Roll over pavlova
For something a little different on your holiday table, Sapeer Mayron hunts out five seasonal dishes from around the world.
Mince pies. Glazed ham. Strawberry-studded pavlova. They’re delicious, nostalgic foods that summon the magic of Christmas for many across Aotearoa. But other Christmas meal traditions from around the world have also made a home here.
I grew up in an Israeli Jewish household, where we didn’t celebrate Christmas – and by the time I was introduced to traditional Kiwi Christmas meals, my housemates and I were vegetarian. One of us became expert in making vegan stuffing served with roast potatoes and gravy, and that bready rosemary flavour has become synonymous with Christmas ever since.
To expand the palette, here are five international recipes to try.
Colombian Christmas buñuelos
These soft, fried, cheesy dumplings are made with cassava flour, cornstarch and a semi-hard cheese called queso costeño, and served with cinnamon custard called Natilla for the holidays.
The trick is to mix your ingredients quickly because the cassava and cornstarch absorb liquids fast. They are then deep-fried in hot oil –but not too hot or the balls will split open. They are found all over Latin America and Spain, with slightly different recipes and flavours.
Italian Panettone
These tall, sweet bread cakes strewn with raisins, citrus and almonds are ubiquitous in speciality delis and supermarkets around Christmas.
The dough’s texture is fluffy and buttery, and the whole thing is very more-ish.
It does take two days to make and requires its own yeast-based starter, with the fruity treats soaked in orange peel, rum and water overnight. But you’ll find those glamorous boxes in almost any store near you – they may not be the cheapest Christmas cake, but after studying a recipe you’ll find it’s worth the price.
French Foie Gras
In France, this speciality product that comes from the liver of a duck or goose that was fattened by force-feeding is an essential element of the Christmas table.
It is illegal to produce foie gras in New Zealand but it can still be imported. The ethics of force-feeding animals to create
foie gras – French for fatty liver – have been challenged over the years and even for some French, it’s a question as to whether it still belongs part of festivities.
Some producers are turning to alternative methods of making foie gras and challenging French law to have their new product be legally considered the delicacy.
Venezuelan Pan de Jamón
If I understand New Zealand culture, this Venezuelan treat – ham bread – will be music to your ears. According to tradition, it was invented by someone trying to get creative with leftovers who rolled their Christmas ham with green olives and raisins into a soft, rich dough.
Kubbeh and Warak Dawali
Arab Christians all over the world report kubbeh and warak dawali (also known in New Zealand as dolma, or stuffed vine leaves) are two Christmas staples.
Kubbeh are bulgur wheat dumplings, usually stuffed with minced lamb or beef and spices, while warak dawali are vine leaves filled with rice, and often minced meat too. These labour-intensive recipes are family favourites because of the gatherings often held to make them.
Since becoming vegetarian, I’ve missed my Kurdish grandmother’s kubbeh the most (she made them year-round) but luckily for me at least dolma are easily meat-free, and the rice-stuffed vine leaves are available in most Arab delis or restaurants across New Zealand.
Make your own panettone
Bernadette Hogg’s show-stopper Italian Christmas cake is a labour of love that cannot be rushed, but it is very satisfying to make and can be baked a day or two ahead. For best results, use a benchtop mixer. This is based on a recipe by UK celebrity chef Paul Hollywood that has evolved over the years. It is fabulous with whipped butter and cherry jam.
Ingredients
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120g raisins
120g sultanas
3 tablespoons rum
500g strong flour
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons active dried yeast 50g caster sugar
150ml milk, warmed
5 eggs, lightly beaten 250g butter, softened
1 orange, finely grated zest 1 lemon, finely grated zest 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 120g candied peel
Topping ingredients
Icing sugar for dusting Toasted sliced almonds
Method
Prepare the fruit by placing raisins and sultanas in a saucepan with the rum. Heat gently for 3-4 minutes until the liquid has been absorbed. Take off heat and cool.
Place flour, salt, yeast, caster sugar, warm milk and eggs in the bowl of a free-standing mixer. Using a dough hook, mix slowly for 2 minutes.
Gradually increase speed to medium
and mix for a further 5-8 minutes until dough is soft.
Gradually beat in the softened butter. Add lemon and orange zest and vanilla and mix for another 5-6 minutes, scraping down the bowl from time to time if necessary.
Add the cooled fruit and peel, mixing until incorporated. Cover bowl and leave at room temperature until doubled in size (about 3 hours), or refrigerate overnight.
Grease an 18cm panettone tin, panettone paper case or deep cake tin with melted butter (if using a cake tin, wrap with a double thickness of baking paper to come about 5cm above the lip, and tie securely).
Take dough from fridge and gently knock back. Place in the prepared tin. Leave to rise for 2-3 hours at room temperature until the dough just starts to dome over the top of the tin.
Heat oven to 180°C, adjusting the oven shelf to the right height for the tall tin. Bake 25 minutes then turn temperature to 150°C and bake a further 35-45 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. (If the panettone is browning too quickly, cover the top loosely with a piece of foil.)
Take from oven and remove from tin as soon as you are able to handle it. Cool on a wire rack.
Dust with icing sugar and sprinkle with almonds if desired. Serve sliced with lots of whipped butter and cherry jam. Panettone will keep for several days in an airtight container in a cool spot. After that it is delicious toasted.