Christmas seems to instill an
unparallelled tremor of
expectation in people. We seem
to feel that for this crucial period
we must suddenly become great
hosts and untiring chefs, ready
with a co*cktail and a full table at
all hours. I want you to feel
better about the big parties and
the little dinners you suddenly
find yourself throwing. I'm not
telling you not to worry, I'm
giving you the recipes so you
won't have to.
To start
BROCCOLI AND
STILTON SOUP
At this time of year, it's
good to have a thick,
warming soup at your
fingertips, and this is very
seasonal into the bargain.
I use frozen broccoli.
In
fact, this is better when
made with frozen, and
certainly more
convenient for an
impromptu standby.
Moreover, at this time of
the year my fridge is too
full, and it is helpful to have some crucial ingredients
stashed in the freezer.
This is also a useful way of turning plain, cold sliced
turkey into a warming meal.
3 tbsp garlic oil
6 spring onions, finely chopped
2 tsp dried thyme
1kg frozen broccoli
1250ml hot vegetable stock (from concentrate or cube)
200g crumbled or chopped Stilton
Freshly ground pepper
1 long red chilli pepper, deseeded and finely chopped(optional)
1 Put the garlic oil in a large pan over a medium heat,
add the chopped spring onions and cook for a couple
of minutes.
2 Add the thyme and the frozen broccoli, and stir in
the heat for a minute or so.
3 Add the hot vegetable stock and the crumbled or
chopped Stilton and bring to a bubble, then clamp on
the lid and cook for 5 minutes.
4 Liquidise in a blender (or failing that, a processor) —
in batches — then pour back in the pan and heat if it's
cooled too much while blending, and add pepper to
taste.
5 Scatter with a Christmas confetti of red chilli dice on
serving, if you feel like it.
Serves 4 as supper or 8 as a starter
The main event
SEAFOOD POT
Across much of
Continental Europe,
seafood is
traditionally eaten
on Christmas Eve
and it is a very good
way of embarking
on the meat feast
that is to follow.
But
you don't have to
stick to the custom,
just keep this in
mind for a very
quick, warming yet elegant supper.
A
fennel salad before or after would be
lovely, but you need no more than just
bread for dunking.
750g palourde clams
750g monkfish fillet
750g salmon fillet
750g cleaned squid
2 tbsp butter
Drop of wok oil
125ml white wine
60ml Pedro Ximenez sherry or other rich
dark sherry 2 tbsp chopped fresh chives (optional)
1 Soak the clams in a bowl of cold water,
leave for about 5 minutes while you slice the
fish (see 2 below) then discard the open or
cracked clams and drain the rest.
2 Cut the monkfish and salmon into 1cm
slices, and slice the squid into rings the same
width.
3 Warm the butter and oil in a large pot or
pan with a lid, then, over a high heat, toss in
the fish and squid and stir them around until
they begin to go opaque.
4 Add the clams and white wine, then clamp
on the lid, shaking the pot over the heat,
and let it all cook for about 3 minutes.
5 Lift the lid, avoiding the steam, and pour in
the sherry. Cover again and then leave for
another 3 minutes or so, shaking it about
every now and then.
6 Serve the seafood in the pot, sprinkling
with the chopped chives if preferred.
Serves 6-8
BUTTERNUT SQUASH WITH
PECANS AND BLUE CHEESE
This has many strings to its bow: it serves
as a vegetarian alternative to the
Christmas turkey; it dresses up a plate of
cold leftover turkey; it adds the right
balance of mellow warmth and tang to
any plain
wintry dish;
and it is a
good whole
meal on days
when you just
feel fleshedout.
2kg butternut
squash
3 tbsp olive oil
6 stalks fresh
thyme or 1⁄2 tsp
dried thyme
125g Roquefort or other blue cheese
100g pecans
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Preheat the oven to 220 C/gas mark 7.
2 Halve the squash, leaving the skin on, and
scoop out the seeds, then cut into 2.5cm
cubes; you don't need to be precise, just
keep the pieces uniformly small.
3 Put the squash into a roasting tin with the
oil. Strip the leaves from 4 stalks of thyme and
sprinkle over the butternut squash. (If you
can't get fresh thyme, use dried.)
Roast in the oven for about 30-45 minutes or
until tender.
4 Once out of the oven, remove the squash
to a bowl and scatter the pecans and
crumble the cheese over it, then toss
everything together gently.
5 Check seasoning and add the last of the
thyme, torn into small sprigs to decorate.
Serves 6-8
FESTIVE FUSILLI
You can think of this either as a soakingup
end-of-party meal for the hard core
who managed to stay the course, or as a
festive but unfussy supper you can get
together quickly after some seasonal gettogether
or outing.
Should you be lucky enough to have any
left over, this is a superb post-party
breakfast forked straight from a container
in the fridge.
And by 'sunblush' tomatoes, I mean those
ones that are halfway between fresh and
dried and come soaked in a seasoned oil
in deli-counters.
1kg fusilli or other short pasta of your choice
600g sunblush tomatoes in seasoned oil
80ml vodka
2 tsp Maldon salt or 1 tsp table salt
2 tsp sugar
250g mascarpone
40g (2 x 20g packets) curly parsley, chopped
Flaked Parmesan to serve
1 Put a pot of water on to boil for the pasta.
2 Take about 150g of the sunblush tomatoes
and chop them finely. I use my mezzaluna
here, as you can really mulch them.
3 Put the chopped tomatoes into a bowl with
the remaining tomatoes, along with the
vodka, salt and sugar. Leave to steep while
you cook the fusilli.
4 Cook the pasta according to packet
instructions, then drain and put back in the
pan with the mascarpone, mixing well over
low to medium heat.
5 Tip the steeped tomato mixture and half the
chopped parsley into the pan, mixing well.
6 Pour into a bowl and sprinkle with
Parmesan flakes and the remaining parsley.
Serves 10-12
TURKEY TONNATO
This is a seasonal
version (and
speedier to boot)
of the classic
Italian vitello
tonnato: instead
of poaching veal
and then making
mayonnaise with
tuna, I fan out
onto a plate some
slices of cold
turkey left over
from the feast,
and quickly whiz
up the tuna mayonnaise using really good
tuna — the one I like comes in a jar and is
from the belly of the beast, called
'ventresca'.
Even though my mother would curse me
for buying 'fresh' mayonnaise rather than
making my own, that's what I do here. I
wouldn't want any white gloop out of a jar
though.
This is gorgeous with a wintry salad of
shredded radicchio; the bitterness offsets
the richness of the pinky-buff coloured
mayonnaise dressing. If you've got time, a
hot baked potato alongside is also,
strangely, good.
170g shop-bought fresh mayonnaise
1 x 190g jar best-quality tuna, drained
4 tsp lemon juice
5 tbsp sour cream
1⁄2 tsp paprika
500-600g cold sliced turkey breast
1 tbsp capers
8 anchovy fillets, each cut in half lengthways
1 Put the mayonnaise, tuna, lemon juice, sour
cream and paprika into a blender and whiz
to make a sauce.
2 Arrange the turkey slices on a large platter,
then pour the tonnato sauce over to cover
most of the turkey slices.
3 Arrange the anchovy fillets in a criss-cross
pattern, or however pleases you, and scatter
the capers about on top.
Serves 6
For dessert
STEEPED CHRISTMAS
FRUITS
I suppose this is
the lazy person's
Christmas
pudding, only
that makes it
sound like some
sort of also-ran,
when it is in
actual fact rather
more of a
reward for the
time-squeezed
and exhausted.
Well, we deserve
one.
I always used to steep dry fruits in
brandy, then I moved on to rum, and now
I'm firmly settled into a Pedro Ximenez
phase. If you haven't tried this rich, dark,
raisiny sherry, then I beg you to do so.
And although the suggestion of dolloping
dried fruits steeped in it is already a
shortcut, I can offer an even speedier
solution - simply pour this sherry straight
over some vanilla ice cream for a perfect
pudding.
My sister Horatia and I have a strict nopresents
policy for Christmas (both our
birthdays follow straight after) and giving
her a jar of liqueur-steeped fruits is my
way of getting round the ban.
500g mixed luxury dried fruits (a mixture of raisins, sultanas, currants and glace cherries)
400ml Pedro Ximenez sherry, or other rich dark sherry, plus some more for topping-up
1 Tip the dried fruit into a 1.25-litre preserving
jar, or use several smaller jars.
2 Pour in the Pedro Ximenez; the liquid will
more than cover the fruit, and over time the
fruit will swell, growing to fill the jar.
3 Leave the fruits for overnight, although at
least a week is preferrable. In either case,
make sure you keep topping up with sherry.
4 Eat with vanilla ice cream, or however you
want.
Makes 1.25 litres
SEASONAL FRUIT SALAD
This time of year has me foraging about my
declassé drinks cabinet. I've already found
very good use for my Advocaat and now I
can't help reaching for the Tuaca. A Tuscan
liqueur, ultra Christmassy, this is rather like
a sweet brandy with vanilla and orange;
think panettone in liqueur form.
I don't expect everyone to keep some at
home, though I bought mine easily enough
(too easily, some might say) and there are
worse things than having this about just for
drinking during the festive season.
You can replace it with a mixture of brandy
and Cointreau or some sweet, sticky
orange liqueur. I wouldn't rule out plain
brandy, but, in this case, you will need to
double the sugar when making the syrup.
The Express point of this isn't that it can be
all done and dusted in five minutes flat -
some longer steeping is advised - but that
it is no effort whatsoever.
This always matters, but it matters now
more than ever.
6 satsumas or clementines
250ml Tuaca, or a mixture of brandy and Cointreau
100g caster sugar
Seeds from 1 pomegranate or 1 x 75g tub pomegranate seeds
1 Peel the satsumas or clementines and put
the segments into a bowl.
2 Pour the Tuaca over and leave for a couple
of hours or overnight.
3 Drain the fruit over a small pan to catch the
Tuaca, and then add the sugar to the liquid.
Stir to dissolve the sugar, then bring to the
boil and do not stir again at all, but let it
bubble for 5 minutes.
4 Let the syrup cool slightly, and then pour it
back over the satsuma or clementine
segments. Add the pomegranate seeds and
tumble to mix.
Serves 6-8
Extracted from Nigella Express by Nigella
Lawson, published by Chatto & Windus at £25.
Copyright © 2007, Nigella Lawson. Photography
© Liz Parsons. To order a copy, call 0845 606 4206
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