It is the season of love, laughter and celebration with friends, family and loved ones. Christmas is here again and one of the best ways we share and express our love is through food. I will be sharing an exciting menu with you that offers a break away from our regular meals at the festive table, especially if you are looking to add something extra to your traditional menu this time around.
Wholesome meals that offer appetizers that are reminiscent of our childhoods, a mouthwatering main course and desserts that make an exciting finish to a beautiful feast.
First, the list is:
- PRAWN CRACKERS AND TOMATO SALSA
This is a fairly simple appetizer to make and is a fun way to get the kids to eat their veggies. Prawn crackers always take me way back, so nostalgic. The star of this dish is the Tomato salsa, a tangy sweet-sour mix of fresh tomatoes, onions and herbs. It is a mouthwatering and explosive flavor combination.
Ingredients
- 4 large tomatoes
- ½ cup chopped parsley
- 1 large red onion
- ½ cup Sweet corn
- Pinch of salt to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons olive oil/vegetable oil
- A box of coloured prawn crackers
Wash all the vegetables and slice them into diced portions. In a mixing bowl, add the vinegar, lemon juice, Olive oil, salt and black pepper. Whisk them together to emulsify into a thick cloudy solution. In a serving bowl, mix the chopped veggies together and drizzle the solution over it. Mix well, cover with a film and chill in the fridge until it is time to serve.
Heat a litre of oil and fry the prawn crackers in batches. They will puff up as soon as they hit the hot oil. Dry on a paper towel and serve alongside the chilled tomato salsa.
OVEN ROAST CHICKEN WITH POTATOES
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken
- 1 kg potatoes
- 3 Bell peppers (Green, yellow and red)
- Cauliflower and Broccoli
- Green peas 250g
- Parsley & cilantro (1 cup)
- Tumeric 1 tablespoon
- Chilli pepper
- Rosemary
- Ginger and garlic paste
- Olive oil
- Black pepper
- Cumin powder
- Onions and carrots
- Sausages
- 1 cup cold coconut milk and a pinch of nutmeg powder
Process
Wash the plucked chicken. Prepare a spice mix, 1 teaspoon each of turmeric, salt, chilli pepper, chicken bouillon seasoning, rosemary, ginger and garlic paste. Add 3 tablespoons of oil and mix into a paste. Rub this all over the chicken and inside the hollow abdomen. Wrap the chicken in a ziplock bag and refrigerate overnight to marinate.
Rinse the vegetables and cut the heads of the cauliflower, broccoli, onions, chilli pepper and sausages. Drain the kidney beans and green peas from the cans and add them to the vegetable mix. Season with salt, bouillon seasoning, rosemary and turmeric.
Stuff the chicken with these vegetables and cross the legs of the chicken. Secure it with a thread and transfer it to a baking tray. Peel the carrots and potatoes. Cut them into large cubes, and season with cumin, black pepper, ginger/ garlic paste, salt and oil. Spread around the chicken. Preheat the oven to 180°c then put the tray in to bake for 1 hour.
Cut the bell peppers into cubes and set aside. After 1 hour of baking, take out the tray and drain the stock that has gathered so we can use it for the gravy later. Use a brush to rub part of the juices all over the chicken, pour the cut bell peppers onto the tray and return back to the oven for another 20 mins.
In a saucepan, heat a tablespoon of butter and add 2 teaspoons of flour and a pinch of nutmeg. Pour one cup of chilled coconut milk and whisk until smooth. Add the rest of the stock to the pan and simmer on low heat for 5 mins. When the chicken is roasted and looks golden brown and crispy to the touch then it’s ready. Rest the chicken for 15 minutes before carving it to serve with a side of potatoes and carrots. Drizzle the gravy over it and enjoy.
Chocolate Cinnamon sweet rolls
- 5 cups of white flour
- 20g butter
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon yeast
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup icing sugar
- 1 cup of milk
- Pinch of salt
- 500g dark chocolate
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- Peanut butter or hazelnut spread
In a mixing bowl, sift in 5 cups of flour, add 1 cup of sugar, cinnamon, a pinch of salt and 1 teaspoon of yeast. Add the eggs to the milk and whisk till it combines then pour this into the flour mix. Knead the dough until it comes together, add the butter and knead until smooth. Cover with a table napkin or cling film and set aside in a warm place to proof. After 45 mins the dough should have doubled in size and be well aerated. Poke it with your fingers take out the air and knead again on a lightly floured surface.
Roll out the dough into a rectangular shape, and spread the peanut butter or chocolate hazelnut onto it. Chop the chocolate into bits and sprinkle over the spread then roll the dough over into a cylinder. Crimp the edges of the dough by pinching the end to the body to seal it. Use a sharp knife to cut the rolled-up dough two inches apart. You can use a thread either regular or flossing thread to cut it as well. You can do this by passing the thread under the dough and crossing the ends over it, then pulling both ends at the same time. This method is quite fun and should be less messy so to speak.
Turn them over onto a baking pan and brush with some beaten eggs. Sprinkle some chopped chocolate onto them and cover to proof for 45 minutes. Heat the oven to 180°c and bake for 45 mins or until golden brown.
Take out of the oven and rest for a few minutes then transfer onto a cooling rack. Serve with a thick luscious chocolate syrup to enjoy. It’s so delicious.
Chocolate chip cookies and Raisin cookies
- 500g dark chocolate
- 500g milk Chocolate
- 500g butter
- 500g sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 tablespoons vanilla essence
- 1 cup raisins
- 5 cups flour
Procedure:
Beat the butter and sugar in a stand mixer or use a hand mixer to beat it in a bowl. Add the eggs one at a time until the mixture is properly whipped and light. Add the salt and vanilla essence then whip again for a few minutes. Add the baking powder and flour one cup at a time and gently fold into the mixture. Portion the cookie batter into two then add the raisins into one and the chopped chocolates into the other. Fold them in respectively and portion onto a baking tray lined with a baking sheet. Spread the out evenly. You can use an ice cream scoop to do this or a spoon to measure the portions out.
Cover with a film and chill in the freezer for an hour or overnight before baking in a preheated oven at 150°c for 20 mins. Baking the cookies while frozen helps the cookies to maintain their shape and not spread out.
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