In many ways, the first family meal of the celebrations, when the exiles and emigrants are back from abroad and have been picked up from the airport and the ferryport, is the very essence of what Christmas celebrations are about.
It's a scene straight out of Norman Rockwell. The overexcited kids, high on anticipation and all geared up to meet their cousins. The clutter of suitcases and gift-wrapped pressies tumbling into the hallway. The pop of the celebratory bottle, as everyone shares a first drink amidst the fevered babble of conversation, and then the pleasure and relaxation of the first communal meal together as you chat about friends and family, catching up on the gossip of triumphs and tribulations of the year that has been in it.
It is always a fine event, timeless and rather tender. And as such it calls out for the sort of food we associate with sharing and companionship and generosity, and which we perhaps associate with happy family times in years gone by. Those are the qualities which are personified, for us, by the foods of Greece and Cyprus - elemental, simple, and delicious - and they are the qualities personified by Susan Courtellas' wonderful restaurant, The Tree of Idleness, in Bray, County Wicklow, where Robert Fitzharris, the brilliant young chef, has devised these simple celebratory recipes.
His version of stifado, devised specially for us, is pure, simple and classic, and makes for a superb family meal, and it is perhaps best accompanied by simple boiled rice. And, whilst the clever feta and olive souffle and the aubergine salad are good partners for the family meal, they can also be cooked at any time during the season and will suit any informal family meal.
Baked Feta and Olive Mock-Souffle
These clever toasts come out of the oven like mini-souffles. Serve with a tomato relish and a drizzle of flavoured oil or pesto. Serve as a first course for the stifado.
half lb feta cheese
2 spring onions, finely sliced
1 tomato, skinned, seeded and finely diced
12 black olives, pitted and chopped
fresh dill, chives, parsley, black pepper, but no salt olive oil bread (or good quality bread drizzled with olive oil)
Crumble the cheese in a large bowl and combine with all the other ingredients until smooth.
Using a biscuit cutter, cut slices of bread into rounds, as needed or according to appetite. Spoon over some feta mixture, moulding a two-inch-high circle of the cheese mixture neatly on top of each round of bread. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes approximately, or until fluffy.
Beef Stifado
This recipe serves approximately four people, but can be doubled up easily for a large family. If you can, make it at least a day in advance, for, like all classic braises, the flavours simply get better and better with time.
10-12 shallots
1 large onion, sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2lbs rump steak, cut into medium-sized dice
6 fl oz red wine
3 tablespoon red wine vinegar
12 fl oz beef stock
few sprigs thyme
4 bay leaves
4 pieces cinnamon stick
8 cloves
1/2-teaspoon black peppercorns
1/2-teaspoon cumin seeds
In a deep frying pan, fry the onion in the olive oil for 4-5 minutes. Add the steak and fry until brown. Pour in the red wine and vinegar, reduce slightly. Add the stock and the rest of the ingredients.
Simmer for half an hour. If made in advance, reheat gently, and before serving remove the aromatics. To casserole: place in oven at 200C for one hour.
Melitzanosalata with Roasted Peppers
The bright colours of the roasted peppers make this a very festive dish, which would make an elegant lunch or first course over the holiday season.
6 mixed peppers (2 red, 2 green, 2 yellow)
3 aubergines
2 cloves garlic
250g feta cheese
50ml olive oil
50ml white wine
fresh mint, parsley, dill, chives, and freshly ground black pepper
Pierce the aubergines five or six times with a knife. Remove stalks and seeds from peppers, leaving them whole. Place aubergines and peppers on a roasting tray and drizzle with olive oil. Place in a hot 200 C/ 400F/Gas 6 oven for 30 minutes, or until soft.
When ready, place peppers in a bowl and cover tightly with cling film to allow the steam to loosen the skins. Cut aubergines in half and remove the flesh, discarding the remainder. When cool, combine the aubergine, feta cheese, herbs, garlic, olive oil, wine and black pepper in a food processor and blend until smooth.
Oil individual moulds and line with cling film. Peel peppers and cut lengthways into thin strips. Line moulds with strips of peppers, alternating colours. Carefully fill each mould with the aubergine paste and chill for 2 hours or overnight.
To serve, cut circles of warm or toasted olive oil bread. Place on individual plates and unmould the aubergine and peppers on top. Decorate the plates with a drizzle of pesto.