6 amazing recipes to try this holiday season.
There are so many Christmas menus out there, but how many are catered to the warm-weather holiday we celebrate down under? Inspired by our Aussie-style summer cheer, this menu is a curated selection of some of the best recipes from our cookbooks that are perfect to enjoy for Christmas lunch or dinner. From a twist on a classic shrimp entrée to a super-simple dessert, this menu will walk you through an entire meal – vegetarian options included!
Australian Christmas menu 2022
Entrée: Sticky, Spicy Basil Shrimp
From The Cook you Want to Be by Andy Baraghani
This sticky, spicy shrimp is the perfect start to your Christmas meal. Pro tip: make it vegetarian by using vegan fish sauce and swapping the shrimp for roasted cauliflower.
This intensely garlicky, spicy, and sweet marinade will truly make anything delicious. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs for the grill. Pork chops. Smothered on cauliflower and roasted. But it’s particularly good with shrimp, the sweetest meat you can have. Shrimp can take this sticky-spicy sauce like a champ. The marinade is aggressive but, when it cooks down in the hot pan, it mellows the raw flavour of the garlic and chilli. Have plenty of beer on ice when you serve this one.
Salad: Zucchini Noodles with Thai Pesto
From Tasty Express by Sneh Roy
Change up your salad this year by making these delightful Zucchini Noodles instead. This one is great to make ahead, saving you prep time on Christmas Day.
This is one of my special recipes that I make time and time again. It is like a cold, green version of Pad Thai with all the sweet, sour, salty and spicy flavours enhanced by the crunch of the peanuts.
Meat main: Roast pork for Sundays and holidays
From Matt Preston’s World of Flavour by Matt Preston
This recipe perfectly pairs sweet fresh apples with savoury pork loin for a combination that will have your tastebuds celebrating.
The logic of the pairing was undeniable. Before the industrialisation of pork production, pork was an autumn meat, with the pigs often fattened on windfall apples before being dispatched to turn into charcuterie and cuts for the long winter, so serving the prime cuts with apples seems irrefutable. Taste this recipe if you need any more convincing.
Vegetarian main: Stuffed butternut pumpkin with sage, chestnuts and cranberries
From: SuperNatural by Tobie Puttock
This veggie main is the perfect centrepiece for any meal. It’s so full of flavour that even meat-eaters will be coming back for seconds.
I first made this a few years back on my YouTube channel and it was a big hit. At Christmas there’s always that conundrum of ‘what to feed the vegan’ – well, guess what: this is perfect for everyone. It’s totally delicious and it makes more sense to me than moulding tofu into a turkey shape! Even though it has that seasonal feel about it, you can of course make it any time – and the herbs and dried fruits can easily be swapped out for similar ingredients.
Dessert: Honey orange traycake
From ONE by Jamie Oliver
The combination of honey, almonds and orange in this easy cake is reminiscent of Greece, making this a beautifully light summer treat.
My dear Nan loved a traybaked sponge. With the combination of honey, almonds and orange here reminiscent of Greece, it’s like I’ve sent her on her holidays in the form of a cake! I think she would have really liked this one.
Cocktail: Gin Daisy
From Steve the Bartender's Cocktail Guide by Steven Roennfeldt
What's Christmas without a little festive drink? Served with a slice of lemon, this one is a nice light option to enjoy with your holiday feast.
‘The original Daisy of the 1870s was a mix of spirit, orange cordial, lemon juice, and soda water. There are a myriad of variations for the Daisy, including alternate base spirits such as gin, brandy, rum, or whiskey. The orange cordial is often replaced with orange curaçao, raspberry syrup, grenadine, maraschino liqueur, orgeat, or even Yellow Chartreuse. However, the classic Gin Daisy has been the most popular choice of Daisy over the last century.
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