3 delicious holiday season recipes by Assortment
The best thing about the festive season - apart from cocktails and tan lines; is the copious amounts of great food!
Our friends at Assortment always deliver when it comes to impressive yet simple dishes for those special occasions. Here are our top 3 must-haves for the table this Christmas.
Enjoy!
Baby Root Vegetables with Hazelnuts and Cashew Cream
Side - GF - VG
Creamy, sweet, fresh and crunchy - every element on this plate works beautifully with each other. The cashew cream also acts as an accompaniment for other dishes on the table, so be sure to scoop enough off the base of the plate!
Ingredients
Vegetables
3-4 bunches baby carrots, trimmed, peeled and larger carrots halved lengthwise
2-3 bunches baby beetroot, trimmed, peeled and halved lengthwise
⅓ cup hazelnuts (roasted and roughly chopped)
¼ cup pomegranate seeds
¼ cup mint (finely sliced)
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Cashew cream
1 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight or for 20 minutes in boiling water and then drained
2-4 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp dijon mustard
1 garlic clove
Pinch of sea salt
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celsius, fan bake.
2. Place the carrots and beetroot on separate roasting trays, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. (This prevents the red bleeding onto the carrots)
3. Transfer both the trays to the oven and roast until the vegetables are nicely browned and tender, 30 to 40 minutes.
4. While the vegetables are roasting, prepare the cashew cream. Add all ingredients to the blender. Start with 1 Tbsp of water first and then add additional water, based on the consistency you desire. For this recipe, we love it when it’s thick and creamy so it holds itself up against the vegetables.
5. When you are ready to serve, spread the cashew cream across the base of a plate or platter, scatter over vegetables and top with pomegranate seeds, hazelnuts and fresh mint.
Cherry Tomatoes with Olives, Capers and Stracciatella
Side - V - GF
This tomato salad is such a simple but impressive side dish, adding freshness and a pop of colour to the table.
Ingredients
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 shallot, finely diced
1 lemon, zest
2 Tbsp green olives, roughly chopped
1 Tbsp capers, roughly chopped
2 Tbsp parsley leaves, finely chopped
2 Tbsp basil leaves, finely chopped
500g cherry tomatoes, halved or heirloom tomatoes, sliced
125g stracciatella
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Method
1. In a large bowl add all the ingredients excluding the tomatoes and stracciatella, and mix well to create the olive, caper dressing.
2. Add the cherry tomatoes and toss everything to distribute the dressing, then place onto a large plate or platter * If you are using heirloom tomatoes, arrange them on a platter first then scatter over the caper and olive dressing.
3. Top with the stracciatella, a little extra olive oil, salt and fresh basil.
Mushrooms with Cauliflower, Sage and Pecan Stuffing
Main - V - GF
The perfect vegetarian Christmas dish. These mushrooms are stuffed with our cauliflower stuffing, pecans, almonds, cranberries and herbs. You'll even find the meat eaters at the table won’t be able to keep their hands off these.
Ingredients
1 head cauliflower, shaved using a sharp knife or blitzed in a food processor forming a rice-like texture
4 Tbsp olive oil, divided
1 brown onion, finely diced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
3 Tbsp fresh herbs - rosemary, sage, and thyme, finely chopped
¼ cup pecans, toasted and roughly chopped
¼ cup almonds or pistachios, toasted and roughly chopped
¼ cup cranberries
8 - 12 portobello large mushrooms
Feta, optional
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celsius, fan bake.
2. Place cauliflower ‘rice’ onto one large baking tray (you may need to spread across 2 depending on your tray size) drizzle with 2 Tbsp of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 25 - 30 minutes or until golden and crispy in places.
3. Prepare your portobello mushrooms, remove the stalk and gills from the underside, and place them to the side as they will be added to the filling later. Lightly brush the mushroom ‘cups’ with 1 Tbsp of olive oil and place them on another baking tray (underside facing up). Roast for 20 minutes.
4. While the cauliflower and mushrooms are cooking, move on to the filling. Add 1 Tbsp of olive oil to a large frying pan over medium heat, add onion, herbs and a pinch of salt; cook for about 5 minutes or until onions are translucent.
5. Add the mushroom gills/stalk and garlic and cook for 2 minutes; then add pecans, almonds and cranberries.
6. Once the cauliflower has cooked, add to the filling and stir well to evenly distribute everything; season to taste.
7. Fill the mushrooms with the cauliflower stuffing mixture, allowing any excess stuffing to fall around the tray (remove any moisture sitting in the cup of the mushroom before stuffing).
8. Place back into the oven for a further 10 minutes to get crispy. 9. Top stuffed mushrooms with optional feta.
Recipes by Assortment
Assortment is a platform that helps everyday cooks by giving people an alternative to food delivery services, whilst still removing the stress around planning and cooking. Each week the team provides four recipes alongside a shopping list and meal prep guide. Giving the consumer flexibility around how they shop and cook.
You can check other great recipes at Assortment @assortment__
