Angela Day
Christmas in July is becoming quite a thing in South Africa.
It’s especially popular in Cape Town, where restaurants, wine estates and surrounding towns lay on festive fare.
In the US, where the concept took off, it is more a marketing ploy by retailers who want to get rid of old Christmas inventory in sales.
But in the southern hemisphere – in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa – it’s a chance to enjoy comforting, hot and traditional Christmas dishes when the weather resembles the wintry scenes of those magical festive cards.
When we celebrate Christmas in summer, traditionalists among us may still serve turkey but increasingly more of us are preferring lighter meals. (Few of us would serve soup!)
Sometimes, the celebration is a gathering of friends and family around a braai or a buffet table.
On our yuletide menu:
Leek, potato and trout soup
Red cabbage with juniper and pears
Turkey with preserved lemon and olive stuffing
Florentine shortbread
Fruit mince crackers
LEEK, POTATO AND TROUT SOUP
Serves 6-8
60g butter
2 large leeks, sliced
10ml chopped garlic
4 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 litre of chicken stock
salt and black pepper
250ml sour cream
200g smoked trout, chopped
chopped chives
Melt the butter and fry the leeks and garlic until soft.
Add the potatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add the stock and seasoning, cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes until the potatoes are soft.
Puree with a stick blender until smooth.
Add the sour cream and mix well. Just before serving, stir in the trout.
Serve garnished with a sprinkling of chives.
RED CABBAGE AND PEARS
Serves 8-10
30ml olive oil
2 onions, halved and sliced
1 garlic clove, chopped
10 dried juniper berries
1 red cabbage, about 800g, cored and shredded
1 cinnamon stick
60ml red wine vinegar
45ml brown sugar
500ml vegetable stock
3 firm pears, peeled, cored and cut in wedges
Heat the oil in a big, heavy-based pot. Add the onions and sauté for 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and juniper and cook for a minute.
Add the cabbage, stirring, until it softens.
Add cinnamon stick, vinegar, sugar and stock. Stir well.
Cover and cook over a low heat for 35-40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the pears and cook for 10-15 minutes, until just soft.
Taste the seasoning and adjust if necessary.
TURKEY WITH PRESERVED LEMON AND OLIVE STUFFING
Serves 12
Stuffing
15ml olive oil
30g butter
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
4x250ml fresh white breadcrumbs
half a preserved lemon, white pith removed,finely chopped
250ml pitted green olives, chopped
125ml finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
TURKEY
30ml milk, warmed
5ml saffron threads
3 garlic cloves, crushed
150g butter, softened
1 medium turkey
50ml honey
60ml dukkah
2 red onions, sliced
30ml plain flour
300ml chicken stock
75ml red wine
10ml balsamic vinegar
STUFFING: Heat the oil and butter in a pan, add the onion and stir over low heat for 2-3 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and cook for a minute.
Place in a bowl with remaining stuffing ingredients and stir to combine. Season with plenty of salt and pepper. Cool completely before stuffing turkey.
Preheat oven to 170°C.
Place milk and saffron in a small bowl and leave for 10 minutes.
Beat the saffron milk and garlic into the softened butter.
Remove and discard giblets and neck from the turkey cavity. Rinse turkey and dry inside and out with paper towel.
Fill cavity with stuffing – don’t over-fill as stuffing expands on cooking.
Work fingers gently between the breast meat and skin of turkey, being careful not to tear skin.
Push half the butter onto the breasts, and then pat the skin dry. Rub remaining butter over the outside of legs and breasts.
Roast for 2-3 hours.
Brush turkey with honey. Sprinkle with dukkah. Add red onions to pan and drizzle them with oil.
Roast for a further 30-40 minutes.
Remove onions and turkey. Place turkey on a tray to rest.
Drain any excess fat from pan, leaving pan juices. Place on stove top, add flour and cook, stirring for 1-2 minutes.
Add stock, wine, and vinegar. Cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes, then strain and add cooked onions to sauce.
Serve the turkey with roast potatoes, Brussels sprouts and stuffing balls.
FLORENTINE SHORTBREAD
Makes 24 triangles
SHORTBREAD
375ml flour
180ml cornflour
125ml castor sugar
200g butter, slightly softened and cubed
5ml vanilla
TOPPING
125ml cream
grated rind of 1 orange
250ml castor sugar
15ml liquid glucose
80ml water
125ml honey
125g butter
100g flaked almonds,lightly toasted
100g mixed peel
125g dark chocolate, melted
SHORTBREAD: Combine the flour, cornflour and castor sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer.
Using the paddle attachment, put the machine on and add the butter cubes a few at a time, mixing until it comes together.
Mix in the vanilla.
Press the dough into a 25x35cm pan, smoothing the top with the back of a spoon.
Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Bake at 160°C for 15-20 minutes until light golden in colour.
Remove and set aside.
TOPPING: Combine the cream and orange rind and warm slightly in the microwave.
Set aside to infuse.
In a small pot, combine the castor sugar, liquid glucose and water.
Heat gently, stirring frequently, until the sugar has dissolved.
Increase the heat and bring to the boil.
Boil without stirring, just occasionally swirling the pot, until it becomes light golden in colour.
Remove from the heat and add in the infused cream, honey and butter.
Stir well, return to the heat and stir untilall the lumps have dissolved.
Bring back to the boil, stirring frequently for about 5-6 minutes until slightly thickened.
Remove from the heat and stir in the almonds and citrus peel.
Pour this mixture onto the shortbread and spread to the edges.
Return to the oven at 180°C for 10-15 minutes until the topping is bubbling.
Remove and place on a cooling rack.
When completely cold, carefully turn it onto a board or sheet of baking paper.
It’s easier to cut it into squares from the shortbread side.
Cut the squares into triangles.
Turn the biscuitsthe right side up and drizzle with melted chocolate.
FRUIT MINCE CRACKERS
Makes 8-10
400g bottle of fruit mince
grated rind and juiceof 1 orange
160ml dried cranberries
60ml brandy
160ml flaked almonds, lightly toasted
10 sheets of phyllo pastry
melted butter
icing sugar for sifting
Combine the fruit mince, orange rind and juice, cranberries, brandy and almonds in a pot and heat over a medium heat, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes.
Remove and cool.
Take a sheet of phyllo pastry and place on your work surface.
Brush with melted butter.
Fold the sheet in half and brush with butter.
Place a mound of filling at the base of the pastry in the middle.
Roll up to form a sausage shape. Scrunch the ends to form a cracker.
Repeat with remaining sheets.
Place on a baking tray and bake at 180°C for 15-20 minutes.
Serve, sifted with icing sugar.
* The Angela Day cookery column is published in The Star, the Cape Argus, the Daily News and the Pretoria News.