On the menu – Stabroek News
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Are you all set? Do you know what you’re making for the big meal on Christmas Day? Well, if you’re still looking for ideas, I’ve put together a few recipes from this year’s columns that I think would make a good addition to the table.
The recipes are mainly sides with one exception. Let’s be honest, the mains regarding protein do not change. The major difference is how we choose to cook it: whole or cut up, roasted, grilled, curried, stewed or fried. We may dabble with different flavourings comprising herbs, spices, pastes and powders. And then of course, there is ham, for those who eat pork.
So what’s on the menu?
● Slow roasted Shoulder of Lamb
● Scalloped Sweet Potatoes
● Baked Cabbage
● Cranberry-rosemary Focaccia
● Shrimp-plantain Tostones
Noticeably absent are drinks and desserts. Traditional cakes and pies always are the go-to as are the traditional beverages. I know that some people like to create a cocktail for the occasion, therefore, tap that budding mixologist among your family or friends to create one. Every year one of my family friends makes Nogg (that’s how he spells it and what he calls it.). There are no eggs involved. It is a homemade crème liqueur. The recipe is a secret. Apparently he mixes and matches different combinations of ingredients depending on his mood. It is always dangerously, exceptionally good. We are often encouraged not to drink it on the premises. We are given little bottles of it as we leave with the advice to drink it cold with a couple of ice cubes, and head to bed shortly after. LOL
A few things to note about the recipes.
Slow roasted Shoulder of Lamb
The shoulder is the perfect cut for this application rather than the leg, the meat is more tender as it benefits from low, slow cooking.
The meat can be seasoned 2 days in advance and brought up to room temperature when ready to cook.
Slow Roasted Shoulder of Lamb
INGREDIENTS
● 1 bone-in shoulder of lamb (about 4 -5 pounds)
● Salt and pepper to taste
● 3 – 4 tablespoons green seasoning (see note)
● 5 large onions, peeled and halved
● 3 carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
● 1 head of garlic, extra papery skin removed and cut crossways
● 4 cups vegetable stock
DIRECTIONS
1. Remove any excess sinew slivers from the outer part of the shoulder using a paring knife. Pat the meat dry with paper towels. Using a paring knife, make incisions in the meat.
2. Rub all over the meat with the salt and pepper to taste, try getting some into the incisions as well. Follow this by rubbing the meat with the green seasoning. Wrap securely with cling wrap and foil and place in the refrigerator to marinate overnight or up to 2 days.
3. Remove from the refrigerator and bring up to room temperature before cooking.
4. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
5.` Add the lamb to a deep baking pan, arrange the onions, carrots and garlic to form a bed on which you will rest the meat. Pour in the stock. Cover the pan tightly with aluminium foil and transfer to the oven. Cook covered for 4 hours. Remove the foil, turn the heat up to 350 degrees and cook for 30 minutes or until a knife inserts easily to the meat.
6. Remove from the oven, cover again with foil and let rest for 30 minutes before serving.
To make a gravy:
● Puree the onions and carrots along with the softened garlic (skins removed) and any drippings in the pan. Add some boiling water to deglaze the pan and help remove the intensely flavourful stuck on bits. Puree everything, add 1 cup of boiling water and simmer to your desired consistency. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.
NOTE
● I always make a fresh batch of green seasoning for roasts like these. For this lamb, I added more rosemary to the mix.
Scalloped Sweet Potatoes
Depending on where you are, you may have access to different types of sweet potatoes, white, yellow, purple or orange-fleshed. Use whichever variety you like for this recipe. I used what I had available at the time, the white-flesh sweet potato which is more common to us.
This pie can be prepped 24 hours ahead, be brought up to room temperature and then baked. However, I would recommend sprinkling the cheese on top, just before putting it into the oven.
Scalloped Sweet Potatoes
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: 8 x 8-inch baking dish
INGREDIENTS
● 3 pounds sweet potatoes
● 1 ½ tablespoons salted or unsalted butter
● 1 ½ tablespoons flour
● 2 tablespoons minced sweet or flavour peppers
● 2 heaped teaspoons minced fresh thyme
● Minced hot peppers to taste
● 2 ½ cups whole milk
● Salt to taste
● 2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese, divided in half
● Minced parsley to garnish (optional)
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Brush baking dish with oil or rub with softened butter.
3. Peel sweet potatoes and slice into 1/8-inch thin slices (thinner than ¼-inch thickness). If you do not have a slicer, use a sharp knife to make the slices. Arrange the slices in a baking dish at an angle, overlapping, making them scalloped.
4. Add butter, thyme and peppers to the saucepan and place over medium heat; when the butter melts and begins to froth, add the flour and stir well to mix. Reduce heat to low and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the rawness of the flour is cooked out.
5. Raise heat to medium and pour milk into pot with roux (butter flour mixture); use a whisk to mix well. Season with salt to taste and bring the mixture to simmer then reduce heat to low and stir intermittently until the sauce thickens. To check the doneness of the sauce – dip a tablespoon into the sauce and run a finger down the back of the spoon, if the separated sauce does not rejoin, the sauce is done. Turn off the heat and immediately stir in 1 cup of cheese until melted.
6. Pour the sauce all over the sweet potatoes; using a spatula or a knife, gently move the sweet potatoes so that the sauce can run down to the sides, bottom and in between.
7. Sprinkle remaining cheese over the sweet potatoes.
8. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 40 – 45 minutes or until a knife inserts with little or no resistance. Remove the foil and cook for 15 minutes or until golden and bubbly.
9. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with parsley if using, and let rest for at least 30 minutes before serving.
NOTES
● To make a larger dish, simply double
the amount of ingredients.
● If you want the dish cheesier, add more to suit your taste.
● I reserved some of the minced thyme and flavour peppers to sprinkle on | top before putting the dish in the oven.
4. The dish stays hot for a long time so you can cook early. Or make ahead, let cool completely, and refrigerate.The next day, bring up to room temperature, top with grated cheese and bake.
Baked Cabbage
This is so easy to prepare. Simply do it just before putting it into the oven. You can bake 2 or 3 or 4 at one go by placing all the individually wrapped cabbage in a large baking dish. The cabbage and be cooked at the same time with Scalloped Sweet Potatoes because they cook at the same oven temperature.
Baked Cabbage
INGREDIENTS
● 1 regular-sized cabbage
● Vegetable oil
● Dry all-purpose seasoning with salt
● Paprika (smoked or regular), turmeric or sazón
● Butter
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Tear off a large piece of aluminium foil (heavy duty if you have) and place on the countertop.
3. Remove any dry or torn leaves from the cabbage. Cut off about 1 and a half to 2 inches from the stem and remove the core, then pat the cabbage dry. Transfer to foil.
4. Rub some oil all over the cabbage and follow by sprinkling seasoning powders or seasoning salts inside and around the cabbage. The colour of the finished dish is key, so be sure to use paprika, turmeric or sazón, if you have. Take some butter (salted or unsalted) and pack it into the cavity of the cabbage.
5. Wrap the parcel that is the cabbage securely, ensuring you keep the cored side up.
6. Place in a pan and cook for 2 hours. Remove from the oven and rest for at least half an hour before cutting and serving. Pour off the juices and reduce by half or more to concentrate the flavour, then spoon it over cut cabbage before serving.
NOTE
● The cooking time will vary depending on the size of cabbage – for a large cabbage, cook for 2 and ½ to 3 hours. For a regular sized cabbage, 2 hours and for a cabbage, just a little smaller than regular, cook for 1 and ½ hour.
Cranberry-Rosemary Focaccia
While there will be the traditional white plait loaf for Pepperpot, this Focaccia is your dinner bread. It can be eaten on its own, with butter, to sop up the jus from the roast lamb or gravy. The flavours are lovely. The cranberries give not only holiday cheer but the sweet-tart burst of flavour combined with the fragrant rosemary is unbeatable and an absolute delight to eat. It will be a winner.
This version of Focaccia does not involve kneading so no need to worry. Simply mix the ingredients together, let it sit for a couple of hours before tipping it onto a tray, spreading it out and baking. The recipe will guide you. You can prepare this just before sitting down to breakfast and set it aside to do its thing. It will be ready in time for your Christmas dinner or late lunch.
Cranberry-Rosemary Focaccia
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: 9 x 13 baking pan or 13 x 18 sheet pan
INGREDIENTS
● 4 cups all-purpose flour
● 2 teaspoons instant yeast
● 1 tablespoon sugar
● 1 teaspoon table salt
● 2 cups warm water (110 – 115 degrees F)
● 3 tablespoons Olive oil (regular or Extra
virgin) or Vegetable oil, plus extra
● 3 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh rosemary
● 1 cup dried cranberries
● Sea salt for sprinkling (optional)
DIRECTIONS
1. Add the flour, yeast, sugar and salt to a bowl and mix well. Pour in water and gently mix. The dough will be wet and sticky. Cover and place somewhere warm. Let rest for 2 hours or until more than doubled in size.
2. Mix together the 3 tablespoons of oil and rosemary and set aside.
3. Oil the baking pan (whichever size you are using). Be sure to get the oil up the sides and rims as well.
4. Tilt the dough onto the pan. Use a spoon or bowl scraper to get out all the dough. Use your hands to stretch the dough to fill the sides and corners of the pan. When this is done, drizzle the oil-rosemary mixture all over the surface of the dough and scatter the dried cranberries. Light sprinkling of sea salt if using.
5. Oil your hands and make deep dimples/indentations all over the surface of the dough. Loosely cover with cling wrap and let rise for 45 minutes or until it has risen just over the edge of the pan (if using a sheet pan), or to the top of the pan if using a 9 x 13 pan. Twenty minutes before the time is up, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F with the rack in the middle.
6. Carefully transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until the top is even golden brown. Remove from the oven, rest in the pan for 10 minutes before removing the bread and transferring to a wire rack to cool. Serve warm (after sitting for about 20 – 25 minutes) or at room temperature.
NOTE
● You will get a thicker bread with the smaller pan and a thinner bread with the large sheet pan. Choose based on your preference and the type of pan you have.
Shrimp-Plantain Tostones
This can work as a starter if you are serving your meal in courses. If you’re not, then make them and serve a generous platter along with all your other dishes.
Do some advance prep by making the shrimp paste a day ahead and bring it to room temperature when you are ready to use it.
Tostones as you know involves 2-step cooking. I recommend doing the first step of cooking and smashing the plantains (while they are hot) and setting them aside until you are ready to start cooking to serve the meal. This way, all you have to do is spread the shrimp paste and do the second stage of cooking.
As with everything, some thought and planning is needed. With the exception of the Shrimp-Plantain Tostones, everything else is cooked in the oven.
Shrimp-Plantain Tostones
INGREDIENTS
● Shrimp (size does not matter because it is going to be minced)
● Grated fresh ginger
● Grated fresh garlic
Finely minced hot pepper, to taste
Thinly sliced scallions/green onions
For seasoning – soy sauce and oyster sauce
Salt to taste
Green plantains, peeled and cut into chunks of
1 ¼ to 1 ½ inch thickness
Vegetable oil
DIRECTIONS
1. Peel, devein, rinse and pat dry the shrimp.
2. Add the shrimp along with the ginger and garlic to the bowl of a food processor and pulse to grind. Pulse – do not let the motor run. Depending on your processor/blender, and quantity of shrimp, you won’t need more than 5 to 7 pulses.
3. Add the scallions, sauces and salt to taste and pulse 2 to 3 times to mix. Remove from the food processor and set aside.
4. Add oil for shallow frying to cook the plantains for 3 minutes (1 ½ minutes per side). Remove from the pan and smash each one separately.
5. Generously spread one side of each smashed plantain with the shrimp paste, pressing to ensure that it adheres to the surface of the plantains.
To cook these plantain-shrimp tostones, either pour off the oil, leaving only 3 tablespoons in the pan or use a separate pan by adding 3 tablespoons of the same oil in which the plantains were cooked.
● Line a wire rack or racks with paper towels and set aside.
● Add the pan with only 3 tablespoons of oil over medium heat until very hot but not smoking.
● Working in batches, Cook the plantains, shrimp-side down for 1 and a half minutes, then flip and cook the plantains for another 1 ½ to 2 minutes. Transfer to the lined wire rack. Repeat the process, adding a little oil in between each batch to cook the shrimp-plantain tostones.
● Serve warm.
NOTES
1. You can try this with the small white belly shrimp if you like, however, if you think people might be put off with the tiny bits of soft shell, then use large shrimp or prawns.
2. Garnishing with sesame seeds and thinly sliced scallions is optional.
Bon appétit!
Merry Christmas everybody!
Cynthia
