Once a month we send out an e-newsletter, giving behind the scenes insight into the production of the magazine, sneak previews of upcoming issues as well as interactive features.Web-only recipes: Nici Wickes' Christmas Lunch
My travels through the magical Middle East earlier this year have influenced the flavours in my Christmas menu. There are the exotic aromas of cinnamon and pepper for the turkey, a salad packed with the jewel-like seeds of fresh pomegranates and another of lentils and vegetables, little pita breads and meringues with a Persian make-over for dessert.
Roast Turkey with Egyptian Bulgur Wheat Stuffing 1 turkey
2 brown onions
1 cup bulgur wheat, boiled in 3 cups water for 20 minutes or soaked for 1 hour, drained 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
100g butter, cubed 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper 1 lemon, halved
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 bay leaves ½ teaspoon black peppercorns (optional)
Preheat oven to 220°C.
To make the stuffing: Peel and grate 1 onion into a bowl. Add drained bulgur wheat, cinnamon, half the butter, salt and pepper. Note: This stuffing is generous with pepper.
Rinse and pat dry the cavity of the turkey and fill with stuffing. Add lemon halves then tie legs together to keep stuffing from spilling out.
Carefully sneak remaining butter under skin of the breast. Oil a baking dish and place turkey in it; rub oil over the bird. To the pan add bay leaves, remaining onion, roughly cut, peppercorns (if desired) and ½ cup water.
Cover tightly with foil and cook according to directions on turkey pack until it is cooked and juices run clear. Remove foil and cook for a further 15 minutes until golden-brown. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes before carving.
Reserve the liquid for gravy. Serve with salad below.
Fennel, Pomegranate, Pink Grapefruit & Mint Salad
1 cup fresh pomegranate seeds
3 pink grapefruit, segmented and membrane removed
2 cups very finely sliced fresh fennel bulb
½ cup fresh mint leaves, torn
Dressing:
3 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Toss salad ingredients together in a bowl or deep platter. Whisk dressing ingredients together and dress the salad just before serving.
2 cups brown lentils
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 red capsicum, thinly sliced
1 red onion, thinly sliced
4 tomatoes, diced
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
¼ cup pine nuts
¼ cup currants
2 cups baby spinach leaves
To garnish: 100g feta, crumbled
Cook lentils in salted water until almost tender (use twice the amount of water as lentils; add more as they cook if required). Drain. In a pan, saute capsicum, onion and tomatoes in oil for 4-5 minutes. Add vinegar and cover. When vegetables have softened, remove from the heat. Add pine nuts, currants, lentils and spinach and scatter feta over. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.
1 teaspoon honey
1 cup warm water
2 teaspoons dried yeast granules
3 cups high-grade (or strong) flour
6 tablespoons olive oil
In a large bowl, dissolve honey in warm water then sprinkle dried yeast over the top, swirling to mix. The water will be murky. Cover with a damp cloth and let sit until yeast is frothy (about 5 minutes). This tells you it is alive and kicking!
Add flour and olive oil and mix with a knife until it begins to form a ball, then turn out onto a floured surface and knead. It should be quite sticky and soft, so resist adding much extra flour whilst kneading – just enough to keep it from sticking to the bench or your hands. Knead for 8-10 minutes until soft and springy. Lightly oil the original bowl and return dough, covering with a plastic bag and then the cloth. Put somewhere warm to double in size (30-60 minutes).
When it has risen, punch dough back and divide into 8-10 small balls. Flatten each with your palm then allow discs to relax for 5 minutes. Roll each disc to about 10cm in diameter, 1cm thick. Brush with a little olive oil before dry-frying over low to moderate heat. Don’t allow too much colour to develop before flipping them over when one side is cooked. Undercooking at this stage is fine if you are going to reheat or grill just before serving. Stack and keep under plastic until required. Makes 8-10
4 egg whites
1¼ cups caster sugar
½ teaspoon white vinegar
½ cup fresh dates
1 teaspoon rose or geranium water
1 teaspoon orange zest
To serve: whipped cream
To garnish: fresh pomegranate seeds and pistachio nuts
Preheat oven to 150°C.
In a bowl, beat egg whites to soft peaks. Gradually add sugar then vinegar and continue beating until glossy, stiff and non-gritty.
In a food processor, process dates, rose water and zest until they form a paste. Set aside.
Line two baking trays with baking paper and spoon heaped tablespoonfuls of meringue mixture onto the paper in 8 even piles, keeping back ¼ cup of mixture. Flatten each pile slightly into a disc, then add a dollop of date paste in the centre of each and cover with reserved meringue mixture to completely enclose filling.
Bake for 50 minutes or until crisp. Turn oven off and cool completely in the oven with the door ajar or leave overnight. Store in an airtight container until required.
Serve with whipped cream and scatter with fresh pomegranate seeds and pistachio nuts. Makes 8 large meringues
