A generously laden Christmas table needs a main event, a dish or two around which all others are planned. Here we have two suggestions which will make very handsome additions to your festive feasting.
The first is a whole fish which is perfect for feeding a crowd. We’ve cooked an ocean trout with saffron butter and recommend serving it with our vibrant and zingy saltsa.
The second is a butterflied, pork neck which is first marinated then stuffed with a delicious combination of mizithra or ricotta cheese, lots of herbs, bacon, garlic, onion and pistachio nuts. Here we’ve served it with a yoghurty sauce enriched with nut brown butter and tiny gerkins.
We hope you enjoy them!
Caren, Jan and Rosie
BAKED WHOLE OCEAN TROUT, SAFFRON BUTTER AND AN ORANGE, KALAMATA AND CAPER SALTSA
Serves 10 as part of a shared meal
2.4 kg ocean trout, cleaned but left whole, dried with kitchen paper
100 gm butter, softened
½ gm saffron threads (about a ½ teaspoonful)
1 golden shallot, finely diced
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt and white pepper
Olive oil
½ bunch dill
Soak the saffron threads in 1 tablespoon of hot water for 5 minutes.
Mash with a fork the butter, saffron threads and coloured water, the shallot and garlic until well combined. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Make about 5-6 cuts across the fish. Rub the fish completely with olive oil.
Take a 1.5 metre length of foil and double it over so you now have a 75cm length. Rub olive oil generously onto the foil and place the fish on top. Place this onto a large baking tray or disposable foil tray.
Rub the saffron butter into the cuts and put the dill into the fish cavity. Season with salt and pepper.
Fold the foil to make a long parcel and twist the ends to secure the fish. This can be prepared the day before and taken out of the fridge 1 hour before cooking.
Prepare the saltsa and its dressing (see below). This can also be done the day before. It will just need combining at the last moment.
Preheat the oven or lidded barbecue to hot.
Cook in the oven or barbeque for 40-45 minutes. Check occasionally to see if it is cooking evenly, especially on the barbecue. Turn the tray at least once during the cooking process. There is no need to turn the fish over.
When cooked, remove from the heat and rest for 5 minutes. Release the fish from the foil with a flexible spatula if it has caught on the bottom. There will be a lot of fishy/buttery liquid. This is very rich and you only need to serve a small amount of this with the fish. Transfer carefully onto a large serving platter, cut side up.
Serve with the saltsa on the side with some steamed new potatoes.
ORANGE, KALAMATA AND CAPER SALTSA
3 oranges
1 red onion, diced, soaked in cold water for 10 minutes. Drain and dry with kitchen paper
150 gm Kalamata olives, flesh removed, seeds discarded
2 tablespoons capers
½ cup coriander leaves, chopped
1 tablespoon dill fronds, chopped
1 long red chilli, finely sliced
Zest two of the oranges, and set aside for the dressing below. Cut away the skin and pith of the oranges and then segment the oranges, removing the dividing membranes and inner pith. Roughly chop the segments and place in a bowl.
Prepare the remaining saltsa ingredients and keep in separate small bowls until you are ready to serve. This will ensure its fresh taste and bright colours.
Saltsa Dressing
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 clove garlic, minced
Zest from the oranges as described above
Black pepper to taste
Combine the dressing ingredients in a glass jar and shake well.
When ready to serve the fish combine all the saltsa ingredients and gently toss with the dressing.
TIPS: This recipe would also work well with a whole mulloway or snapper. Or if you don’t have the inclination to cook a whole fish then serve individual portions.
STUFFED PORK ROLL SOUVLAKI STYLE WITH YOGHURT AND NUT BROWN BUTTER SAUCE
Serves 10-12
2 kg pork neck
1 tablespoon gluten-free soy sauce for brushing
2 tablespoons olive oil for brushing
1 handful of mint leaves for garnishing
Marinade
2 lemons, finely grated zest
2 tablespoons lemon juice
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon dried mint
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons full fat plain yoghurt
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
Butterfly the pork neck by placing it skin-side down on a board and cutting lengthways down the centre three-quarters through the meat, then cutting horizontally out to one side to create a flap. Repeat the horizontal cut on the other side and open both flaps out to make a flattish sheet. Then make several diagonal slashes across the pork being mindful not to cut all the way through.
Mix marinade ingredients together and pour over the meat, kneading well into the slashes and making sure to cover both sides. Leave to marinate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Stuffing
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small red onion, finely chopped
100 gm streaky bacon, diced
200 gm full fat Mizithra or ricotta cheese
100 gm pistachio nuts, ground
50 gm pistachio nuts, chopped
1 bunch chives, finely chopped
½ bunch dill, finely chopped
50 gm dried figs, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Heat olive oil in a small frying pan and fry garlic, red onion and bacon until the onion is lightly golden. Cool completely.
Mix the onion, garlic, bacon mix and all stuffing ingredients together. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Spread half the stuffing over the slashed side of the flattened pork, kneading well in the slashes. Place the remaining stuffing along one short edge of the pork and gently roll the pork up. Secure with string at 3cm intervals.
To Cook
Preheat barbecue to hot. Preheat oven to 160°C.
Brush the pork roll with soy sauce and olive oil and brown on the barbecue until nicely charred.
Transfer to a baking dish and place in the preheated oven. Cook for 1.5 hours, turning once. If you have a reliable barbecue you can cook the pork entirely in the barbecue.
Allow to rest for 15-20 minutes in a warm place before removing the strings and slicing.
Arrange on a platter to serve garnished with mint leaves.
YOGHURT AND NUT BROWN BUTTER SAUCE
25 gm unsalted butter
125 gm Greek yoghurt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
20 ml lemon juice (or to taste)
25 gm petits cornichons (baby gherkins), finely chopped
Salt to taste
Cook butter in a small saucepan over a medium heat until it starts to bubble. Allow it to bubble away until it turns golden brown and has a nutty aroma. Leave to cool.
Mix the cooled butter together well with all other sauce ingredients. Store in the fridge.