Don’t have a basic Christmas – try these ‘alternative’ recipes instead

Get the family talking with our favourite alternative Christmas recipes from the season’s best cookbooks

Pierogi are great after any roast, but particularly at Christmas when the family are on hand to help (Ola O Smit)

Why settle for the same old recipes this Christmas when you could wow your family and friends with something different? We’ve scoured some of the best cookbooks of the season to bring you three “alternative” recipes that are sure to get everyone talking.

First up, why not get creative with a batch of Boxing Day pierogi from Zuza Zak, whose cookbook entirely dedicated to the Polish dumplings came out this summer. The time and family bonding effort needed to make lots of pierogi is perfectly suited to the festive period. Served with freshly made cranberry sauce, this is one recipe that won’t go unnoticed.

Homemade gravlax with lavneh and preserved lemon from Oded Oren’s eponymous cookbook, which celebrates Tel Aviv with simple, seasonal recipes playing tribute to every ingredient, is a playful take on a classic Christmas breakfast. Swap in labneh and preserved lemon for rich, rounder flavours and let the secret cure add floral and fragrant notes to the fish, and you’re sure to tantalise even the most discerning palate.

If you’re looking for something heartier, try out the fish sauce-glazed Brussels sprouts from the Turnips’ Edible Almanac by Fred Foster, a definitive guide to eating the very best produce throughout the year. Even if you’re not keen on sprouts, glazing them in fish sauce transforms them into a stunning side that will bring the dinner table come alive.

And finally, for something truly unique, why not try the green eton mess from the World Avocado Organisation? The combination of crumbled meringue, banana, avocado and coconut cream and fresh berries is guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser. Who says Christmas has to be all about traditional puddings anyway?

So there you have it – three unique recipes to get your Christmas feasts truly buzzing.

Boxing Day pierogi

By: Zuza Zak, author ofPierogi: Over 50 Recipes to Create Perfect Polish Dumplings

“You can, of course, make similar pierogi after any roast at any time of the year, but I feel that the time and family bonding effort needed to make lots of pierogi is perfectly suited to the festive period. I recommend that you dice the turkey by hand rather than using a food processor – not only for the texture, but also to ensure that no small bones are overlooked. If you don’t have any vegetables left over from Christmas, cook a ladleful of frozen peas and add that to the mix.”

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

For the cranberry sauce:

150g (5½ oz) fresh or frozen cranberries 3 tbsp caster (superfine) sugar

1 tsp orange zest

Juice of 1 orange

For the dough:

300g (10½ oz/2¼ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour, plus extra to dust

2 egg yolks

2 tbsp butter, melted

Large pinch of salt

100-120ml (3½-4 fl oz/7 tbsp-½ cup) warm water (from a pre-boiled kettle)

For the filling:

150g (5½ oz) roast turkey meat, finely diced

150g (5½ oz) roast potatoes, finely diced

Handful of mixed roasted vegetables, finely diced or 50g (1¾ oz) frozen peas, cooked 1 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

1 egg, lightly beaten

Salt and white pepper

To serve:

20g (¾oz) goose fat, for frying

Method:

Make the cranberry sauce first, as it needs to chill in the fridge. Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to the boil, then turn the heat down and simmer until the cranberries fall apart and the sauce thickens, about 10 minutes. Cool and transfer to a sealed container (this can keep in the fridge for up to a week).

Put all the ingredients for the dough, apart from the water, in a large bowl and combine with your hand. Slowly pour the water into the bowl with one hand while mixing with the other. Add just enough of the measured water to bring it together (you may not need it all). Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 6-7 minutes, then cover with a clean, damp dish towel and allow to rest at room temperature for 20-30 minutes.

Make the filling by combining all the filling ingredients in a bowl and seasoning well.

Roll the dough out as thinly as you can and you use your favourite method to shape, fill and seal the pierogi (see pages 12-19), placing them on a lightly floured surface as you go.

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and boil the pierogi in batches. When they float to the top, give them an extra 2 minutes, then remove with a slotted spoon, shake off any excess water, and transfer to a warm bowl with the goose fat in it. Toss gently to coat.

Heat a large frying pan and carefully fry the cooked pierogi on both sides in the goose fat until golden and crispy. Serve and enjoy with the cranberry sauce.

Homemade gravlax with labneh and preserved lemon

Tel Aviv’s answer to gravlax (Issy Croker)

By: Oded Oren, author of Oren: A Personal Collection of Recipes and Stories From Tel Aviv

“I’ve been making this recipe for 20 years, and it’s a bit of a playful take on the classic flavour combination of smoked salmon, cream cheese and lemon. Here, we use labneh and preserved lemon for richer, rounder flavours, and the cure is floral and fragrant, giving a very different result to your average gravlax. It’s rewarding to make and feels a bit special, so it’s ideally a dish to serve when you have guests. You will need to allow 36-48 hours for curing.”

Serves: 8-10

Ingredients:

1.8kg (4 lb) side of salmon

100g (3 ½ oz) dill, finely chopped, to garnish

200g (7 oz) labneh

50g preserved lemon, roughly chopped

Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

For the cure:

250g (9 oz/1¼ cups) caster (superfine) sugar

250g (9 oz) coarse sea salt

10g (¼ oz) green cardamom pods, crushed

15g (½ oz) fennel seeds

20g (¾ oz) sweet paprika

Method:

Combine all the ingredients for the salmon cure in a mixing bowl until well incorporated. Lay the side of salmon, skin-side down, in a deep tray and cover it with the cure mixture. Cover with cling film (plastic wrap) and place in the refrigerator for 36-48 hours, depending on the thickness of the fish and how dry you want it to be.

Rinse the fish with cold water and pat dry with a clean cloth or kitchen towel. Cover with the chopped dill a couple of hours before serving and cut into 2mm (1/16 in) thick slices. Serve with a dollop of labneh, preserved lemon and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil. Once cured, the gravlax will keep for 2 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

Fish-sauce-glazed Brussels sprouts

This recipe may convince even the most resilient Brussels sprout hater (Matt Russell)

By: Fred Foster, author of Turnips’ Edible Almanac: The Week-by-week Guide to Cooking with Seasonal Ingredients

“At this time of the year Brussels sprouts are everywhere. Like Marmite, the world seems divided into those who love them and others who hate them. And, to be honest, I’m not that crazy for sprouts, but when you glaze them in fish sauce, they become something really stunning to serve alongside your roast meat or fish.”

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

750g (1lb 10oz) Brussels sprouts

1-2 tbsp olive oil

4 tbsp fish sauce knob of butter

Salt

Method:

Start by prepping the sprouts. Trim the base of each sprout and remove any damaged outer leaves. You can cut a cross into the bottom of the sprouts so that they will cook quicker, but it’s not necessary and entirely optional.

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, add the sprouts and cook until just tender – the timing will depend on the size of the sprouts and whether you have cut a cross on the underside.

Drain and either refresh under cold running water or plunge the sprouts into a bowl of iced water to stop them cooking further. Drain and leave to dry on a clean tea towel for a few minutes.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat and turn the extractor fan on to full speed, or open a window. Add the sprouts to the hot pan and cook, shaking the pan, until the sprouts start to take on some colour. Add the fish sauce and continue shaking the pan for 10 seconds. Add the butter and a splash of water and shake the pan again so that the butter melts and you coat the sprouts in a beautiful, glossy glaze. Serve immediately.

Green Eton mess

A light and delicious way to end the meal (World Avocado Organisation)

By: World Avocado Organisation

A novel take on the classic desert, this green eton mess is a light and delicious way to round off a Christmas meal.

Ingredients:

2 avocados (plus extra to make the avocado stars)

2 bananas (frozen)

1 lime, juice and zest

1 orange, zest only

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp maple syrup

100ml coconut cream

100g of store-bought or homemade meringue (or vegan meringue)

Approx 200g of fresh berries

Method:

1. The night before, place the bananas in the freezer. The following day use a sharp knife to remove the skins and slice the bananas.

2. Just before your guests arrive, blend the banana, avocado, lime juice and zest, orange zest, maple syrup, vanilla extract and coconut cream until smooth.

3. Divide the fresh berries between four of your prettiest drinks glasses, followed by the avocado mixture, then the meringue, garnish with some fresh mint and serve.