The Courier Staff’s Holiday Recipes

One Foot in the Gravy

Megan Orr, Opinions Editor

I usually come in to the kitchen when the gravy is already underway, glass of wine in hand, insisting I take over. Once the turkey is done you use the leftover drippings to start. Most recipes call for butter and some sort of stock, but my family saves leftover water from the mashed potatoes.

What you’ll need:

Potato water

Flour

White wine

Montreal steak spice

Salt

Dried sage

Instructions:

To thicken, create a roux with the potato water and flour. Add the wine, steak spice, seasoning salt and dried sage to taste. Continue stirring regularly until you have your desired thickness, then pour that shit over everything. If I don’t get asked, “Having some dinner with your gravy?” at least once, then what am I even doing?

The Cheesiest Cheese Fondue

Christine Beyleveldt, Editor-in-Chief

Despite the fact that we aren’t Swiss, my family makes cheese fondue on Christmas Eve every year. We have for over 20 years (I couldn’t remember before then). My dad makes the trek out to Costco a few weeks before the holidays so he can do a trial run in preparation for the big night, and it’s the one day of the year he’ll get a bit of alcohol in his bloodstream. I’m incredibly nervous that we won’t have cheese fondue this year because more people in my family are now on the keto diet than not, but there are plenty of keto-friendly cheese-delivery mechanisms so I’ve got high hopes. Usually we’d go for a classic French baguette, but an assortment of Italian cold meats will give some nice, flavourful variety.

What you’ll need:

250 g Emmental cheese

250 g Gruyere cheese

1 clove of garlic

2 tbsp of flour

1 ½ cups sauvignon blanc

Pinch of pepper and nutmeg

Instructions:

Grease the fondue pot with your clove of garlic, grate the cheese and combine with flour with your fingers, pour the wine into the fondue pot over low heat on the stove, gradually stir in the cheese until it forms a runny consistency. Season with pepper and nutmeg, remove from the stove and enjoy while it’s still bubbling!

The Best Bobotie You Aren’t Having for Christmas… Yet

Greta Kooy, News Editor

It might not be the most traditional holiday dish, but it should be. My dad’s bobotie recipe is always a holiday favourite and is usually served up alongside all the other Christmas dinner usuals. Usually served with a side of chutney, at least in our family, bobotie is a traditional South African dish packed full of perfectly blended meats and spices, served with tumeric rice and finished with a buttermilk and egg-based topping. It’s a great meal for the holidays, but also serves as a perfect rainy day comfort food. That is, as long as you’re not a vegetarian. 

What you’ll need:

500 g lean ground beef  

500 g ground lamb 

1 tbsp vegetable oil 

1 tbsp butter  

1 onion (chopped)  

2 cloves of garlic (crushed) 

2 tbsp curry powder 

2 slices of white bread (without the crust)  

½ cup milk  

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce  

1 tbsp apricot jam  

2 tsp vinegar  

1 tsp soya sauce  

1 cup buttermilk  

2 eggs  

Pepper (to taste)

Instructions:

Heat vegetable oil and butter in a large pan, add chopped onion and garlic. Soften the onion and garlic, then add the blended meats and cook until brown. Add curry powder and mix well. Soak two slices of bread in milk and mix with what’s in the pan. Continue to stir. Add pepper to taste, Worcestershire sauce, apricot jam, vinegar, soya sauce and let it slowly cook together. Add mix to casserole dish.  Mix buttermilk with eggs and beat. Pour egg mix over meat and bake in preheated oven at 350ºF for about 25 minutes or until the top is solid. Serve with turmeric rice and a fruit chutney.

Spicy Thai Masala Fusion Chicken

Nivedan Kaushal, Arts & Culture Editor

Growing up, my mother made sure my brother and I had delicious home-cooked Indian food for lunch, and there was always a fresh dinner waiting for the family at night. So when I moved out of home this fusion chicken recipe was one of the first dishes I mastered.

What you’ll need:

3 diced chicken breasts 

½ white onion 

1 ½ bell peppers 

1 inch of ginger 

3 garlic cloves 

4 green chili 

Salt and pepper 

1 tsp cornstarch 

3 tbsp grapeseed oil 

2 tsp red chilli flakes 

2 tbsp sambal 

1 tbsp salt 

½ tbsp red chili powder 

2 tsp of soy sauce 

1 tbsp of vinegar

Instructions:

In a large bowl, mix the diced chicken with the cornstarch. Add seasoning to taste. Add grapeseed oil to a frying pan on medium heat. Fry the chicken, and place it in another bowl once it has cooked. Julienne the onion. Blend garlic, green chili and ginger using as little water as possible to create a thick paste. Dice bell peppers. Using the grease left over in the frying pan, saute the onions before adding the peppers. Cook for 15 minutes on medium-low heat before adding the ginger-garlic-chili paste. Add the chicken back into the pan. Add red chilli flakes, sambal, salt, red chili powder, soy sauce and vinegar. Stir everything together. Eat!

Sweet Potato Stew Adapted from Peas and Thank You

Freya Wasteneys, Features Editor

If you’re a non-chef or a one-pot wonder, this recipe is for you. It’s not the most Christmas-oriented pot of goodness, but it’s great after a day of activity in the snow when you’re hangry and in need of something hearty and warm. Just don’t burn the roof of your mouth while you’re shovelling it in.  

What you’ll need:

16 oz can of diced tomatoes 

12 oz can coconut milk 

12 oz can chickpeas 

½ cup red lentils 

1 medium-sized sweet potato, cubed 

2 tbsp ginger, minced 

3 cloves garlic, minced 

1 ½ cups vegetable broth 

1 tbsp curry powder 

¼ tsp garam masala 

1 tsp cumin 

1 tsp salt 

1 tbsp peanut butter

Instructions:

Throw it in a slow cooker (or a regular pot), and let ‘er simmer. Once the sweet potatoes are soft and have reached the desired consistency, put it in your mouth and savour that sweet feeling.