Day 23
Hopefully, some snow will fall. Christmas gifts are waiting, traditional songs echo everywhere and stars, firs and angels decorate the windows. Many customary things await us at this festive time of the year. Should also the Christmas dinner be the same as in other years? There are a variety of ways to make it tasty, special and festive at the same time. What about a salad starter, some Falafel with mushroom sauce and mashed potatoes and a delicious dessert afterwards…
First course: Salad with honey champignons
Ingredients
- 500g mushrooms
- 200ml orange juice
- 1 onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- oil and butter
- salt and pepper
- 500g lamb’s lettuce or 1 – 2 heads of lettuce
- 1 orange
- 200g parmesan
- Balsamic vinegar
- Olive oil
- Spices to taste, e.g. oregano, basil
- Sugar
- Honey
Method
1)Chop the onion and garlic and put them in about 4 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar. Season with salt, pepper and spices.
2) Wash the lettuce.
3) Boil down the orange juice to 1/3 to 1/4 of the original amount.
4) Quarter or slice the mushrooms, fry them in butter with a little oil with salt and pepper.
5) Add a pinch of sugar and about 2 – 3 tablespoons of honey to the pan. Stir, the mushrooms should caramelise a little.
6)Pour the salad dressing over the salad. Arrange the mushrooms in heaps on top. Pour the thickened orange juice over the top and some peel of the orange. Sprinkle with finely flaked Parmesan cheese.
Second course: Falafel with mushroom sauce and mashed potatoes
Falafel ingredients:
- 500g dried chickpeas
- 1 onion, cut in small pieces
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped finely
- 1 bunch chopped parsley
- juice of one lemon
- 2 tsp coriander powder
- 2 tsp ground cumin seeds
- 1 tbsp salt
- possibly chilli powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 6-8 tbsp flour
- Possibly breadcrumbs
- olive oil
Method
1)Mash the chickpeas with the onion and garlic.
2) Add the parsley, coriander, cumin, lemon juice, salt, possibly chilli, baking powder and flour and knead well.
3)Form of that mixture balls of the size of a heaped teaspoon, coat them in flour or breadcrumbs and fry in olive oil.
4) Drain the falafel on kitchen paper and keep warm in the oven.
Mashed potatoes ingredients:
- 1kg potatoes
- 2 tsp butter
- approx. 240ml almond milk
- salt and pepper
Method
1)Cut the potatoes into quarters. Cook in salted water for about 20 minutes. Drain.
2) Put the potatoes back in the pot. Add butter and mash.
3) Add some almond milk and continue to mash until the desired consistency is reached.
4) Season with salt and pepper.
Mushroom sauce ingredients:
- 3 tbsp oil
- 250g mushrooms, sliced
- 1 onion, cut into rings
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 3 tbsp flour or 2 tbsp cornflour
- 1 tbsp mustard
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 480ml vegetable stock
- 1 tsp thyme
- Salt and pepper
Method
1)Heat the oil, add onion and mushrooms and fry for about 5 minutes. Stir occasionally.
2)Add the garlic and fry for another minute.
3) Mix the flour with the soy sauce, mustard, tomato paste and vegetable stock. Add to the pan and bring to the boil, stirring.
4) Simmer under reduced heat for about 5 minutes – until thickened to desired consistency.
5) Season with thyme, salt and pepper.
Third course: Cinnamon ice cream with pears and gingerbread sauce
Ingredients:
- 3 egg yolks
- 75g icing sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tbsp rum
- 500 ml cream
- 70 g chocolate (preferably dark)
- 1 tsp gingerbread spice
- 2 pears
- a little lemon juice
- a little sugar
Method
1)Whip 250 ml cream until stiff.
2)Beat the egg yolks with the icing sugar until foamy, fold it into the cream together with the cinnamon and rum.
3)Pour into a tin and place in a freezer for at least 2 1/2 hours. Best if you stir it every 1/2 hour.
4)Peel the pears, cut them in half – or slice them, if they are big – and remove the cores.
5)Steam them in water with a little lemon juice and sugar, drain and leave to cool.
6)Heat the other 250 ml of the cream with the dark chocolate, stirring in the gingerbread spice.
7)Cut the cinnamon ice cream and arrange with the pear halves and gingerbread sauce on top.
Feature image credit: Pexels photos
