For even the most sophisticated chefs, holiday cooking isn’t about wowing family and friends with chic techniques and ingredients nobody else can get their hands on. It’s about re-creating traditional dishes that are economical but sexy, and still have the memories to go with them.
Celebrity Chef Mel Alafaci, aka The Happy Chef, is a South African Australian-based chef who works to teach new and seasoned chefs how to be happy in their kitchens – by cooking with passion and love. During a whirlwind cooking tour around South Africa, courtesy of Bosch, Siemens and Hirsch’s, she returned to her old stomping ground – Durban of course – to show eager foodies just how to make everyday dishes dazzling. She also introduced fans to her latest cookbook – Eat Yourself Sexy Quickies, the ideal Christmas gift for anyone who wants to achieve a healthy, balanced diet without sacrificing flavour.
Armed with a sassy sense of humour, and willing to share everything she knows about her passion for cooking, Chef Mel, as she’s known, believes in using the freshest local ingredients and having a repertoire of reliable recipes that you can rehash and refresh by using different sides and accompaniments.
“Just as you would wear the same little black dress time and again and dress it up with new earrings, a new handbag and new shoes, it’s all about culinary bling and accessories! If you shop clever, you can cook clever too. It doesn’t have to be expensive to achieve a round of applause if you know some valuable ‘cheffy’ tricks.”
A massive fan of summer holidays and Christmas, Mel shared some of her favourite easy and delicious Christmas recipes with us.
Santa’s favourite loaf
Bread baking made easy. You will love this quick and easy recipe to serve on your festive table this year. Easy-to-make, it serves 2 to 4, can be done the day before and reheated and served on the day or made fresh. You can even freeze this and then whip it out on the morning of the big day, bring it to room temperature, prove and bake. I love how versatile you can be with the toppings, and I love that everyone thinks I made a tremendous effort even though it was terribly easy.
What you’ll need: For the dough: 450g plain or baker’s flour;
2 teaspoons instant yeast; 2 teaspoons sugar; 320ml lukewarm water; a teaspoon of salt; 30ml oil; 2 teaspoons extra flour; 2 tablespoons polenta; cooking spray to grease the baking tray.
Toppings: 1/2 teaspoon black salt flakes or good quality flake salt;
1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary; 3 large lashings of extra virgin olive oil.
Christmas tree garnish: 12 olives; 12 cherry tomatoes.
To make: Add the yeast to the warm water, with the 2 teaspoons of extra flour and sugar, stir and set aside for about 10 minutes until fo amy. Once foamy, mix this liquid with the flour, salt, and oil until it forms a smooth dough. Place on a floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth and pliable.
Use your mixer and a dough hook if you are not doing this by hand, about 5 to 7 minutes as least!
Place the dough into a greased bowl and cover it with a clean wet cloth and allow to prove for about 15 minutes or until doubled in size. Grease a baking tray with the cooking spray and then add the polenta, and shake to coat the tray. Remove the dough ball from the covered bowl and place it on the polenta baking tray. Make deep holes by using your fingertips to poke the dough. If you are making this into a Christmas tree shape, simply press and pinch it into shape.
Garnish with the black salt flakes, rosemary and oil. Then add olives and cherry tomatoes. Allow to prove on the bench for 20 to 30 minutes until doubled in size or pop in the fridge for up to 4 hours to delay the cooking time if you prefer. Bake at 200°C for about 12 to 15 minutes until brown and cooked through. Serve with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
Festive stuffed pumpkin
If you have vegan or vegetarian guests, without trying, this dish will become a gorgeous show-stopper on the festive table. This sexy dish adds gorgeous colour, personality and something healthy for all to enjoy. I prepare and clean my pumpkin, hollow it out, and then bake or microwave it first to get it soft and pre-cooked. Then all you have to do is stuff it and cook it to heat when you need it. I know you will love this one as much as I do.
What you’ll need: 1 small pumpkin; 2 tins cannellini or butter beans or chickpeas; 2 cups fresh breadcrumbs or cauliflower ‘rice’; 2 tablespoons curry powder, smoked paprika or your choice of spice; 1 cup melted butter or olive oil or alternative to bind or use cream cheese if you prefer (make this your way); 1 pack of minced vegetable sausage, optional; 100g feta, cheddar, or goats cheese or cheese alternative; salt and pepper to season; 1 tablespoon porcini mushroom powder or 1/2 cup fresh mushrooms chopped.
To make: Cut the lid of the pumpkin off and remove the seeds with a strong spoon. Place on a plate and microwave for 8 to 12 minutes until pre-cooked and tender. Mix the stuffing ingredients together in a bowl and season to taste. Spoon the stuffing into the pre-cooked pumpkin and pack it down. Season and moisturize the pumpkin skin with some more olive oil, salt and pepper, and then bake in a small frying pan or dish for 35 minutes, until the stuffing and the pumpkin skin are delicious and golden. Cut into slices and serve.
Tremendously tender turkey
After years of hearing how most people were skipping turkey at Christmas because it was dull and dry, I decided I just had to do something to save its reputation. I think it can be such a remarkable centrepiece, and the tradition of carving at the table means this bird deserves a second chance on your festive menu this year.
The trick is to keep it moist, and not to give it a chance to dry out at all. This is where the delicious stuffing, laden with sexy butter, bacon and herbs comes to the rescue. It can also be the lengthy cooking time that puts you off. If that’s the case don’t stress a single minute longer. My favourite way to get it to cook in half the time is to spatchcock the bird – cheffy term for cutting the turkey down the backbone and then opening it out like a flattie.
By doing it this way we have access to stuff the turkey under the skin but above the usually dry breast and even down the thigh and to the drumsticks. This means every part of it has flavour, personality, and will be the hero of your festive meal this year. Please try my recipe. I know you will just love it!
What you’ll need: 1 turkey between 3 and 5 kilograms
For the stuffing: 200g streaky bacon finely chopped; 400g pork minced and finely chopped or use pork sausage meat; 2 cups onion finely chopped; 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs/roast sweet potato /roast potato; 2 tablespoons freshly chopped sage; 2 cloves garlic (optional); zest and juice of one lemon (optional); 1 teaspoon turmeric (purely for colour); 3 tablespoons naughty butter (this will help give the turkey breast personality and flavour); pinch of salt; pinch of nutmeg.
To make: Preheat your oven to 190°C/ 200°C. Heat a frying pan or large enough pan with a little spray of canola or vegetable oil. Add the bacon to the pan when the pan is sworn word hot – it should sizzle and ‘talk’ to you. Don’t stir straight away; let the first lot of bacon on the bottom brown deliciously before stirring. Lots of stirring will cool down the pan too quickly and you don’t want bacon stew. If you are worried, at any stage, about this burning give the pan a good firm ‘cheffy’ shake.
Once the bacon has browned and the fat has rendered, keep the heat high and add the pork mince. Let the pan get back to temperature and only stir to prevent it from burning. Using two forks to get rid of the pork mince lumps is a good idea. I also sometimes stab my mince with the base of a whisk. It breaks it up well. When the pork components are brown and beautiful you can add the finely diced onions, garlic, sage, lemon zest, turmeric and nutmeg. Reduce the heat and allow those onions to cook down. I know this seems like a lot of onion, but you will thank me! When soft and it’s all smelling like a little bit of heaven, add the butter, breadcrumbs/roast sweet potato or cooked potato, and lemon juice. Stir and season. Allow to cool.
While the stuffing is cooling you can tackle the turkey. Cut the turkey down the backbone and then open it out flat. We can get a 3.5kg bird to cook down in 1.5 hours by using this technique. You need a big board and a sharp knife. Place the turkey breast down on the board. Cut down the backbone either to the left or right of the spine. Don’t cut directly in the middle it’s just too difficult!
Once the back is open, turn the bird over and break its breastbone with your palm and break it flat. Place on the roasting tray. Put the neck side facing closest to you and then loosen the skin away from the turkey down to the drumsticks, you’re creating a ‘turkey envelope’ to put your stuffing into!
Use a large tablespoon to feed the cool stuffing onto each breast and then push the stuffing down right over the drumstick. Refill on top of the breast and then reshape the bird.
Rub the skin with lots of olive oil and salt. I even add a bit of turmeric, just a sprinkle, to the skin and rub some oil in with it to create a turkey spray tan. Season with salt and cook in the oven for about an hour and 45 minutes. Check if juices are running clear, I always check in the breast down by the breastbone to make sure.
All that juicy goodness will cook into the usually boring turkey meat and this turkey will be terrific to carve too. Delicious!
Boozy panna cotta
This is a must if you are lazy and only like to whip up impressive desserts that don’t take much time but really make you look good on the day. Panna Cotta will always be a crowd pleaser, especially after a heavy Christmas meal. Easy to make, economical but sexy, this can be made three to four days in advance and stored in the fridge. That frees you up for more relaxing and spending more quality time with your loved ones!
You’ll need: 400ml fresh cream; 60g white sugar or use honey or maple or sweetener; 100ml Amarula or Baileys or just use milk; 2 sheets of
gold-strength leaf gelatine or two teaspoons powdered gelatine; 5ml vanilla paste or extract; pinch nutmeg; pinch cinnamon; 4 to 6-star anise.
For the topping: 2 to 3 Christmas mince pies chopped into small pieces to decorate, or use chocolate curls or broken biscuits.
To make: Get your glass jars ready, we will pour the hot liquid directly into these. You will need about four, but feel free to double or triple this recipe as you need. Wine glasses or bowls are also perfect for panna cotta. Heat the cream, milk, vanilla, spices and sugar to a boil. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Stir through the Amarula or Baileys or milk. Soak the gelatine in cold water for a few minutes until very soft. Remove the gelatine leaves from the water and then stir into the warm cream. You can pour the liquid into the ramekins. Allow to cool to room temperature then refrigerate until ready to serve. You can store these, sealed, for up to four days!
To serve: Decorate with chopped Christmas mince pies. You could also use honeycomb, toffee, sliced fruit, or a scoop of ice cream!
About the book …
Eat Yourself Sexy Quickies came together after Chef Mel spent countless hours perfecting recipes, and experimenting with different ingredients and techniques to find the perfect balance of taste and nutrition. In the cookbook, you’ll learn how to use spices, herbs and other ingredients to create flavours that are out of this world, she says. “You’ll discover new cooking techniques that will take your meals to the next level. And you’ll gain insight into the science behind healthy eating, so you can make informed decisions about what you put into your body”.
The recipes in Chef Mel’s book are designed to give you sustained energy throughout the day, without relying on caffeine or sugar. By following the recipes, you’ll be giving your body the nutrients it needs to feel its best.
The book is available online at chefmel.me for R300.
For those who want to watch her in action, Chef Mel has her own Culinary Quickies show every Sunday night on DSTV channel 180 on the Get Real show at 7pm.
