Christmas Dinner recipes

Stuffed Turkey Breast  Serves 8 - Kcal 450 - Time 1h 45 min

Stuffed Turkey Breast

You need:  1kg Turkey breast – 80g frozen chestnuts – 40g pine nuts – 4 fresh pork sausages – 60g dates  (finely chopped) – 1 tbsp capers (rinsed, drained and finely chopped) – 2 tbsp Port wine – 1 egg (beaten) – 3 boil eggs (peeled). Oven at 180ºC

1. In a pan with boiling water and a pinch of salt cook the chestnuts for 10 minutes. At the last minute add the pine nuts. Drain. Then chop the chestnuts and pine nuts.
2. Remove the skin from the pork sausages and put in a bowl, mixing the capers, dates, chestnuts and pine nuts. Add the egg and mix all very well. Season with salt and pepper.

Turkey breast

3. Ask to your butcher to cut the turkey breast for the turkey crown, you will finish with a breast rectangle. Put over a cling film season with salt a pepper and cover up with again with cling film Without breaking the meat, gently smash with a millet for even thickness all the way through. This video can help you.
4. Spread the stuffing over the turkey breast leaving 2,5 cms from the borders. Now remove the white top of the boiled eggs and line up the eggs over the turkey breast with the stuffing.
5. Grab the end of the turkey that is closed to you and rolled up nice and tight until the last end. Don’t worry if some stuffing is getting out. Tie with 3 -4 pieces of twine but is not necessary you get too fancy because now you need to wrap up the turkey breast in foil paper.
6. Put the turkey in a baking tray and cook for 35 minutes. Now remove the foil paper, sprinkle over the Port wine and 1 tbsp. of olive oil. Cook for another 35 minutes until the skin is golden brown and the breast is cook through.
7. Serve the turkey sliced with the side dish options.


Pork rack with mustard and pepper  Serves 4 – Kcal 380 – Time 1h 40 min.

Pork rack with mustard and peper

You need: 800g Rack of pork – 1 tbsp. Wholegrain mustard – 3 garlic cloves (crushed) – Thyme spring – 2 tbsp. of mix wholegrain pepper -2 bay leaves – ¼ tsp. nutmeg – 1 onion – 1 carrot – 300g fennel head – 300g potatoes (peeled and sliced)– 1 orange juice – Pinch of saffron – 60g mozzarella (grated) – 200 ml milk – 50 ml dry white wine – Thyme spring – Oven at 160ºC

1. Crush 2 garlic cloves and rubber with your hands over the rack of pork with some olive oil (2 tbsp). Put the pork rack in a baking tray with 2-3 sprigs of thyme and the bay leaves. Cook for 1 hour. Let cool down reserving the juices on the tray. When you can handle the pork with your hands, rub over the wholegrain mustard and the pepper mixture ( Like a guide I used this five blend mixture of Bart)
2. Roughly chop the fennel (reserving apart the fennel stocks) and cook in a pan with 1 ltr hot water, the saffron and orange juice. Cook until tender. Drain.
3. In another pan add the milk and the potatoes. Season with a pinch of salt, add 1 tbsp of olive oil and the nutmeg. Drain the potatoes when  tender, set in a side of the baking dish and sprinkle over the mozzarella cheese.
4. For the gravy sauce, mix the chopped carrot (50g), onion, 1 chopped garlic, 1 thyme sprig  in a pan with 1 tbsp of olive oil and the pork juices. Saute everything for 5 minutes. Pour in the white wine and add the reserve fennel stock. Add 100ml of water and let boil, then simmer until the liquid is reduced.
5. In a pre-heated oven at 180ºC, put in the baking tray with the potatoes, fennel and the pork, cook until the cheese is bubbling and golden brown
6. On a plate serve a pork slice with some fennel and potatoes. Pour over some gravy sauce.

Salmon with puff pastry and oysters   Serves 2 – Kcal 415 -  Time 50 min.

Salmon with pastry sticks and oysters

You need: 2 salmon fillet – 1 rosemary stick – 1 crush garlic - 30ml light cream –  6 oysters – Half onion (60g chopped) –  1 garlic clove (chopped) - 100g leek (thinly sliced )  - 1 courgette (thinly sliced in sticks) 1 carrot (thinly sliced in sticks)  -  1 egg (beaten) – 150ml dry white wine or Albariño wine - 1 puff pastry packet -  1 tbsp chopped chives for garnish
1. First you need open the oyster keeping their natural juices. Set aside. Season the salmon with sea-salt and pepper and set aside.
2. If is needed defrost the puff pastry, then with a knife cut the pastry in stick of 3cm wide and 6 cm large. Brush them with the beaten egg. Put in in a pre-heated oven at 150ºC. Remove when golden brown are. Keep warm.
3. In a pan heat 2 tbsp of olive oil and stir in the onion and garlic and sauté in a low heat for 5 minutes, until the vegetables are translucent. Pour in the wine and let reduce.
4. When the wine is reducing by half add the oyster juice and cream. Stir and keep warm.
5. In another pan with a medium heat 2 tbsp of olive oil and sauté the carrots, courgettes and leeks until tender ( about 5 minutes)
6. Finally heat pan-fry pan with 1 tbsp. of olive oil, add the rosemary stick and crushed garlic, and cook the salmon fillet first skin down for 2-3 minutes until the skin is very crispy. Turn over and finish to cook.
7. Serve: In the centre of the plates make a bed with the carrots and courgettes, then put a puff pastry stick topped with some leek. Next put the salmon fillets and the put the 3 oysters. Pour over everything with the wine reduction and sprinkle with some chives.


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Christmas Dinner recipes

Christmas Soups

Soups

These soups are simple and delicious and very easy to prepare and more important a starter with low calories that you can cook the day or week before and reheat just before serving

Christmas Carrot Soup  Serves 6 – 190 kcal - Time 70minutes

Christmas Carrot Soup topped with mushrooms

You need: 400g carrots (chopped in little pieces) - 100g onion (chopped) -150g leeks (sliced) – 300g chestnuts –  ½ tsp. nutmeg – 2 cloves – 200g mushrooms (sliced) – 1tbsp sesame seeds – Some coriander for garnish. Hot vegetable stock

1. In a wide medium deep pan, heat 2 tbsp. of olive oil and add the onion, sliced leek and roughly chopped chestnuts. Cover and simmer for about 5 minutes in a low medium heat.
2. Add the carrots, nutmeg and cloves. Cover with 700ml hot vegetable stock. Simmer with the lid on until the carrots are tender
3. In another pan heat 2 tbsp. of olive oil in medium high. Add the sliced mushrooms, cook them for about 5 minutes, and stir often. Season well. Remove from the heat and add the sesame seeds.
4. When the carrots are tender, blend the mixture until smooth with in a blender or using a hand-held blender. Add more stock if the mix is too thick.
5. Serve in individual plates and top each one with the mushrooms and some coriander. Sprinkle over some olive oil.

Broccoli Festive Cream Soup Serves 6 - 247kcal - Time  50 min

For a lighter version use just bread toast stick instead of puff pastry

You need: 600g broccoli florets – 60g raisins – 250ml milk – 3 tbsp. flour – Puff pastry – Vinegar

1. In a pan with salty boiling water cook the broccoli until tender (about 5 min. from package- 12 min. if is fresh broccoli).
2. Meanwhile take the packet of puff pastry and cut in strips 2 cm wide and around 10cm long. Put in the oven at 210ºC for 15minutes, until the pastry is golden.
3. When the broccolis are ready, drain and then blend in a blender or using a hand-held blender until smooth.
4. Now heat 2tbsp of olive oil in a pan, stir in the broccoli puree and raisins. Sprinkle over the flour and stir very well.
5. Now mix the milk slowly and stirring constantly, until you gets thickness slightly thick as a traditional cream soup. Season and add few drop of vinegar.
6. Serve in individual bowl with some puff pastry beside for deep in the broccoli cream.

Leek and White Bean Soup Serves 2 - 300kcal – Time 40 min

Add a extra festive touch with truffle oil and crème fraiche 

You need: 1 leek (thinly sliced) – 200g floury potatoes (diced) -  400g of canned cannellini beans (drained and rinsed) - 600ml hot vegetable stock – 1 garlic clove (chopped) 2 tbsp. chopped parsley – 2 tsp. Truffle flavour infused oil.

1. Heat 2 tbsp. of olive oil in a pan using a medium low heat. Add the leek and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes.
2. Add the potatoes, beans and cover with the stock. Bring to boil and then simmer in a low heat for about 20 minutes. Check that the potatoes are tender.
3. Using a ladle spoon remove some vegetables and set aside.
4. Purée the remaining vegetables in a blender or using a hand-held blender until smooth.
5. Now mix the reserved vegetables with the blended ones (re-heat if is needed) and add the parsley.
6. Serve in individual bowls and drizzle over some truffle oil.

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Christmas Soups