We’re all for breaking the convention and trying something new on special occasions, but the classics will remain classics when it comes to dinners with your loved ones. This holiday season, we’ve put together a menu of our favourite traditional festive recipes for inspiration. Read on to get your guide to a classic holiday dinner!
- Smoked Salmon For Starters
Start the dinner with this exotic appetizer! A lot of people like smoked salmon as part of their tradition, but we’ve also included scrambled eggs and a little Tabasco as an alternative option.
Ingredients:
- 4 eggs
- 2 tbsp. milk
- ½ tsp. tobasco sauce
- ½ tsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp. olive oil
- 100 gm cherry tomatoes
- 1 tsp. finely chopped chives
- 100 gm. Smoked salmon
- 4 slices whole wheat bread
- ½ lemon, sliced into wedges
Instructions:
- Beat together the eggs, milk, Tabasco, Worcestershire sauce and some seasoning in a jug
- Heat the oil in a large non-stick pan over low heat and pour in the egg mix
- Cook, stirring, until it is done around the edges and slightly runny in the middle
- Then tip in the tomatoes and warm through for 1 min until the eggs have finished cooking
- Top the toast with the scrambled eggs and chives, and place the smoked salmon on the side with a wedge of lemon to squeeze over
- Drizzle over extra Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce, if you like it with an extra kick.
2. Retro Prawn Cocktail
Who can say no to Marie Rose sauce? We certainly can’t, and prefer to serve this seafood starter in unadulterated fashion.
Ingredients:
- 400 gm. Cooked prawns
- 4 lettuce leaves, washed and trimmed
- 5 tsp. mayonnaise
- 5 tsp. tomato chutney
- 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tsp. horse radish
- Tiny splashed tabasco sauce
- Squeeze lemon juice
- Paprika for dusting
- 4 tsp. chopped chive
Instructions:
- Peel all but 4 of the prawns (reserve these for the tops)
- Break the lettuces into individual leaves, then divide the leaves evenly between 4 small glass bowls
- Sprinkle the prawns over the lettuce and season with black pepper
- Mix the mayonnaise, tomato chutney, Worcestershire sauce, horseradish, and Tabasco together
- Season to taste with lemon juice and salt and pepper, then spoon sparingly over the prawns
- Dust the top with a little paprika and sprinkle with chives
- Top with the remaining prawns and serve immediately.
3. Classic Roast Turkey
What is the holiday season without a classic Turkey roast? We have the perfect recipe for you to try with Turkey this holiday season!
Ingredients:
- 1 onion, chopped
- Fresh bay leaves
- 41/2-5kg bronze turkey
- 85 gm butter
- 1 whole nutmeg
- 10 bacon strips
Instructions:
- Heat oven to 190C
- Put the onion and a large sprig of the bay leaves in the cavity between the turkey legs
- Now pack half the stuffing into the neck end, pushing it towards the breast
- Secure the neck skin in position with skewers and tie the turkey legs together at the top of the drumsticks to give a neat shape
- Weigh the turkey and calculate the cooking time at 20 mins per kilo, plus 90 mins
- Puta large sheet of extra-wide foil in a large roasting tin, then put the turkey on top
- Smear the breast with the butter, grate over half the nutmeg and season well
- Cover the breast with bacon, pour over the wine, then loosely bring up the foil and seal well to make a parcel
- Roasting the oven, then 90 mins before the end of cooking, open the foil, discard the bacon, and drain off excess fat from the tin
- Leaving the foil open, return the turkey to the oven to brown, basting with the juices several times
- To test whether the turkey is cooked, push a skewer into the thickest part of the thigh – the juices should run clear
- If they are pinkish, cook for 15 mins more, then test again
- Transfer the turkey, stuffings, and pigs-in-blankets to a platter, cover with foil, a couple of tea towels and allow to rest for up to 30 mins before carving
- This gives the juices time to settle back into the meat, ensuring that the turkey will be juicyGarnishwith sprigs of the bay leaves.
Wanna learn more holiday recipes? Check out Traditional Christmas Recipes From Around The World
