Salads for a Scandinavian Christmas

In Denmark, the main festive meal is on Christmas Eve, says Trine Hahnemann. In our family, we have roast duck, and serve it with potatoes part-boiled and then slow-cooked in caramel (“you either love them or hate them”), and a range of vibrant Christmas salads and vegetable combinations. “Here are three of my favourites…”

Christmas coleslaw

To make the Christmas dinner complete, cabbage of some sort is a must. This sprout salad is a delicious, lighter alternative to cooked red cabbage. Serves 8 1 pomegranate 200g Brussels sprouts 100g celery 50g kale 50g walnuts sea salt and freshly ground black pepper For the dressing: 2 tbsp lemon juice 1 tbsp Dijon mustard 1 tbsp honey 1 tbsp hazelnut oil • Cut the pomegranate in half. Working over a sieve in a bowl to catch the juices, remove the seeds and transfer to a big mixing bowl. • Cut the sprouts in half then thinly slice. Cut the celery into thin slices, and finely chop the kale. Chop the walnuts, then add everything to the bowl containing the pomegranate seeds. Mix well. • For the dressing, add the lemon juice to the pomegranate juices. Add the mustard and honey, then slowly drizzle over the oil and mix to a smooth dressing. • Just before serving, mix the salad with the dressing, and season to taste.

Butternut squash salad

Serves 8 1 butternut squash, about 500g 3 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp Szechuan peppercorns, crushed with a pestle and mortar ½ red cabbage, about 500g sea salt 1 bunch of coriander, to serve For the dressing: 1 tbsp grapeseed oil 3 tbsp soy sauce sea salt and freshly ground black pepper • Preheat the oven to 180°C. Cut the squash in half lengthways, remove all the seeds then cut across into thin slices – about 5mm/¼in thick, with the peel still on. Spread out on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment. Drizzle over the olive oil and dust with the Szechuan pepper and

some salt. Bake for 10 minutes then leave to cool on the sheet. • While the squash is in the oven, cut the red cabbage into slices about 5mm/¼in thick, rinse in cold water and drain well. • Mix the dressing ingredients together. Just before serving, mix the butternut squash, cabbage and dressing together, place on a serving dish and decorate with coriander.

Turnips and apples with thyme

Serves 8 3 Cox’s orange apples 30g/2 tbsp butter 500g turnips 10 thyme sprigs 2-3 tbsp apple cider vinegar sea salt and freshly ground black pepper • Cut the apples and turnips into wedges about 1cm/½in wide. Melt the butter in a large frying pan, add the turnips and thyme, and sauté for 5 minutes or until golden. Lower the heat and add the apples and some salt and pepper. Sprinkle in the vinegar and gently stir the apples and turnips around. • Cook for about 5 minutes more. Season to taste and serve immediately.

Taken from Scandinavian Comfort Food: Embracing the Art of Hygge by Trine Hahnemann, published by Quadrille at £25. To buy from The Week Bookshop for £20, call 020-3176 3835 or visit www.theweek.co.uk/bookshop.