THE SUNDAY COOK
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festive traditions involve the whole family – and her restaurant staff, too. For a lavish lunch and cocktails, everyone’s welcome
Christmas involves 30-odd people coming to celebrate with me and my husband, Neil, and so we often host it at my restaurant, Murano. I assign jobs to everyone – my uncle does the decorations, my nephews write the table settings – and we all prep the vegetables. Many of our staff come from Italy and France, so we invite them too; I don’t like the idea of people being on their own. The more the merrier!
That said, if I could offer one tip this Christmas it would be that less is more. Don’t offer five sides, do three – but do them really well. That way, you won’t feel overwhelmed. And don’t feel under pressure to eat turkey. If you prefer a little roast chicken for two of you, that’s fine too.
Last year, we opted for roast capon, a tip from Italian chef Giorgio Locatelli whose grandfather used to make it. My recipe here works just as well with capon or chicken, but I find the capon (fed a rich diet for eating) more tender and flavoursome. Boning out the bird is the trickiest thing to get right, so ask your butcher to do it for you – and when you tie it up, make sure it doesn’t burst.
For afters, my mum always used to make mince pies with savoury rather than sweet pastry, and I’ve carried this on. I use shop-bought mincemeat and I like to eat them warm, with a dollop of crème fraîche.
The florentines are an extra sweet for the end of the meal, or a present for guests to take away. This has been our tradition ever since my cousin’s wife made them a few years ago and the entire family goaded me all day, saying: “These are so good Angela, do you know how to make them?” Eventually I replied, “Hang on, I’ve cooked for 30 of you and you’re giving me a hard time about bloody florentines?!”
Boxing Day is my favourite day of all. I love the leftovers, and the opportunity to do absolutely... nothing.
Sunday 9 December 2018
You can keep the marinated cranberries in the fridge.
Sunday 9 December 2018