HOME & HOST

POWER OF ONE

Annabel’s first rule of entertaining is to focus on one main dish — and doing it well — rather than a collection of things that will inevitably be difficult to complete.

“The natural host instinct towards generosity is to make this and that,” she says. “Then you realise you have bitten off more than you can chew.”

This applies equally to hosting breakfast, lunch or afternoon tea but also at Christmas where one spectacular roast or baked fish needs only the right salads and sides.

And, adds Annabel, this doesn’t necessarily mean coming up with something different every time.

“There is no disgrace in cooking the same thing whenever people come around,” she says. “If you are really good at cooking the one dish and it’s a hit, then call it your specialty and make it with joy every time.”

So if you cook a mean roast chook at other times, why not stick with a couple of those instead of the unexplored territory of a bigger bird for Christmas lunch.

Or if you are a natural at the barbecue, prepare a platter of grilled seafood and serve with lemon wedges and finger bowls.

OTHER MEALS

Entertaining doesn’t have to be restricted to lunch or dinner. “Breakfast is a great thing to do,” Annabel says. “You can make one thing and do it well and everyone enjoys it and they’re out of the house by late morning.

“And afternoon tea is a much neglected tradition, but a great one. If you have the morning free, you can bake quite a complicated cake and have it there when people turn up. Just serve that, nothing else, with cups of tea or champagne.”

SURPRISE GUESTS

Rather than being put into a spin, Annabel welcomes unexpected guests, a common occurrence at this time of the year. For a start, it means there is no time to bother about tidying up the books and art projects and other flotsam of children that is inevitably cluttering the kitchen table.

“Wendy and I both reckon our favourite way of entertaining is completely lastminute invitations,” Annabel says. “You run into someone on the way home fromom the bus and say ‘do you want to come for dinner’. Or someone is at your ur house already, you ou look at the clock and say ‘would you likeke to stay for lunch’.”

A FEW ESSENTIALS S

This approach, of f course, relies on just a little bit of planning and knowing that there are a few key ingredients in the fridge, freezer or pantry to do the heavy lifting. Some of Annabel’s essentials are: Frozen peas: A bag of peas is a great emergency entertainment option, Annabel says. Throw them into the food processor for a chilled soup or blend with mint and feta to make a dip. Sprinkle over the top of a partially-cooked frittata withw feta, or add to risoni for the last few minutes of cooking, drain and finish with smashed green peppercorns for some heat (the recipe is in the book). Haloumi: Always in the fridge. Annabel’s after-work standby is spaghetti with pan-fried haloumi, chilli, capers, rocket and a squeeze of lime juice. Keep a selection of other cheeses for different occasions.

Chorizo: Annabel is a pescetarian but keeps chorizo in the fridge “in case of a lastminute invasion by carnivores”.

“If you are serving something that is essentially salad or vegetarian and you have a ‘chop gobbler’ with a wistful look in their eye, then you can slice chorizo up and put it in a pan, then it can be a great side dish,” she says.

SPECIAL DIETS

Annabel has a different approach to cooking for people with special requirements, no doubt helped by her own meat-free diet.

“It’s amazing how freaked out people get about cooking for vegans,” she says. “If you start at the dietary requirement and work backwards you can put together a meal where everyone feels they are eating the same thing.

“For example, rather than the customary way of cooking lamb shanks and giving the vegans brussels sprouts or a side salad, cook something vegan as a base, then have meat as a side for people who can’t do without it.”

She gives the example of serving a tray of crisp-based smashed potatoes as the principal dish with a green salad on the side, along with some of that chorizo.

“There is no disgrace in cooking the same thing whenever people come around” ANNABEL CRABB

SHARE THE LOAD

Take advantage of the great Australian tradition of “bring a plate” and ask different members of the family to contribute to the Christmas feast. “You just need a little bit of communication in advance,” Annabel says, “so you don’t all bring the same thing, or bring something that wildly clashes with everything else on the table.”

LIGHTEN UP

While Annabel concedes some people have an emotional connection to roasted meats and all the trimmings for their Christmas lunch, she prefers something lighter.

“I have always been attracted to seafood and that is what I dream of at Christmas,” she says.

Annabel grew up at Lower Light in South Australia, a little town near the sea in an area known for its crabs.

“Anything with blue swimmer crab reminds me of home,” she says of her pretty little rolls that also include a green apple remoulade and peppery nasturtium leaves (see recipe).

STAR IS PRAWN

Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a plate of prawns, Annabel says, whether they are ready-cooked for peeling and dunking in a mayo or dressing, or raw beauties to throw on a hot grill.

“That’s where I get my char from — shellfish subjected to direct heat,” Annabel says. “And I love it when it is cut with some sort of Asian flavours like a nuoc cham-style dressing.”

She recommends a Vietnamese-style glass noodle salad, with the Christmas colour of ruby grapefruit segments, spring onions, green papaya, mint and coriander.

“I love those ingredients that make their own dressing, like ruby grapefruit.” she says, “and they are like jewels when segmented properly.

“This salad is very cooling but tangy and spicy and everything else that perks you up on a Christmas Day when you are eating too much.”