Christmas cooking

Oatmeal balls

Aebleskiver Chocolate cupcakes

Oatmeal Balls NUMBER: approx. 20 - Depending on size

INGREDIENTS 250 g oatmeal 150 g of soft butter 150 g of sugar 40 g of cocoa About 1 tablespoon rum or rum-essence About ½ decilitre of strong, cold coffee

COURSE OF ACTION Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl for a steady amount.

Form the dough into balls of optional size and roll them in oatmeal.

Put the balls on a baking sheet and store them in the fridge for 1-2 hours before serving.

Eat! Store the oatmeal spheres in an airtight box in the refrigerator .

Coffee can be replaced with cream.

Styling: Oatmeal can be replaced by coconut, cocoa, chocolate, etc.

Æbleskiver Ingredients 2 egg whites 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons of baking powder 1 tablespoon of white sugar 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda 1/2 teaspoon of salt 2 egg yolks 4 tablespoons butter, melted 2 cups of buttermilk 1 cup of vegetable oil for frying

Method 1. In a clean glass or metal bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until they can hold a stiff peak. Set aside.

2. Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, sugar, egg yolks, melted butter and buttermilk at one time and beat until smooth. Gently fold in the egg whites last.

3. Put about 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in the bottom of each aebleskiver pan cup and heat until hot. Pour in about 2 tablespoons of the batter into each cup. As soon as they get bubbly around the edge, turn them quickly (Danish cooks use a long knitting needle, but a fork will work). Continue cooking, turning the ball to keep it from burning.

4. To be served with icing sugar or sugar and your favourite jam or marmalade.

Translation: ĂŚble = apple, skive = slice. Back in time, pieces of apple were added the dough before baking.

Chocolate cupcakes Ingredients: 125g margarine 125g brown sugar 2 eggs 125g flour 2 teaspoons of baking powder 2 teaspoons of cinnamon 1 teaspoon of vanilla sugar 2 spoonful of milk 50g chopped chocolate

Instruction: 

Mix to a soft mass and add chocolate.



Add the other ingredients and stir together into dough. Put the dough into about 12 muffin molds and bake at 200 Celsius degrees for 15 – 20 minutes.

Roasted Turkey

Christmas Log

ROASTED TURKEY SIMPLE AND EASY RECIPE FROM OUR GRANDMAS

INGREDIENTS: 1 turkey 100 - 175 g of melted butter Salt and pepper 900 ml of turkey stock (made with the giblets) 1 table spoon of flour 1 wineglass red French wine Stuffing : Chestnut and sausagemeat

INSTRUCTIONS: 1.

Wash the turkey and dry. Put the prepared stuffing into the turkey sew.

2. Brush the bird with half the butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper 3. Brush the remaining butter onto greaseproof paper and use to cover the bird.

4. Pour 600 ml of the stock into the roasting tin under the rack and roast the turkey in a warm oven (160°C) for one hour, basting the bird occasionally with the stock and adding more stock if necessary.

5. Remove the greaseproof paper or foil for the last 15 minutes to brown the skin.

To test if the bird is cooked, pierce the thigh with a skewer; if the juices run clear it is ready to serve.

6. Remove from the oven and transfer to a hot serving platter 7. Put the roasting tin on top of the stove and stir in the flour. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly, then gradually add the stock and red wine or port.

8. Bring to the boil, stirring, then lower the heat and simmer gently for a further 1 to 2 minutes. Adjust seasoning.

Serve separately in a gravy boatServe with smashed potatoes and cranberries……

FRENCH CHOCOLATE LOG INGREDIENTS: Sponge Cake: 4 eggs (room temperature) 2/3 cup sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup cake flour

Chocolate Buttercream: 7 egg whites 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar 6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled 1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS: 1 Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.

Make the Cake: 1. Butter baking pan and line it with paper. Butter the paper.

2. Beat the eggs add the sugar, vanilla extract, and salt.

3. Fold the flour into the whipped egg mixture.

Once the flour is incorporated into the batter, stop mixing.

4. Gently spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake the cake for 10 minutes.

5. Invert the baked cake onto a clean, dry kitchen towel and peel off the paper. Wait 3 minutes and gently roll the cake, still in the towel. Allow it to cool completely.

6. Make the Chocolate Buttercream: beat the egg whites on high. Set them aside for a moment.

7. In a small saucepan, bring the sugar and 2/3 cup water to a boil. Allow it boil until it has reduced into a slightly thickened syrup.

8. Begin beating the egg whites on high speed again, and pour the hot sugar syrup into the eggs in a slow, steady stream.

9. Pour the melted chocolate, espresso powder, and vanilla extract into the egg whites and continue beating them until the meringue has cooled completely, about 5 minutes.

10. Add the softened butter to the meringue, 2 tablespoons at a time, while beating on high speed, until all of the butter is incorporated To assemble the chocolate yule log: 11. Unroll the cake and set aside the towel. Evenly spread 2 cups of the chocolate buttercream on the inside of the cake.

Spread with enough chocolate buttercream to cover it and gently pull a butter knife or small, offset spatula through the frosting to give the appearance of rough tree bark.

Merry Christmas

Georgian Christmas food Christmas Pie

Georgian Christmas food A big feast is the central part of any Georgian holiday—it shows hospitality, love to family, friends, and guests. On New Year’s Eve, Georgian festive tables weigh down under

the abundance of the

most

scrumptious

and

addictive

Georgian

cuisine. Savory satzivi (turkey with walnut sauce), mouth-watering khachapuri (cheese pie), delicious mtsvadi – Georgian barbeque, eggplant walnut rollups, spinach walnut dip with pomegranate will whet your appetite for more. A symbolical tabla, a small tray with sweets, is served separately.

Traditional Georgian sweets for New Year and Christmas are gozinaki (honey walnut candy) andchurchkhela ( grapes juice walnut candy) Delicious homemade Georgian wines, warmest wishes for the Christmas & New Year, awe inspiring famous Georgian polyphonic singing will make a very nice addition to Georgian feast.

Two traditional dishes from Christmas in Georgia are pork and turkey. On the left we have grilled piglets cooked in a Georgian style with herbs, and on the right is a savory satzivi (turkey with walnut sauce):

Traditional desserts eaten during Christmas in Georgia include gozinaki (honey walnut candy on the left), and churchkhela (grapes juice walnut candy on the right):

GEORGIAN TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS PIE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS: Leavened dough 1 kg Cheese – 800 grams (the one that is used for cooking khachapuri) Hard-boiled eggs 2 1 egg to grease the surface of the pie

INSTRUCTIONS: Pie can be of any shape, but mostly it is oval or half-moon. Divide the dough into balls and leave it to rest for 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile remove the shell from hard boiled eggs and cut into half or more pieces. Grind cheese.

Roll the dough. If you are making a pie of half-moon shape, put cheese and eggs on one part of dough and then cover it with another part of dough. You can prepare pie right on a baking sheet. Place the flattened dough on baking sheet and put the filling on it. Before putting the pie into oven, grease it with a whipped egg. Cook at 180 C- 200 C for 20 – 25 minutes.

Pork with leek and celery Melomakarona Vasilopita

Pork with leek and celery This dish is usually served the second day after Christmas (26 th December).

Ingredients (for 5 people) 1 kg of pork cut in small pieces A big bunch of celery 10-12 pieces of celery ½ cup of olive oil 1 onion Salt and pepper Lemon juice

Method Take the hard leaves out of the celery and cut them in 6-8 pieces (depending on its length). Wash the celery and let it dry a bit Cut the onion in small pieces and fry it a little in a big cooking pan. Add the pork, stir it few times till it changes its colour, add a cup of water and when it starts boiling, we decrease the temperature and we put the lid on the pan so that the meat boils.

After 1 hour (that is when you see that the meat is almost done), add the celery and the leek.

Leave the food cook and towards the end add salt.

The vegetables must be soft and the sauce must be a bit thick (add a spoonful of corn flour in some lemon juice and pour it over the food, while on fire and towards its end. It will make the sauce quite thick and tasty)

Serve and enjoy!!

Melomakarona (honey cookies) A traditional sweet made in November and enjoyed until after Christmas.

Ingredients 2 cups of olive oil (or corn oil as it is “lighter” in taste) 1 cup of sugar ¾ cups of orange juice ¼ cup of cognac 2 teaspoons of baking powder 1 teaspoon of cooking soda Around 8 cups of flour (you will how much you will need)

For the syrup 2 cups of honey 2 cups of sugar 2 cups of water

For the garnish ½ cup of walnuts 1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder ½ teaspoon of clove powder

Method

Boil the syrup for 5 mins (take the foam out) and let it become cold Mix the oil with the sugar and the cognac in a bowl Mix the baking powder, the soda and the flour in another bowl and as soon as the mixture is ready pour the liquid mixture in it. Knead it lightly so that it becomes a uniform mixture Make small cookies (see the photo) Bake in the oven at 175 °C for around 30 mins (the cookies must be golden brown Take the cookies out, leave them 5 mins and pour the syrup on them. Let them absorb syrup from both sides Sprinkle the cookies with the mixture of nuts and cinammon

Vasilopita (Santa Claus’s pie) We cut this sweet (cake) at midnight as soon as the new year has come.

Whoever finds the coin which is hidden in the cake is considered to be lucky the whole new year

Ingredients

250 grams of margarine 350 grams of sugar 5 eggs (divided into yolk and white) 200 grams of orange juice 100 grams of cognac 1 tablespoon of cinnamon and clover powder 150 grams walnuts (in small pieces) Some salt 10 grams of vanilla powder 500 grams of self raising flour

Method First mix the margarine with the sugar in the mixer for 5-6 mins. Add the egg yolks (one by one) Beat the egg whites with the salt so that they become meringue (you can skip this step and add the whole eggs in the margarine and butter mixture-however, in this way the cake will become “fluffier”) In the margarine-sugar mixture add the flour and the orange juice Add half of the meringue (IF you did this step), the walnuts and the rest of the meringue and mix well with a spatula Add a coin (wrapped in some aluminium foil) in the mixture Put the mixture in a baking tray (28 cm of diameter) with baking paper in it.

Bake in the oven at 170°C for around 50 mins Take the cake out (as soon as you check it is ready) and let it cool.

Take it out of the baking tray, sprinkle icing sugar on it You can write with melted cooking chocolate the new year (ex. 2018) If you don’t want to add the coin before baking it, add it as soon as you take the cake out of the tray.

Panettone

Panettone: the Italian Typical Christmas cake "

Ingredients Marinated fruit:    

1/3 cup golden raisins 1/3 cup chopped dried apricots 1/3 cup dried tart cherries 1/4 cup triple sec (orangeflavored liqueur) or orange juice

Dough:           

1 package dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons) 1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar 1/4 cup warm water (100° to 110°) 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided 6 tablespoons butter or stick margarine, melted 1/4 cup fat-free milk 1/4 cup granulated sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 large egg 1 large egg yolk 2 tablespoons pine nuts

Cooking spray:  

1 teaspoon butter or stick margarine, melted 2 teaspoons turbinado or granulated sugar

How to Make It Step 1  To prepare marinated fruit, combine first 4 ingredients in a small bowl; let stand 1 hour. Drain fruit in a sieve over a bowl, reserving fruit and 2 teaspoons liqueur separately.

Step 2  To prepare dough, dissolve yeast and 1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar in warm water in a small bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine 1/2 cup flour and next 6 ingredients (1/2 cup flour through egg yolk) in a large bowl; beat at medium speed of a mixer 1 minute or until smooth. Add yeast mixture and 1/2 cup flour; beat 1 minute. Stir in marinated fruit, 2 1/2 cups flour, and pine nuts. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 8 minutes); add enough of remaining flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands.

Step 3  Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, about 1 1/2 hours. Dough will not double in size. (Press two fingers into dough. If indentation remains, the dough has risen enough.)

Step 4  Punch dough down; let rest 5 minutes. Divide in half, shaping each into a ball.

Place balls into 2 (13-ounce) coffee cans coated with cooking spray. Cover and let rise 1 hour.

Step 5  Preheat oven to 375°.

Step 6  Uncover dough. Place coffee cans on bottom rack in oven, and bake at 375° for 30 minutes or until browned and loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Remove bread from cans, and cool on a wire rack. Combine reserved 2 teaspoons liqueur and 1 teaspoon butter; brush over loaves. Sprinkle evenly with turbinado sugar.

This traditional Italian Christmas bread is suited for dessert, afternoon tea or breakfast.

“Enjoy!"

Christmas Eve Cod

Sonhos Leite Creme

PORTUGUESE CHRISTMAS EVE COD RECIPE INGREDIENTS  2 pounds salt cod, cut into 6 or 8 fillets  1 1/2 pounds potatoes, boiled in their skins and peeled while still hot  1 large head cabbage, cut into 8 pieces, blanched until just tender  12 hard-boiled eggs, sliced in half  For the sauce  3 tablespoons olive oil, per person  1 clove garlic, per person, minced  1 teaspoon wine vinegar, per person (or less to taste)

DIRECTIONS  1. Rinse the cod under cold running water to remove any surface salt. Place the

fish pieces in a large nonreactive pot, cover with water and refrigerate (covered) for 24 hours, changing the water several times.  2. Pour off the water, and refill with enough boiling water to cover the fish by

several inches. Cover the pan with a heavy dishtowel and leave the cod to soak in the hot water for 30 minutes. (If the fish isn’t cooked fully, simmer gently until finished.) Drain the cod, and remove any bits of skin or bone.  3. To make the sauce, bring the oil and garlic to a boil in a small saucepan, remove

from the heat, add the vinegar, beat well and serve in a sauceboat.

NOTE 

All these items must be cooked at the last minute, just before serving, so as to be brought to the table at their best.

SONHOS – PORTUGUESE CHOUX PASTRY DREAMS INGREDIENTS 

6 extra large eggs



2 cups flour



3/4 cup water



3/4 cup milk



1/2 tsp salt



1/2 stick butter or margarine



1 slice lemon rind



Sugar and Cinnamon for topping

DIRECTIONS  

    



In a large heavy pan, place the water, milk, butter, lemon rind, and salt over medium heat and bring to boiling point.

Stir in the flour and stir with a wooden spoon until the flour becomes a soft dough which turns into a ball shape that separates from the sides of the pan.

This is similar to a basic Choux paste that is used for baking eclairs and cream puffs.

Remove the dough from heat and place into a medium bowl. Let the dough cool for a few minutes.

Beat in one egg at a time making a smooth batter.

Heat the oil to 365 degrees.

Shape the dough into round doughnuts by using 2 large tablespoons.

Fry the dough by 4 or 5 pieces at time until golden brown while keeping the heat at a steady temperature. NOTE: If you find the dough is turning brown too quickly reduce the heat to a lower setting. They should cook slowly.

Pierce the sonhos slightly as they cook. NOTE: If you find they are too dark and still raw in the middle, lower the heat so they cook through at a slower temperature.



Drain on a new clean brown paper lunch bags or on paper towels.



While still hot, roll the sonhos in a mixture of sugar and cinnamon.

LEITE CREME – PORTUGUESE MILK CUSTARD INGREDIENTS      

2 tablespoons of Corn starch 5 tablespoons of sugar 3 egg yolks 2 cups whole milk 1/2 stick of cinnamon 1 slice lemon peel

DIRECTIONS   

 

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs and the milk with a whisk until well incorporated.

Add the cornflour and sugar and mix well.

Add the lemon peel and cinnamon stick and heat in a saucepan on low – medium heat stirring continuously. Do not let the custard boil. If it begins to boil remove from heat to cool down while stirring.The custard should be thick enough to coat the spoon like pudding.

Pour into a serving platter or individual ramekins and let cool to room temperature.

When the custard has cooled, sprinkle sugar on top and brown slightly in oven broiler or with a cooking torch.

Kapustnica Fried fish with

potato Salad Medovníky

Kapustnica is a favorite Slovak dish. It is a soup made with sauerkraut, mushrooms, pork, sausages, and various spices.

It’s really delicious and rightfully very popular. It’s traditionally eaten on Christmas, but you will find this soup offered in all Slovak restaurants year around. On Christmas, this soup is typically followed by fried fish with potato salad, and then by a variety of Christmas “cookies”.

Kapustnica - Christmas Cabbage Soup

Ingredients:        

Sauerkraut – 0,5 kg Pork – 0,5 kg Dried mushrooms Sausage – 1 piece Onion – 2 small pieces Garlic – 2 cloves Sour Cream – 1 cup Clove, nutmeg, caraway, bay leaf, black pepper, paprika, red pepper

Instructions:        

Put sauerkraut with a liter of water into a large pot.

Turn 2 cloves of garlic into a paste and add it to the sauerkraut.

Add black pepper, caraway seeds, cloves and nutmeg, dried mushrooms, 2 bay leaves and onions.

Cut pork into small pieces and add it to the rest of used ingredients.

Sometimes more water is needed. Add it if necessary and let it cook for 20 minutes.

While cooking, cut the sausage into small pieces (Hungarian sausage is a good choice) and add it after the mentioned 20 minutes of cooking.

Add red pepper and paprika, cover the pot and simmer for approximately 30 minutes.

Typically, the soup is served with sour cream added after cooking, but it is up to you, how you like it.

Fried Fish Ingredients: Fish fillet Eggs – 2-3 pieces Flour – 4-5 tablespoons (tbsp) Bread crumbs – 4-5 tbsp Oil

    

Instructions:    

First of all, rinse the fish fillet under running water and dry it using paper towel.

Prepare three bowls in a row. One bowl of flour, another bowl of eggs (well mixed) and a bowl of bread crumbs.

Coat the fillets in flour first, than in eggs, and finally in bread crumbs.

Put the fillets into the heated oil and fry it (both sides). It takes only a few minutes.

Potato Salad Ingredients:     

Potatoes – 4-5 bigger pieces Onion – a half Sweet peas – medium can Carrots – 3 pieces Eggs – 2 pieces

Mayonnaise – 6-7 tablespoons (tbsp)  Salt, black pepper, paprika 

Instructions:    

   

Boil unpeeled potatoes and peeled carrots in salted water in separated pots.

Also, boil 2 eggs.

Cut half of an onion, pickles and carrots that are soft already into small cubes; combine them in a separate pot.

When the potatoes are almost done (soft outside with a slightly hard core in the middle), take them out, peel and slice them and finally add them to the pot full of vegetables.

It is time to add the mayonnaise now.

Last ingredients are eggs; mix them into the salad.

For even better taste use salt and black pepper.

Leave it in the fridge for a couple of hours before serving.

Medovníky - Decorated honey cookies Ingredients:            

4 ¼ cups flour 1 cup sugar 1 ¼ sticks of unsalted butter 3 ½ tablespoons of honey a little less than ½ cup of water 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1 ½ tablespoons cinnamon ½ tablespoon ginger ½ tablespoon cloves 1 teaspoon cardamom (optional)

Instructions: Start with heating the sugar, water and honey in a sauce pan until the sugar dissolves. Add the butter and spices. Once the butter has melted, let it cool. In a large bowl, combine the flour and baking soda. Pour the sugar-spice mixture over it and mix with a wooden spoon. Knead lightly to form a smooth dough. Wrap it in cling film and refrigerate for at least an hour (preferably overnight).

The Next Morning Preheat your oven to 400 F. You are going to roll out a small amount of dough at a time on a floured board. The dough is going to be pretty stiff when it comes out of the refrigerator. You can work it with your hands until it “warms up” a bit or put in the amount you break off into the microwave on defrost for 30 seconds or so. You don’t want it warm really, just malleable. Flour your board lightly and roll out to about 3 to 4 milimeters. It’s up to you how thick you want your cookies to be. Cut out shapes with cookie cutters. Butter your baking sheet or use parchment paper so they don’t stick. Once they are in your baking sheet, you can decorate them with a quarter or a half of a walnut in the center or you can decorate them with icing later.

Bake your cookies 5 to 8 minutes in length. Once they are out, you can brush them with egg whites immediately after they’ve come out of the oven before they cool.

This gives them a gloss and becomes something of a sealant to help keep in moisture so they don’t get too hard.

To make the icing you need the following:   

1 egg white 1 ½ cup powdered sugar 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Wisk the three ingredients together. Simply spoon your icing into a sandwich bag, twist the bag tightly until the icing wedges into one corner, and then poke or cut a tiny hole into the corner. It’s not professional quality, but it works.

Dobrú chuť from Slovakia.

Potica

Potica Ingredients for the dough: 500 g white flour

2,5 dl milk

30 g yeast

rum

120 g butter

lemon or orange peel

80 g sugar

vanilla essence

3 yolks

salt

Put flour in a bowl, sifted if you like, add salt. In a cup dissolve the yeast in water or milk and in another cup mix the eggs, sugar, rum, vanilla essence, lemon or orange peel.

Healt milk, melt fat.

Add hot milk to the flour, stir and add the mixture of eggs, sugar, rum and aromas. Stir again, add dissolved yeast and fat and stir into a medium thick dough. Knead until it is elastic inside and smooth on the outside. Make sure the dough does not stick to the bowl and that it is not too hard. Cover the dough with a PVC sheet and leave to rise.

Dough should always rise at room temperature. With rising the quantity of the dough should double. Knead it once and roll it out and spread it with the filling.

Ingredients for the filling: 500 g ground walnuts

vanilla essence

100 g sugar

ground cinnamon

100g honey

ground cloves

1 dl milk

lemon peel

2 eggs

rum

Melt honey in tepid milk, and then add one half of walnuts, sugar, eggs, aromas, spices and rum. Spread the filling on the rolled-out dough and sprinkle with the other half of walnuts. The temperature of the filling should be equal to that of the dough. Roll tightly, put in a mould, prick and leave to rise. Before baking, coat with a thin layer of milk and egg mixture – make sure the holes are not stopped.

Bake 50 minutes at 190°C.

Vareniki Vareniki are small pastries made from unleavened dough with a filling from berries, tvorog, cheese and other things.

Vareniki are served boiled with sour cream, sugar and butter.

VARENIKI – National dish of Ukraine Ingredients Filling:

Dough:

500 g tvorog (farmer cheese)

300 g flour

2 ea eggs

1 ea egg

50 g sugar

150 g water

salt

Method Knead dough from water, eggs and flour (add more flour if needed) and roll out finely. Make rounds with a glass or a cup. Put the filling in the center of every round and pinch the opposite edges.Filling: Combine all the ingredients and run through a sieve.Cook in boiling lightly salted water until vareniki are on the surface. Serve with sugar and sour cream.

Bon appétit Dobrú chuť God smag Bon goût Καλή όρεξη Dobry smak Bom apetite Dober okus Buen gusto

Смачного

Buon appetito Dobrou chuť Velbekomme