The night before Christmas: And all through the house...lots of creatures are stirring because it's actually my favourite day of the festive period and we always have a party! Cocktails and festive music and, most importantly, an impressive feast that can be prepared well in advance so I can spend time with my guests. Here I share with you the recipes for my favourite festive meal, a delicious and impressive Italian porchetta with some tasty sides and very decadent boozy dessert.
Chocolate Orange Tiramisu
This boozy Italian dessert is really just an assembly job, perfect to make ahead when entertaining and I like to make it the day before to allow time for the flavours to mingle! For an extra decedent treat you could serve with a chilled shot of Cointreau topped with a drizzle of double cream and a dusting of coca powder.
Ingredients
600ml double cream
250g mascarpone
75ml Cointreau
5 tbsp golden caster sugar
300ml coffee, made with 2 tbsp coffee granules and 300ml boiling water
50ml coffee liqueur
175g sponge fingers
2 tsp cocoa powder
150g dark chocolate
zest of 1 clementine
Method
Firstly, make a chocolate sauce by warming 200ml double cream and whisking in 100g broken dark chocolate until it forms a smooth, silky sauce. Set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, whisk the remaining double cream, mascarpone, Cointreau and golden caster sugar until the cream and mascarpone have completely combined and have the consistency of thickly whipped cream.
Pour the coffee and coffee liqueur into a shallow dish. Dip in a few of the sponge fingers at a time, turning for a few seconds until they are nicely soaked, but not soggy. Layer these in a dish until you’ve used half of the sponge fingers, then spread over half the chocolate sauce then half the creamy mixture. Then repeat.
Cover, and chill for a few hours or overnight. When ready to serve, dust with cocoa powder, the remaining dark chocolate, shaved or grated, and the zest of a clementine.
Porchetta
This dish is a real party pleaser and makes for an impressive centrepiece. Crisp crackling and juicy pork belly with the most delicious stuffing of fresh herbs and pine nuts.
Ingredients (serves 8-10)
2kg pork belly, boned and butterflied (you can ask your butcher to do the hard work for you)
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
For the stuffing
75g pine nuts, toasted
2 large onions, diced and fried gently for 5-10 minutes
40g fresh breadcrumbs
1 tbsp fennel seeds
3 sprigs fresh sage, roughly chopped
2 sprigs rosemary, leaves picked and chopped
3 sprigs thyme, leaves picked
3 cloves garlic, crushed
Method
Lay the pork belly skin side down, prick the flesh all over with a sharp knife and season well with salt and pepper. In a large bowl, mix together the stuffing ingredients and spread evenly over the belly. Roll the belly and tie with butcher’s string to secure. Place seam-side down in a roasting tin, uncovered, and chill for at least 2 hrs, but preferably overnight.
Remove the pork from the fridge 1 hour before cooking, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt flakes and preheat your oven to 160/140c fan. Cook the pork for 2 ½ hours then turn the temperature up to 240/220c fan and cook for a further 30 minutes until the skin is crisp and crackly.
Leave uncovered to rest for 30 minutes before carving into thick slices.
Parmigiana
This is the perfect side to accompany the porchetta and again, can be made a day or two in advance to take the pressure off.
Ingredients (serves 6)
2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for brushing
3 cloves garlic, crushed
3 sprigs thyme, leave picked
2 sprigs sage, leaves picked and finely chopped
3 x 400g cans finely chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp golden caster
4 large aubergines, thinly sliced lengthways
100g parmesan cheese, finely grated
1 ball burrata
85g fresh breadcrumbs
Handful basil leaves to garnish
Method
In a large heavy bottomed pan, heat the oil, add the garlic, thyme and sage, and cook gently for a few minutes. Add the tomatoes, vinegar and sugar, and gently simmer for 20-25 mins until thickened slightly.
Meanwhile, heat a griddle pan. Brush the aubergine slices on both sides with olive oil, then griddle in batches. You want each slice softened and slightly charred.
In a large baking dish, spread a little of the tomato sauce over the base. Top the sauce with a layer of aubergine slices, then season well. Spoon over a bit more sauce, then scatter over some Parmesan and basil leaves. Repeat, layering up until all the aubergine is used. Add a final layer of sauce then break up the burrata and place the pieces of cheese on top. Sprinkle over the breadcrumbs and top with parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil. Place in the fridge until you are ready to cook (up to 2 days before).
Pre-heat your oven to 200/180c fan and bake for 40 minutes until golden and bubbly. Garnish with fresh basil.
Clementine, Pancetta and Hazelnut Salad
This super festive salad works well with pork or chicken and is also a great side for poached salmon. Try to buy salad leaves that include red chard to add to the colour of the dish. Walnuts and pecans work well if you’d prefer, and I sometimes add in some thin slices of pear.
Ingredients (serves 6)
1 bag mixed Italian salad leaves
6 rashers sliced pancetta
1 clementine, segmented
Juice of 1 clementine
1 tbsp toasted hazelnuts
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
40g fresh croutons
20g parmesan
sea sat flakes
freshly ground black pepper
Method
Heat a large frying pan and fry the pancetta slices until crisp and golden, set aside to cool and crisp up even further.
Place the salad leaves into a bowl. Mix together the olive oil, clementine juice and season will then dress the leaves. Spread the leaves out onto a serving platter, add the croutons, nuts and clementine segments then crumble over the pancetta and finish with a grating of parmesan.
