North London Food & Culture

Oliver Rowe: my top tricks to pimp up Christmas lunch

It's only a fortnight away - so listen to this acclaimed local chef's handy tips

Brussel sprouts
Brussels sprouts: ‘They’re loathed by so many that it’s always a pleasure to find ways of serving them that turn the most stubborn of haters.’ Photo: Oliver Rowe

December brings dawn and dusk closer together than at any other time in the year. The rain and wind set in and gloves and scarves go on. Christmas brightens the gloom and dominates the landscape of the month. Everywhere you look there are shop windows laden with gifts and the present list is never far from our minds.

Christmas is a celebration of food, almost as much as anything – one of the few truly seasonal meals on our calendar. Although there is a feeling that winter has little to offer, especially when compared with the heady array of summer, there is still a lot to appreciate. Winter is a time to look at the more serious side of the produce the year has to offer.

In 2015 the tomatoes lasted well and the fig season was long and good, but those are all gone now and it’s the tubers that rule. Root vegetables have an earthy humility, but there’s little to beat mashed swede with lots and lots of butter and a good deal of freshly grated nutmeg. Celeriac and apple is one of the best seasonal combinations to be found and both are in plentiful supply, and store well. Roast pork belly with celeriac gratin and apple sauce is divine, and I have had a great deal of fun serving pork buns with celeriac remoulade and a sauce made with braeburns and bramleys all autumn.

The question everyone seems to be asking me as winter draws in though, is ‘how do I tart up my Christmas meal?’ I love the classic spread as much as I enjoy any meal, and so part of me wants to leave it as it is – but it’s great to throw something new into the mix as well.


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It can be tricky doing this without messing with the carefully balanced assembly that traditionally finds itself arranged on our Christmas plate as a matter of course. I don’t like the idea of adding unseasonal elements in the hope of bringing something exotic to the party, and my adaptions of our festive meal tend towards finding a new or interesting way to cook the elements we all find familiar.

I love roasting my parsnips with a little mirin, miso, sesame and soy – they’re already so sweet, especially after a good frost, but they soak up pan-Asian flavours with gusto.

Don’t forget that red is not the only cabbage. Kale is also a classic winter veg that has made itself very popular in recent years, try browning some garlic and tossing it with blanched kale, crème fraîche, chopped dill and toasted pumpkin seeds. The list goes on: bring roast squash with orange zest and marjoram to the table, Jerusalem artichokes in a gratin with tarragon and shallots, leeks in blankets with blue cheese and capers, crispy shaved turnip salad with cider vinegar, sour cream, mustard and chives…

Perfect as it is, in its classic form, just about every element of the Christmas dinner can be personalised and toyed with to your heart’s content. Everything that is, except for the Yorkshire puddings, they just need to be as they are… although, you could, if you wish, stuff them with mushrooms, leeks and a little béchamel, sprinkle gruyere and breadcrumbs on top and put them under the grill for a minute or two.

And so to Brussels sprouts, loathed by so many that it’s always a pleasure to find ways of serving them that turn the most stubborn of haters. Try roasting or deep frying them and drizzling them with goat’s cheese dressing and black chilli flakes – I’ll show you how below:

Deep-fried Brussels sprouts with goat’s cheese dressing & black chilli flakes

Oliver Rowe: 'Fried food takes a lot of seasoning.'
Oliver Rowe: ‘ I don’t like the idea of adding unseasonal elements.’
Serves 4
30-35 Brussels sprouts
4 tbsp soft, full flavoured goat’s cheese
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp grain mustard
a dash of milk
Salt
Black chilli flakes
2 sprigs of parsley

1. Prep the sprouts by trimming the bottom, removing the course or damaged outer leaves and crossing both ends, the top should be scored almost halfway down. If they need washing, make sure they are well dried before frying.

2. Mash or blitz the goat’s cheese with the olive oil and mustard. Add milk until a thick drizzling consistency is achieved. Season with salt to taste – fried food takes a lot of seasoning so make sure that the flavours come through really well.

3. Deep-fry the sprouts at about 165-170°C until the outside few layers of leaves are going golden brown but the inside is still green. You can shallow fry them if you like or roast them too, but for optimum crispiness deep frying is best.

4. Drain and tip onto kitchen roll and leave, preferably in a warm place for a minute or two. Season with fine salt.

5. While the sprouts are resting, wash and chop the parsley, arrange the sprouts onto a big plate, drizzle the dressing on top of them and sprinkle with chilli flakes and the parsley. Serve while warm.

Food For All Seasons by Oliver Rowe is published in June 2016 by Faber. Follow him on Twitter @oliverrowe


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