The FINANCIAL — Christmas and New Year is a very special time, when people start cooking specific seasonal dishes with different ingredients. Christmas is a time when you can smell the aroma of tasty food being cooked from almost every home’s windows and dieting is far from anyone’s mind. The FINANCIAL took a culinary journey exploring different countries’ seasonal cuisines together with the foreign chefs of famous restaurants in Tbilisi.
“France has a very long culinary history and their dishes are too many to remember but each region has its classics influenced by the culture of the neighbouring countries,” said Sebastien Klinholff, Chef of the Courtyard Marriott.
“France, like Georgia, is famous for its wine and we tend to use a lot of it in cooking like for example in the dish Coq au Vin, or Boeuf bourguignon, which are two dishes that are stewed in red wine. For Christmas we traditionally have a Supra style dinner where you can find seasonal items like oysters, turkey, foie gras, snails, duck as well as vegetables like Brussels sprouts, green beans and so on,” Klinholff said.
“As a dessert we have the wonderful Buche de Noel which is a log shaped rolled pastry which comes in many different flavours. For Christmas at the Marriott we prepare a stuffed roasted suckling pig. The stuffing includes imported French mushrooms, pine nuts, minced meat, and vegetables. The whole pig is stuffed then baked at a low temperature for 3 hours,” Klinholff said.
According to Klinholff it’s very important to prepare tasty food which is at the same well decorated. As he says Christmas is a very important period for family reunions.
“These days people are so busy with work that they really look forward to seeing their family on this special day. Therefore we really put a lot of effort into making a memorable evening. This includes very rich and tasty food (time to drop your diet!) and traditional decoration with a winter theme based on the Christmas colours green, red, snow white and gold. It’s a lot of pressure but these memories last a life time,” Klinholff said.
“Sea food is one of the main components of a Christmas table in Thailand,” Tana, a Chef from Thai restaurant, told The FINANCIAL. “Chili spices make Thai food more tasty and delicious. One of my favourite Thai dishes is Tom Yam. Some of the main dishes on the New Year table are made with chicken meat as well, which I will offer to Georgians on New Year,” Tana said.
Christmas dinner around the world may differ and the traditions present below may reflect the culture of the respective country it is being celebrated in. All Christmas dinner in both the United Kingdom and Ireland is usually eaten in the afternoon on 25 December. The dinner usually consists of roast turkey, sometimes with roast beef or ham or, to a lesser extent, pork.
Christmas dishes are traditionally eaten at or associated with the Christmas season. In Great Britain a traditional Christmas meal consists of roast turkey, served with roast potatoes and other vegetables, followed by Christmas pudding. Typical German Christmas dishes are Christstollen, Pfefferkuchenhaus, Weisswurst, and Kartoffelsalat.
According to About.com Chinese New Year is China’s most important traditional holiday. Here are a number of popular main dishes to help you celebrate, from Sweet and Sour Pork to Peking Duck:
1.Kung Pao Chicken; 2. Peking Duck; 3. General Tso’s Chicken; 4. Sweet and Sour Pork; 5. Cantonese Roast Duck; 6. White Cut Chicken; 7. Clams in Black Bean Sauce; 8. Salt and Pepper Shrimp; 9. Lobster Cantonese; 10. Sesame Chicken.
In Germany, the primary Christmas dishes are roast goose and roast carp, although suckling pig or duck may also be served. Typical side dishes include roast potatoes and various forms of cabbage such as kale, brussel sprouts and red cabbage. In some regions the Christmas dinner is traditionally served on Christmas Day rather than Christmas Eve. In this case, dinner on Christmas Eve is a more simple affair, consisting of sausages (such as Weißwurst) or macaroni salad. Sweets and Christmas pastries are nearly obligatory and include Marzipan, spice bars (Lebkuchen), several types of bread, and different fruitcakes and fruited breads like Christstollen and Dresdener Stollen.
According to the Venere website, here are the top 3 Italian Christmas recipes that you should consider for the holidays if you want to have a delightful feast and the perfect meal to please your guests with:
Main course: Two-sauce lasagna – everyone is well aware of 3, 4, or 5 cheese lasagna recipes, but what about any of those that are cooked using a two sauce format? The two sauce dish is made using Béchamel and Bolognese sauces. Béchamel is a white cream sauce whereas Bolognese is a red tomato sauce filled with Italian sausage (hot or mild) and ground beef. Combine these two distinct sauces with your choice of the 3, 4, or 5 cheese formats, the pasta, and you have a Christmas dish that people will go back for again and again.
Side dish: Marinated Italian Salad – starting with a base of briefly boiled cauliflower and carrots, these are bathed quickly in cold water and set to the side. Once you have done this, mix the following ingredients together: – 1/4 cup of red wine, – 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper, – 1/3 cup of chopped parsley, – 1/2 cup of extra-virgin olive oil, – 1/2 teaspoon of dry mustard, – 3/4 teaspoon of salt. Place the cauliflower and carrots in the marinade for anywhere from a few hours to overnight if you like so that it can be served with the main course above.
Dessert: Sardinian Lemon Meringues – this is a light dessert which is the perfect finish to the heavy meal and side dish above. You heat the following in an oven set on a lower heat (250°). Mix and prepare the following: Whip 7 egg whites and 1/4 cup of salt until it becomes somewhat stiff in consistency. While still beating, gradually mix in 2 cups of white sugar until the proper meringue is achieved. Add two cups of chopped and toasted almond slivers and one finely grated lemon peel. Place dollops of the mixture on a greased baking sheet and place in the oven for 45 to 50 minutes in order to enjoy a light, tasty dessert.
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