h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Your menu sounds wonderful. The trifle sounds rich and delicious.

I am trying to come up with the perfect, easy Christmas menu. One that is so amazing it will become a new family tradition. We always used to have ham, since it was F's favorite meat. I don't care for ham and neither does my sister. So I have vowed never to bake another ham as long as I live. How's that for contrary?

At the moment I am thinking of doing cornish hens stuffed with wild rice with a cranberry sauce. The only thing that is for sure about he menu at this point is pecan pie. That is a special request from my brother-in-law.

Hail the Pres!
An alternative stuffing for your hens could be a traditional Lebanese one that does very well with a gravy or chestnut sauce. In short, it is wild rice and mince (lamb, usually) and toasted pine nuts. If it tickles your taste buds, I can post a recipe...
Wilmaaaa!

Wilma, I might have a hard time finding the lamb. It isn't a common foodstuff in my area. It is available around Easter and sometimes around Christmas. But there are no guarantees. I'd like the recipe though. I could use it in the spring when the lamb comes in.

This is cattle country. We eat lots of beef - far too much for our health, I'm sure.

Pres, you could use mince beef too...
The recipe is very simple..
1. Fry off the meat you choose to use and drain wel. Return to the pan, add dry spices: allspice, cinnamon and black pepper - salt to taste. I like to add a bit of turmeric but the recipe actually asks for saffron (too expensive here).
2. Fry again and mix well then add your washed and drained (I use Thai basmati, my mum uses Uncle Ben's) rice over a low fire until the rice is almost toasted.
3. In a clean pan, toast a handful of poine nuts - watch carefully as they will burn!. Put over the meat and rice, toss lightly and take off the fire.
4. Stick in the hens, and cook in the oven in a covered casserole with water for the rice.

Yum

...on second thoughts, I'd go for pine nuts... not too sure what poine nuts would taste like
Wilmaaaa!

The thing last year was a Turkey stuffed with a goose, stuffed with a duck stuffed with a guinea fowl, I bet that was really odd to eat

Wilma, saffron is very expensive here, too. I usually use Texmati rice which is a domestic basmati. It's very flavorful. Thanks for the recipe.

A turkey stuffed with a goose stuffed with a duck stuffed with a guinea.....good grief. That's just ridiculous. Who dreams up these things?

>>>A turkey stuffed with a goose stuffed with a duck stuffed with a guinea.....good grief<<<

eh, my sentiments exactly - but it was the fashion and many SWORE by it, dahhling. Sounds pretty fowl to me though.



Why do I say these things? They really aren't clever at all.
*mutter * shake head * walk away

I am a simple country gal. That is way too fancy for me.

*ignoring the bad pun*

It was a fad that all those sad individuals that have to get one over their friends went for last Christmas, hopefully it's not repeated this year

Apparently scientists have proved that sprouts make you irritable

DUH!!!!! and they got a grant to prove this, double DUH!!!

>>sprouts make you irritable<<

RG, they're worse than beans imho..

Thanks for ignoring that inadvertent slip up, Pres.. Very good of you

W

Are we talking bean sprouts, alfalfa sprouts or Brussels sprouts? The latter certainly makes me iritable.

Brussel, I think... eh, RG? The others are ok but those little cabbages ....
W

Brussel Sprouts, the food at christmas is firmly fixed in peoples minds as tradition, only at christmas do (Most) people eat Turkey, sprouts, cranberries mince pies and so on, although I do like to make mince pies all year round, getting the mincemeat is difficult, But my point is why eat things you don't particularly like one day of the year because everyone else says you should

(rant mode coming up)

I don't like turkey it's a very dry meat and a little tasteless, my mum doesn't like poultry of any kind, my sister and my daughter couldn't really care less either way so we don't have turkey at christmas, If I fancy poultry mum gets a chicken and a a joint of Pork, 9 times out of 10 we have beef or Ham. After the last xmas dinner I had at my mother in laws, in whitched she drasticly over cooked the turkey, I said next year I was going to have a nice honey roast ham with parsnips carrots and potatoes, my sister in law gave my a look that made you think I'd uttered every profanity under the sun "You can't do that" she said "It's christmas you must have turkey at christmas"

Me "Why?"

Her "It's tradition, everyone has turkey at christmas"

Why Must we eat a meat and veg not many people are fond of because "It's Tradition" anyone who asks us why we don't have turkey at christmas gets the same answer, we don't like it therefore we don't eat it

(rant over)

That's them critters Wilma

Traditional Christmas Fare

Our traditional Christmas meal (in Lebanon) is fish - not just any fish, though - has to be Sea Bass and has to be cooked a certain way - lots of spices and nuts and rice...

That sounds rather nice, Fish for Xmas lunch, must mention this idea to mother next year

They used snapper in this recipe:

http://aww.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=42045&subsectionname=archive

also for the nuts, add pistachio and almond slivers for the full flavour - and they omitted the rice - use fish stock and the same mix of fennel/spices/peppers etc

you will "eat your fingers" (Lebanese expression for deeeelishus)

Also, Christmas is "his" Birthday and the fish is "his" symbol. Kinda makes sense, no?



W

I can't open the link Wilma but it does dound nice

Here you go, Reefgirl. And it does sound good. But I would have a hard time getting the fennel. And I have no idea what the 7 spice powder contains.

Samke Harra - ELY EL-SAADI from 'CADMUS RESTAURANT'

Serving size: Serves 6
Cooking time: More than 1 hour

INGREDIENTS

4 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 small chillies, de-seeded and chopped
1 bulb baby fennel, finely chopped
2 red peppers, finely chopped
2 tablespoons Paprika
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
pinch of nutmeg
1 teaspoons Lebanese 7 spice
2 tablespoons tomato paste
8 Roma tomatoes, peeled, de-seeded and chopped (concasse)
800 ml fish stock
2 bay leaves
1kg firm fleshed fish (we used snapper)
1 bunch coriander leaves, chopped
100g pine nuts, toasted

METHOD

Preheat oven to 180°c. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large heavy based pan. Add onion, garlic and chilli and saute until golden brown.

Add fennel and red peppers and sweat for 10 mins. Add tomato paste and spices and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add tomato concasse and fish stock , simmer for 5 minutes or until liquid has reduced slightly.

Heat remaining oil in frying pan and sear fish skin side down. Place in an oven proof dish, top with sauce and bake for 8-12 minutes until fish is cooked. Top with chopped coriander and pine nuts.