Here are some of my favourite recipes for Christmas. The first one is a relish that can be served with chicken, turkey, pork, beef, lamb and even fish.
Beetroot relish
Ingredients:
* 500 g fresh beetroot, peeled and finely chopped/grated
* 1 medium red onion, peeled and finely chopped/grated
* 1 medium red apple, cored and finely chopped/grated
* 70 g apple cider vinegar (take care not to use double strength!)
* 50 g coconut sugar
* 1 tsp yellow mustard seeds
* ¼ tsp all spice
Method:
* Add beetroot, onion and apple to saucepan. Mix together.
* Add remaining ingredients, including 400 g water, and cook for 60 mins.
* When the relish is finished cooking, if you prefer a runnier texture add a little more water. Allow to cool completely before putting into sterilised jars. If you use a sterilised jar and clean spoon/knife for serving this should last several weeks in the fridge.
The next recipe is a pork and chicken terrain. It is easy to prepare the day before and then serve cold on Christmas day. It is delicious with vegetables or salad and the beetroot relish above is a great accompaniment with it.
Pork and Chicken Terrine
Ingredients:
* 300g pork fillet minced
* 200g chicken breast fillet minced
* 1 brown onion chopped finely
* 2 garlic cloves chopped finely
* 4 sprigs of parsley chopped finely
* 4 sprigs of thyme chopped finely
* 1 tablespoon of olive oil
* 50g white wine
* 50g fresh spinach leaves
* 50g shelled unsalted pistachios
* 40g dried cranberries
* 1 egg
* ½ teaspoon sea salt
* Ground pepper to taste
* 12 slices of prosciutto
Method:
Place onion, garlic, herbs into frypan. Add oil and fry. Add white wine and cook for 2 minutes. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes. In a bowl put mince and onion mix and add spinach, pistachios, cranberries, egg, salt and pepper and mix together. Place 2 long sheets of aluminium foil onto a work surface. Place 6 slices of prosciutto onto each piece of foil to form a rectangle. Distribute mince mixture evenly between the 2 pieces of foil, placing the mince down the centre of the prosciutto. Fold the prosciutto ends over the mince to enclose, then wrap the foil around the prosciutto to form a sausage shape. Twist the ends of the foil to seal. Place both wrapped terrines into a steamer and steam for 50 minutes. Once cooked, removed terrines from the foil, place onto a plate and cover with plastic wrap and place into refrigerator to chill. Then slice and serve.
The last recipe is one of my favourites and it comes out any time of the year because they are delicious!
Speculaas
Ingredients:
* ¾ tsp cardamom
* 1 ½ tsp cinnamon
* 1 vanilla bean
* Pinch of clove
* ¼ tsp nutmeg
* ½ tsp white pepper
* ½ tsp dried fennel seeds
* 1 ½ cups of plain flour and extra for rolling (can use gluten free flour)
* 2 tsp of baking powder
* ½ cup of coconut sugar
* 200g of unsalted butter
Method:
Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, clove, nutmeg, pepper, fennel in a large bowl.
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy in a separate bowel. Beat in half the flour mix until well combined and then add in the other half. Shape into 3 disks and flatten to around 1-inch thickness, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Dust working surface with flour and roll out one of the disks to a ¼ – 3/8-inch thickness. Cut shapes with a cookie cutter and place onto a baking paper lined tray. Place cookies 1 inch apart and continue until all dough is used. Freeze until firm, about 1 hour.
Reheat oven to 170C. Place 1 sheet of cookies in oven, and bake, 1 sheet at a time, until cookies are set and just beginning to turn light gold around edges, 20 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks. Enjoy!
Nicole Haak is an experienced Melbourne Naturopath whose gentle approach and warm nature enable her to be an empathetic and supportive practitioner who takes a genuine interest in her clients’ needs. She has a deep passion for what she does. This is evident by her holistic approach to helping her patients find solutions to their health concerns and improve their quality of life.
