[Lifestyle] The 12 rules of Christmas cooking

[BirSaNN]

Do you really need a starter? What’s the best bird? And when to do the prep? Observer Food Monthly’s expert guide to keeping your kitchen happy

As a food writer and stylist, I’ve spent almost 20 years cooking Christmas dinners for ad campaigns, TV shows and cookbooks. Shooting can start up to six months ahead, resulting in multiple festive feasts before most people have even thought about dusting off their decorations. Throw in two large families and friends’ meals, and I’ve made more Christmas dinners than the average person ever will. This is what I’ve learned …

1 Cockerel, for a change
Bigger than a chicken, tastier and less intimidating than a turkey, cockerel is my choice for the big day. Simon Taylor, captain of Team GB Butchery and owner of Surrey Hills Butchers says that, while turkey has a slightly better meat-to-bone ratio, a large cockerel is a great option for 10 people. “At that size, they’ve had a good long full life and therefore are full of a lot more flavour,” he says. “Money-wise, it is going to save quite a bit, especially this year as prices have risen, particularly on big bronze free-range turkeys.”

To cook a 4-5kg cockerel: take it out of the fridge 30 minutes before. Rub generously with olive oil and butter, and season well. Fill the cavity with herbs, garlic cloves and a halved lemon. Roast it at 200C fan/gas mark 7 for 30 minutes, breast side down in the tray. Then reduce to 140C fan/gas mark 3 for 1 hour. Carefully turn the bird over and continue to cook for a further 2-2½ hours, basting occasionally, until cooked through. Rest for 20- 30 minutes before carving.

I’m a fan of a traditional ham, which Taylor also recommends as good value, even with rising costs: “Pork is still pound for pound going to be the most economical option.” Taylor’s biggest money saving tip this Christmas is to check in with your local butcher. “If you’ve got a budget, we can guide you to what is going to be best for you and quality and flavour. And get your orders in as soon as you can, particularly if it is something off-piste.”

2 You don’t always need a starter

 

Do you really need a starter? If, like me, you love all that comes with throwing an epic Christmas dinner then, yes, offering a starter is an excuse to get a bit creative. Want to show off with a cheese souffle? Go for it! Or maybe it is the perfect time to dust off that blini pan you got last Christmas and wow your guests with homemade blinis, sour cream and cured salmon. But ask yourself, do you really need to do that or will you peak too soon, broken by ambition and extra washing up?

3 Two side dishes are marvellous. Three is a waste of time
If the prospect of planning a huge Christmas feast fills you with dread, then approach it like a favourite restaurant meal. Your plate likely consists of a showstopper – a slice of meat, a piece of fish or veg offering – and a maximum of two other components. Tender porchetta on herby beans for example, or pan-fried sea bass with braised fennel and new potatoes. No more than two sides. Christmas dinner doesn’t need to be any different: team crispy roast chicken with root vegetable gratin and buttery brussels; reverse-sear steak with goose fat roasties and braised red cabbage.

4 … Or just do a side-dish dinner
More than half of my family is vegetarian or pescatarian, and we have played around with the Christmas table dynamic a lot over the years. The non-meat-eaters have all agreed they don’t want a substitute for a roast – instead they love to go hard on all the side dishes. While vegetarian food writer Anna Jones likes to go the extra mile – “I think it’s nice to make something for vegetarians or vegans to build their meal around, even if it is something simple” – she agrees that sides are the true hero of the Christmas table. “Keeping all your sides vegetarian (or vegan) is a win,” she says. “Roast potatoes crisp just as well in olive oil, and try chestnuts with roasted brussels and some smoked salt.” Even if you have no bird to stuff, she says a vegetarian stuffing with lots of herbs, lemon and sticky onions is always a winner.

5 It’s all gravy
It’s 3pm. You’ve timed your two sides perfectly, the meat is out of the oven and looking fabulous but now you have to keep everything warm and rested while you make the gravy and mess around with trivets and wine and drippings and flour and why is it taking so long? Making gravy often breaks a cook’s goodwill, so it’s best to make it days or even weeks ahead, then on the day keep it warm in a pan so once everything else is done you just go for it and serve.

To make the gravy in advance: place 1kg of chicken wings in a large roasting tray with some roughly chopped root veg (onion, carrot, celery) and drizzle it all with oil. Season generously, add your chosen herbs – rosemary, thyme and bay is a great bouquet – and toss together. Roast at 180C fan/gas mark 6, for 1 hour, until everything is golden and crisp. Carefully transfer the tray to a medium heat on your hob, pour in a large glass of any colour wine or port and bring to the boil. Bubble until almost cooked away, then stir in a large knob of butter and 4 tablespoons of plain flour. Break up all the ingredients with a potato masher. When the flour has coated everything in the tray and cooked out to become gnarly and brown, add 1.75 litres of water. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a medium-low heat and leave to bubble away for 25-30 minutes, until thickened. Strain the gravy through a fine sieve into a saucepan, then whisk in a heaped tablespoon of redcurrant jam or jelly. Taste, adjust the seasoning and add more stock if you like a thinner gravy. Leave to cool, then chill or freeze until needed.

6 Cheat and tweak
If you really don’t have the time, or inclination, to make your own gravy, then buy it. A lot of supermarkets and delis offer tubs of fresh gravy, and some really are very good. If you want to embellish ready-made gravy, whisk in a tablespoon of redcurrant jam or add a bay leaf to infuse while it’s warming. Food writer Gurdeep Loyal used to be a food-product developer. His top tip to lift a lacklustre gravy? “Add a spoonful of brown miso or anchovy paste for a savoury kick that lifts the meatiness.”

In fact, you should buy in any element of Christmas dinner that fills you with stress. No one will care, they’ll just be grateful someone else is taking care of it. There are a range of cranberry sauces on the market, and you’ll find tubs of bread sauce in most seasonal fridge aisles. Both these can be elevated with a few aromatics: a grating of orange zest in the cranberry sauce, and a scratching of nutmeg over the bread sauce.

Finally, to stuffing. Christmas is a time for nostalgia and if Paxo takes you back to your mum’s/ gran’s/friend’s kitchen, then go for it. Equally, ready-made stuffing trays are a great cheat. Loyal is also a fan, embellishing them with bacon, fried onions, dried fruits, chopped chestnuts and a slosh of sherry before roasting. “Think of the stuffing as the base,” he says, “and the add-ons as festive pizza-style toppings.”

link : https://www.theguardian.com/food/2022/dec/11/the-12-rules-of-christmas-cooking-starters-gravy-roasties-pudding