Indulge in a traditional holiday spread with mouth-watering recipes. These dishes are to be enjoyed with roast veg or your favourite summer salads.
Pineapple Gammon
Ingredients:
– 1/2 cup brown sugar
– 1/3 cup maple syrup
– 1 tsp Chinese five spice
– 5 x 440g cans pineapple slices in juice, drained, juice reserved
– 7-8 kg whole leg gammon, on the bone
– 150g glacé cherries
– 500ml / 2 cups water
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 180°C. Place an oven shelf in the lowest position of the oven and remove the other shelves. Line a large roasting pan with baking paper.
- Place the brown sugar, maple syrup, Chinese five spice, and 125ml (1/2 cup) of reserved pineapple juice from cans in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring, for 2-3 minutes until sugar dissolves. Bring to a gentle simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes until reduced slightly.
- Use a small sharp knife to cut around the shank of gammon in a zig-zag pattern, about 10 cm from end. Gently run the knife under rind around the edge of the gammon. Gently lift off the rind in one piece by running your fingers between the rind and the fat.
- Place a pineapple ring on the gammon and secure a cherry with a toothpick in the middle of the ring. Continue to place pineapple rings and cherries over the gammon, slightly overlapping to cover all areas. You may need to secure some of the rings on the sides with toothpicks.
- Pour water into prepared pan. Place the gammon on a wire rack in the pan. Wrap exposed shank in foil. Brush a third of the glaze over pineapple. Bake for 40 minutes. Pour over half of the remaining glaze. Bake for 40 minutes until golden. Brush with remaining glaze. Set aside for 15 minutes to rest. Remove toothpicks before carving.
Roast Leg of Lamb
Ingredients:
– 2 to 3 kgs trimmed bone-in leg of lamb
– 4 cloves garlic, minced
– 1 tablespoon olive oil
– 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
– 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
– 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
– 1 tablespoon kosher salt
– 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 180°C. Line a roasting pan with aluminium foil.
- Using paper towels, pat the lamb dry. Using a sharp knife, score the top side of the lamb by making shallow cuts all over.
- In a small bowl, combine garlic, olive oil, rosemary, thyme, Dijon, salt and pepper.
- Place lamb, fat side up, on a rack in the prepared roasting pan. Spread garlic mixture evenly over the lamb, rubbing in thoroughly into the scored cuts.
- Place into oven and roast for about 1 & 1/2 hours or until desired doneness. Leave to rest for 15 minutes before slicing.
- Serve immediately with mini hasselback potatoes.
Cranberry Chicken
Ingredients:
– 2 cloves garlic
– 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
– 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
– 1 tablespoon soy sauce
– 1 cup cranberries, divided
– 8 pieces chicken (thighs, drumsticks or a mixture)
– non-stick spray, as needed
– Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
– 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme, plus extra sprigs for finishing
– 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary, plus extra sprigs for finishing
Instructions:
- In the bowl of a food processor or blender, process the garlic, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, soy sauce, and cup of the cranberries until smooth.
- Place the chicken pieces in a large zip-lock plastic bag and pour the marinade over the chicken. Close the bag and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 190°C. Lightly grease a large oven-safe skillet or casserole dish with non-stick spray.
- Remove the chicken from the bag, reserving the marinade. Place the chicken pieces in the skillet or dish, skin side down, and season with salt, pepper, thyme and rosemary. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup cranberries around the pan.
- Roast the chicken until the skin begins to brown and the meat is nearly cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes. Flip the chicken and brush each piece generously with the reserved marinade. Discard the remaining marinade.
- Raise the oven temperature to 220°C and cook until the chicken skin is crispy, 5 to 8 more minutes. Serve immediately.
Salt Beef
Ingredients:
– 1.5kg salt beef, unrolled
– 2 onions, roughly chopped
– 2 carrots, roughly chopped
– 2-3 sticks celery, roughly chopped
– 2 cloves garlic, skins on, lightly bashed
– 2 sprigs thyme
– a few sage leaves
– 2 bay leaves
Curing Mixture:
– 1 clove garlic, peeled
– 2 cloves
– 1 star anise
– 2 juniper berries
– 1 tsp black peppercorns
– 1 bay leaf
– 2 sprigs thyme, leaves picked
– 20g soft light brown sugar
– 45g salt beef curing salt
Instructions:
- Put the salt beef in a large, shallow dish. To make the curing mixture, use a pestle and mortar to crush the garlic, cloves, star anise, juniper berries, peppercorns, bay and thyme leaves until roughly ground. Stir through the sugar, followed by the cure mix, ensuring it has been accurately measured in proportion to the weight of the meat—follow pack instructions for guidance. Coat the salt beef with the brining mixture, thoroughly rubbing it into the meat and any surrounding fat.
- Put the salt beef and any left-over brining mixture into a large freezer bag, zip it closed (squeezing out as much air as possible), then put into an airtight container and find a spot in the fridge. Leave to brine for 1 week, turning the salt beef daily to allow the meat to cure evenly. You should notice some liquid in the bag after a day or two—this is a sign that the brining process is working.
- The night before serving, remove the salt beef from the freezer bag, wipe off any brine mixture and put it in a large pan. Fill the pan with cold water, put on a lid and leave the salt beef to soak overnight.
- The next day, drain the water from the pot and refill with enough fresh water to cover the salt beef by about 5 cm. Throw in the chopped onions, carrots and celery, as well as the garlic, thyme, sage and bay leaves. Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat and gently simmer the brisket for 2 to 2 &1/2 hours (depending on the thickness). Cook for another hour if you prefer the salt beef to be almost falling apart when you bite into it.
- Take the pan off the heat and nestle a sheet of baking paper on top of the water to keep the salt beef submerged and stop it drying out. Leave the salt beef to cool for 30 minutes, then lift out onto a chopping board (use the left-over broth as the base for a soup, if you like). Slice the salt beef thickly and load straight into bagels while still warm, along with as much mustard and as many dill pickles as you can handle. Any leftover salt beef will keep for a week in the fridge—wrap in foil and reheat in the oven at 180°C for 15 minutes or until piping hot.