Jamie Oliver's Christmas Cookbo - Jamie Oliver

Delegation

IS THE NAME OF THE GAME

Christmas is about everyone having fun with each other, and as the host you need to make sure you’re
a part of that. Delegate jobs, whether it’s getting the kids to set the table and make place settings,
tasking everyone with a different prep job, or asking any friends or family members who can’t cook to
bring the cheese or take control of washing-up duties. If everyone chips in and does their bit you’ll
have dinner on the table with minimum stress and, most importantly, a room full of happy, well-fed
faces.



SALMON EN CROÛTE

WITH A HERBY SPINACH-STUFFED CRUST & A GORGEOUS
CHEESY SAUCE

I couldn’t resist the opportunity to go a bit retro and include my version of salmon en croûte here – it’s such a
nostalgic dish for many of us, and making it yourself is not only super-satisfying, it creates a brilliantly
exciting centrepiece.

SERVES 8 Peel and finely slice the onions and garlic, then place in a large pan on a
1 HOUR 10 MINUTES PLUS medium heat with 1 tablespoon of oil and half the butter. Pick in the
COOLING oregano leaves and cook for 10 minutes, stirring regularly. Add the
spinach and cook for a further 15 to 20 minutes, or until the liquid has
2 onions evaporated, still stirring regularly. Remove from the heat, taste, season
2 cloves of garlic to perfection and allow to cool.
olive oil
50g unsalted butter Meanwhile, make the sauce: wash, trim and finely slice the leek, then
½ a bunch of fresh oregano (15g) place in a large pan on a medium-low heat with 1 tablespoon of oil, the
1kg frozen chopped spinach remaining butter and the sun-dried tomatoes. Cook for 15 minutes, or
1 x 375g packet of all-butter puff until sweet and tender, stirring regularly. Pour in the wine and let it cook
pastry (cold) away, then stir in the flour and, splash-by-splash, stir in the milk. Leave
1 x 1kg side of salmon, skin off, it to simmer for 5 minutes, then liquidize in a blender until silky smooth.
pin-boned (ask your fishmonger Grate in the cheese, add a pinch of cayenne and blitz again. Taste and
for a fillet from the top end of the season to perfection, then leave to cool completely.
fish)
1 large egg On a large sheet of flour-dusted greaseproof paper, roll out the pastry so
it’s 10cm bigger than your salmon all the way round. Pour away any
SAUCE excess liquid from the cooled spinach mixture, then spoon it on to the
1 leek middle of the pastry and spread it across the surface, leaving a 3cm
50g sun-dried tomatoes border at the edges. Place the salmon in the middle, then roll up the
100ml white wine sides of the pastry to create the crust, going right up to the salmon and
1 tablespoon plain flour, plus extra pinching it at the corners to secure it in place. Lightly score the top of
for dusting the salmon in a criss-cross fashion, then pour the cool cheesy sauce
250ml semi-skimmed milk over the fish. Brush the exposed pastry with beaten egg, and you’re
50g Red Leicester cheese ready to cook. You can cook it now, or cover and pop it into the fridge
cayenne pepper overnight if you want to get ahead.

When you’re ready to cook, preheat the oven to 220ºC/425ºF/gas 7 and
place a large baking sheet in there to heat up. Carefully lift the
greaseproof and salmon en croûte on to the preheated tray and bake at
the bottom of the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until golden and cooked
through. This is delicious served with a garden salad and lemon wedges
on the side, for squeezing over.





FISH PIE

LUXURIOUS FISH, CREAMY PROSECCO SAUCE & RED
LEICESTER MASH

Christmas in the UK, if the weather’s not too rough for the fishermen to go out, can and normally does bring us
the most wonderful bounty of gorgeous fish, from cold, clean glorious waters, and this is a classic that
celebrates them all.

SERVES 10 Buy your lobster on the day you want to cook it. Ask your fishmonger to
2 HOURS 20 MINUTES kill it for you, or if you’re happy doing it yourself, place the live lobster
in the freezer for 30 minutes, so it’s docile. When ready to cook,
1 x 1.5kg whole live lobster carefully and swiftly place the lobster in a large pan of boiling water
600ml semi-skimmed milk head first, pop the lid on and cook for 8 minutes. Remove, cool, and
carefully halve the lobster, then remove the meat to a bowl – save the
1 onion claws to decorate, if you like, or, even better, crack, pull out the meat
1 large carrot and add it to the bowl. Put all the shells back into the empty pan you
cooked the lobster in and bash with a rolling pin, then pour in the milk
1 bulb of fennel and simmer on a low heat for 15 to 20 minutes to impart unbelievable
1 leek flavour.

olive oil Meanwhile, peel the onion and carrot, trim the fennel, wash the leek,
50g unsalted butter finely chop it all and place in a large casserole pan on a medium heat
with 1 tablespoon of oil and half the butter. Cook for 15 minutes, or
2 tablespoons plain flour until soft and sticky, stirring regularly. Stir in the flour, followed by the
2 teaspoons English mustard mustard and Prosecco. Let the alcohol bubble and cook away, then
strain and gradually stir in the milk and simmer until you have a nice,
150ml Prosecco loose, silky consistency. Remove from the heat, grate in the Lancashire
50g Lancashire or Cheddar or Cheddar cheese, taste, season to perfection and leave to cool.
cheese
Peel the potatoes, cutting up any larger ones so they’re all a similar size,
2kg Maris Piper potatoes then cook in a large pan of boiling salted water for 15 to 20 minutes, or
75g Red Leicester cheese until cooked through. Drain in a colander and leave to steam dry, then
return to the pan and mash well with the remaining butter and the grated
cayenne pepper Red Leicester. Season to perfection with sea salt and cayenne,
200g seasonal greens, such as loosening with a splash of milk, if needed.
kale, cavolo nero, chard
Remove any tough stalks from the greens, then finely chop and sprinkle
1kg mixed fish fillets and seafood, into a baking dish (30cm x 35cm). Slice all the fish into bite-sized
such as smoked haddock, pieces and add to the dish, halve and add the prawns (deveining, if
scallops, salmon, bass, gurnard, needed), then dot the lobster meat in and around. Pour over the sauce,
lemon sole, skin off and pin-boned top with the mash, then drizzle lightly with oil and poke in your lobster
10 raw peeled king prawns claws (if using). Bake for 1 hour in a preheated oven at
180ºC/350ºF/gas 4, or until golden, bubbling and the fish is cooked
through.