Keep it real
It’s Christmas and I love everything about it — carols, decorations, family squabbles (maybe not!), presents and of course food, though, I am no slave to expectations or traditions when it comes to the festive meal. Traditions are wonderful, creating memories to cherish for a lifetime, but life’s busy enough without layering up the stress levels cooking hot roasted meals with roast vegetables that are really meant for winter and then, spending hours on the cleanup. No, non, nein, kahore!
Family traditions do not have to follow commercial expectations, rather they should be your family’s favourite things. With each generation, new traditions are welcomed and others like roast stuffed turkey can fade gently into memories of times past.
In our home, we have three generations and loads of cling-ons — from 11 years to 85 years — to cater for, so I pick a couple of traditions to keep going. They’re not always food and, if they are, I don’t always make them, rather I seek out a little help from a favourite brand. The Christmas tree is plastic. I cannot abide the clean-up of a fresh one. Turkey and roast vegetables do not make an appearance but ham does, because it’s easy. The barbecue swings into action — it’s the only time the men in the family cook and if it’s slightly burnt I’ve learned to “zip it“! New potatoes are a must and salads galore that feature seasonal, locally grown foods.
Trifles, once de rigueur for my nana, and which I adore, have long gone as no one younger than 50 cherishes all that creamy custard. I do make a Christmas pud, that’s for me, but otherwise, fresh fruits drizzled with melted chocolate complete the day which will have been doused generously with laughter, silly jokes from cheap crackers, noisy presents, grumpy teenagers desperate to play on banned devices and, of course, a little good wine. Merry Christmas.
Pacific caesar salad with avocado and lime aioli
Here’s a Pacific variation on a favourite classic, perfect for serving at festive celebrations.
500g shelled prawns
½ cup avocado oil
Grated rind of 1 lime
½ tsp ground chilli
2 tsp freshly grated ginger
3 cloves fresh garlic, peeled and finely chopped 1 Tbsp coconut or palm sugar
Dash vinegar for cooking eggs
4 eggs, at room temperature
4 small cos lettuces, well washed
200g hot or cold smoked salmon
4-6 slices ham or prosciutto Parmesan or Pecorino cheese, to shave and
flake over
Few sprigs parsley (preferably Italian parsley) Handful fresh mint leaves Avocado and lime aioli
½ cup quality pre-made aioli 1 avocado, halved, stoned and peeled 2 anchovy fillets in oil, well drained Grated rind and juice of 1 lime Croutons
2-3 slices quality white bread, cubed
1 Toss the prawns in half the oil with the lime rind, chilli, ginger, garlic and coconut or palm sugar and a good seasoning of salt and pepper. Set aside to marinate in the fridge for a couple of hours. Heat a heavy-based frying pan and when hot add the prawns and cook for 3-4 minutes or until they turn pink and are just cooked. Set aside.
2 Bring a second frying pan of water to the boil with a dash of vinegar. When hot, swirl gently and then add the eggs one at a time. Poach gently for 4 minutes then, using a slotted spoon, remove to a plate.
3 Arrange the lettuce on a serving platter and scatter over the prawns, coarsely shredded salmon and ham or prosciutto slices. Place the eggs on top and scatter over the cheese, herbs and croutons (see below). Serve the avocado dressing on the side.
4 For the dressing, put all the ingredients in a small processor and process until smooth. 5 For the croutons, heat remaining oil in a frying pan. Add bread cubes. Toss until golden brown. Cool on absorbent paper.