CHRISTMAS WITH FRIENDS

This year we decided to have a different format to celebrate Christmas with friends. Our guests gave us a rather wide window for their arrival, it went from an hour to two hours. We couldn't plan for a sit in dinner, because with people coming early and others after two hours, we couldn't keep the first having drinks and appetizers for that long, then rush the whole group into dinner as soon as the late comers would arrive. So I opted for an open buffet of robust appetizers and drinks for everybody. Also since most of our guests were not very fond of meat and preferred fish, the menu had to consist mainly of what they liked most, making sure that I also serve a meat dish for the exceptions that don't eat fish.

I got the idea when I last went to Costco: they had the seafood display that my husband loves, so we bought something to eat that day and the main ingredients for my Christmas menu.It turned out to be the easiest Christmas dinner I ever had to prepare.

                                       

                                          

      

SEAFOOD SALAD

                           

                           

               

This is a very easy dish to make. The only things that need cooking are the lobster tails  and the  mussels, and these don't need much. You only have to assemble the ingredients, because the short cut in this particular dish is highly recommended. For this dish to serve about 20 people, bearing in mind that you are not serving a main course, you'll need:

3 lobster tails, about 6 to 7 inches long each

5 to 6 crab legs, I got the cooked ones

2 lbs cooked shrimp, 31 to 40 count

2 fillets of cod, or any other thick fillet, salmon or tuna are OK, about 3 x 5 inches

2 nets, about 2 to 3 lb each, mussels and clams

2 containers of cooked baby octopus in oil, about 1 lb, it's sold in Greek delis

1 cup cooked wild rice

Heart of celery, finely chopped

1/4 bunch dill, finely chopped

1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped

2 medium endives, or 1 heart of lettuce

Zest and juice of 1 lemon, more juice to taste

Salt, pepper, cumin, onion and garlic powder, Bay seasoning, all to taste.

Bring a large pot of water to boil, add the spices and some lemon juice to taste, a tsp of each, add the lobster tails, cover and let cook for about 25 minutes. to check for donness, try to pull a piece of meat from the tail. If it comes easily in your hand it's done; if you encounter some resistance, give it 5 to 10 minutes more. 

Remove the lobster from the pot and add the mussels. Cover and let cook for about 10 minutes. Remove the mussels from the pot with a slotted spoon. Add the clams to the pot and cook them for another 10 minutes or so. Drain the clams and discard any one that did not open in cooking. Do the same with the mussels, then remove the meat from both and keep in a large bowl. You have probably heard a lot of advise about how to choose and clean mussels and clams, but personally I find that now they come already cleaned in a small net or loose. The only thing you should do is to make sure that you discard any one that is already opened before you cook them.

Cut the fish fillets into cubes about the size of the shrimp, sprinkle with salt and pepper and a dash of lemon juice, then cook them in a drop of oil in a non stick skillet until opaque. Remove from heat, let it cool, then add to the bowl.

With the help of kitchen shears, open the lobster tails and the crab legs to remove the meat. cut them in cubes and add to the bowl. For the shrimp, make sure that it is well drained. you can keep or remove the tail. I usually do, I don't like my guests to have to "spit" it while eating. Remove the octopus from its container and cut it in bites the size of everything else, and add it to the bowl. Add the celery, dill and onion, wild rice, zest and lemon juice, salt, pepper, cumin and garlic powder to taste. Toss. You may add some oil to the salad, not too much, because the octopus was already in oil, even if you drained it. Toss again and adjust seasoning if you need. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight. When ready to serve, arrange some endive leaves around a large platter, slice the remaining endives and toss with the salad before you transfer it to the plate.

TUNA SALAD WITH PARSLEY VINAIGRETTE

                            

This is one of the easiest dishes you can serve on many occasions. It doesn't need any cooking, and it's a very good item to include in a lunch or light dinner menu. I like it mainly because it is not your typical tuna salad heavy with mayo, and it is always light and nutritious. You'll need:

4 cans of solid white tuna in water, drained

1/4 medium red onion very finely chopped, more if you like

1 heart of celery, very finely chopped

1 (15 oz) can canellini, rinsed and drained

1 cup black olives, pitted and sliced

2 tbsp mustard

3 tbsp oil

lemon juice, to taste

1/4 bunch flat leaf parsley, chopped and divided into 1/3 and 2/3

1 small head radicchio

In a small bowl mix the mustard, 2/3 parsley, oil, lemon juice, plus salt and pepper to make the dressing.

Add the other ingredients, except the radicchio, to a large bowl. Add the dressing and toss, making sure that you break the largest pieces of tuna, but not making it mushy. Cover and refrigerate. When ready to serve, arrange radicchio leaves around the platter and transfer the tuna salad over it. Sprinkle with the remaining chopped parsley.

FLAG PLATTER

                                       

                               

Another easy platter to serve your guests. It only requires some assembly, and it's ready in 10 to 15 minutes. It doesn't even need a recipe. All you need are some toothpicks, cherry tomatoes, mozzarella bites, black and green olives. I found these exquisite Italian green olives, they are vivid green and have a creamy taste. The perfect element for an Italian flag.

So you only have to get the fancy bamboo toothpicks, skewer one tomato, a piece of cheese and an olive to make a flag. I used the black olives to make the Egyptian flag. It was fun to hear my guests say "I'll have an Italian flag this time", or "Can you pass an Egyptian flag please?"

The last dish is the easiest you can make. Just assemble different cheese slices, you can even find them in one package, good olives, some cold cuts. Today I used smoked salmon and dried beef slices, basterma. Just make sure that it looks good.