Yes....it's nearly Christmas

NGale

I'm sorry but I had to mention it but it's nearly that time of the year to decide what to have for Christmas dinner.

Ok so you make think Turkey, but seeing as I hate turkey and most other meat it isn't an option.

Last year our local indian takeaway did took pre orders on christmas dinners to be delivered on the day, needless to say the veggie vindaloo, nann's etc went down well with me mostly due to the lack of cooking.

But this year I need some ideas on something quick and easy to cook for christmas dinner for 8 people....

come on people ideas!!

Applespider

Kinda depends if you still want to make it a special occasion or just a regular meal. And how much you cook the rest of the time - I have a friend who if she managed more than beans on toast it feels like she's gone to lots of effort.

Soup as a starter - can be made to work with almost any main course option.

Salmon as a main course - wrap it in foil and throw it in the oven and do whatever veggies you want.

Pudding - You could still do a Christmassy trifle. Or make something like a tiramisu which can be done the day before and can be as boozy/not as you want it to be.

NGale

Applespider wrote:

Kinda depends if you still want to make it a special occasion or just a regular meal. And how much you cook the rest of the time - I have a friend who if she managed more than beans on toast it feels like she's gone to lots of effort.

Soup as a starter - can be made to work with almost any main course option.

Salmon as a main course - wrap it in foil and throw it in the oven and do whatever veggies you want.

Pudding - You could still do a Christmassy trifle. Or make something like a tiramisu which can be done the day before and can be as boozy/not as you want it to be.

Seeing as I could burn a salad it has to be something simple.

Salmon is ok for most of us, except Jake doesn't like fish so out for him.

asprilla

Boil a ham instead then.

davis

You've pretty much just ruled out all meat and all fish, which really does suggest veggie. I'd be all for something mushroom- or parsnip-based, but I can't think of anything easy and impressive... yet. I reckon most stew/casserole-type dishes are pretty damn good, and really easy, but I don't know about the "wow" factor for 8 people.

Got to be food in-season, surely.

Edit: Only thing I'm coming up with so far is a mushroom stroganoff or a parsnip-based curry! Both pretty easy, and can be special. Depends on the effect...

NGale

The wow factor would be me actually cooking....

Like the idea of the stroganoff though.

It's a mix of people food wise, myself and the sis in law like veggie food, everyone else likes meat but I get queezy handling raw meat so cooking it would be a problem for me.

davis

So do the veggie food - if your guests would rather eat meat, they can always stay at home!
Seriously, I'm a meat-eater, but if you don't want to cook it, you'll make a balls-up if you try (massive generalization, caveat, caveat - but I'm happier eating veggie food than meat cooked by someone who doesn't know it). Don't try. Make something you want to eat and you'll put more care into it.

Stroganoff's hearty anyway...
Nut roasts can just f-off.
Hmmm...

NGale

Might even think about a steak, mushroom and red wine pie for the meat eaters as the steak can be pre prepped and thrown straight into the pan. a veggie version for the rest of us.

Stroganoff is still favourite mind.

Stone Glider

Impressive planning credentials on display here NG Fortunately, as you do not wish to handle meat, the chiller cabinet of your supermarket can be a friend. Buy a 'turkey crown' or similar, it comes in the appropriate roasting tray, you need only to set the oven temperature and the timer! BTW obey in all respects the instructions on the wrapping, they will be proof against your, natural reluctance to engage with decaying carcasses.

I am proud to announce that I have completed my Xmas shopping, thanks to a visit to Tanners of Shrewsbury we have the sherry! The rest is mere detail and easily forgotten.

davis

P.S. Buy chuck steak for a pie (or something from the front of the animal) and cook it for a long, long time

NGale

Stone Glider wrote:

Impressive planning credentials on display here NG Fortunately, as you do not wish to handle meat, the chiller cabinet of your supermarket can be a friend. Buy a 'turkey crown' or similar, it comes in the appropriate roasting tray, you need only to set the oven temperature and the timer! BTW obey in all respects the instructions on the wrapping, they will be proof against your, natural reluctance to engage with decaying carcasses.

I am proud to announce that I have completed my Xmas shopping, thanks to a visit to Tanners of Shrewsbury we have the sherry! The rest is mere detail and easily forgotten.

yeah not a fan of turkey though, just find it dull and boring, so while it may be fool proof it would be nice to have something slightly different,

christmas shopping on the other hand has not yet started and isn't likely to be until at least the middle of November!

Stone Glider

Sorry, I wasn't thinking of you eating the turkey. You could concentrate on the veggie stuff you enjoy and churn the meat for those that wish. As the Beeb loves to nearly say 'other meat joints are available'

Initialised

davis wrote:

You've pretty much just ruled out all meat and all fish, which really does suggest veggie. I'd be all for something mushroom- or parsnip-based

I can't eat non processed meat, strong smelling fish makes me puke but don't assume that meat averse folk must like mushrooms. I usually just do the whole Christmas dinner thing minus the meat plus a nut loaf but keep the pigs and stuffing.

Kieran_Burns

23+ year veggie veteran here....

Christmas dinner easy alternative to turkey or anything with a face

two things to try:

Quorn family roast - bleeding boring on its own - trust me on this... However.

Take it out the wrapping (1 minute under the hot tap does this)
Score the roast with a fork - you need to cut into the surface a bit
Mix up some stuffing (get something with FLAVOUR, pepper based ones work well) and make it slightly runny
Grab a bread tray and grease it up with marge
drop the stuffing in and level it out
press the Quorn roast in and push it down to the bottom
baking foil over the top
180-200c in an oven and it's cooked
It'll almost fall apart when being cut

or:

Go buy Sosmix (Holland and Barrett)
Put it in a mixing bowl and add some dry stock (I use a green OXO)
mix it up according to instructions (it's VERY VERY watery at 1st, don't worry it thickens) but put some liquid stock in with the water (I use mushroom ketchup, soya sauce, bit of liquid stock)
Make up some of that stuffing mentioned earlier.

Bread tray again and greased with marge

Layer:
Sosmix
Stuffing
Sosmix

Baking foil over the top - 45 mins - 1hr in 180-200c job done

I actually do both for Christmas dinner.... 8)

Good thing about Quorn roast - dead easy to do, but can go cold quickly
Good thing about DIY sosmix/stuffing thing - completely stuffs you stupid.

CrackFox

Best Xmas dinner I ever had was a veggie dish - mushroom plait with port and chestnut sauce. My g/f made it a couple of years ago, and we kept the recipe. It goes well with all the usual Xmas vegetables, it can be prepared in advance, and the sauce can be used with turkey etc if you're cooking for both vegetarians and meat-eaters. Like most recipes, it's not particularly difficult, just a matter of following instructions.

Here's the recipe, accompanied by an unhelpful photograph of a spinach and haddock bake.

Applespider

Stuffed roasted squash might work well too if you want it veggie. Walnut and blue cheese works well with it. And you could do some bacon/gruyere for the meat lovers - again ridiculously easy and just toss it in the oven. You can get small individual squash so that it would look impressive on each plate.

The pastry plait sounds good too - and you'd still have a centrepiece to 'carve'

msmancunia

Plait sounds good - if you fancy a filling that isn't totally vegetables or TVP, then...

1 tin x mixed beans and pulses in the blender and chop roughly with a couple of tablespoons of tomato puree

then add onions, mushrooms, carrots, whatever....

then add herbs (maybe sage, or oregano) or spices (chilli works well, or some of the middle eastern/Moroccan ones are fab)

Squidge it all up , put in the middle of puff pastry, plait over and bake at 180 for around 20 mins.

Veggies on their own are great, but sometimes stop you feeling full. The beans also give you protein and if you aren't great with pulses, this way is an easy way of 1) sneaking them into your diet and 2) for some reason if they're blitzed in a blender they don't have the same "effect" if you catch my drift.

itboffin

I had my first turkey dinner last Friday and Yummy it was too

rick_chasey

Curry is for Boxing day, not Christmas day.

SimonAH

I'm not a great fan of Turkey usually, but this year I intend to replicate something I once had in the US at Thanksgiving - deep fried Turkey!

Seriously. I have an ENORMOUS catering pot, large enough that an entire turkey will not even get close to filling it. Into this I intend putting a lot of oil, heating (outside) over a gas burner and lowering in a turkey on a chain.

The potential for catastrophe is, I grant, high. But the potential for a lot of laughing and some seriously nice turkey is also pretty good too.

Kieran_Burns

You should batter it first

SimonAH

What, like beat it up a bit? Seems rather cruel...

prawny

When Mrs Prawny was pregnant with the first we had Turkey Dinosaurs and McCain smilies with pigs in blankets, stuffing and peas.

Yummy, easy to cater for 8 people with that 8) Doubt there's any meat in them either...

mkirby

When i go to parents for xmas we have

Crab and sweetcorn soup for starters

Spring rolls and spareribs

peking duck for main course

then too stuffed for pudding.

You could have a nice curried parsnip soupwith crusty bread for starters, then maybe a tomato rissoto for main course and pudding of your choice.

NGale

CrackFox wrote:

Best Xmas dinner I ever had was a veggie dish - mushroom plait with port and chestnut sauce. My g/f made it a couple of years ago, and we kept the recipe. It goes well with all the usual Xmas vegetables, it can be prepared in advance, and the sauce can be used with turkey etc if you're cooking for both vegetarians and meat-eaters. Like most recipes, it's not particularly difficult, just a matter of following instructions.

Here's the recipe, accompanied by an unhelpful photograph of a spinach and haddock bake.

Oooooo like the sound of that!

The quorn one also sounds good.

Have to avoid shellfish as my mother suffers from allergic reactions to it even though she loves Crab, lobster etc. Jake and his father also arn't fish and shellfish fans anyway, so easy decision there.

Prawny: if I served up Turkey Dinos and smilies, I think the mother in law might start asking questions

Might just have to give the mushroom plait with port a trail run to see how it goes down this weekend with the sis in law and her boyfriend visiting.