I rather like a bit of Christmassy razzmatazz – bring on the baubles, Isay, and get the kids making paper chains. And Iembrace the ceremony of a big festive lunch, too; indeed, I'm often to be found on Christmas morning doing something reasonably complicated with a goose. But I don't want to be knee-deep in giblets all the time this holiday (really!). There will be occasions when simplicity is the order of the day, and I'm sure most cooks feel the same way.
So here are some of my favourite low-input, high-impact winter dishes. They are all delicious and beautiful enough to serve on Christmas Day itself, but even if you're a die-hard fan of turkey, trimmings and a flaming pud on the 25th, do give yourself a break and lean on some low-stress ideas for entertaining over the rest of the festive season – things that will refresh your repertoire without depleting your energy levels. After all, simple food is not the same thing as boring food; in fact, pared-down dishes often have the greatest wow factor. They speak of confidence and style in the cook, they demand the best ingredients and so tend to be full of strong, clear flavours; they often look stunning, too.
Breast of lamb with dates and preserved lemons
This lovely recipe is the creation of my head chef, Gill Meller. Serves six.
8 medjool dates (about 180g)
1 medium-sized preserved lemon
2 boned lamb breasts
Sea salt and freshly ground
black pepper
1 big pinch dried chilli flakes
A few sprigs of thyme, picked
A few sprigs of marjoram, picked
Heat the oven to 220C/425F/gas mark 7. Stone the dates, if need be, and chop the flesh. Cut the preserved lemon rind from the flesh, discard the flesh and chop the rind.
Trim the lamb breasts, if necessary, to create tidy, rectangular pieces of meat. Open them out flesh side up. Sprinkle over the chilli flakes and season generously. Spread the dates and lemon over the lamb. Finely chop the thyme and marjoram leaves, and sprinkle these over, too.Roll up the lamb breasts to enclose the stuffing and tie securely with butcher's string.
Place the lamb in a large roasting tin, and roast for 15 minutes. Remove the meat, cover it with foil, turn down the heat to 160C/320F/gas mark 3 and cook for two and a half hours, until the meat is tender. Remove, leave to rest for 20-30 minutes, then carve into thick slices and serve.
Sea bass 'mojito'
A very beautiful, delicate example of a ceviche – a dish where citrus juice is used to "cook" raw fish. Lime juice, combined with fresh mint, gives it a lovely cool, fresh, uplifting taste, hence the title. If at all possible, use line-caught, wild sea bass. Serves sixas a starter.
2 boneless, skinless fillets of very fresh line-caught wild sea bass (or black bream) – about 300g in total
Juice of 3-4 limes
1 small or ½ medium onion, peeled and finely diced
1-2 tsp caster sugar
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 small fresh green or red chilli
1 small bunch of mint, picked
Using a nice sharp knife, and working across the grain of the fillet, cut the fish into bite-sized pieces. Check the fish for bones, scales or scraps of skin: you want completely clean flesh. If in doubt, rinse the fish in fresh cold water, then pat dry with a spotlessly clean kitchen cloth.
Put the fish in a bowl with the lime juice, onion and sugar. Season well with salt and a twist of black pepper. Have a taste at this point: if it needs a little more sweetness or acidity, add more sugar or lime juice. Leave the fish to marinate in a cool place for at least one hour and up to three.
Shortly before serving, deseed and very finely slice the chilli and chop the mint. Turn the chilli and mint through the marinated fish, have a final taste and adjust the seasoning: it may need a little more sugar, a pinch of salt or more mint. Serve the ceviche just as it is or with a fresh cucumber salad sprinkled with some toasted, crushed hazelnuts.
Salad of chickpeas, capers, onions and parsley
One of my favourite salads, full of delicately earthy flavours, this is a winning side dish with all kinds of foods, and absolutely delicious with a rich meat such as breast of lamb. If you don't have time to cook your own chickpeas (they do have the edge on flavour and texture) use three tins instead, drained and rinsed, and add them with the dressing at the end. Serves six.
300g dried chickpeas, soaked overnight in cold water
1 bay leaf (optional)
1 garlic clove, bashed (optional)
1 large handful flat-leaf parsley
leaves, plus a few stalks (optional)
5 tbsp olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground
black pepper
4 tsp cider vinegar
1 small red onion, peeled and
finely chopped
1½ tbsp baby capers, rinsed
Drain the soaked chickpeas into asaucepan with the bay leaf, garlic and parsley stalks (if using). Cover with plenty of cold water, bring to a boil, skim off any scum that rises to the surface, then simmer for 45-60 minutes, until tender. Drain and discard the herbs, garlic and parsley stalks. Toss with a tablespoon of olive oil and some salt and pepper, and set aside to cool completely.
Whisk the remaining four tablespoons of oil with the vinegar and some salt and pepper. Toss this dressing into the chickpeas, along with the onion and capers (add the tinned chickpeas at this stage, if you haven't cooked your own). Leave for at least 20 minutes and up to an hour, then toss in the parsley and serve.
Rhubarb and ginger fool
A simple but gorgeous winter pud. Serves six.
500g rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 2-3cm chunks
150g caster sugar
4 balls preserved stem ginger, very finely chopped, plus 2 tbsp of the ginger syrup
250ml double cream
250ml plain wholemilk yoghurt
1 vanilla pod
Put the rhubarb in a large pan with 100g of the sugar and 50ml water. Spread the pieces out so they are in as close to a single layer as possible. Cover and cook on a low heat for five to 10 minutes, until soft – if the pieces aren't in a single layer, they'll take a bit longer and you'll have to stir them, but go carefully: you want them to retain some of their shape.
Remove the rhubarb from the heat, strain it through a sieve, saving the juices, set aside to cool, then chill.
Combine the strained juices with the ginger syrup in a small pan. Bring to a boil and reduce by half. Leave to cool completely, then chill.
In a bowl, combine the cream, yoghurt, remaining sugar and the chopped ginger. Split open the vanilla pod and scrape the seeds into the cream mixture. Whisk to fairly soft peaks, then very carefully fold the cooled rhubarb pieces, trying not to break them up too much. Divide the fool between six wine glasses, trickle over a little syrup and serve at once with ginger biscuits.
Apple, dried cranberry and walnut salad
I love this little seasonal salad as apalate cleanser or as the adjunct toacheese course. Serves six.
2 medium dessert apples
100g dried cranberries
150g walnuts
Lemon juice
Extra-virgin olive oil
Quarter and core the apples, then slice them thinly. Arrange the slices over six plates. Scatter on the cranberries and walnuts, then add a good squeeze or two of lemon juice and just the merest trickle of olive oil. Serve straight away so the apple doesn't get a chance to brown .
Fiona Beckett's wine recommendation
In the spirit of Hugh's pared-down menu, I'm going to suggest a versatile white and red that should see you through these dishes and others besides. Domaine Gardrat's Vin de Pays Charentais Sauvignon 2011 (£9.50, Yapp Brothers) is perfect Christmas drinking: refreshing, crisp, citrussy and only 11.5% abv. Meanwhile, the exotic LaGrange des Combes 2010 St-Chinian-Roquebrun (£8.99 if you buy two or more bottles, Majestic; 13.5% abv) is a characterful blend of syrah, grenache and mourvèdre that will be great with the Moroccan-inspired flavours of the lamb breast.
