Make Christmas dinner with all the trimmings for just for €30

There’s no need to break the bank for a scrumptious feast on the big day. For a mere red and blue note, Donal Hayes cooks up a delicious three-course meal for five.

Thu, 17 Dec, 2015 - 00:00

There is a lovely play by Thornton Wilder called The Long Christmas Dinner that follows the lives of an American family over a period of 90 years. Stories are told over many years through snippets from an ever-aging cast.

A play could be written about every family in Ireland based on Christmas dinner and the stories would be similar in so many ways. Certainly the menu would.

In this year’s act of the play the characters would speak of some economic recovery, but the menu would continue to reflect an awareness of budget.

There is a small increase in price this year but we still have a full three-course spread for 5 people for €29.13, or about €5.80 a head. Last year we kept it down to €25.

Starters

A seafood starter has always been essential in our house and this year is no different.

Prawns are still too expensive and smoked salmon just a bit boring.

Thai fish cakes are perfect.

Easy to prepare, very popular, not too heavy.

Try this:

Blitz the following 4 ingredients in a processor:

500g cod (or haddock, or hake)

1 teaspoon fish sauce,

2 tablespoons mild red curry paste

50g green beans, chopped finely. Leave it a bit coarse and to chill overnight.

Form into slightly flattened balls and deep fry until golden and cooked through. Serve with some sweet chilli sauce and a wedge of lime.

Turkey and Ham

The price of turkeys is about the same this year — lower if anything. Tesco are advertising fresh turkeys at €3 a kilo which is phenomenal value, although you need to order in advance.

Otherwise the frozen 4kg bird for €10 from most supermarkets is the way forward. Dunnes are doing all sizes frozen for about €2.50 a kilo. You shouldn’t be paying much more than that, so shop around.

Defrosting the turkey will take a couple of days in the fridge so allow time for that.

Mix the following and rub it all over the turkey:

2 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 lemon, zested and quartered

Put the whole lot into a large plastic bag. Add any fresh herbs you may have and about 12 smashed cloves of garlic. Tie up the bag to seal and leave in the fridge for two days.

If you want to be technical, it’s called a dry brine.

Turn it a few times if you think of it. 12 hours before cooking, take it out of the bag, pat it dry and leave it in the fridge uncovered.

This dries the skin and makes it lovely and crisp later. Take it out of the fridge an hour before cooking, paint on some olive oil and cook as normal. It will be a lot better than most turkeys that cost five times the price.

Ham prices are more consistent and transparent but again watch the portion size — 200g a head is loads for the dinner and a sandwich on St Stephen’s day. Lidl have smoked leg for €3.79 a kilo — nearly 25% cheaper than last year.

Spend time making a good stuffing (or two). These cost so little and make such a difference to the meal.

Gravy is the simplest, tastiest, most memory-laden dish I know how to make: a little flour, salt and pepper, crispy bits of whatever meat anchored the meal, a couple of cups of giblet stock, a splash of red wine and slow stirring to break up lumps.

That’s it. the door locked against the night and music on the radio. It is anticipation, the last thing prepared before the meal, the ‘Ta-Da’ as you finally sit down.

Vegetables add little to the cost of the meal. Golden wonders are about €1 a kilo, sprouts about €1 for 500g and about 50c per 500g carrots and parsnips. And that’s the main course done.

Dessert

Christmas pudding is just way too heavy to be eaten after dinner. Maybe over the following few days. After dinner I love the Italian affogato and for special occasions I make it with Irish coffee. Take a good scoop of your favourite vanilla ice cream (Murphy’s or Happy Days is good) in a small glass and make some strong Irish coffee in a jug. Pass the jug around and pour the hot coffee over the cold ice cream. Delicious.