by Jamie Oliver
TEAM WAVES OF QUALITY SMOKED SALMON WITH …
• Cucumber peeled into ribbons, placed proudly on top of a little cream cheese with a fine grating of lemon zest
• Peeled and finely shaved raw baby beets, a squeeze of lemon juice, and a pinch of fresh tarragon
• Cooked beets blitzed with cream cheese until smooth, topped with a fine grating of fresh horseradish root
• Cream cheese loosened with a little lemon juice, and a sprinkling of salmon caviar to add an extra pop of flavor
• A dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of chopped fresh chives and finely sliced tender asparagus
• Puréed avocado and a little jarred jalapeño, a dollop of sour cream, and a few freshly picked cilantro leaves
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GET AHEAD
Make the batter the night before, then simply leave covered in the fridge until needed, whisking up well before use.
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WELSH RAREBIT
CIABATTA, SILVERSKINS, CORNICHONS, & CHILI JAM
I don’t know anyone who doesn’t go mad for Welsh rarebit—it’s essentially just posh cheese on toast! This recipe is great, as you can make the rarebit topping in advance and simply keep it in the fridge, ready to spread, bake, and go.
SERVES 12
40 MINUTES
RAREBIT
4 large eggs
10 oz crème fraîche
1 heaping teaspoon English mustard
7 oz mature Cheddar cheese
Worcestershire sauce
2 × 9-oz loaves of nice ciabatta
PARTY FARE
1 jar of chili jam
1 jar of baby cornichons
1 jar of silverskin pickled onions
3½ oz watercress
Separate the eggs, then whisk the egg yolks with the crème fraîche and mustard (put the egg whites into a sandwich bag and pop in the freezer for making meringue another day—see here). Finely grate and stir in the cheese, then season to perfection with sea salt, black pepper, and a good few drips of Worcestershire sauce. Cover, and put into the fridge for up to 2 days, or until needed.
When you’re ready to cook, preheat the oven to 350°F. Halve the ciabattas lengthways, place on a large baking sheet and pop into the oven for 10 to 15 minutes to crisp up. Take out the pan, then divide and spread the rarebit mixture evenly across the ciabatta halves, randomly stabbing them with a regular butter knife to encourage the rarebit to penetrate the bread. Return to the oven for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until they’re golden and bubbling.
Slice up the rarebit and serve with chili jam, cornichons, silverskin pickled onions, and picked watercress leaves for a bit of crunch and contrast. Delicious.
Party stations
Keep your party simple, and you’ll have the time to enjoy it, too. Set up stations where people can help themselves—Silky pâté (see here) next to loaves of bread and a toaster or a vat of Party squash soup (see here) with a stack of cups and a ladle. Prep stuff ahead, ready to heat and go, such as my Welsh rarebit (see here), Baked Camembert (see here), and fun Sausage roll mania (see here).
QUESADILLAS
SWEET RED ONIONS, BRUSSELS SPROUTS, & PECORINO
These tasty bites of deliciousness are about celebrating the humble Brussels sprout in all its glory, in a delightful homemade tortilla that has incredible texture. These quesadillas also make a great lunch for four lucky people.
MAKES 12 TRIANGLES
50 MINUTES
2 red onions
8 oz Brussels sprouts
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
6 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 lime
5 oz pecorino or Parmesan cheese
4 tablespoons plain yogurt or sour cream
hot chili sauce
QUINOA TORTILLAS
1½ cups quinoa
1 heaping teaspoon fennel seeds
1 level teaspoon baking powder
olive oil
You can obviously use regular flour or corn tortillas, if you prefer, but to make these delicious quinoa tortillas, blitz the quinoa, fennel seeds, and baking powder with 1 tablespoon of oil in a blender until fine, shaking regularly. Once you have a fairly fine flour, remove 2 heaping tablespoons for dusting. Tip the rest into a bowl and slowly add enough water to turn it into a firm-ish dough. Knead for 1 minute, then divide it into four equal-sized balls. Use some of the reserved flour to generously dust a clean surface, then press out a piece of the dough with your hand. Dust the top with more flour, then gently roll out to the thickness of a beer mat. Because there’s no gluten in the dough it may crack, but you can easily pull a bit off the side to patch up any holes. Use an 8-inch cake pan, lid, or plate to cut out each perfect round, then cook them in a hot dry frying pan as and when they’re rolled, for 1 minute on each side. Place on a clean kitchen towel and cover until needed.
For the filling, peel the onions, wash and trim the sprouts, clicking off any tatty outer leaves, then run them through the fine slicing attachment of your food processor. Place in a large non-stick frying pan on a medium heat with the butter, cumin seeds, and paprika. Strip in the thyme leaves, cover, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the lid and fry for 10 minutes more, or until golden and caramelized, still stirring occasionally, then add a good squeeze of lime.
Lay your tortillas on a flat surface and use half the cheese to add a good grating to just half of each tortilla. Divide up the sprout filling and sprinkle on top of the cheese, then grate over the rest of it. Fold the tortillas in half and press together. Cook two at a time in your frying pan on a medium heat until golden and crisp on both sides and the cheese has melted. Place on a board, cool for 1 minute, then slice each triangle into three and serve with yogurt or sour cream spiked with chili sauce, plus lime wedges for squeezing over. Yum.
SAMOSA CIGARS
BEAUTIFUL CURRIED VEG, LENTILS, & CHICKPEAS
I’ve always loved samosas, and rolled up like this into cigar shapes, they’re the perfect appetizer or finger food for parties and gatherings, plus they’re simple to put together. I find them equally delicious torn over a salad for a nice lunch.
MAKES 18 CIGARS
1 HOUR 30 MINUTES
PLUS COOLING
10 cardamom pods
6 cloves
2 teaspoons Madras curry powder
2 cloves of garlic
1¼-inch piece of fresh gingerroot
1 onion
2 medium carrots
½ a bunch of fresh cilantro (½ oz)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
heaping 1⁄3 cup red lentils
1 × 15-oz can of chickpeas
¾ cup frozen peas
1 lemon
6 sheets of phyllo pastry
olive oil
4 sprigs of fresh mint
Crack the cardamom pods in a pestle and mortar and pick just the inner seeds into the mortar, discarding the husks. Finely grind the seeds with the cloves and a pinch of sea salt into a dust, then mix in the curry powder.
Peel the garlic, ginger, onion, and carrots, then finely chop with the cilantro stalks (reserving the leaves in a bowl of cold water). Place it all in a large pan on a medium-low heat with the butter and two-thirds of the spice mix. Cook for 10 minutes, or until soft and lightly golden, stirring occasionally. Stir in the lentils and the chickpeas (juice and all), and add enough water so everything is just covered. Simmer on a low heat for 40 minutes, or until the lentils are cooked through and it’s thick and delicious, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat, taste, and season to perfection. Stir in the frozen peas and leave to cool. Once cool, finely chop and stir through the cilantro leaves, along with the lemon juice.
Unroll your phyllo. Lay the sheets out in front of you, with the long edges nearest to you. Lightly brush them all with oil and sprinkle over most of the remaining spice mix from a height, then cut each sh
eet into three fat strips, giving you 18 in total. Divide up the filling, placing 1 level tablespoon near the bottom of each strip. One at a time, shape the filling into a neat cylinder, leaving a ¾-inch border at the bottom and sides. Fold in the sides and loosely roll them up (to prevent them from cracking), sealing the edges with a little oil. Repeat until they’re all wrapped up, spacing them out on an oiled baking sheet as you go. Brush with a little more oil and scatter over the rest of the spice mix, then chill until needed.
Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F for 15 to 20 minutes, or until crisp, golden, and hot through, then serve sprinkled with baby mint leaves and with dips of your choice on the side. I like to blend ripe mango flesh with yogurt for one dip, and cucumber, fresh mint, and yogurt for the other. Just remember to season your dips to perfection before you serve them.
BAKED BUNS
STUFFED WITH WINTER RAGÙ
These baked buns are delightful and delicious. They make fantastic handheld food at a party, or as part of a buffet, and work a treat served like a Cornish pasty with a salad. People will go crazy over them—give them a go, you won’t regret it.
MAKES 20 BUNS
1 HOUR 30 MINUTES
PLUS PROVING
FILLING
1 lb Winter ragù (see here)
Worcestershire sauce
HP sauce
BUNS
1 × ¼-oz package of dried yeast
1 tablespoon superfine sugar
32⁄3 cups strong bread flour, plus extra for dusting
½ cup unsalted butter (cold)
¾ cup reduced-fat (2%) milk
1 large egg
If you haven’t done so already, make up a batch of Winter ragù (see here). For the ideal filling consistency, making it a day or more in advance is helpful.
To make the buns, stir the yeast and sugar into 2⁄3 cup of tepid water and leave for 10 minutes. Place the flour and a really good pinch of sea salt in a bowl, dice and add the butter, then use your thumbs and forefingers to rub the butter into the flour until you have a crumble consistency. Make a well in the middle, pour in the yeast mixture, along with the milk, then gradually mix into the crumbs, bringing them in from the outside. When it starts to come together, knead with clean hands on a clean flour-dusted surface for 5 to 10 minutes, or until smooth, silky, and elastic. Divide into 20 even-sized balls (about 1¾ oz each), space them 2 inches apart on a flour-dusted surface, cover with a clean damp kitchen towel, and leave to proof for up to 2 hours, or until nicely puffed up.
Now it’s time to give your ragù a bit of extra attitude, and make sure it’s the perfect filling consistency. You want it just a little saucy, so if you’ve made it ahead it’ll probably be spot-on, but if you’ve cooked up a fresh batch, it’s worth draining off a little liquid. Taste your cool ragù and tweak it with Worcestershire and HP sauces, so it’ll pack a punch when stuffed into your buns. One-by-one, flatten each dough ball, add a heaping dessertspoon of ragù to the center, then pull the sides of the dough up around the ragù, pinching them together as you go. At this stage you could freeze the buns, ready to bake another day.
When you’re ready to cook, let your buns come up to room temperature, brush them with beaten egg, and place them on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes, or until puffed up, golden, and the filling is hot through. Good with English mustard.
FOUR PARTY DIPS
EACH DIP SERVES 8
SPANISH STYLE
RED PEPPERS, HAZELNUTS, & PARSLEY
Drain 1 × 16-oz jar of large peeled red peppers, quickly pat them dry with paper towel and place in a blender. Trim, roughly chop, and add 2 scallions, along with the leaves from ½ a bunch of fresh Italian parsley (½ oz), 1 tablespoon of sherry vinegar, and 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Toast 2½ oz of hazelnuts in a frying pan on a medium heat until smelling fantastic, then tip into the blender and blitz it all until smooth. Taste and season to perfection, then decant into a bowl and drizzle with a little more extra virgin olive oil.
CREAMY BLUE CHEESE
GREEK YOGURT & A HUM OF GARLIC
In a bowl, mix 1 cup of Greek yogurt with 2 teaspoons of white wine vinegar and 1 dash of Worcestershire sauce. Melt 3½ oz of blue cheese in a small pan on a medium heat, then stir into the spiked yogurt. Crush in ½ a clove of unpeeled garlic through a garlic crusher, mix well, then taste and season to perfection. Decant into a bowl—I like to crumble a little more blue cheese on top—and drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil.
GUACAMOLE
SMASHED AVO, SCALLIONS, & CHILE
Trim 1 scallion and seed 1 fresh red chile, then finely chop them on a large board. Pit 3 perfectly ripe avocados and scoop the flesh onto the board, halve and add 6 ripe cherry tomatoes, and pick over the leaves from ½ a bunch of fresh cilantro (½ oz). Keep chopping and mixing until lovely and smooth, mashing it with a fork to help it along, if needed. Taste and season to perfection with sea salt, black pepper, extra virgin olive oil, and a squeeze of lime juice, then scrape into a bowl. You could also do this one in a food processor.
SILKY HUMMUS
CHICKPEAS, TAHINI, & YOGURT
Tip 1 × 19-oz can of chickpeas, juice and all, into a blender. Add 2 heaping teaspoons of tahini, 2 tablespoons of plain yogurt, ½ a peeled clove of garlic, the juice of 1 lemon, and 1 pinch of cayenne pepper, then blitz until smooth. Taste and season to perfection, then decant into a bowl. Toast 1 good pinch of cumin seeds in a frying pan on a medium heat until smelling fantastic, then tip on top and drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil.
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SERVING IDEAS GALORE
As well as making delicious dips for dunking everything from crunchy seasonal crudités and crackers to breadsticks and toast soldiers, all these dips would work a treat used as a topping for crostini or bruschetta.
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Foodie decorations
We tend to buy a few new decorations every year, but also have fun making them with the kids. You can slice up citrus fruits and let them dry out on a non-stick baking sheet in a low oven for 2 to 3 hours, then tie them up with ribbons; string up fresh chiles by their stalks for a brilliant pop of color (plus once they dry out you can keep them in jars to use in your cooking); or even make strings of popcorn (see here). Have fun—the kids will love seeing what they’ve made out on display.
PERFECT POPCORN
SPICED CHRISTMAS SUGAR
The megamix of spices and flavors in this festive sugar creates a wonderful tutti frutti vibe that’s totally irresistible when teamed with hot popcorn. Use leftover sugar to spice up puds, such as baked fruit or Churros (see here).
MAKES 2 LBS OF SUGAR
15 MINUTES
PLUS DRYING
SPICED SUGAR
3 fresh bay leaves
2 oranges
2 lemons
1 whole nutmeg, for grating
1 vanilla bean
6 whole cloves
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 lbs superfine sugar
FOR 1 LARGE BOWL OF POPCORN
olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4½ oz popcorn kernels
3 tablespoons Spiced sugar
It’s so easy to make this flavorsome sugar that you may as well do a big batch, which will last for months. Tear the bay leaves into a food processor, discarding the stalks. Finely grate in the orange and lemon zest, and half the nutmeg. Halve the vanilla bean lengthways and scrape out the seeds, then add both bean and seeds to the processor with the cloves and cinnamon, and blitz up well. Add the sugar and blitz again to distribute all that flavor. There’s quite a bit of moisture in the citrus zest and vanilla bean, so pour the sugar onto two large baking sheets, spread it out evenly and leave it to dry out for a few hours. Once the sugar is dry, push and rub it through a sieve to catch any larger pieces of spice. Discard anything left behind in the sieve, then pop the sifted sugar into an airtight container
.
To make the popcorn, put 1 tablespoon of oil and the butter into a large pan over a high heat. Once the butter has melted, stir in the popcorn kernels until well coated. Put the lid on straight away and leave it for a few minutes to get going. As the corn starts to pop, hold the lid firmly in place with a kitchen towel and give the pan a shake every 30 seconds or so, to make sure all the kernels get popped. Put 3 tablespoons of Spiced sugar into a large bowl, and, when the popcorn is ready, quickly toss it into the bowl so the hot popcorn picks up those lovely flavors. Remove any unpopped kernels and serve right away, or, if you need a get-out-of-jail-free card, leave the popcorn to cool and bag it up as a last-minute gift. If the sugar settles at the bottom of the bag, just give the bag a little shake before tucking in.
The cheeseboard
Come Christmas, I don’t know anyone who doesn’t have an array of different cheeses lined up in the fridge, ready for a bit of after-dinner indulgence or to take center stage at a party. Here’s my advice on how best to celebrate the wonderful world of cheese.
CHOOSING YOUR CHEESE
Variety is key, so if you’re shopping, try to get to a good cheese shop and ask their advice on what to choose. The most useful thing to remember is that you want to take your guests on a journey from milder, fresher cheeses such as Cheshire and Red Leicester, up to a good Cheddar, then into your blue cheeses like Stilton, finishing with the creamier varieties such as Brie or Camembert. This will mean you can taste and appreciate each cheese as you go.
PRESENTATION
Use a nice big wooden board, a piece of granite, or even designate a little table as your cheese area—this is a centerpiece that everyone will get excited about. I like to position the cheeses in the way you want your guests to enjoy them, numbering them with flags to guide them from the mildest, youngest cheeses through to the more complex, stronger, smellier ones. Stick little names in the cheeses, too, so your guests know what they’re trying.
