Are you doing the cooking?
Christmas is possibly the only major holiday or occasion in the year where I don’t do any cooking, my mom makes the entire Christmas lunch feast, my only contribution is setting the table and opening the champagne.
What’s on the menu?
On the menu? Everything! My mom literally goes all out for Christmas lunch: roast lamb, roast turkey, roast chicken, gammon, roast beef, lamb curry, roast potatoes, savoury rice, butternut, coleslaw, potato salad and beetroot ... I might have missed some things, but you get the idea — everything!
We also eat leftovers for at least a week afterwards, so Christmas lunch is definitely the gift that keeps on giving.
And your Christmas wish?
My wish for Christmas is always the same every year, for my family’s safety for the upcoming year and for an abundance of blessings for my loved ones. This year I’m going to add one more wish: for us to see the end of the Covid pandemic because corona has definitely overstayed its welcome! (LOL)
Recipes
A celeb chef-worthy Christmas: Zola Nene and Dorah Sitole's festive recipes
These talented cookbook authors give us a taste of what they're planning these holidays
Image: Rolene Prinsloo and supplied
Stumped on what to serve for Christmas this year? We asked Zola Nene and Dorah Sitole, two of the country’s favourite food personalities, to dish up some inspiration from their cookbooks and tell us how they’ll be spending the holidays.
FOOD WRITER DORAH SITOLE
The name of your new cookbook?
40 Years of Iconic Food (NB Publishers, R380).
Image: Roelene Prinsloo
Which dishes from this book would you recommend for the festive table?
The crisp roast duck and Phumi’s creamy Brussels sprouts.
My family prefers duck to turkey, I also do, even though it means cooking four ducks to feed the tribe.
Duck is a lean meat, comparable in fat and kilojoules to skinless chicken or turkey breast. It is also the source of delectable duck fat, a healthier and more flavourful substitute for oil in recipes such as roast potatoes. As it’s low in saturated fat, it’s the perfect choice for the health-conscious.
The Brussels sprouts are really about staying with some traditional Christmas side dishes.
I’ve had a love-hate relationship with this underrated vegetable, but on one of my visits to New York, my daughter Phumi bought a whole bunch of them and made the most delicious side dish. Since then I’ve been hooked and these pretty little cabbages are now a regular on my plate.
A rich and fulfilling culinary journey
Where will you be celebrating Christmas Day and with who?
We alternate between my house and my son, Sibusiso's, house. This year is his turn. We always spend the day with his wife Nhlanhla's family.
Are you doing the cooking?
I hope I will get a break from cooking this year as cooking for my new cookbook was like running the marathon!
What’s on the menu?
The menu always includes duck, gammon, fish and a leg of lamb. I always sneak in a turkey because I love the idea of a huge bird on the table!
We also bring in some traditional carbs and sides like idombolo, samp and beans, and morogo, and of course lots of desserts and cakes.
And your Christmas wish?
That 2021 be kind to us, and life and businesses go back to normality. Also that we see an eradication of GBV and atrocities towards women and children. That we all have a blessed Christmas and happy and prosperous New Year!
Image: Roelene Prinsloo
CRISP ROAST DUCK RECIPE
Serves: 6
Ingredients:
1 x 3kg whole duck
500ml (2 cups) hot water
15ml (1 tbsp) salt
5ml (1 tsp) freshly ground black pepper
Method:
Image: Roelene Prinsloo
PHUMI’S CREAMY BRUSSELS SPROUTS
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
90g (6 tbsp) unsalted butter
1kg Brussels sprouts, halved
250ml (1 cup) chicken stock
125ml (½ cup) roasted sunflower seeds
1 bunch spring onions, finely chopped (white and pale green parts only)
1 red chilli, seeded and very thinly sliced
125ml (½ cup) heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method:
CHEF ZOLA NENE
The name of your latest cookbook?
Simply Zola: The Journey Continues (Penguin Random House, R320)
Image: Supplied
Which dishes from this book would you recommend for the festive table?
My gluten-free Black Forest trifle.
Trifle is one of those dishes that people either love or hate. I’m definitely on team trifle, it’s a favourite in my family. Yes, I love the traditional trifle with Swiss roll, jelly and the works, but I also love to reimagine classics and put a new spin on them, that’s how this recipe came about — it’s a mash-up of two desserts: Black Forest cake and trifle.
I like to think that even people who usually say that they don’t enjoy trifle might try my Black Forest trifle and be converted.
Where will you be having Christmas and who will you sharing it with?
I will be spending Christmas in George with my family, just like we do every year. It’s tradition for us all to go home to my parent’s house and spend the festive season there. I’ll be spending Christmas with my mom, dad, brother, sister, brother-in-law and nephew.
Are you doing the cooking?
Christmas is possibly the only major holiday or occasion in the year where I don’t do any cooking, my mom makes the entire Christmas lunch feast, my only contribution is setting the table and opening the champagne.
What’s on the menu?
On the menu? Everything! My mom literally goes all out for Christmas lunch: roast lamb, roast turkey, roast chicken, gammon, roast beef, lamb curry, roast potatoes, savoury rice, butternut, coleslaw, potato salad and beetroot ... I might have missed some things, but you get the idea — everything!
We also eat leftovers for at least a week afterwards, so Christmas lunch is definitely the gift that keeps on giving.
And your Christmas wish?
My wish for Christmas is always the same every year, for my family’s safety for the upcoming year and for an abundance of blessings for my loved ones. This year I’m going to add one more wish: for us to see the end of the Covid pandemic because corona has definitely overstayed its welcome! (LOL)
Image: Supplied
GLUTEN-FREE BLACK FOREST TRIFLE
Serves: 6-8
Gluten-free brownie-like cake:
125ml (½ cup) rice flour
125ml (½ cup) ground almonds
5ml (1 tsp) baking powder
80ml (⅓ cup) cocoa powder
310ml castor sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
150g unsalted butter, melted
250ml (1 cup) dark chocolate chips
Chocolate custard:
250ml (1 cup) cream
2 large egg yolks
60ml (1/4 cup) caster sugar
90g dark chocolate, finely chopped
To assemble:
1 x 425g can preserved cherries, drained and liquid reserved
250ml (1 cup) cream, whipped
90g dark chocolate shavings
Method:
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