A selection of festive side dishes to accompany your Christmas feast, from air-fried honey roasted parsnips to a creamy cauliflower cheese.
RED CABBAGE
Red cabbage is a staple across Scandinavia, especially during winter. You don’t need to cook it for several hours, but it makes the best red cabbage and has deep flavour. Cook it less and you get more crunch.
50 g/3½ tablespoons butter
1 small red cabbage (approx. 500 g/ 1 lb. 2 oz.), first thinly sliced, then chopped slightly
1 apple, cut into small pieces
50 g/¼ cup light brown sugar
100 ml/7 tablespoons blackcurrant cordial (or redcurrant jelly)
50 ml/3½ tablespoons white wine vinegar
spices, to taste (star anise, bay leaf and allspice, or a cinnamon stick and a small bit of clove – discard hard spices after cooking)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
SERVES 4–6
Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the cabbage. Cook for a few minutes, then add the remaining ingredients and 100 ml/7 tablespoons water and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and simmer over a low heat, covered, for about 2 hours. Check it from time to time to stir and see if it needs topping up with water.
Once the cooking time is up, check the seasoning, then leave to simmer, uncovered, for a further 30 minutes (check the water levels regularly). Check if the cabbage needs more salt, vinegar or sugar, to taste. You need a good balance of not too sour and not too sweet. My mother always said ‘It should not irritate any areas of your tongue when you taste it’!
NOTE Norwegian white cabbage (Surkål) is also made at Christmas. Use white cabbage, cook for an hour and add caraway or cumin seed instead of red cabbage spices. Use stock from roast pork to add depth of flavour.
This recipe is from The Scandinavian Year by Brontë Aurell.
SLOW-COOKED COURGETTES WITH MINT
Vegetables are considered so important by the Italians that they have been given their own course within a formal Italian meal.
12 small, firm courgettes/zucchini (freshly picked, if possible)
30 g/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 garlic cloves, crushed
handful of fresh mint, leaves only, chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Serves 4–6
Top and tail the courgettes, then cut them into thick rounds
Melt the butter and oil in a heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat. Add the courgettes and coat in the butter and oil, then add the garlic and salt. Turn the heat down to low and cook for about 40 minutes, partially covered, stirring occasionally, for the courgettes to develop in flavour.
Taste and adjust the seasoning, add the chopped mint and serve.
Note: The courgettes must not brown as the flavour will be ruined.
This recipe is from Cucina del Veneto by Ursula Ferrigno.
SERIOUSLY CHEESY CAULIFLOWER
Once you’ve made this you might decide never to make conventional cauliflower cheese again!
1 small cauliflower, trimmed
½ tsp ground turmeric
Freshly grated nutmeg
200 ml/6¾ fl oz./¾ cup double cream
175 g/6 oz./3 generous cups grated cheese – Cheddar, Gruyère, soft cheeses, or a mixture, basically whatever you have to hand
2 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan
Cut yourself a square of baking parchment and two squares of foil large enough to enclose the cauliflower.
Place the cauliflower on the baking parchment and sprinkle with the turmeric and nutmeg and generous seasoning. Wrap tightly, then wrap again in the first sheet of foil, then the second, patting it on snugly. Put
on a baking sheet and bake at 190°C fan/210°C/425°F for 1–1¼ hours, until completely cooked. I test by jabbing my knife right through the foil package, and make a final check by unwrapping. (There is no need to preheat the oven, but leave it on for the next step.)
Meanwhile, put the cream in a pan and bubble gently for 4–5 minutes till slightly thickened. Season well and stir in the cheese.
Taking care not to burn yourself, transfer the cauliflower to an oval dish and boldly slice in quarters down the centre. Sprinkle the cut surfaces with the cheese mixture and finish with the Parmesan.
Return to the oven for 10–12 minutes, rotating the dish at half time so it cooks evenly, until the cheese has melted and is beginning to turn brown in spots. Allow to cool for 5–10 minutes before serving with a grinding of black pepper, if liked.
This recipe is from Two’s Company: Simple by Orlando Murrin.
HONEY ROASTED PARSNIPS
A comforting dish to cook in your air-fryer.
350 g/12 oz. parsnips
1 tablespoon plain/all-purpose flour (gluten-free if you wish)
1½ tablespoons runny honey
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
SERVES 4
Top and tail the parsnips, then slice lengthways, about 2 cm/¾ in. wide. Place in a saucepan with water to cover and a good pinch of salt. Bring to the boil, then boil for 5 minutes.
Remove and drain well, allowing any excess water to evaporate. Dust the parsnips with flour. Mix together the honey and oil in a small bowl, then toss in the parsnips to coat well in the honey and oil.
Preheat the air-fryer to 180°C/350°F.
Add the parsnips to the preheated air-fryer and air-fry for 14–16 minutes, depending on how dark you like the outsides (the longer you cook them, the sweeter they get).
ROASTED BRUSSELS SPROUTS
Love them or hate them, you should try this air-fried version before you really decide. They’re crispy and sweet and a world apart from the over-boiled, soggy sprouts you may remember as a child.
300 g/10½ oz. Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
SERVES 3
Preheat the air-fryer to 160°C/325°F.
Toss the Brussels sprout halves in the oil and the seasoning. Add these to the preheated air-fryer and air-fry for 15 minutes, then increase the temperature of the air-fryer to 180°C/350°F and cook for a further 5 minutes until the sprouts are really crispy on the outside and cooked through.
These recipes are from Air-Fryer Cookbook by Jenny Tschiesche.
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