4 Best Holiday Side Dishes For Family Christmas
Christmas is particularly special for my family. Every year, we celebrate Christmas Eve with a traditional Czech dinner. Traditionally, the dinner consists of two types of soup, fish, dried fruit, and nuts. Over the years, my family has adapted it slightly and added some other favorites. The holidays are even more meaningful to me because it is when I learned how to cook. When I was younger, my grandfather and I would cook the Christmas Eve soups together. He taught me the basics of flavor, balancing acids with sugar, some cutting techniques, and most importantly the family recipes that are passed down through generations. The holiday sides I have put together are inspired by my family’s Christmas Eve celebrations, with a little added flair. Enjoy!
OVEN ROASTED CARROTS RECIPE
INGREDIENTS:
1 lb carrots (shout out Trader Joe’s Les Petites Carrots)
½ ea pomegranate seeds
3 ea mint leaves
2 tbsp neutral oil
1 tsp salt
1 cup yogurt
½ tbsp cumin
2 tbsp sunflower seeds
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1½ tsp coriander seeds
¾ tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp black sesame seeds
⅛ tsp salt
DIRECTIONS:
For the carrots: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Toss the carrots in neutral oil and 1 tsp of salt. Lay the carrots in one single layer on a sheet tray and roast for 15 minutes.
For the yogurt: Mix the yogurt and cumin together and set aside.
For the dukkah: Toast the sunflower and sesame seeds in a 325°F oven for 10 minutes, until they are golden brown. Toast these items in separate pans as they cook at different rates. In a sauté pan, toast the coriander, cumin and black sesame seeds. Pro Tip: You know they are done toasting when the spices start to release their aromas. Once all the spices and seeds are toasted, pulse them in a food processor. Make sure to pulse the processor instead of a continuous blend, the pulsing will prevent the mixture from turning into a paste.
For the plating: Spread a layer of yogurt on the bottom of the plate. Place the carrots on top of the yogurt. Garnish with the dukkah, pomegranate seeds and mint leaves. The dukkah can be made ahead of time. It is also good to make extra dukkah and keep as a pantry staple. I love adding it to salads and soups!
CARAMELIZED CABBAGE RECIPE
INGREDIENTS:
½ head green cabbage
1 cup bacon
½ tbsp caraway seeds
3 tbsp butter
TT salt
DIRECTIONS:
For the bacon: Start by cutting the bacon into small strips. On medium-low heat, render the bacon until the meat is crispy. This will take about 15-20 minutes. At the end of the rendering process, add the caraway seeds and toast the seeds with the bacon. Set aside.
For the cabbage: Cut the cabbage in half. Once the cabbage is cut, you will see a small triangle on the bottom of the vegetable while looking at the inside profile. This is the core, cut this piece out and dispose. After you take the core out, cut the cabbage into quarters. Then, slice the cabbage into small strips.
Cooking the cabbage: Heat a large sauté pan on high heat. In 3 separate additions, melt 1 tbsp butter and ⅓ of the cabbage. Let the cabbage caramelize in the pan, and do not move the cabbage around so that it gets a deep brown color. Once the cabbage is deep brown, flip the cabbage pieces to finish cooking the other side. You only want to color one side. Once cooked, take the first round out and set aside. Do this same process to the rest of the cabbage.
Assembly: Add the bacon back to the pot to get hot again. Fold in all the cooked cabbage and mix thoroughly with the bacon. Season with salt.
CRISPY BRUSSELS SPROUTS RECIPE
INGREDIENTS:
1 lb Brussels sprouts
¼ cup neutral oil
¼ tbsp salt
8 ea medjool dates, pitted
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp parsley
½ tbsp lemon juice
¼ cup granola
DIRECTIONS:
For the Brussels: Preheat the oven to 425°F. While the oven is heating up, cut the Brussels sprouts in half vertically. Toss the sprouts with the neutral oil and salt, making sure each sprout is coated. If some of the leaves fall off, keep them, these get really crunchy and delicious! Roast the Brussels sprouts for 20-25 minutes, until they are creamy on the inside and crispy on the outside.
For the garnishes: While the Brussels sprouts are cooking, slice the dates into rings about ⅛ inch thick. Pick the parsley leaves off of the stem and mince them.
For assembly: Once the Brussels sprouts are cooked, put them directly into a mixing bowl. While piping hot, add the lemon juice, parsley and dates to the sprouts. The heat of the hot Brussels sprouts will start to caramelize the dates. Put this mixture onto a plate and top with granola!
ULTRA CREAMY TRUFFLE MAC N’ CHEESE RECIPE
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups macaroni noodles, uncooked
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup white cheddar cheese
2 tbsp creme fraiche
2 tbsp black truffle peelings
1 tsp white truffle oil
Bechamel:
1½ cups milk
½ cup heavy cream
4 tbsp butter
4 tbsp flour
DIRECTIONS:
For the mac: In a medium pot, bring salted water to a boil. Pro tip: When cooking pasta, make sure the water is salty like the sea so that the noodles are soaking up some seasoning while cooking. Once the water is boiling, cook the macaroni noodles for about 7-8 minutes, until the noodles are al dente. Immediately drain the noodles and set aside.
For the mornay: Start the sauce making process by melting the butter. Once the butter is melted, sprinkle the flour in. Cook this mixture for about 5 minutes at a medium heat. This is called roux. The roux should be pale blonde in color. Once the roux is cooked, put it in a shallow pan and cool it in the freezer. While the roux is cooling, heat the milk and cream in the pot. Once the dairy is simmering, whisk the roux in (now you have bechamel!). Once the bechamel is thick whisk in the cheeses and continuously stir at a medium heat until the cheeses are melted. Once the cheeses are melted, turn the heat off. You now have made mornay sauce!
For the truffle: Measure out 2 tbsp of the black truffle peelings. Cut the peelings with your knife until they are minced, almost paste like. Mix the paste with the truffle oil. Stir this mixture into the mornay sauce.
To assemble: Put the macaroni noodles in a mixing bowl. Fold in the hot truffled mornay sauce. Once the noodles are evenly coated, stir in the creme fraiche. Serve immediately!