Christmas Snow and Recipes

It’s amazing! Snowing on Christmas day in Hungary! Just been out with my husband – whose second time to see actual snow in his life (coming from South Africa), – to get the roads cleaned around the house. The air is nice and crispy, 0 Celsius.

It’s lovely to be home for Christmas. Let me share some of the recipes of the dishes we have prepared:

Roasted beetroot and red onion salad with walnuts and feta cheese

Roasting onions is quick and easy, but if this is not possible, use thinly sliced red onions instead. You can also buy ready made beetroots, but the result will be slightly different.

Ingredients:

4-5 medium beetroot, washed and trimmed

3-4 red onions

olive oil

salt and freshly groung black pepper

1 packet fresh rocket leaves

200 g feta cheese

100 g walnuts, chopped

Salad dressing

80ml olive oil

50ml orange juice

5ml freshly grated orange rind

Method

1. Preheat the oven and place the beetroot in a roasting tin. Roast for about 50-60 minutes, or until cooked tender. Add the onion wedges to the roasting beetroot for the last 20 minutes of roasting time, drizzle olive oil over and roast until the onions are tender and starting to caramelize. (I didn’t roast the beetroot just boiled in water, and didn’t even use onions)
2. As soon as the vegetables are tender, remove them from the oven and alloww them to cool down.
3. Skin the beetroot and cut into wedges. Season with salt and black pepper and drizzle olive oil over. Place the beetroot and the onions on a serving platter along with the rocket. Sprinkle feta and walnuts over.
4. Prepare the salad dressing. Drizzle the salad dressing over the salad and serve immediately.

Turkey stuffed with wild rice and cranberry

Ingredients:

1 piece 3 kg turkey

150g garlic and herb butter

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Stuffing

250g mixed brown and wild rice

125g cranberries, soaked in water or 125ml brandy (optional)

15ml butter

15ml olive oil

2 onions, chopped

2 smoked sausages, sliced

10 slices prosciutto, cut into thin strips (optional)

100g pecan nuts, chooped (or walnuts)

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method

1. To prepare the stuffing, boil the rice according to the package instructions. Drain.
2. Meanwhile bring the cranberries and brandy to the boil in a small saucepan, over low heat. Remove from heat and set aside
3. Heat the butter and olive oil in a frying pan and saute the onions until tender. Add the sausage slices and fry until golden brown. Add the optional prociutto strips, pecan nuts, sage and cranberries and brandy and stir until mixed. Add the rice and stir to combine, then steam over low heat for about 15-20 minutes. Season to taste and allow to cool completely.
4. Remove the innards from the turkey and make sure the bird is clean and dry. Spread two thirds of the flavoured butter under the turkey skin, over the breast. Now stuff the turkey. You can sew up the rear opening, and fold the neck skin over, to prevent the stuffing falling out; tie the drumstick together, using string, so that the turkey will retain its shape during cooking.
5. Place the double layer of aluminium foil in a large ovenproof dish and place the turkey on top. Rub the remaining flavoured butter over the turkey and season.
6. Place another double layer of foil over the turkey and seal the foil along the sides so that the turkey is completely enclosed in a thick parcel. Place the turkey in the oven for 2 hours.
7. Remove the foil and baste the turkey with the pan juices. Return the turkey to the oven, uncovered, for an hour or until golden brown and cooked. Let it stand for at least 15 minutes in a warm place before slicing and serving. Serve the extra stuffing as accompaniment.

Be aware that this is a very heavy dish.