COOL DISHES AND HOT DAYS

Buhle Mbonambi had a chat with chef Shaun Munro about food trends and Christmas in summer and got him to share his popular salmon gravlax

Should we incorporate major food trends and fads into our Christmas menu, or should we keep it more traditional? In Durban have a very hot, humid Christmas and because we are so close to the ocean I think we need to be looking at a cold deli-style luncheon with delicious cold meats and seafood and maybe only just a hot smoked turkey on the side for tradition’s sake. This is what I do at home. Over the past few years, there has been a feeling that a ‘traditional’ ( turkey, gravy, gammon, au gratins, etc.) Christmas lunch is too heavy for the South African summer. Is that the case or is it up to people to make their choice? Yes, our guests certainly do expect their favourite traditional dishes to be on the menus and our buffet. However, they also are looking for items done a little differently too, like fresh brussel sprout leaves salad with pomegranate pearls and crispy gammon bits, with a whole grained mustard honey dressing. Or a cold sliced turkey rouladé with a blueberry chicken stuffing served with Cajun spiced onion marmalade, etc. Let’s say you want to keep it traditional, but a bit suited to our Christmas in summer climate – what should we keep and what should we do away with? HOT: Lemon and honey brushed (a brush made from fresh sprigs of rosemary tied together) turkey skewers served with a minted cucumber yoghurt.

COLD: Pulled gammon (overcooked, fall-off-the-bone gammon shredded with 2 forks) on a platter with stewed sundried fruit salad accompanied by hot English mustard. What would you suggest we have on our Christmas lunch table this Christmas? Assorted cold seafood – steamed crayfish and prawns with home-made aioli (garlic mayo), chardonnay marinated mussels, spicy pickled fish, lemon peppered smoked salmon, maybe even my salmon gravlax served with a traditional Caesar salad and great artisan breads. Lots of bubbly and then great cheese before some delicious Christmas pudding ice cream (simply crumble a good quality pudding into some vanilla icecream and refreeze) later that afternoon. And for drinks? Is wine better or should we try something different? I’m a sucker for great bubbly! Also, I recently found a great limoncello cocktail: take limoncello (lemon-

flavoured Italian liqueur) slice fresh oranges, strawberries and fresh mint over ice and then topped up with sparkling wine and soda.It’s deliciously refreshing! Shaun Munro’s Salmon Gravalax A wonderful, easy to prepare, no pressure to serve menu item which is fresh, healthy and delicious.

This dish allows you to prepare it days in advance and on the day you can slice and wrap and then just before serving, unwrap, dress with lemon, fresh herbs and the appropriate condiments as listed below – so that you can enjoy time with your guests instead of slaving in the kitchen. It’s great with dry rosé bubbly! 1 side fresh salmon fillet, on the skin, pin bones removed 1 cup white sugar 1 cup salt ¼ crushed black pepper ½ cup chopped fresh dill 2 cups grated raw beetroot zest of 1 lemon MIX together the sugar, salt, pepper and dill – this is a curing mixture.

Get an appropriate container with wide sides that the fish will fit into.

Sprinkle a bit of the curing mixture on the base on the container.

Lay the fish skin side down on the curing mixture and then pack the top of the fish with the remaining mixture.

Pack the beetroot and lemon zest on top.

Carefully wrap the entire container in plastic and refrigerate for three days.

On day three, remove the plastic wrap and carefully wipe away the curing mixture from the fish fillet.

Remove the skin with a sharp knife.

Bush with good olive oil and finely slice.

Serve with fresh lemon wedges, tartar sauce, black pepper and fresh rye bread.

Shaun Munro is the executive chef at Tsogo Sun’s Southern Sun Elangeni & Maharani Hotel