Eat and be merry: Lekker Christmas recipes to indulge in
It’s beginning to taste a lot like Christmas and everywhere you look is daar ‘n Krismis trimming hier en 'n hamper daar.
Things are about to get busy this weekend as most mense are set to hit the winkels to do their Christmas shopping.
I had not stocked up on my Christmas vleis yet, so I’m sure we’ll be bumping into each other comparing prices and looking for lekker bargains.
What’s a Christmas lunch without the usual suspects on the table: gammon, ox tongue, soutvleis, boud or even turkey if you really want to splurge a little.
I love sticking to tradition, so not even Eskom and its load shedding will deter me from making and enjoying my favourite meaty mains.
I don’t care how long it takes or how it’s made, I want to see at least two of these mains on the table, else it’s just a regular Sunday lunch mos.
I mean, we can skimp on vleis throughout the year, but not on 25 December through to 1 January (because that’s when the festive feasting officially ends and we go back to eating pot kos again).
There’s something about the smell of leg of lamb, tongue, gammon and even chicken around Christmas time that I absolutely love.
It brings back great childhood memories of tasting stukkies vleis as it comes out of the oven.
It’s a habit that I gladly passed down to my own child as we wait for my mom to leave the kitchen so we can do a “taste test”.
Cooking at this time becomes a family affair and everyone is excited to try out a new recipe which they saw on Facebook, TikTok, in a magazine or even right here in your favourite koerant.
This week’s recipes include some of our favourite Christmas meaty mains, some of which will definitely be featured on my Christmas table this year and for many years to come.
Recipes
Pineapple Gammon Glaze
Rhodes Quality
Ingredients
1 medium smoked or prepared gammon
1 x 825 g can Rhodes Pineapple Rings in Light Syrup, drained, syrup reserved
65 ml (¼ C) maraschino cherries
190 ml (¾ C) brown sugar
2.5 ml (½ t) ground Hinds ginger
Method
Remove the skin and fat from the gammon and place in a roasting pan.
Using toothpicks, secure the Rhodes Pineapple Rings and maraschino cherries to the gammon and set aside.
Heat 125 ml (½ C) reserved pineapple syrup, sugar and Hinds ginger in a small saucepan, stirring continuously until the sugar dissolves and the glaze thickens.
Brush the glaze all over the gammon and bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 15 minutes.
Baste again and bake for a further 15 minutes until browned and glossy.
Slow Roast Pork Belly with Pineapple Glaze
Rhodes Quality
Ingredients
Slow Roast Pork
1 kg pork belly, rind scored
65 ml (¼ C) salt
45 ml (3 T) olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
Pineapple Glaze
125 ml (½ C) brown sugar
80 ml (⅓ C) white wine vinegar
2 whole star anise
1 cinnamon stick (or 5 ml ground cinnamon)
250 ml (1 C) prepared chicken stock
1 x 227 g can Rhodes Pineapple Crush
Method
Rub the pork belly with the salt and leave to stand for 30 minutes.
Rinse off the salt and pat dry with kitchen paper towel.
Place the belly skin down in a roasting tray.
Drizzle with the olive oil and season with the black pepper.
Roast at 200˚C for 30 minutes.
Turn the heat down to 180˚C and roast for a further 1 hour.
Turn the belly over, skin side up, and roast for a further 20 minutes or until the skin is crisp and golden.
To make the glaze, bring the brown sugar and the vinegar to the boil and then reduce the heat and simmer until syrupy.
Add the star anise, cinnamon, chicken stock and Rhodes Pineapple Crush.
Bring the glaze to the boil again and then simmer over a gentle heat until the thickened.
To serve, carve the roasted pork belly and pour some of the pineapple glaze over the meat, serving any extra glaze on the side.
Lamb Shanks
Recipe Credit MMB @mitchells_moslem_butchery
Ingredients
1kg Shanks
4 All Spice
6 Peppercorns
2 level teaspoons garlic and ginger paste
1/4 cup of Worcester sauce
2 teaspoons Steak and Chops seasoning
Freshly ground black pepper
For those who like it spicy, add 1 teaspoon of crushed chillies
Marinade for one hour, or overnight for best results.
Method
Slowly brown the meat in a pot, over a low heat with some garlic butter.
Once brown, add 1/2 cup water every time the pot gets dry, until tender.
This can take just over one and a half hours depending on the protein used.
Make a paste with 2 teaspoons cornflour and 2 tablespoons Worcester sauce then add it to the pot to thicken the juices.
Note: Steak and Chops seasoning has its own salt so you may add extra salt according to your taste.
This versatile recipe can be used for shanks, leg of lamb as well as a succulent roast beef!
Oven Roast Chicken
Recipe Credit MMB @mitchells_moslem_butchery
Ingredients
1 whole chicken
Root vegetables of your choice
1 tablespoon dried crushed chillies
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 tablespoon oregano
1 tablespoon salt (adjusted to your taste)
Cracked black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
Juice of one lemon
2 tablespoons honey
1 heaped teaspoon Dijon mustard
Method
Mix all the ingredients together. Place the chicken in a baking dish and pour the marinade over the chicken. Bake, uncovered in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 40-45 minutes or until fully cooked.
Oven Beef Roast
By Farzana Kumandan @sprinklesandspicect
Ingredients
1 piece Rolled Beef
3 tablespoons barbeque spice
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic flakes
1 tablespoons thyme
2 rosemary sprigs
Baby potatoes
Method
Marinade the beef and potatoes with the oil, herbs and spices.
Transfer to a roasting dish and cover with a double layer of foil.
Ensure the foil seals the dish completely, so no heat escapes
Roast in a preheated oven on 180 degrees for 2 hours.
In the last 20 minutes of your cook time, remove the foil and return to the oven to brown.
For the Gravy
Remove the excess liquid from the roasting dish and transfer to a pan.
On a stove top over a low heat, simmer the liquid, until it reduces, and it comes to a slow boil.
In a cup, mix 1 heaped teaspoon of corn flour to a ¼ cup of cold water and add it to the pan.
Stir until it thickens and stir in 1 teaspoon butter.
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