Christmas Dinner Recipes

Glazed Ham Ingredients:

7 pounds whole ham (preferrably smoked)
1 teaspoon whole cloves
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
5 glazed cherries
5 slices orange

Glazed Ham Method:

You first need to preheat the oven to 325 degrees F or 165 degrees C. Place the ham, fat side up, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Insert a meat thermometer so that the tip is in the thickest part of the ham and does not touch the bone. Cover the ham and tray loosely with aluminium foil and bake for 1-1/4 to 2-1/4 hours or until thermometer reads 135 degrees.

About 20 minutes before the ham is done, remove it from the oven. Pour the dripping from the pan. Cut diamond shapes onto the fat surface of the ham and insert a whole clove into each diamond.

Stir together the brown sugar, vinegar and mustard, then brush onto the ham. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Cover the ham again and let it stand for 10 minutes or until thermometer reads 140 degrees.

Garnish with orange slices and cherries.
Makes 12 servings.

Stuffed Christmas Turkey Ingredients:

12 to 14 pound turkey (remove all necks and giblets and set aside)
1 lemon cut in half
salt and pepper
melted butter

Meat Stuffing:
4 to 6 Tablespoons butter
2 onions, finely chopped
6 ounce lean ground lamb
turkey giblets which you set aside (optional),
1/2 pound fresh chestnuts, finely chopped
1/2 pound fresh pinenuts, finely chopped
2 cups strained broth (Turkey - as below)
1/2 cup raw unprocessed rice
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
2 cooking apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped

Stuffed Christmas Turkey Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees!

1. With the fresh chestnuts, slit the base of each shell crosswise and boil for 5 minutes. Remove then peel and break into small pieces.

2. To make broth:
Simmer the turkey neck and giblets in 3 cups water for 45 minutes, then strain the turkey broth.

3. Wash the turkey in cold water then pat it dry inside and outside, and leave it for 30 minutes while you cook your stuffing.

4. For the stuffing, heat the butter in a skillet or frypan and fry the onions until they begin to change color and soften. Add the ground lamb and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Add the chestnuts, and pine nuts and simmer for another 5 minutes. Add the broth and bring this to a boil. Add the rice and cook quickly for 10 minutes, then add the bread crumbs, and apples and stir well.

5. To stuff the turkey, slit the skin at the back of the neck down to the turkey's shoulders. Lightly fill the cavity, remembering that the stuffing always swells and too much swelling might cause the skin to burst. Sew the neck flap to the back of the turkey with a pin or use a skewer. Just as lightly, fill the body cavity, and sew or skewer this together. Tie the legs to the tail and fix the wings snugly to the body. Do not bring the cord across the breast or it mark the skin.

6. Rub the turkey with cut lemon pieces, salt, pepper and melted butter and place it in a large, shallow pan in a moderate oven (350 degrees, then lower temperature to 325 degrees). Roast it according to its weight when stuffed, allowing 25 to 30 minutes per pound.

7. Extra stuffing can be roasted in a pan for 45 minutes or so and served with the turkey. Or it can be made into rissoles by shaping it into small balls, dipping then into beaten egg and bread crumbs, and then frying them in butter, to be served as a garnish alongside your perfect Christmas turkey.

Makes 15 servings.