Food Swings: Christmas Dinner Made Easy
By Jacob Mathias
Happy holidays to all our readers- now that the fog bank has lifted from the area, we can all get back to our traditional weather of ice, cold and snow just in time for Christmas.
Like any holiday, Christmas centers largely on a big family meal, followed by gift-giving (so long as you’ve been good).
The Christmas roast has long been a staple of yuletide feasting whether it be a goose, a duck, a prime rib or a ham. I have always been a fan of what the pig has to offer this time of year.
Along with our roast pork, we’re going to have some roasted side dishes too in order to make for a delicious, heartwarming and parallel Christmas dinner.
For reference, all dishes below will serve four guests.
Fennel Roasted Pork Loin
You will need:
2 lb pork loin (try to find one with a substantial fat cap)
1 fennel bulb with fronds attached
¼ cup brown mustard
2 tsp. dried thyme
Salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Using a long thin knife, pierce the center of pork loin and slide knife through the pork, creating a channel through the loin.
Remove the fronds from the top of the fennel and stuff them into the pork loin that you cut into to. Season the outside of the pork loin with salt and pepper, then rub with the mustard and sprinkle on the thyme.
Place in oven on a roasting rack and roast for 45 minutes or until center of loin reaches about 140 degrees. Remove from oven and allow to rest for at least 5 minutes.
Cut into ¼ inch slices and serve.
Roasted Beet Salad
You will need:
4 beets tops removed and scrubbed (set aside greens for later)
¼ cup toasted sliced almonds
4 ounces chevre cut into small pieces
½ gallon of spring mix
¼ cup balsamic vinaigrette
Cracked black pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Wrap each beet in aluminum foil and place in oven for 45 minutes.
Remove beets from oven and allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before peeling and slicing into ¼ inch pieces.
Toss the beets with the spring mix, beet greens, chevre and vinaigrette; sprinkle with almonds and pepper immediately before serving.
Maple Bacon Roasted Squash
You will need:
1 butternut squash halved and seeded
Salt and pepper
2 strips thick cut bacon cut into 1 inch pieces
2 tbsp maple syrup
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Season the flesh of the squash with salt and pepper and drizzle with the maple syrup. Place the bacon pieces evenly on each piece of squash. Place in a baking dish and roast in oven for 1 hour.
Remove from oven and scoop squash and bacon out of the shell and mash until smooth. You’ll want to season with a bit more salt and pepper at the table as this will be very sweet.
Your Christmas meal needn’t be fancy or expensive, and it doesn’t have to be traditional or time-consuming. Your Christmas meal should be exactly what you want, and surrounded by good cheer, family and friends.
Merry Christmas, fellow eaters. I’ll be back next year.