How to cook at Christmas
You may think Christmas is about presents, nativity scenes or a few extra weeks holiday. But we all know that it is really about the food. Tables weighed down with turkey. Cake and cocktails for breakfast. These recipes are perfect for students and while they won’t tell you how to make dinner on the big day itself, you can still wow your family and friends with a festive feast.
Perfect Christmas sandwich
Spinach
2 slices of your preferred bread – we like malted and seeded
Cold roasted turkey/chicken
Cranberry sauce
2 x leftover stuffing balls, cut into slices or crumbled
Mayonnaise
¼ lemon
1. Spread a generous layer of cranberry sauce on your bread.
2. Add four leaves of spinach and top with the meat and stuffing balls.
3. Mix the mayonnaise with ¼ teaspoon lemon zest and spread on the other slice of bread.
4. Cut into triangles and serve.
Dessert – Homemade mince pies
125g plain flour
55g butter, softened and cubed
2-3 tbsp cold water
Pinch of salt
600g mixed dried fruit – raisins, currants, cranberries, sultanas
1 lemon
1 orange
50ml brandy (optional)
200g shredded suet
250g dark brown sugar
80g mixed peel
½ tsp ground nutmeg
1 apple
Milk/egg and caster sugar for finishing
To make the pastry:
1. Mix the flour and salt in a mixing bowl and add the softened butter.
2. Rub it together with your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs.
3. Stir in the cold water gradually, until it is just combined.
4. Chill the dough for 15 minutes before using.
To make the mincemeat:
5. Soak the fruit overnight in the brandy and the juice of the lemon and orange until deliciously plump and juicy.
6. Add the shredded suet, the brown sugar, the peel of half the lemon and half the orange.
7. Peel and grate the apple and add.
Cooking the mince pies:
8. Pre-heat your oven to 220°
9. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface until it is about the depth of a £1 coin.
10. Cut out using a 10cm round cutter and put them into your pie trays. Fill each pie with a tablespoon of mincemeat.
11. Roll out any remaining pastry trimmings and cut out thin stars to top the pies.
12. Glaze the top with of each with a little milk or beaten egg.
13. Sprinkle lightly with caster sugar.
14. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.
15. Cool, remove and serve.
New Year Detox Dinner – Sweet Potato and Bean Enchiladas
Serves 2-3
8 x wheat tortilla
2 sweet potato
1 tin of butter beans
1 tin of kidney beans
2 peppers
1 onion
Grated cheddar
Mozzarella ball
Tinned tomatoes
Oregano
½ lemon
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp paprika
Chilli powder to taste
3 cloves garlic
2 tbsp tomato puree
Sour cream
1. Chop your sweet potatoes into 1cm chunks and roast in an oven at 220°C for 20 minutes.
2. While the sweet potato is cooking, make your Mexican spice paste. Combine the herbs, spices, lemon juice, garlic and tomato puree and mix until it resembles a thick paste.
3. Chop the peppers and onion roughly and fry on a medium heat for three minutes.
4. Add the spice paste and fry for a further minute.
5. Combine with the tin of tomatoes and the drained tins of beans and simmer on a low heat for 10 minutes.
6. Add the roasted sweet potato.
To make the enchiladas:
7. Add a large spoonful of the vegetable and bean mixture into a wheat tortilla, topping with a small sprinkle of cheese.
8. Roll the tortilla and place it seam side down in a large baking tray.
9. Repeat for each of the remaining tortillas before spreading a thin layer of sour cream on top and finishing with the remaining cheddar and top with shredded mozzarella.
10. Bake at 200°C for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown with a crispy top.
Do you like your mince pies or Christmas sandwiches with an unusual twist? Comment to tell us all about your favourite festive food.