Hello team!
Christmas is now right around the corner (how on earth did that happen?), so I thought it was high time I gave you a CHRISTMAS NIBBLES SPECIAL. Whether you are cooking on Christmas day, or having a party in the build up, I’ve got some ideas for you. We’ve got my ultimate sausage rolls, a roasted carrot and walnut dip and some v sexy anchovy devilled eggs.
I also did a Christmas nibbles edition last year, so you can find even more recipes over there. Smoked trout scones, parmesan biscuits, sticky gochujang sausages and more!
You are also getting a very easy mid-week recipe idea in the latest installment of Feeling Myshelf - a white risotto with almonds and cornichons, because I know you all have a dusty bag of risotto rice at the back of the cupboard.
Happy cooking!
Sophie x
P.S. My book Tucking In would make a really nice Christmas present for the cooks in your life, or even for yourselves!
The Recipes
Feeling Myshelf Episode 7 - White Risotto with Cornichons and Almonds
Serves 2
1 onion
150g risotto rice
100ml white wine
1L chicken stock
30g flaked almonds
50g cornichons
½ small bunch of parsley
60g parmesan
salt, pepper and olive oil
Peel and finely chop your onion.
Heat a medium sized saute pan over a medium-low heat, and add 3 tbsp olive oil. Get your onion in the pan, and cook it gently for 15-20 minutes until has softened, but not taken on any colour.
Meanwhile, heat your stock up in a separate saucepan.
Tip your risotto rice into the pan, and toast it in the olive oil a minute or two.
Pour your wine into the pan, and stir it to let it evaporate.
Add your stock a ladle at a time, stirring it gently until the rice has absorbed the liquid before adding more. It should take about 25 minutes for all your stock to be used up, leaving you with perfectly cooked rice.
Whilst you cook the risotto, make your salsa. Toast your flaked almonds in a dry frying pan set over a medium heat for 3-5 minutes, or until they are golden.
Slice your cornichons and finely chop your parsley, then get them into a small mixing bowl. Tip in your almonds, add a pinch of salt, and give it all a mix.
Grate your parmesan (either with a grater or cut it into chunks and chuck it in a blender).
Once your risotto is cooked, add your parmesan and stir to combine. Season it to taste with salt and pepper, then loosen it with extra water if you need to (you want the texture to be quite loose).
Spoon your risotto into bowls, then top each bowl with the cornichon salsa and some black pepper. Serve it up.
Christmas Nibbles
Welcome to the 2024 Christmas Nibbles Edition!
I’m not about complicated nibbles, but it is important to give people a little something to snack on at the start of a do. These ones are all very relaxed - they take hardly any effort to make, but will make you look very clever this Christmas party season.
The Ultimate Sausage Roll
I’ve made a lot of sausage rolls in my time, with different flavours and fusion smashes, but at the end of the day, a really classic sausage roll is often the best. This one was inspired by a sausage roll I ate at Lille Bakery in Copenhagen in the spring that I have thought about most weeks since. They are flavoured with lots of whole spices and herbs to give really warm, nutty flavour. Traditional, but quite perfect in my mind.
Use high quality pork sausage meat, or even swap it out for veggie sausages if you are that way inclined.
You can pre-make these and freeze them uncooked for up to 3 months, and whip them out for festive nibbles at the drop of a hat.
Makes 8