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By Lifestyle Reporter 
18h ago
While for many, Christmas brings people together, others prefer to keep things small.
And now that smaller groups are the new normal as South Africa experiences a second wave of Covid-19, it’s best to keep celebrations an intimate affair.
If you are spending Christmas with fewer than five people, we have some ideas for you, from the extra special brunch to dessert.
christmas morning
Christmas morning requires something special but fast. Go seasonal with an avocado salad.
Citrus salad with avocado
For 4 people
Ingredients
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 ½ teaspoon finely chopped shallot
1 teaspoon of honey
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 medium oranges, preferably a mix of varieties such as cara cara, blood and navel
The pulp of 1 ripe avocado, thinly sliced
¼ cup of fresh coriander leaves, to decorate
Method
Mix the oil, lemon juice, shallot, honey, salt, and pepper in a liquid measuring cup to form an emulsified dressing.
Cut off the top and bottom of the orange, laying it over one cut end.
Make a series of downward cuts as you work around the fruit to remove the skin and all the white pith.
Repeat with the remaining oranges, then cut crosswise into thin slices.
Discard the holes.
Arrange the orange slices on individual plates.
Spread or place the avocado on top.
Drizzle each serving with the dressing and sprinkle cilantro leaves over salads and serve.
Christmas dinner
Start
Keep things simple with a delicious soup.
Creamy Pumpkin Coconut Soup
Ingredients
1 small shallot, very finely chopped
2 cups pumpkin puree
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons maple syrup
½ can of coconut milk
1 cup vegetable broth (add more if too thick)
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon allspice
A pinch of cayenne pepper or hot Hungarian paprika
Salt pepper to taste
Method
In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, sauté the minced shallot and garlic until soft and golden.
Add the pumpkin puree; Vegetable broth; Maple syrup; coconut milk; cinnamon; jaimacan pepper; hot Hungarian paprika or cayenne (optional). Salt and pepper to taste.
Mix all the ingredients and cook for 15 minutes over medium heat.
Main dish
Roast a whole turkey. A whole turkey is ideal for some people and will give you generous portions.
Turkey in the Weber
Ingredients
1 free-range turkey 2 liters of brine
2 onions
4 cloves of garlic
150 g grated bacon (or bacon)
50g butter
100 g chicken livers
500g of pork sausage
1⁄4 loaf of white bread
3 eggs
10g fresh sage
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
Method
Cut the legs and thighs of the turkey, remove the skin and bones.
Cut the meat into pieces and go through a mincer.
Cut the tenderloin with poultry shears, leaving the breast on the bone.
Remove the wings (freeze the wings and spine to use as a broth in the future). Put the brisket in the brine and leave it in the fridge overnight.
Finely chop the onion and garlic and dice the bacon or bacon.
Fry them gently in butter in a saucepan.
When the onions are translucent, remove and let cool.
Coarsely chop the chicken livers and combine with the sausage and minced turkey.
Mix the bread, without the crust, into fresh breadcrumbs in a food processor, then add these and the eggs to the meat.
Add the chilled onion and minced sage mixture to the meat mixture and season to taste. Roll the mixture into a roll, cover it with aluminum foil, and leave it in the fridge overnight.
Up to date
Remove the turkey breast from the brine and pat dry with kitchen paper, brush with a little olive oil and season.
Place the breast, skin side up, along with the stuffing roll, in a Weber over indirect coals.
Close the lid, leaving the top and bottom vents open, and cook for about 90 minutes (use a meat thermometer – it’s done when the internal temperature is about 80 ° C).
When the brisket and stuffing are cooked, they should rest for about 30 minutes.
To keep them warm, wrap the breast in aluminum foil and place both in an empty fridge and close the lid.
Once the bird is well rested, take it to the table and cut it up.
For vegetarians, you can make a low carb spinach and artichoke lasagna
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
4 large brinjals
Olive oil
Ketchup
15 ml olive oil
10ml minced garlic
2 cans x 400g chopped tomatoes
15 ml tomato paste
10 ml of castor sugar
Salt and pepper
60ml chopped basil
Artichoke sauce
30 ml of olive oil
2 chopped onions
15ml minced garlic
500 g clean and chopped spinach
2 x 400g cans artichoke hearts, chopped
500g fresh cream
60ml grated Parmesan cheese
Grated rind and juice of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper
60ml chopped dill
300 g mozzarella cheese
250ml of extra Parmesan cheese
Method
Cut the brinjals into 7mm thick slices. Brush with olive oil and place on a large cookie sheet.
Cook under a preheated grill for 2-3 minutes per side until lightly browned. Remove and reserve.
Tomato sauce: Heat the oil in a pot and fry the garlic over medium heat.
Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for 10-15 minutes until slightly thickened.
Remove and cool slightly before pureeing with a hand mixer.
Artichoke sauce: Heat the olive oil in a pot and fry the onion and garlic over medium heat until the onions are soft.
Add the spinach and cook over high heat until the spinach is soft and the liquid has evaporated.
Add the artichokes and cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
Add the crema fraiche, Parmesan, lemon zest, and juice, and season well. Add the dill.
In a 28x35cm refractory dish spread half of the tomato sauce. Sprinkle with a third of the mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Top with a layer of brinjals.
Spread half of the artichoke sauce. Top with the remaining tomato sauce, another third of the mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese. Top with another layer of brinjals and the rest of the artichoke sauce.
Sprinkle the rest of the mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Bake at 180 ° C for 25-30 minutes until golden and bubbly.
Remove and let stand 10 minutes before serving.
A side dish
The sumptuous sides are the highlight of the holiday table. Try the creamy chicken liver pate. This is one of the perfect meals to serve during lunch.
Ingredients
500 g chicken livers
2 lemons, juiced
45 g of nice river butter
2 chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, crushed
pinch of chili flakes
salt and black pepper to taste
250ml white wine
250ml Clover Fresh Cream
Chopped parsley or cilantro to serve
Melted extra Mooi river butter to pour on top
Method
Soak the chicken livers in the juice of one of the lemons for 30 minutes. Sauté the onions and garlic in half the butter until soft and golden, remove from the pan.
Drain the livers and fry briefly in the remaining butter for 1-2 minutes until the pink color disappears. Add the chili, black pepper, salt, wine, and onion and mix. Reduce before adding the cream. Reduce again, add the chopped herbs and mix, pour into a serving plate and top with melted butter. Refrigerate until set.
Dessert
A classic cake or pudding will yield a lot of leftovers, so try individual puddings or a lighter cold dessert.
Mallow Pudding from Cape Malay Cooking
Ingredients
1 egg
1 cup of sugar
1 cup cake flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 tablespoon apricot jam
1 tablespoon of vinegar
1 cup of milk
2 butter spoons
For the sauce
1 cup of milk
2-3 tablespoons sugar
2-3 tablespoons of butter
1 tablespoon of vanilla essence
Method
In the first step, pour the milk and vinegar into a small pitcher and set it aside.
Next, in a bowl, beat the egg, sugar, butter, and jam for about 2 minutes, then add the sifted dry ingredients and milk mixture and stir until well combined.
Pour into a greased square tin (other than a large frying pan) or in a glass-proof baking dish, bake for half an hour at 180 ° C or when the skewer is inserted it comes out clean, and the cake will also be brown.
While the cake is baking, place all the sauce ingredients in a small saucepan and simmer and stir until hot.
Stay warm on one side.
When your cake is ready, take it out of the oven and immediately pour in all the sauce.
For a larger pudding, just double all the ingredients.
Instead of making your own sauce, heat half a can of evaporated milk with a teaspoon of vanilla extract until warm and pour over the Malva cake immediately after removing it from the oven.
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