THEGAYUK

Tag: Christmas Recipes

Savour the season with our festive Christmas recipes! From hearty roasts to sweet treats, discover easy and delicious ideas to make your holiday table merry and bright. 🎄✨ #ChristmasRecipes #HolidayCooking

  • RECIPE | Christmas Chutney

    Prep 30 mins | Cooking time approx. 1 hour 45 mins.

    Whether you are looking to liven up that after dinner cheeseboard, wishing to impress at a Boxing Day buffet or wanting to give a unique, homemade gift, then a sharp, tangy chutney won’t go amiss. It may take a little time to prepare, but the results are well worth it. Store in spring clip jars and whether you enjoy it by heaping it on cheese and biscuits, serving as a fruity dip or using it to liven up that leftover turkey sandwich, home-made chutney is delicious

     

    Ingredients.

    250g apples

    400g pears

    2cm piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and very finely chopped

    50g dried apricots, quartered

    75g sultanas

    200g Demerara sugar

    250ml cider vinegar

    ½ tbsp wholegrain mustard

    ½ tsp ground cinnamon

     

    Method.

    1. Peel the apples and pears with a vegetable peeler and use a sharp knife to core and cut the fruit into small bite size chunks. Don’t cut them too small, or they will turn into mush during the cooking. Store the chopped fruit in a large bowl of cold water whilst preparing them to avoid them going brown.
    2. Place all of the chopped fruit into a large pan along with the ginger, apricots, sultanas, sugar, vinegar and cinnamon
    3. Add the mustard and heat the mixture gently, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Continue cooking for around 90 minutes, until you have a thick, syrupy texture.
    4. Spoon the chutney into sterilised, warmed jars, taking care not to trap any air in the chutney as you put it in the jars. There are a number of options to sterilize your jars. Use a baby bottle sterilizer (such as Milton fluid / tablets); place the jars in a steamer or (after removing any rubber seals on the jars) place in a low oven (140c/275F/Gas Mark 1) for about half an hour
    5. Cover the top of the chutney using cling film and leave to cool. Once sealed in your jar, store your chutney in a cool dark place.
    6. Your chutney will taste best if you leave it to mature for a month and will keep for up to six months in the fridge.

  • RECIPE | Green Eggs And Ham, Christmas Morning Surprise

    Makes 6 |  Prep 20 mins |  Cook 20 mins

    Whip the batter up for these make-ahead muffins on Christmas Eve and then place in the fridge in their baking tray until you’re ready to cook them in the oven on Christmas morning. Now that’s a wake and bake!

    They smell amazing as they’re cooking and come out festively green, packing an energy & antioxidant punch from Matcha green tea. You can of course leave the Matcha out if you want to (although it’s undetectable on the palette), and vegetarians can swap the pancetta for wild mushrooms or cherry tomatoes.
    INGREDIENTS.

    6 large organic eggs

    100-150g cubed pancetta

    25g grated parmesan (or cheese of choice)

    1 tsp dried oregano

    1/2 tsp garlic powder (or 1 finely chopped garlic clove)

    1 tsp baking powder

    1 tbsp matcha green tea powder (optional)

    small handful pumpkin seeds

    METHOD.

    • Grease a 6” mould muffin baking tray with butter or oil.
    • Dry fry the pancetta in a pan until golden and crisp (about 5 mins on high). Transfer to a plate lined with kitchen towel, placing another piece of towel on top, pressing down to soak up excess oil.
    • In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 6 eggs.
      Sieve in the baking powder and matcha green tea. Add the garlic powder, oregano, and parmesan, continuing to whisk well together for a few minutes.
    • Transfer the egg mix to a jug so you can now easily pour the mixture into the muffin moulds. Distribute the pancetta pieces (reserve some for scattering at the end) between the moulds at this point too. Cover and put in the fridge until morning, or if cooking straight away, continue with below steps…
    • Have your oven heat to 200c / 180c (fan) / Gas Mark 6.
    • Use a teaspoon to give each muffin a little stir and top with a scattering of pumpkin seeds.
      Place in the oven for 15-20 minutes until they have risen slightly, and are firm to the touch.
    • Remove from the oven and leave to cool in their tin for about 5 minutes before serving, scatter over any reserved pancetta. Epic either hot, warm or cold.

     

  • Your Christmas Eve, Morning and Boxing Day Meals Sorted

    Food Editor, Jordan Lohan, has literally out done himself for this feast…

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  • Recipe | Butternut Stew, Perfect for A Christmas Eve Get Together

    Butternut Stew | Serves 2 (or 4 with salad / steamed vegetables) |  Prep 15 mins | Cook 45-60 mins

    This is totally comforting and satisfying (not to mention nutritious). Mouthfuls go from moments of mellow tomatoes, squash, leeks and carrot (I like purple carrots in this recipe), to spikes of chilli, smoky chorizo and fresh, green coriander. Non meat eaters feel free to omit the chorizo.

    A one pot winner perfect for Christmas Eve or anytime that you require minimal; effort, expense, and washing up.

    Ingredients:

    1 onion, chopped roughly

    1 leek, chopped roughly

    2 carrots, chopped into 2-3cm chunks

    1 small butternut squash (250g of large chunks)

    4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

    1 large red chilli, deseeded and thinly sliced

    100g cooking chorizo, sliced

    50g pearl barley

    300g jarred herby passata (or use a 400g tin)

    2 bay leaves

    2 sprigs rosemary, finely chopped (or 1 tbsp dried)

    1 tbsp dried marjoram

    1 tsp ground ginger

    400ml hot water, with 2 tsp bouillon (or use a stock cube)

    1 tbsp coconut oil, or other cooking oil

     

    to serve

    handful pumpkin seeds

    fresh coriander

     

    Method

    1) Heat the coconut oil in a large non-stick saucepan and over a medium heat begin to fry the chorizo, onions and leeks.

    2) After 5 minutes add the rosemary, chilli, marjoram, ginger and garlic. Stirring around the pan for a few minutes.

    3) Add the passata and bay leaves, and allow to bubble out for a couple of minutes.

    4) Add your pearl barley, butternut squash, and carrots and cover with the stock water.

    5) Once the sauce has reached boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and leave for 25 minutes, shaking the pan every now and then.

    6) Remove the cover from the pan and continue to simmer until your butternut squash and carrots are cooked through. Shake the pan every now and then.

    7) Remove from the heat, season with black pepper and scatter over pumpkin seeds and coriander when serving.

  • Recipe: One Pot Pasta, Perfect As A Winter Warmer

    Serves 2 (with leftovers) |  Prep 10 mins |  Cook 20 mins

     

    It cannot get much easier or simpler than this. Some veg, pasta, and water all in one pot, makes a winning dinner choice for Christmas Eve, keeping prep/cook/washing up and expense down before all round and inevitable indulgence on Christmas Day. You don’t even need to drain the water with this savvy self saucing delight!

     

    INGREDIENTS.

     

    200g fusilli longhi (or spaghetti / linguine will do!)

    350g herby passata (jarred)

    100g wild mushrooms

    100g frozen petit pois

    1 medium onion, thinly sliced

    1 lemon, zest only

    15g basil, leave whole

    1 tbsp paprika

    1 tsp bouillon powder (or half a stock cube)

    500ml water

    90g ricotta cheese

    Parmesan (enough to go crazy with, it is Christmas!)

     

    METHOD

     

    1) Add all the ingredients (except for cheeses) to a large saucepan or stockpot (you may have to break your pasta in half), stir around a bit and ensure the majority of the ingredients is covered by the 500ml water.

     

    2) Stirring regularly, heat on high to reach boiling point and then reduce to a simmer.

     

    3) Test your pasta after about 10 minutes, keep testing until al dente or cooked to your liking. Remove from the heat, remove the basil stalks and discard.

     

    3) Stir in the ricotta, season with black pepper and a little salt.

     

    4) Transfer to serving bowl(s) and adorn in parmesan and freshly torn basil leaves.

    5) Served with salad and breads this meal could easily serve more people.

     

  • RECIPE: Bone Broth: A Delicious And Nourishing Boxing Day Treat

    Makes about 1 litre |  Prep 10 mins | Cook 8 hours plus! (more…)

  • RECIPE: Overnight Oats, The Inexpensive Christmas Morning Breakfast

    Serves 1 hungry person | Prep 5 mins | No Cook

     
    Simple and inexpensive. Prepare these on Christmas Eve and let these overnight oats soak in the fridge to produce a “cooked”, creamy, gorgeous fuss-free breakfast to wake up and dig straight into in the morning filling and nutritious, a great way to begin your day, and not just at Christmas! The jars I use in the image are a 500g capacity.
    INGREDIENTS.

    Basic Recipe

    50g quick cook / rolled oats

    100ml coconut milk (not tinned variety, from alpro or koko)

    3 tbsp natural yoghurt

     
    METHOD.

    Mix all ingredients in a jar / bowl / vessel of your choice.

    Stir in either of the flavour combinations below.

    Cover and chill in the fridge overnight (or minimum 3 hours), remove and serve.My favourite flavour variations;
    Berry Coconutty- In picture on right

    50g raspberries (frozen is fine)

    small handful brazil nuts, chopped

    small handful blueberries (frozen is fine)

    small handful coconut flakes

    1 tsp vanilla paste / extract (optional)
    Apple & Cinnamon (tastes like pure Christmas!)- In picture on right

    1 small apple- blitzed or finely chopped, or 2 heaped tbsp apple puree

    1 tbsp maple syrup / honey

    1 tsp cinnamon

    small handful walnuts

    small handful raisins

     

    BACK TO CHRISTMAS FOOD IDEAS

     

  • RECIPE: Bubble And Chic, The Perfect Way To Use Up Christmas Leftovers

    Makes 4 |  Prep 20 mins | Cook 50 mins

     

    Leftovers never looked so good before, right? You can make changes to this recipe dependent on what vegetables you may have leftover from Christmas. Celeriac could be swapped for the beetroot (you will lose the pinky redness of the dish though), use any kind of cabbage or brussell sprouts, standard potato instead of sweet, leek instead of onion etc.

     

    INGREDIENTS.

    1 carrot (peeled if non-organic), roughly chopped

    200g uncooked beetroot, peeled and chopped in small chunks

    200g sweet potato, skin on and roughly chopped

    225g red cabbage, chopped

     

    1 medium onion, finely chopped

    8 tbsp panko breadcrumbs

     

    goes well with;

    dollop of yoghurt

    lemon zest

    pomegranate seeds

    romanesco / cauliflower / broccoli

    raw radish slices

    parmesan

     

    METHOD.

    Pre-heat your oven to 220c / 200c (fan) / Gas Mark 7

     

    Heat a little oil in a frying pan a gently sweat out the onions for 10 minutes, once softened, set aside.

    Meanwhile you can boil the carrot, beetroot, sweet potato and red cabbage in a large saucepan and do so for 15-20 minutes.

    Drain the vegetables thoroughly and tip into a large mixing bowl. Mash the vegetables lightly, then add in the panko breadcrumbs (if your mix looks overly wet then add a couple more tablespoons), and then stir in the onion. Season heavily with black pepper, and just a wee pinch of salt.

    Once cool enough to handle, use your hands to shape into four “cakes”. Alternatively you could use a cookie cutter or ringlet as a mould for the cakes, spooning in the mixture and pressing down as you go. Set the cookie cutter aside once all cakes are shaped.

    At this point you could top each cake with a good grating of parmesan. Now, place into the oven for 30 minutes. Pop under the grill for a few minutes on high if you want them extra crispy!

    Remove from the oven and serve with a dollop of yoghurt, pomegranate jewels, grated lemon zest, and some more left over vegetables that have been lightly steamed, I used romanesco and some raw radish.

  • RECIPE: Pistachio Pavlova, Something Different For Christmas Day Pudding

    Serves 6-8 people |  Prep 30 mins |  Cook 2-2.5 hours (more…)

  • RECIPE: Figgy Lavender Pudding, The Ultimate Christmas Pudding Replacement

    Serves 10-12 |  Prep 40 mins | (plus overnight soaking, and minimum 4-5 hours chilling once assembled) No Cook
    Pretty in purple, this dessert has no added sugars, dairy, or flour and uses only natural & nutritious ingredients. If you have an aversion to lavender then leave it out, but i promise you its presence is subtle and is really lovely.

    INGREDIENTS.Base

    200g pecans

    100g hazelnuts

    210g pitted fresh dates

    4 tbsp coconut oil
    Filling

    (soak the cashews & hazelnuts for the filling over night, just covering them in a bowl with filtered water)

    250g cashews

    100g hazelnuts

    150g dried figs (fine for the packet to say “slightly rehydrated”)

    90g runny honey

    75g blueberries (frozen is fine)

    75g coconut oil, melted

    1 lemon, juice of

    2 tsp culinary lavender (optional, but lovely!)

    optional- fresh figs to serve on top

    METHOD.

    9-inch springform tin (less than 9 inch is fine but will result in a cake with more height)
    BASE- Use a food processor or high powered blender to blitz the pecans and hazelnuts, and then adding the pitted fresh dates and coconut oil next, blitzing once again until combined.
    Put the base of the cake tin down on top of greaseproof paper, use as a guide to draw a circle around it. Cut the circle out and then lay the circle on the bottom of the tin, greasing with a little oil.
    Begin to spoon in the base mixture into the tin pressing down as you go, distributing evenly. Set aside in the fridge overnight, or place in the freezer for a few hours if you want to speed things up.
    FILLING- Drain the soaked nuts thoroughly, and then place all filling ingredients in a food processor or highly powered blender and combine thoroughly. If your processor struggles to combine the filling into a uniform texture then remove some and work in smaller batches, adding extra honey to loosen it up as you go.
    Spoon the filling into the cake tin on top of the nutty base and smooth over the top with a spatula or back of a spoon.
    Place back into the fridge and I really recommend leaving it for a day, covered, for the flavours to develop, but it essentially would be ready to eat after chilling for 4-5 hours.
    Remove from fridge 10 minutes prior to serving.

  • RECIPE | Beef Stifado

    Beef Stifado

    Serves 3 (or 2 without a carb) | Prep Minimum 3 ½ hours marinading, or overnight | Cook 2 ½ hours |

    If you are looking for a seriously tasty portion of comfort in a bowl, then this beef stifado is definitely for you! Through slow cooking it develops a rich, red wine, almost smokey flavoured sauce. It’s ingredients are essentially very basic, so I like to have garlicky mashed sweet potatoes with a green vegetable next to this hunky beefy dish, to help me get closer to my 7-a-day. This deserves good ingredients, so try going for organic produce if you don’t already. Try and marinade the beef as long as possible, over night if you can.

    BEEF

    Around 85g of beef provides you with the following of your daily requirements; 50% protein, 39% zinc, 37% B12, 24% selenium, 20% phosphorous, 18% niacin, 16% B6, 14% iron, 12% riboflavin. (SOURCE; http://www.beef.org/udocs/Beef%20Bytes%20Health.pdf

    TOMATOES

    are full of beta carotenes which is really beneficial to our skin. Tomatoes contain high vitamin C, and also vitamins A & K. They are helpful when needing to boost your immune system and also have anti cancer properties.

    Ingredients.

    For the marinade:

    125ml red wine

    2 garlic cloves, crushed

    2 cloves

    2 sprigs fresh rosemary

    2 bay leaves, fresh or dried

    1 cinnamon stick, broken in two

    1 tsp oregano

    400g organic beef, diced

    400g can organic chopped tomatoes

    250g organic shallots, peeled

    2 tbsp organic tomato puree

    1 beef stock cube (low-salt)

    Method.

    Preheat oven to 180c / 160c (fan) / Gas Mark 4

    1. In a deep bowl mix together all the marinade ingredients along with the beef, cover and chill in the fridge for at least 3 ½ hours.
    2. Reserving the marinade liquid, drain the beef. At this point I pick out the cinnamon stick pieces, rosemary etc. and keep them with the reserved marinade liquid.
    3. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan and brown the beef. Once browned, place in an oven proof casserole dish that has a lid.
    4. Fry your whole peeled shallots in the same pan as you did the beef, until they turn golden on the outside. Remove and place with the beef in the casserole dish.
    5. Increase the heat on the frying pan and add your marinade liquid, chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, stock cube, and 100ml of water.
    6. Let the sauce reach boiling point and then take off the heat, transferring to the casserole dish. Mix all together, cover and cook in the oven for 2 ½ hours. I normally take a look and stir every hour whilst it’s cooking.
    7. Serve with a healthy carb and vegetables of your choice.