Jamie Oliver's Christmas Cookbook

Flatiron Books

Contents

Smart STARTERS

SHRIMP COCKTAIL MARIE ROSE SAUCE, SMOKED SALMON, SHRIMP, & ICEBERG

An American prohibition classic; I made thousands of these in my parents' pub in the '80s. Shrimp cocktail is nostalgic, retro, and just a tiny bit naff, but in a really brilliant way. People love it and, if it's done well, it's always memorable.

SERVES 4 20 MINUTES

olive oil
1 clove of garlic
cayenne pepper
8 large raw shell-on jumbo shrimp
½ an iceberg lettuce
1 ripe avocado
2 ripe tomatoes
½ an English cucumber
2 sprigs of fresh mint
1 cup sprouting cress
3½ oz peeled cooked salad-size shrimp
3½ oz brown shrimp
6 oz quality smoked salmon

MARIE ROSE SAUCE
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
3 tablespoons plain yogurt
1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
1 splash of Worcestershire sauce
1 splash of brandy
1 lemon

Place a large pan on a medium heat with 1 tablespoon of oil and crush in the unpeeled garlic through a garlic crusher. Sprinkle in a good pinch of cayenne and add the jumbo shrimp (butterfly them first, if you like). Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until cooked through, turning halfway, then remove from the heat.

To make the Marie Rose sauce, simply mix together the mayo, yogurt, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and brandy, then add a little cayenne pepper and lemon juice, to taste, and season to perfection with sea salt and black pepper.

Finely slice the lettuce. Peel and pit the avocado, then dice with the tomatoes and cucumber and divide between cute glasses, plates, or bowls. Pick and add the smaller mint leaves and snip over pinches of cress. Divide up the salad shrimp, brown shrimp, and delicate waves of salmon, then spoon over the Marie Rose sauce and sprinkle with a pinch of cayenne from a height. Add 2 jumbo shrimp to each portion for a grand finish, and serve with lemon wedges for squeezing over. Some buttered bread on the side is always going to go down a treat, too.

MIX IT UP

The lovely thing about this recipe is that it's very flexible. You can use everyday frozen shrimp, which are very delicious, or even get yourself some lobster or freshly picked crabmeat and really dress it up — it's up to you. Enjoy!

BEEF CARPACCIO ROASTED SQUASH, CHESTNUTS, & WINTER LEAVES

I love this delicate warm salad for a festive starter or lunch. It really embraces winter squash, leaves, and chestnuts, with a fiery mustard dressing that sets it all off nicely. Brilliant served on a big platter to impress your guests.

SERVES 6 1 HOUR

1 butternut squash (2½ lbs)
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
½ teaspoon dried red chili flakes
1 pinch of ground cinnamon
olive oil
5 oz vac-packed chestnuts
3 sprigs of fresh rosemary
1¼-lb piece of beef tenderloin
1 heaping tablespoon Dijon mustard
extra virgin olive oil
2 lemons
6 handfuls of mixed seasonal salad leaves, such as mustard cress, radicchio, watercress
Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Wash the squash and carefully cut it in half lengthways. Remove and reserve the seeds, then cut each half lengthways into six thin wedges and arrange in a roasting pan. In a pestle and mortar, bash the fennel and coriander seeds, dried chili flakes, cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of sea salt, and a pinch of black pepper until fine, then sprinkle over the squash. Drizzle with just enough olive oil to lightly coat everything and toss well. Roast for 45 to 50 minutes, or until golden and cooked through, sprinkling the chestnuts and reserved squash seeds into the pan to roast for the last 10 minutes.

Finely chop the rosemary leaves on a board with a good pinch of salt and pepper. Rub the beef with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, then roll it around on the board until it's well coated in the seasoned rosemary. Put a pan on a high heat and, once it's screaming hot, sear the beef for 2 to 3 minutes, turning until browned all over, then remove to a board to rest. Remember you're searing it, not cooking it.

Mix the mustard, 6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, and the lemon juice in a bowl to make a dressing, then taste and season to perfection. Use a really sharp knife to slice the beef as thinly as you can, then use the flat blade of the knife to flatten out each slice. Arrange the slices on a large platter and season from a height with a little salt. Place the roasted squash wedges on top, then scatter over the roasted chestnuts and toasted seeds from the pan. Drizzle over most of the dressing, then lightly dress your salad leaves with the remainder, and sprinkle them on top. Serve with a block of Parmesan, for shaving over at the table.

ROASTED APPLE & SQUASH SOUP CHILE, FRESH HERBS, & CAYENNE-SPIKED TOASTED SEEDS

A bit of an old favorite of mine, this wonderful soup is a real celebration of the humble eating apple. Making the most of the incredible depth of flavor achieved by roasting, this super-comforting soup is the perfect festive bowlful.

SERVES 6 1 HOUR 30 MINUTES

1 butternut squash (2½ lbs)
3 Cox's or Braeburn eating apples
1 large onion
1-2 fresh red chiles
4 cloves of garlic
olive oil
1 pinch of coriander seeds
4 sprigs of fresh rosemary
4 tablespoons raw pumpkin seeds
1 pinch of sweet cayenne pepper
4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
optional: 2/3 cup heavy cream
optional: edible flowers or flowering herbs

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Wash the squash, then carefully cut it in half lengthways and remove the seeds. Cut the flesh into 1-inch chunks and put them into your largest roasting pan. Peel and quarter the apples, removing the cores, peel and roughly chop the onion, then add both to the pan. Halve, seed, and add the chiles, then squash and add the unpeeled garlic cloves. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of oil, add the coriander seeds and a good pinch of sea salt and black pepper, then strip over the rosemary leaves. Toss well, then roast for around 45 to 50 minutes, or until it's all cooked through, intensely golden, and delicious. Toss the pumpkin seeds with salt, pepper, a little oil, and the cayenne. Spread out on a baking sheet and roast for 10 to 15 minutes, then put aside.

Squeeze the soft roasted garlic flesh into a blender, discarding the skins. Spoon in half the roasted veg, add half the stock, put the lid on, cover with a kitchen towel, then, holding the lid in place, blitz until smooth. Pour into a large pan, blitz the rest of the veg and stock, then add that to the pan with most of the cream (if using). Bring to a simmer on a medium-low heat, then taste and season to perfection, adjusting the consistency with a little more stock, to your liking.

Divide the soup between warm bowls and add an extra swirl of cream for a retro finish, then sprinkle over the toasted seeds. You can also delicately decorate with flowering herbs or edible flowers, if you like. Good with warm crusty bread.

SEAFOOD SMÖRGÅSBORD A SENSATIONAL SEASONAL CELEBRATION OF THE SEA

Every part of the world offers up a different bounty of seafood. So embrace the wonderful diversity of our seas and have fun with what's available where you are, mixing up raw, smoked, pickled, and cured-your taste buds will thank you.

30 MINUTES

The glorious page of beauty you see on the right here is a brilliant principle to embrace during the festive season or, frankly, at any sociable get-together at any time of year. There's not much work involved-it's all about the art of assembly. It's beautiful for two or four people, but you can easily scale it up for eight or ten, if you want to.

Simply buy an interesting mixture of wonderful fresh, raw, smoked, pickled, and cured seafood, which you can find at all good fishmongers-ask their advice on what's best right now. Get yourself a large rustic board or platter, then take a bit of pride in delicately arranging all your favorite things. Here's what's made it onto my smörgåsbord:

Quenelles of Smoked salmon pâté (see here)

Freshly shucked oysters, lightly drizzled with cider vinegar and extra virgin olive oil, sprinkled with finely chopped Bramley apples, and a pinch of fresh chervil

Tasty piped lashings of Taramasalata (see here)

Smoked king shrimp, which you can ask your fishmonger to get in for you, or do yourself by heating a large handful of wood chips in a pan over a medium heat. Pop a wire rack on top, lay in your raw shell-on shrimp, put the lid on, wrap the pan in aluminum foil, and smoke until they're pink and delicious-do this outside on the barbecue if you can

Roses of quality smoked salmon or slices of gorgeous Gravlax (see here)

A handful of clams, mussels, or periwinkles, popped into a pan on a medium heat with the lid on and heated for a few minutes with a small splash of white wine and 1 knob of unsalted butter (discard any clams or mussels that remain closed)

Cooked, shelled cockles, lightly dressed with nice oil, vinegar, and herbs

With some freshly buttered brown bread and a few lemon wedges on the side for squeezing over, this is a feast fit for any festive king or queen. Enjoy.

SMOKED SALMON PÂTÉ SHRIMP, WHITE CRABMEAT, SALMON CAVIAR, & CAYENNE PEPPER

This is a real winner to have prepped and ready in the fridge to enjoy as a starter or as part of a buffet. The blend of seafood is sublime, giving you silkiness and nice meaty texture, and the salmon caviar adds a real flavor pop of the sea.

SERVES 16-20 30 MINUTES

PÂTÉ
5 oz cooked peeled shrimp
5 oz quality smoked salmon
5 oz white crabmeat
9 oz cream cheese
1 oz salmon caviar, plus extra to serve
1 lemon
new season's extra virgin olive oil
cayenne pepper

GARNISHES
1 small red onion
1 fresh red chile
1 celery heart
½ a bunch of fresh dill (½ oz)
2 lemons
1 loaf of sourdough bread

Finely chop the shrimp and smoked salmon and place in a bowl with the crabmeat, cream cheese, and caviar. Finely grate in the zest from quarter of a lemon and squeeze in the juice from 1 lemon. Add a good pinch of black pepper and mix together well. Spoon into an appropriately sized dish and smooth out nice and evenly-I use a palette or butter knife dipped in hot water to make this process easier. Cover and pop into the fridge until needed.

To prep your garnishes, peel the red onion and chop as finely as you can. Seed and finely slice the chile. Click the outer stalks off the celery and save for another day. Cut the inner part in half and finely slice it, leaves and all. Pick and roughly chop the dill. Cut the lemons into wedges. Slice and toast the bread.

Before serving, use a regular butter knife to lightly score a criss-cross pattern into the top of the pâté, then drizzle with a little oil and sprinkle from a height with a pinch of cayenne. Either take everything to the table and let people tuck in and help themselves, or take a bit of pride in delicately plating everything up, giving each lucky guest a beautiful quenelle of pâté surrounded by all the garnishes.

BEET CARPACCIO BALSAMIC, LEMON, WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE, & DIJON

It's amazing how incredibly elegant, silky, and delicate beets can be. Invest in a decent mandolin and you can transform root veg like this into beautiful things. This take on a classic carpaccio is nothing short of a joy to eat.

SERVES 4 20 MINUTES

4 large raw beets
2 tablespoons thick balsamic vinegar
extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon
2 heaping teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 heaping tablespoon fat-free plain yogurt
1¾ oz arugula

Scrub the beets clean and trim them, then, on a mandolin (use the guard!), finely slice them about1/32-inch thick and place in a large bowl-it's a good idea to wear gloves for this. Drizzle with the balsamic vinegar, add 1 tablespoon of oil and a good pinch of sea salt, then squeeze over half the lemon juice. Toss together until every sliver is well coated-this will flavor and tenderize the beets.

To make your dressing, whisk the mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and yogurt with the remaining lemon juice and ¼ cup of oil, then taste, season to perfection, and pour into a jar or pitcher. Arrange the beets over a large serving platter and sprinkle over the arugula. From a height, drizzle the dressing over the top, serving any extra on the side. With some warm crusty bread, good goat's cheese, and a glass of wine, it's pure happiness.

MIX IT UP

There are some amazing heirloom beets around these days-white, yellow, candy striped-and they're fantastic in this recipe. All I would suggest is swapping out the balsamic vinegar for a quality herb vinegar so you can enjoy the colors without it all getting dark.

SILKY PÂTÉ FLAMED CHICKEN LIVERS, SWEET ONIONS, SAGE, & THYME

This silky smooth pâté is super-satisfying to make. The ingredients are cheap, you get an amazing freshness, and you have complete control over flavor, so you can pimp it and make it really luxurious. It makes a great gift, too.

SERVES 12-14 50 MINUTES PLUS SETTING

2¼ cups unsalted butter
2 onions
2 cloves of garlic
olive oil
½ a bunch of fresh thyme (½ oz)
2 lbs chicken livers, cleaned, trimmed
1 whole nutmeg, for grating
½ cup brandy
½ a bunch of fresh sage (½ oz)

To make your clarified butter, place 1 cup + 2 tablespoons of butter in a pan on a very low heat and let it slowly melt, then tick away until it separates. Use a ladle to remove the golden butter from the top into a separate small pan, leaving the whey behind.

Peel and finely chop the onions and garlic and place in a large pan on a medium heat with 1 tablespoon of oil and the leftover whey. Strip in the thyme leaves and fry fast for 5 minutes, tossing regularly, until soft and starting to color. Add the chicken livers and a pinch of sea salt and black pepper, then finely grate in half the nutmeg. Cook for 4 minutes, or until the livers are blushing pink in the middle-don't overcook them. Add the brandy to the pan for the last minute and let it cook off, ideally flaming it, if you feel confident enough to do so.

Tip everything straight into a food processor or blender with all the juices, and blitz until smooth. You'll notice that the smell changes straight away. Taste and season to perfection, then add a little more because the seasoning seems to reduce when it gets cold, which is how you'll serve it. Dice the remaining butter, add to the processor or blender, and blitz until silky smooth and the mixture starts to shine. Taste again to check the seasoning, then whiz for a final 2 minutes. You can serve the pâté in individual terrines or in a big bowl or platter. Pop into the fridge, covered with a sheet of parchment paper, until set.

Put the pan of golden butter on a medium heat and add 1 sage leaf-this will act as your gauge so you know when it's hot enough. When the leaf just becomes crispy, pick in the remaining sage leaves and take the pan off the heat. They'll go crispy, snappy, and delicious. Use a slotted spoon to pop the sage leaves on top of the chilled pâté, then pour over the clarified butter. Put back into the fridge and the butter will go hard and opaque, acting as a seal. You don't have to eat the butter, but it will have amazing flavor. I like to serve this with toast, radishes, cornichons, watercress, and lemon wedges, and wash it down with a glass of wine.

GET AHEAD

Make the pâté up to 1 week in advance, simply keeping it in the fridge until needed.

GRAVLAX BEETS, HORSERADISH, VODKA, & DILL

A firm favorite from my travels, this beautiful, delicate dish sums up everything I love about Swedish food: it's elegant, clean, and fresh, it looks incredible, and is a doddle to make. You'll be so proud when you see the finished result.

SERVES 10 20 MINUTES PLUS CURING

FISH
7 oz raw beets
3½ oz rock salt
¼ cup demerara sugar
¼ cup vodka
1 big bunch of fresh dill (2 oz)
1 lemon
1¾ oz fresh or jarred grated horseradish
1 × 1½-lb side of salmon, skin on, scaled, pin-boned

Peel and trim the beets and place in a food processor with the salt, sugar, vodka, and dill. Finely grate in the lemon zest, add the horseradish, finely grating it if fresh, then blitz until combined. Rub a little mixture onto the salmon skin, then place the salmon on a large tray, skin-side down, and pat the remaining mixture all over it so that the flesh is completely covered. Cover the tray tightly with plastic wrap. Pop a weight on top to help pack everything down evenly, then put the whole thing into the fridge for 36 hours. Please use your instincts here-if you have a particularly chunky side of salmon, you may want to leave it for up to 48 hours to allow for proper penetration.

Once cured, unwrap the fish, then, holding the fillet in place, pour the juices down the sink and rub away all the salty topping (it's messy, so you might want to wear gloves). Pat the fillet dry with paper towel, then tightly wrap in plastic wrap (sometimes I like to cover the salmon with freshly picked dill before wrapping, for bonus flavor). Put back into the fridge until needed, where it will keep happily for up to 2 weeks.

To serve, use a long sharp knife to slice the salmon thinly at an angle and, as the knife touches the skin each time, kink it off, lifting away the salmon. Arrange the slices on a board or platter as you go. Delicious with a simple salad and good whole-grain sourdough, as part of a Seafood smörgåsbord (see here), served up at a party, or even as part of a festive brekkie spread.