries and blueberries through the stone fruit and place in bowls. Remove the vanilla beans and spoon the syrup over the fruit.

Serves 8

Amaretti Biscuits

200g almonds
1 cup caster sugar
¼ cup plain flour
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Process the almonds and sugar in a food processor until the almonds are roughly chopped. Add the flour, egg whites and vanilla, and process until combined. Roll tablespoons of the mixture into balls and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper and flatten slightly. Bake for 13–15 minutes until lightly golden. Cool on trays and store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Serve with coffee or tea. Makes 24

ALDERMAN providore
Service - Quality - Innovation - Imagination
Gourmet Australian and Imported Food and Beverages
www.aldermanprovidore.com.au
www.teacoffeechocolate.com.au