Festive Feasts

Published date05 December 2021
Publication titlePeople, The
Roasted parsnip and garlic soup with sage

INGREDIENTS: ¦ 3 medium or 2 large parsnips, peeled and cut into 2cm chunks ¦ 1 large onion, peeled and cut into 2cm chunks ¦ 6 very large, whole unpeeled cloves of garlic (40g in total) ¦ 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil ¦ Salt and freshly ground pepper ¦ 1 x 400g tin of haricot beans ¦ 1 litre vegetable or chicken stock ¦ 1 tbsp chopped sage TO SERVE: ¦ 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil ¦ A handful of sage leaves

METHOD: 1 Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Place the parsnip and onion chunks in a roasting tray with the whole unpeeled cloves of garlic. Drizzle over the olive oil and toss the vegetables, seasoning with salt and pepper. Spread them out to cover the base of the roasting tray and place in the preheated oven for 35-45 minutes, until the vegetables

are tender and a little golden around the edges.

2 Drain the tin of beans and tip all but a generous tablespoon into the vegetables. Return to the oven for 5 minutes more.

3 Take the tray out of the oven and tip the beans and vegetables and any delicious juices into a saucepan with the hot stock. Add the chopped sage and blend the soup until smooth and silky. Season to taste. 4 Pour the hot soup into warm bowls. Put the 2 tbsp of olive oil into a small frying pan and allow to get hot. Add the sage leaves and fry for 10-15 seconds, until they turn a couple of shades darker and become fragrant. Spoon the sage-flavoured oil and the crispy sage leaves over the soup with the reserved beans, and serve straight away.

¦ Taken from Soup Broth Bread by Rachel Allen. Penguin Random House, £22.

Photo by Maja Smend.

Smoked salmon and oat blinis with beetroot and celeriac remoulade METHOD:

Serves 8

Serves 8 INGREDIENTS: ¦ 1 tbsp baby capers in brine ¦ 2 lemons ¦ 250g natural yoghurt ¦ 200g celeriac ¦ 200g raw beetroot ¦ 1 bunch of flat-leaf parsley (30g) ¦ 1 bunch of dill (20g) ¦ 1 mug of porridge oats (150g) ¦ 1 mug of self-raising flour (250g) ¦ 1 large free-range egg ¦ 1 mug of semiskimmed milk (400ml) ¦ olive oil ¦ 300g smoked salmon, from sustainable sources

Jamie

METHOD: 1 Put the capers into a large bowl, squeeze over the juice of 1 lemon and stir in the yoghurt. Peel and coarsely grate the celeriac, then the beets, add to the bowl and mix well, then season to perfection, tasting and tweaking. Finely chop the parsley leaves and most of the dill, and sprinkle on top - but don't toss. Put the oats, flour and a pinch of sea salt into a bowl. Crack in the egg, pour in the milk and whisk into a batter. Cover both and refrigerate overnight.

2 Put a large non-stick frying pan on a medium heat. In batches, cook tablespoons of the batter in a drizzle of olive oil for 2 minutes on each side, or until puffed up and golden. Cut the remaining lemon into eight wedges, for squeezing over.

3 Mix up the remoulade, stirring through the herbs. Either take it all to the table with the salmon and let people help themselves, or plate up delicate portions, sprinkling over the reserved dill.

¦ Jamie's new book Together: Memorable Meals Made Easy is available now.

¦ Jamie: Together at Christmas is a festive two-part special which will air on December 13 and 20 on Channel 4.

Lemon lamb with jewelled couscous

Serves 4 INGREDIENTS: ¦ 350g jar preserved lemons, drained ¦ 3 tbsp runny honey ¦ 65g ras-el-hanout ¦ 200ml oil, plus extra to serve ¦ 750g butterflied leg of lamb FOR THE COUSCOUS: ¦ 150g baby spinach leaves ¦ 250g couscous ¦ 100g pine nuts ¦ A pinch of saffron strands ¦ A large bunch of fresh coriander, roughly chopped ¦ 80g pomegranate seeds

METHOD: 1 Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan and have a tray large enough to lay the leg of lamb in comfortably. Place the spinach into the base of the tray. 2 Halve the preserved lemons and remove the seeds, but be sure to keep the flesh in. Put in a blender along with the honey, ras-el-hanout and oil. Blend until smooth. Pour the mixture all over the leg of lamb on both sides and roast for 30 minutes.

3 Remove the tray from the oven and add the couscous, pine nuts and saffron, mixing them in with the

spinach. Pour in just enough water to cover the couscous and put the leg of lamb back on top. Cook for another 20 minutes.

4 Remove the tray from the oven, take out the leg of lamb and leave to rest. Fluff the couscous up with a fork and transfer onto a platter. Slice up the lamb and place on top of the couscous. Sprinkle over the coriander and pomegranate seeds, drizzle with a little olive oil and...

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