COLUMNIST: DINA WATT
Firstly, I am going to make a wreath out of vegetables. Apart from its beautifully festive looking presentation, it bursts with flavours, different textures, and most importantly uses vegetables available during the cold season.
My second recipe is the simplest of them all. Who likes pigs in blankets? How about Brussels sprouts in blankets? Will this persuade the fussy eaters to at least try sprouts? It did persuade mine.
Thirdly, with a little oriental touch, making a kimchi recipe using leek. This is another way to preserve your vegetables and you can use this as a condiment to create other different dishes.
To make this wreath making easier, use a round divided snack serving plate. This will help you put in place all the ingredients and will help retain the shape.
Firstly, make the crunchy vegetables: place the kale into the baking tray, add a pinch of salt, pepper, and a dash of olive oil. Mix them all well simply with your hands (not forgetting to wash your hands). Put the tray into the oven for about 10 minutes at 170℃. Once ready, let it cool off and set aside.
Secondly, give the Romaine lettuces and radishes some colour by charring them. Cut one Romaine lettuce into four pieces. In a very hot pan, pour a tablespoon of oil. It does not need long to cook. Once the oil has heated up, add the vegetables, then some water and cover the pan until they seal to tender perfection. Do exactly the same with the radishes too. This will only take around 2 minutes. Gently take them out of the pan and set aside.
Lastly, this is the fun part as we make the wreath and decorate it. Start by chopping a bit more of the lettuce, I make this as a thin base to cover all. Then add the crispy baked kale. Continue with placing the charred Romaine lettuces until you have fully covered the serving plate, leaving some empty spaces.
To decorate, cut the beetroot into chunky slices, placing them gently. Then put the radishes and some walnuts all around, and last, but not least, the prosciutto which I folded to look like little roses. Place the camembert in the middle and there you go. What a beautiful winter salad wreath!
What about salad dressing? Place a bottle of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Caesar salad dressing, French salad dressing, and salt and pepper on the side of the wreath. Your guests can have fun making their own salad dressing so you can relax and enjoy the party!
Boil the Brussels sprouts in water for about 5 minutes until they have softened up. Then drop them into a bowl of ice-cold water to stop the cooking process. They will soften a bit but still retain a bit of a crunch.
Wrap each of the sprouts with the raw bacon. Then in a pan, pour in 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and set the stove to medium heat.
Carefully place and sear each of the bacon wrapped sprouts into the pan. Let them sizzle. Sear on each side for about 2-3 minutes.
Drizzle 2 tablespoons of syrup onto the sprouts. Let it mix and fry a bit in the pan for another 2 minutes then take them out, place them onto an oven tray.
Set oven for about 180℃ and bake for about 10-15 minutes depending on how crispy you want them to be.
Finally, serve with some sweet chilli sauce or add them into your Christmas roast feast.
Mix all ingredients into a large bowl, using simply your hands (use gloves because it will be spicy), or a wooden spoon.
Once this is done, place it all into a jar. You can use this for up to 3 weeks and add it into your soup, noodle soup, stir fry, salad, or even just eat them straight. I often eat them with grilled pork and call it Korean bbq.
The fibre and probiotics in kimchi can help maintain a healthy digestive system as probiotics in fermented food is good for your gut.
Whichever recipe you choose, don your Christmas chef’s hat and get busy at that seasonal stove!
Dina Watt, an Indonesian, now living in Aberdeenshire, is known as The Indonesian Cook. Dina’s love of nature and gardening fuels her passion for cooking using home-grown ingredients. She appeared on BBC's 'Beechgrove' in 4 episodes in 2021.
In her column, Dina shares her own adventurous recipes for delicious home-cooked meals that are easy to make using home-grown, seasonal fruits and vegetables from her own kitchen garden. She is passionate about using every bit of the plant in order to practice zero-waste principles.