Calamari Salad
Serves 6

It is worth taking the time to tenderise the calamari. Meat tenderiser is made from a natural substance found in papinos.

500 g calamari rings
meat tenderiser
4 cloves garlic, crushed
½ lemon, sliced
½ - 1 red chilli, sliced, with seeds
½ cup (125 ml) vegetable stock
4 T (60 ml) olive oil
½ cup (125 ml) black olives, stoned and halved in the middle
1 x 240 g Ina Paarman’s Sun-Dried Tomato Quarters, drained
watercress or baby lettuce

Sprinkle the calamari lightly with meat tenderiser. Leave to stand for 20 minutes in a colander. Rinse well and shake dry. Place the calamari in a saucepan with the garlic, lemon, chilli and vegetable stock. Cover with a lid and bring to the boil for 3 minutes and immediately remove from the heat and allow to stand for 10-15 minutes to cool in the cooking juices. Drain and toss with the olive oil, olives and sun-dried tomato quarters.
To serve individually, place lettuce leaf on plate and top with calamari mixture.

Variation
For the easier version – use 400 g sliced smoked salmon trout or smoked mussels in place of the calamari.

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Roast Christmas Turkey or Chicken with Gravy
Serves 8-10 (Turkey) and 6 (Chicken)

Roasting poultry in buttered greaseproof paper (not foil) ensures a superb, succulent result. By removing the wishbone, the breast meat can easily be carved into paper-thin slices.

1 small turkey or 1 large chicken
1 onion, peeled
1 carrot, peeled
1 rib of celery
a few sprig of parsely
4 t (20 ml) Ina Paarman’s Garlic and Herb Seasoning
2 t (10 ml) Ina Paarman’s Chicken Stock Powder
¾ cup (175 g) melted butter or oil
large sheet of baking paper (NOT wax paper)

Thaw the poultry slowly in the refrigerator (4 kg turkey take 2 days). Rinse the bird and cut away excess fat around the cavity. Cut off the wing tips and remove the oil glands on top of the parson’s nose.

Season the cavity with Garlic and Herb Seasoning and place the onion, carrot, celery and parsley inside. Truss (tie up) the bird with cotton string. Rub a mixture of Garlic and Herb Seasoning and Chicken Stock Powder into the skin. Melt the butter over a gentle heat and brush generously over the bird and on one side of the baking paper.

Wrap the bird lightly in its buttered paper blanket, place on a trivet in a roasting pan with 500 ml hot water in the bottom. Roast at 180°C, allowing 30 minutes cooking time per kilogram plus 30 minutes testing time. A 4 kg turkey will require 2½ hours.

Although covered, the bird will acquire a mouth-watering, golden-brown colour, retaining all the moisture and natural juices.

Gravy
1 x 200 ml Ina Paarman’s Gravy Ready to Serve Sauce
2 T (30 ml) sherry
dash of lemon juice
pinch of sugar
unsalted butter (optional)

For the gravy, unwrap the bird and allow juices to run into the roasting pan. Skim off excess fat. Add pack of Ready to Serve Gravy together with sherry, lemon juice and sugar to taste. The gravy may be further enriched by beating in a few cubes of unsalted butter using a wire whisk.

Present the bird on a large porcelain or silver platter. Arrange slices of terrine (recipe follows), on one side and watercress or parsley on the other side for colour contrast. Serve each guest with a slice of white as well as dark meat, accompanied by a slice of terrine.

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Forcemeat Terrine
Serves 8-10

Rather than stuffing the turkey, the stuffing can be baked separately in a terrine or loaf tin. This option allows for easier carving, a neater appearance and the stuffing retains its own distinctive flavour and colour.

250 g rindless streaky bacon to line a small loaf tin
250 g turkey and/or chicken livers
2 T (30 ml) butter
2 T (30 ml) chopped spring onions
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 T (30 ml) chopped fresh parsley
rind of 1 small lemon, grated
250 g lean pork, minced (or use pork sausage meat)
125 g cooked ham, diced
125 g minced veal or beef
125 g mushrooms, finely sliced
1 cup (250 ml) fresh white breadcrumbs
1 egg
1 T (15 ml) brandy
salt
freshly ground black pepper
a little grated nutmeg

Line the loaf tin with bacon. Sauté the livers in the butter, remove and chop finely. Add the onions to the pan and stir-fry lightly. Add the garlic, herbs and lemon rind and warm just sufficiently to develop the flavour. Do not overcook. Put all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix with a small knife, working lightly until just blended. Over-mixing causes a dry unpalatable terrine. Spoon into the lined loaf tin, smoothing the top.

Place in a pan of water. Bake in this waterbath at 180°C for 1 hour. Turn the bacon side uppermost. Leave to cool – overnight is best. Slice neatly with an electric carving knife or very sharp knife. Serve with Christmas turkey. The terrine may be baked the day before and served at room temperature.

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Roast Potatoes
Serves 6-8

My late mother-in-laws’ secret recipe !

8 medium sized potatoes
salted boiling water
½ cup (125 ml) oil
1 t (5 ml) Ina Paarman's Garlic and Herb Seasoning
white pepper
pinch of tumeric (for an attractive golden colour)

Boil the potatoes for 10 minutes in salted water and drain. Mix the oil, herbs, pepper and tumeric and place potatoes in this mixture to marinade for up to an hour before roasting. (It may even be done the day before). Roast for about an hour with the turkey or chicken until golden brown and crispy.  

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Living Herb Salad
Serves 6-8

The herb flavours of this salad work wonderfully with the ham.

1 punnet fresh basil
1 punnet fresh coriander
handful of fresh mint tops
handful of fresh majoram, tender sprigs
handful of fresh parsely
2 handfuls of washed baby spinach
1 heart of butter lettuce, leaves broken
1 punnet baby rosa tomatoes
extra virgin olive oil
squeeze of lemon juice
Ina Paarman's Rosemary and Olive Seasoning

Carefully swish the herbs in a sink full of cold water to which you have added a tablespoon of cider vinegar. Loosely wrap them in kitchen paper towel and refrigerate in an airtight container.
Arrange the herbs on a plate, dot with tomatoes, drizzle with olive oil and a tiny squeeze of lemon. Season and serve.

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Flower Pot Cheese Dessert with Crystallised Fruit
Serves 8

A South African adaptation of Russia’s famous Pashka. When I demonstrated this on TV before Christmas one year, we had hundreds of requests for the recipe ! Now it is really easy to prepare using our Lemon Cheesecake Mix.

¼ cup (30 g) glacé cherries, chopped
¼ cup (30 g) glacé figs, chopped
½ cup (60 g) glace pineapple
½ cup (125 ml) Van Der Hum liqueur or sweet sherry
1 cup (250 ml) cold tap water
1 x 250 g Ina Paarman’s Lemon Cheesecake Mix
1 cup (250 ml) cream
¼ cup (60 ml) flaked almonds
1 T (15 ml) grated lemon rind

Soak the cherries, figs and sultanas in the liqueur or sherry for 1 hour. Measure the water into a medium size mixing bowl. Sprinkle the cheesecake mix over and beat until well blended. Leave to stand for 5 minutes in the fridge. In a smaller mixing bowl whip the cream until stiff. Remove the cheesecake mixture from the fridge. Using the same beaters, whip the cheesecake again until light and smooth. Gently fold the whipped cream into the cheesecake mixture using a spatula or metal spoon. Add the soaked fruits, almonds, and grated lemon rind.

Line 8 tiny (6-7 cm high) clay or plastic flower pots with drainage holes at the bottom, with a muslin cloth or white absorbent paper towels. Spoon the mixture into the pot and place on a plate. Refrigerate overnight. To serve, unmould, peel away paper and decorate with a fresh cherry. Serves 6-8

The herb flavours of this salad work wonderfully with the ham.

1 punnet fresh basil
1 punnet fresh coriander
handful of fresh mint tops
handful of fresh majoram, tender sprigs
handful of fresh parsely
2 handfuls of washed baby spinach
1 heart of butter lettuce, leaves broken
1 punnet baby rosa tomatoes
extra virgin olive oil
squeeze of lemon juice
Ina Paarman's Rosemary and Olive Seasoning

Carefully swish the herbs in a sink full of cold water to which you have added a tablespoon of cider vinegar. Loosely wrap them in kitchen paper towel and refrigerate in an airtight container.
Arrange the herbs on a plate, dot with tomatoes, drizzle with olive oil and a tiny squeeze of lemon. Season and serve.

 

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