Fun, family and food – the festive season is upon us once again! After a busy year, the joyous times of the festive season are practically here and many of us will get the opportunity to relax a little while indulging in all the trappings of the holiday season, including all the many culinary delights on offer!
Cooking for a crowd?
Are you cooking for a crowd these holidays? Make this festive season extra special for you and your loved ones by spoiling them with some of these easy and delicious festive season recipes and mouth-watering menu ideas to enjoy.
Starter
Biltong Pâté
With biltong already being a South African staple and favourite, why not incorporate it into your festive season starters? This is the ideal local dish to make for your guests to enjoy. To make it, you will need:
- 100g biltong, finely grated
- 100g cream cheese
- 50ml double cream
- 2tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ tbsp coriander, ground
- Melba toast or toasted baguette slices
Method:
Mix all the ingredients until they are smooth. Spoon them into ramekins and serve with ciabatta, melba toast or toasted baguette slices with gherkins and olives on the side.
Side Dish
Butternut Couscous Salad
Couscous salad is often a side dish favourite, and the combination of butternut and couscous is a real winner. This healthy delight is relatively easy to make. You will need:
- 1 small butternut, cubed and peeled into bite-sized chunks
- Couscous
- A handful of fresh mint and 4/5 sprigs of oregano (or, 1 to 2 teaspoons each of both herbs, dried)
- 1 teaspoon of dried chilli flakes
- 2 cups baby spinach, rinsed and dried
- 1 small cup of feta, coarsely crumbled
- ½ a cup of pitted black olives
- Optional: two teaspoons of balsamic reduction and a handful of toasted pine nuts
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 200°C and place the cubed butternut into an oven-proof dish.
- Drizzle the butternut with olive oil and sprinkle with chilli flakes, dried/fresh herbs and salt. Roast for approximately 30 minutes until tender and remove from the oven. Toss the spinach leaves with the vegetables to endure the leaves wilt but don’t cook through.
- Ensure all the vegetables are evenly distributed, as well as the olives and feta. Sprinkle with pine nuts and lightly drizzle balsamic reduction. If you feel the salad is too dry, lightly drizzle with more olive oil.
- Serve the salad on a bed of couscous that is prepared according to the instructions on the pack.
Main Course
Roast pork with spicy sauce
While roast pork is a traditional festive season favourite, this dish is infused with a twist thanks to the spicy sauce that the dish is cooked in. These are the ingredients you will need:
- 2 to 3kg pork loin (boned, shoulder or rolled loin)
- oil
- salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- spicy sauce
- 200ml tomato puree
- 20ml tomato sauce
- 15ml prepared mild mustard
- 45ml brown sugar
- 45ml white vinegar
- 2,5ml dried mixed herbs
- 30ml HP sauce (optional)
- 15ml soy sauce
- 2ml Tabasco sauce
How to make it:
- Preheat the oven to 160°C
- Wipe the meat with oil, season lightly with salt and pepper, and if necessary, score the rind and sprinkle extra salt.
- Weigh the meat and calculate the cooking time – allow for 25 to 30 minutes per 500 g plus another 25 minutes.
- On the rack of a roasting pan, place the meat with the fat side up.
- Thirty minutes before the end of cooking time, increase the oven temperature to 200°C
- Once the crackling is crisp and golden, combine all the sauce ingredients. Then, bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Tip: don’t baste the rind with pan juices as this will make it soggy and less crisp.
Dessert
Peppermint Crisp Tart
Who doesn’t love this easy all-time South African favourite?
Beeramisu
Most people have heard of the delicious dessert tiramisu, but have you heard of the absolutely delightful concoction Beeramisu? The biggest difference in this alcohol-infused dessert is that it also contains Castle Milk Stout Chocolate.
Here’s what you’ll need to make it:
- 1 cup Castle Milk Stout Chocolate Infused
- 1 packet of ladyfingers (Boudoir Biscuits)
- ½ cup strong coffee/espresso
- 4 large egg whites
- 4 large egg yolks
- 2 cups mascarpone cheese, softened/room temperature
- ½ cup and ¼ cup castor sugar
- 1 tsp. almond essence
- 1 tsp. vanilla essence
- Cocoa powder
- 100g dark chocolate or cocoa to decorate
Method:
- Line the bottom of your serving dish with a layer of Boudoir Biscuits.
- In a jug, combine the Castle Milk Stout and coffee and spoon onto the first layer of biscuits – take care to not make it too soggy.
- Using a hand mixer, whisk the egg yolks and half a cup of castor sugar in a mixing bowl until pale and fluffy.
- With a spatula, fold in the softened mascarpone ½ cup at a time and add almond and vanilla essence.
- Beat the egg whites with an electric mixer and add ¼ cup of castor sugar gradually until stiff peaks form.
- Gently fold the egg whites mixture into the mascarpone mixture, adding a third at a time making sure to keep the mixture light.
- Use a spoon to layer the mixture into the serving dish on top of the biscuits and dust with cocoa afterwards.
- Depending on the depth of your dish, repeat these layers and end with a layer of the mascarpone mixture.
- Use aluminium foil to cover the dish, refrigerate, and allow it to set for 12 hours, or overnight before serving.
- Right before serving, grate dark chocolate shavings or dust the top with some good-quality cocoa.
No matter what dishes you choose to make this holiday season, have fun and enjoy this precious time with your nearest and dearest. Happy holidays!
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