We celebrate on Christmas Eve. The reason why and how this evolved is for another post. And we celebrate with family and friends.
There is a lot going on in my kitchen for Xmas dinner, as I am sure it is in every kitchen where such preparation occurs. I add an international twist to our dinner, with a Bulgarian style main course and some appetizers and/or salads. I also love to add a little Nordic touch with an appetizer. Aside from wine (red, white and sparkling), I often add some Spanish spirit with Sangria, and having lived in Belgium for a while, a few strong winter beers are usually in the drinks selection too.
But nothing is too complicated or sophisticated. I try to keep it simple. Being busy with planning our next trip, this year’s menu was probably the simplest one I have had for a while. Many of the dishes can be prepared the previous day. The vegetables and lettuce that will go in a salad or a dish to be cooked prior to serving can be washed and made ready for use the previous day too. The temperatures at this time of the year are such that I use my garage as a big fridge, which is important given the extra volume of food I need to keep safe.
The menu varies each year depending on what I can find in the markets. There are of course some dishes that are always present. Such as turkey roasted over sour cabbage (the Bulgarian twist), roasted potatoes, rice with mushrooms and celery, fresh salad Bulgarian style and a root salad. Alex adds his rutabaga and carrots mash. Often, I add shredded brussels sprouts with chopped pancetta and or roasted roots, cherry tomato salad and many others as my mood, time and the markets dictate.
So, what was on the table this time?
While the guests arrive
The day of Christmas Eve is a work day for some, so people arrive at different times. I actually prefer it that way, so we can have time with everyone. For that pre-appetizer gathering time we simply serve drinks and munchies that we buy, such as nuts, chocolate bark, even popcorn. Remember it is a long evening loaded with food.
Appetizers
As always at this time of the year I have a few dips, cheese board and special dry salami and dry-cured meats that we buy at a Bulgarian store in Toronto. The cured meats are similar to prosciutto but have completely different taste. So do the sujuk and lukanka, which are Bulgarian style dry salamis. They can be beef, pork or mixed. The taste is very different from the Italian dry sausages and meats that are abundant in Toronto. This is the Bulgarian theme.
I either make dips or buy some when time is a factor. This year I bought some, and made only the horseradish guacamole. My Nordic theme was marinated herring over the horseradish guacamole.
I decorate my table mainly with food and salt & pepper shakers. My decoration was really simple this time. In each plate to be used for appetizers I created a Xmas tree from slices of green pepper as branches, a slice of cucumber as a trunk, popcorn for snow and a little piece of red pepper on the top.
Previous years I have used other ingredients for creating something resembling a Xmas tree, such as pita bread slices with hummus and peppers on the top.
And the Romanesco cauliflower, mentioned in a previous post, as a decorated tree.
Boiled in salty water but not too much so it can still be firm and hold decorations.
Main course
- Turkey over sour cabbage
In Canada the Xmas dinner usually revolves around a turkey. It is not a Bulgarian tradition, so I add a Bulgarian twist to it by roasting it on the top of sour cabbage (similar to sauerkraut), that I make. For stuffing I use rice cooked with celery and mushrooms. Rice goes well with sour cabbage. We use sage, thyme, rosemary and salt for the turkey, and roasting is exactly as one would roast just turkey.
2. Brussels sprouts with pancetta (or any other salted non-fatty bacon)
For this one I fry chopped pancetta (about 250g) until it crisps. Discard most of the fat and leave enough for the sprouts to cook in. Slice or shred the sprouts and add to the pancetta. Once the sprouts are heated, turn the temperature to medium or low and cook until the cabbage is done. Takes about 30 min.
Since pancetta is salty, I don’t add salt. In the past I have seasoned with pepper, tarragon and even thyme. However, this time I left is without any other seasoning. You can add pine nuts just before serving.
3. Rice with chopped mushrooms and celery. This is similar to risotto, but I use regular rice instead of arborio and am not that fussy about preparation.
4. Roasted potatoes
One can parboil the potatoes the previous day. We cut them, add salt and sometimes paprika or thyme and roast them for about 30 min on 450F, or until they crisp.
5. Rutabaga and carrots mash
This is Alex’s English twist to our dinner. He simply boils the peeled and diced rutabaga with chopped carrots and salt and then mashes them, adding some butter, salt and pepper to taste. This too can be made he previous day.
I use a selection of cauliflower available at the stores, broccoli and add some colours. See The recipes that aren’t post for ideas.
7. Root salad
I grate a variety of roots, such as carrots, beets (you can use golden and red), celeriac (celery root), parsnip, turnips, kohlrabi, fennel bulb, etc.
A few from this list with different colour and taste depending on the markets is enough. I use cider vinegar and olive oil as dressing. This salad is best prepared a day or two in advance in order for the flavours to mix. It can also stay in the fridge for a few weeks.
8. Bulgarian style salad
Lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes and pepper salad with cider vinegar and olive oil. You can add fresh mushrooms and roasted pepper if you wish. Decorated with Bulgarian white brined cheese (they call it feta here, but it is quite different form the Greek feta–Alex calls it “feta but betta”) and olives. I don’t use salt, since the olives and the cheese have it all.
Deserts
OK what about deserts? As I mentioned in the previous post I don’t bake. But our guests bring delicious deserts and some other dishes as they feel like. That’s what friends are for, aren’t they? ?
Jane bakes wonderful Xmas cookies and cakes that bring the Canadian flavour to the table.
Miriam makes delicious Brazilian deserts (queijadinha – cheese muffins) that we named Brazilian muffins, and Magdy makes crème caramel. They were all on the table this year too. I often make fruit salad, or baked and even barbequed fruits, but not this year. Did I mention that my brain is engaged with our next travel prep?
How to make sour cabbage:
Sour cabbage is not to everybody’s taste. But if you grew up in Europe, especially Eastern Europe and Germany, you probably had it regularly during the winter. My parents used to make a big barrel full of 100 heads of cabbage. It takes quite some time in the fall for the cabbage to ferment. In Canada one can find pickled heads in many ethnic stores and some major chains. It is either made by the ethnic communities or the Mennonites. Once can also buy jars of sauerkraut. I tried them all and found that it is way too sour and I have to mix it with fresh to bring it to the right consistency. So I began making my own, just for Xmas and Thanksgiving day.
This is not as simple as it sounds if you have not been exposed to it. You have to know when to stop the fermentation process. However, for consistency and for those willing to try it, below is how I make it:
You need to start the cabbage at least 10 days before you will use it.
Chop one or two fresh cabbage heads. Two heads yield plenty for a gang of 20 people.
Salt and squeeze the copped cabbage and put in a deep pot or jar. The reason for squeezing/kneading the cabbage is for it to produce as much water as possible. Ideally so that one does not need to add water. However, the cabbage I buy from the stores at that time of the year is not very juicy, so adding water is inevitable. Once in a jar or pot cover with water. For a fast start you can actually pour hot salty water (in this case salt the chopped cabbage less). Cover the cabbage with a plate that fits inside the pot and put something heavy on the top to keep the cabbage from floating. Leave in warm place for a few days, but check it regularly. If fermentation is progressing too fast you will need to bring it to a cooler place. We don’t have a cold room so it is rather warm in the house. After a week my pot goes in the garage to slow the fermentation. If the weather is too mild, I may need to stop the fermentation by transferring it into jars and storing it in the fridge for a few days.
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