Dinner ideas for Christmas cooked on stovetop

lso

Hi,

I'm going to Portugal for Christmas - lucky me!

I've volunteered to cook dinner for five adults on Christmas day. This poses some challenges due to the following:

I will only have a two ring gas stove available to cook on. (Potentially can also get a barbeque)
One of the party is a vegiterian who is also breastfeeding - the baby gets very cranky if she eats garlic. (Her husband is a meatlover, but will eat veggie).
Another person can't eat food that is too spicy and isn't a huge fan of pasta (but will eat it)

I'm looking for simple but tasty ideas for Christmas dinner (doesn't have to be traditional), given the above restrictions. TBH the one that I'm having most difficulty with is garlic!

Some ideas that I've had:
Vegiterian curry, with lots of pulses and veg and natural yogurt (but also garlic)
Bean casserole/cassoulet - could add meat afterwards (again garlic)
Getting a barbeque and cooking chicken or fish on it and serving with something that could double as a veggie dish.

BTW my "guests" are not demanding and would be happy if I served up sambos, so I'll be the most difficult one to please.

Minder

Is your veggie a true veggie or a fish eating veggie?

lso

Minder wrote: »

Is your veggie a true veggie or a fish eating veggie?

Unfortunately for me a true veggie.

But if I could get a dish where I could cook the fish seperately (bbq) and that serve it with something that would work well on it's own as a veggie dish, that would be great.

MORISH

That sounds like a tall order, but it will be fun.:D

As you only have 2 cooking rings, would you have time to cook some stuff the day before? It could at least take off the pressure on the day.

You could do spiced red cabbage but dont worry its only spiced cos of cinnamon&clove, takes about 1-2hrs depending on the amount and could be reheated the next day. It tasty & traditional!!

Also think of doing a veggie risotto, dont be put off as i know people can worry about them but once you add stock slowly you'll be fine.But that would have to be done on the day.

I think your idea of fish is great my family went to spain last year and i believe the fish was amazing, try to get to shops early and you'll get some great fish and not as expensive as ireland.
Do it easy like fry with chilli or simple seasoning. You could cut aubergine into 2 thick slices salt,dry and fry before the fish for your veggie friend its called aubergine steaks.

You could do a creamy mash potatoes mixed with greated parmisan. Fry a bit of local cured ham for a traditional twist and serve with the fish and red cabbage. At least that way the only thing differant is that the veggie gets aubergine instead of fish and less for you to do too.

Also serve loads of yummy local bread, and have lovely meats & cheeses around for them to snack on. Hope thats inspired you and good luck

The Sweeper

First: don't plan until you're there and you've visited your local shop. You might find that within a short distance of where you're staying, you can get fresh tuna that looks like slabs of dark turkish delight, beautiful vegetables that squeak when you touch them, fruit that smells devine - it would be a shame to overlook all of that and start hunting for the ingredients for what you had planned.

Second, it's very difficult to recreate your own kitchen when abroad - because you'll find that the staples you would normally use - say olive oil, salt and pepper, balsamic vinegar, dried herbs - are either difficult to get, or more likely you spend a small fortune buying all of these bottles new just to use a teaspoon out of them for one meal.

I'd say either (with the caveat that I don't know how portugese customs would respond to this) load a cook bag - bring your own condiments, a few herbs, a bottle of oil, a bottle of vinegar, stick it in one end of your case - either that, or resign yourself to having a 'ready, steady, cook!' moment when you get to your destination and see what's available to you in the area.

You may also find that the two-ring hob comes with a saucepan big enough to boil milk, but not pasta for four people, a frying pan big enough to do two eggs in, and a two-slice toaster and that's your lot.

Definitely do a reconnaissance when you arrive - condiments, ingredients and tools - and then go from there. (And hey, come back here if you like and let us know the lay of the land and I'm certain you'll get help! )

lso

Thanks for your replies - some inspiration there. I hadn't even thought of risotto and that's something I'm comfortable with cooking.

I should add that we will be staying in a holiday home owned by my in-laws, so anything we buy can be left there. (There's only one tiny saucepan at the moment, so definitely need to stock up on cookware - unless someone has suggenstions on how to cook a Christmas dinner given all of the above and with one small saucepan :rolleyes:)

MORISH

Minesajackdaniels makes a good point on shopping when you get there and make up your mind on the dinner choices when you get there.

Glad it gave you some ideas. Happy cooking to you!