Most Kiwi Christmas dinners now include some vegetarians, so the vegetable dishes you serve on the day need to be treated with a lot of respect, says food writer Lauraine Jacobs.
She shares a recipe for a (red, white and green) baked vegetable salad.
Baked vegetable salad by Lauraine Jacobs Photo: Liz Clarkson
Food writer Lauraine Jacobs Photo: © STUDIO81
The baked vegetable salad can be made the day ahead, but keep the components separate and put them together at the last minute and the salad will look a lot fresher, Lauraine says.
Her family always have their Christmas meal at lunchtime and it usually involves a side of salmon alongside a roast turkey or some meat and some seafood her brother brings from Whangarei. "It's not Christmas without seafood"
If you're having turkey, brine it in advance to avoid it drying out, Lauraine suggests.
She recommends putting the turkey into a big pot of salted water which goes into the fridge for 24 hours.
At the end of the meal, Lauraine will serve her grandmother a rich, moist Christmas cake made with a recipe that was handed down to her by her own mother.
This pudding uses a cup of breadcrumbs which makes it much lighter than the usual one, Lauraine says.
It's also huge, so if there's some left over on Boxing Day morning she recommends frying up slices in butter and serving them with leftover custard on top.
Lauraine Jacobs' Christmas cake Photo: Elizabeth Clarkson
Recipes:
Lauraine is the author of the cookbook Always Delicious.
Check out her Listener article 10 ideas for the perfect summer Christmas menu and find more recipes on her blog.
