IGA
While living in the southern hemisphere is undeniably rewarding (hello, warmish weather nearly all year round), Christmas in Australia is a bit too hot and sweaty to feel truly Christmas-y.
Instead of pork roasts and roasted potatoes we often go for cold ham and potato salad, and although it definitely hits the spot, we Aussies sometimes feel a bit left out.
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That's why Christmas in July is the best thing ever. We get to break up the long winter with Christmas festivities, indulge in warming Christmas dishes and eat to our stomach's content (and still fit in dessert for good measure).
That's where these delicious Christmas in July recipes come in.
These mains, sides and desserts are easy to make and 100 percent foolproof, meaning cooks at all levels can make and enjoy a festive feast.
IGA and McKenzie's
Sides
1. Oven roasted potatoes
Recipe by IGA
Roasted potatoes that are crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside are a must on any Christmas table. These roasted potatoes are made from only four ingredients and take just half an hour to make. Serve alongside any of the roasts below for the best plate of food ever.
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Serves six.
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
INGREDIENTS
- 1kg new potatoes
- 2 tabelspoons olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves
- Sea salt and pepper
METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Wash and peel new potatoes, then cut into 2cm cubes. Transfer to a large baking tray.
2. Drizzle with olive oil and add two garlic cloves, crushed. Season generously with sea salt and pepper and turn to coat.
3. Bake for 30 minutes or until potatoes are golden, brown and crisp.
IGA
2. Sweet potato and pear salad with crunchy chickpeas
Recipe by McKenzie's
A salad is a delicious way to lighten up your Christmas in July feast and add colour to your plate. This sweet potato and pear salad with a tahini yoghurt dressing strikes a lovely balance between sweet and savoury, with the chickpeas adding crunch factor.
Serves four.
Preparation time: 15 minutes (does not include chickpea preparation and cooking time).
Cooking time: one hour and 10 minutes.
INGREDIENTS
- 375g chickpeas, uncooked
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
- 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
- 650g sweet potato, unpeeled and cut into wedges
- 2 medium pears, unpeeled, cut into eight wedges
- ¼ cup dried sweetened cranberries
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1 cup greek style yoghurt
- 1 tablespoon tahini
- 200g rocket
METHOD
1. Prepare chickpeas according to packet instructions. Preheat oven to 220°C.
2. Pat chickpeas dry with paper towel and place on an oven tray. Drizzle one tablespoon of the oil over the chickpeas and sprinkle with half of the fennel seeds and rosemary. Bake for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally or until chickpeas are golden and crisp.
3. Reduce oven to 180°C. Combine sweet potato and pears on a large oven tray with remaining oil, fennel and rosemary. Bake for 40 minutes or until browned and tender.
4. Meanwhile, soak cranberries in the boiling water for 10 minutes or until softened. Drain, reserving two tablespoons of the soaking liquid.
5. Combine yoghurt, tahini and reserved cranberry soaking liquid in a small bowl and season to taste.
6. To serve, arrange rocket, sweet potato and pears on a large platter. Top with chickpeas and cranberries, then drizzle with yoghurt mixture.
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McKenzie's
3. Pea and ham soup
Recipe by McKenzie's
Soup is the best way to warm up on a chilly evening, making this simple, creamy pea and ham soup a perfect start to your Christmas feast.
Serves four.
Preparation time: 15 minutes.
Cooking time: one and a half hours.
INGREDIENTS
- 500g green split peas
- 3 medium carrots, diced
- 3 celery sticks, diced
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
- 1 smoked ham hock
- 1 reduced salt chicken stock cube
- 8 cups water
- 1 bay leaf
- Himalayan pink salt and whole black peppercorns, to taste
- Panfried prosciutto and fresh parsley, to garnish
METHOD
1. Combine all ingredients (except garnish) in a large pot. Cover and simmer for approximately 1-1½ hours or until thickened, stirring occasionally.
2. Remove hock and prepare by removing skin, roughly chop ham and set aside. Discard bay leaf.
3. Puree soup in a food processor or blender. Add ham back into pureed soup and stir through. Season to taste with pepper. Garnish with prosciutto and fresh parsley.
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McKenzie's
4. Homemade apple sauce
Recipe by IGA
Only four ingredients and 15 minutes stand between you and this fresh, sweet apple sauce. This versatile sauce complements any roast pork dish and, if you've got leftovers, is a great addition to muffins, cakes or smoothies.
Makes four servings.
Preparation time: five minutes.
Cooking time: 10 minutes.
INGREDIENTS
- 4 peeled, cored and sliced apples
- 2 garlic cloves
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tablespoon sugar
METHOD
1. Combine sliced apples with cloves in a saucepan, add water and the sugar. Cook gently over a medium heat for 5-10 minutes, stirring regularly.
2. When the apples are nice and tender and most of the juices have evaporated, remove the pan from the heat. Smash to serve.
IGA
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Mains
5. Crusted glazed ham
Recipe by McKenzie's
This easy, succulent dish oozes Christmas spirit with its orange, honey and mustard syrup, all spice seasoning and slivered almonds for texture.
Serves 12.
Preparation time: 30 minutes.
Cooking time: one hour and 30 minutes.
INGREDIENTS
- 5-7kg leg or shoulder of ham, on the bone
- 1 teaspoon finely grated orange rind
- ¾ cup orange juice
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ⅔ cup honey
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 200g slivered almonds
- 100g pine nuts
- 1 teaspoon ground all spice
- 2 teaspoons cornish sea salt flakes
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 160°C fan forced.
2. Combine orange rind, orange juice, sugar, half the honey, mustard and garlic in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer for 8-10 minutes or until reduced by half.
3. Meanwhile, using a small and sharp knife, cut around the shank about 10cm from the end. Carefully run the knife under the rind, around the edge of the ham. Gently lift off the rind in one piece by running your fingers between the rind and the fat. Discard the rind.
4. Use a small sharp knife to score the fat in a diamond pattern. Add a small amount of water to a roasting pan. Place the ham on a wire rack in the pan.
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5. Brush the ham with the pre-made syrup, reserving ¼ cup. Bake the ham for 40–50 minutes or until golden brown (basting occasionally).
6. Meanwhile, place nuts, all spice, salt flakes and pepper in a food processor. Process until finely chopped. Add reserved syrup and pulse until combined. Drizzle ham with half of the remaining honey. Press nut mixture over ham. Drizzle with remaining honey. Bake for a further 20-30 minutes or until nuts are golden. Set aside for 15 minutes to rest before carving.
McKenzie's
6. Slow cooked lamb with onions and rosemary
Recipe by IGA
If lamb is your Christmas meat of choice, this easy, slow cooked lamb with onions and rosemary is for you -- and you only need four simple ingredients.
Serves six.
Preparation time: 10 minutes.
Cooking time: eight hours.
INGREDIENTS
- 2kg lamb shoulder, bone-in
- 6 little brown onions, peeled
- 6 rosemary sprigs
- 1 cup (250ml) chicken stock
METHOD
1. Place the lamb shoulder into the slow cooker. Season heavily with sea salt and cracked pepper. Remove the leaves from rosemary sprigs and scatter around the lamb. Add the onions and chicken stock. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, at which point the lamb should be so tender that all you need to do is tear the meat away with tongs.
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2. Serve the lamb on a platter with the onions and drizzle with delicious melty onion sauce.
IGA
7. Roast pork with crispy crackling
Recipe by IGA
Pork crackling lovers, this one is for you. This four-ingredient Christmas roast recipe is absolutely foolproof, meaning that crispy pork crackling is a mere two hours away.
Serves four.
Preparation time: 10 minutes.
Cooking time: two hours.
INGREDIENTS
- 2kg pork leg (bone-in)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 lemon juiced
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 250°C. Using a sharp knife, gently score the skin of the leg across in close parallel lines. Make sure you cut all the way through the skin to the meat (keep in mind, the more scores you make the crispier the crackling).
2. Rub the entire leg with oil and lemon juice and then with the sea salt. Rub well into the scores as this not only seasons the meat, but helps draw out moisture, producing 'crispy crackling'.
3. Place the roast in a large roasting pan. Cook uncovered for 30 minutes at the highest heat, then reduce the temperature to 180°C. Continue cooking for approximately 25 minutes per 500g of weight, or 1½ hours.
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4. Once the roast is done, remove from the oven and rest for 20 minutes before carving to serve.
IGA
8. Sticky date pudding with caramel sauce
Recipe by McKenzie's
Christmas dinner isn't complete without dessert, particularly this sticky date pudding with caramel sauce. Top tips: this pudding and sauce can be made in advance and reheated in microwave prior to serving. And don't forget to serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of cream.
Serves eight.
Preparation time: 20 minutes.
Cooking time: 30 minutes.
INGREDIENTS
Sticky date pudding:
- 1 cup pitted dates, roughly chopped
- 300ml orange juice or water
- 1 teaspoon bi-carb soda
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 80g unsalted butter
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 ⅓ cup plain flour
- 2 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon vanilla essence
Caramel sauce:
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 125g unsalted butter
- ½ cup cream
METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease and line a 20cm x 20cm cake tin.
2. Bring dates and orange juice to the boil in a small saucepan. Stir in bi-carb and remove from heat. Allow to cool.
3. Beat sugar and butter until creamy and pale. Add eggs until well combined. Fold in flour, date mixture and vanilla essence.
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4. Pour mixture into greased and lined tin and bake for 30 minutes or until golden and cooked through.
5. For the sauce: bring all ingredients to the boil in a saucepan. Simmer for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.
6. Serve warm pieces of sticky date pudding with warm caramel sauce.
McKenzie's
9. Apple, rhubarb and coconut crumble
Recipe by McKenzie's
For those wanting a more light and fresh dessert to finish on, try this easy crumble made with sweet apples, almonds, shredded coconut and rhubarb.
Serves six.
Preparation time: 25 minutes.
Cooking time: 50 minutes.
INGREDIENTS
- 5 rhubarb stalks, trimmed and chopped
- 3 large granny smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced
- ¼ cup caster sugar
- ⅔ cup plain flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon mixed spice
- 100g butter, chilled and chopped
- ½ cup whole oats
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup slivered almonds
- ½ cup shredded coconut
- To serve, vanilla custard
METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 160°C fan-forced. Grease a six cup capacity oven proof dish.
2. Combine rhubarb, apple, caster sugar and two tablespoons of cold water in prepared dish. Cover with foil. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until fruit is just tender.
3. Meanwhile, sift flours and mixed spice into a bowl. Using fingertips, rub butter into flour mixture until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in oats, brown sugar, coconut and almonds.
4. Remove and discard foil from fruit. Sprinkle with crumble mixture. Bake for a further 20 to 25 minutes or until crumble is golden. Serve with custard.
McKenzie's
