Olive Magazine Christmas 2019

Office party booked? Sequinned sartorial selection on order? Bublé on repeat? It’s here people! We’ve mere weeks until the big day, so let’s embrace all the turkey, tinsel and trifle while we can. Let us be your essential guide to making this busy period of entertaining and feasting go with a bang. So, get menu planning with our easy, crowd-pleasing canapés, starters and sides. For the main event itself, we’ve turkey two ways – a classic sage and onion butter-basted crown, and a jerk-spiced whole bird with stuffing and gravy – as well as a contender for the best veggie centrepiece we’ve ever done. We know you love to experiment when it comes to the sweet stuff – and whether you like them retro (sherry trifle cheesecake), showstopping (thank you, Edd Kimber, for…

Bourbon and brown sugar baked ham 3 HOURS | SERVES 15 | EASY allspice berries 1 tbsp, plus 3 berries for the glazeonions 2, thickly slicedchicken stock 300mlboneless gammon joint 3kgdijon mustard 2 tbspbourbon 1 tbspmuscovado sugar 2 tbsp • Heat the oven to 160C/fan140C/gas 3. Put the allspice berries and onions in the bottom of a large roasting tin, and pour in the stock. Sit the gammon on the onions then cover the whole thing tightly with a double layer of foil. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes per 500g (so 2 hours for a 3kg joint). Remove the gammon and turn up the oven to 220C/fan200C/gas 7. • Grind the 3 allspice berries then mix with the mustard, bourbon and muscovado sugar. • Carefully remove the skin from the ham with a…

Shaun and Craig McAnuff (aka Original Flava) Christmas time means family time – and in our family that means time to eat. We always have jerk turkey on the table because it has so much flava. And when we describe the array of spices, herbs and scotch bonnet peppers, it leaves our friends drooling and wanting to spend the big day with us. Shaun and Craig started out in 2016 filming videos in their grandma’s kitchen, showcasing their love of Caribbean cooking, and quickly became an online viral sensation. Their new cookbook Original Flava: Caribbean Recipes for Home (£22, Bloomsbury) is out now.originalflava.com. Jerk Christmas turkey with stuffing and gravy 4 HOURS + MARINATING + RESTING | SERVES 6-8 | EASY whole turkey 4.5-5kg (including neck and giblets) olive oil JERK MARINADE all-purpose seasoning 1 tbsp jerk seasoning…

Cacio e pepe sprouts 20 MINUTES | SERVES 6 AS A SIDE | EASY | brussels sprouts 600gbutter 50gwhole milk 50mlpecorino romano (or veggie alternative) 75g, finely gratedblack peppercorns ground to make 1½ tsp • Remove any dirty and tough outer leaves from the sprouts, trim the bottoms slightly and then cut in half through the bases. Bring a large pan of lightly salted water to the boil and cook the sprouts for 3-4 minutes or until just tender to the point of a knife. Drain well. • Heat the butter in a large frying pan and add the sprouts along with the milk. Once bubbling, sprinkle in the cheese while tossing and cook for a few minutes until the cheese has emulsified into a sauce. Don’t worry if there are a few lumps…

Roast beetroot soup with caramelised onion and blue cheese toasts 1 HOUR 45 MINUTES | SERVES 6 | EASY | beetroots 1kg, topped, tailed, scrubbedclean and cut into large piecesred onion 1, cut into wedgesgarlic 3 clovesthyme 1/2 a small bunch, plus a few leavesvegetable stock 500mlcrème fraîche 100mllemon 1/2, juiced TOASTS sourdough 3 slices, cut in halfcaramelised onion chutney 4 tbspblue cheese 150gwalnuts a handful, roughly chopped • Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Put the beetroot, red onion and garlic into a roasting tin, pour in 150ml of water, season well and scatter over the thyme. Cover with a double layer of foil and put into the oven for 1 hour 15 minutes or until the beetroots are very tender to the point of a knife. • Remove the foil, then peel the…

Pickled beetroot tacos with goat’s cheese 30 MINUTES + PICKLING | MAKES 32 EASY | V white wine vinegar 100gcaster sugar 50gbeetroots 2 medium, topped, tailed and peeledsoft goat’s cheese 150glemon 1, zested and juicedflat-leaf parsley a small bunch, finely choppedwalnuts a handful, toasted and chopped • Put the vinegar, sugar, 100ml of water and a little seasoning into a small pan and heat until the sugar dissolves. • Use a mandoline or sharp knife to cut very thin slices of beetroot, then put into a bowl and pour over the hot pickling liquid. Cool to room temperature, then chill for 2 hours. • Put the goat’s cheese into a bowl and use a wooden spoon to beat until smooth. Stir in the lemon zest and juice, parsley, salt and plenty of pepper. • Drain the…