Food writers already start thinking about Christmas in the late summer, when plans have to be made for Christmas magazines. I’m the food editor for Kodu & Aed magazine (Home & Garden), and although the December issue isn’t photographed 'til October, then the magazine has a special issue called “Jõulud” that comes out in November, and the food pages were shot already in late August. We have a Christmas calendar on Nami-Nami, where we share delicious and inventive tips from December 1st to 24th, and brainstorming usually starts in the summer. So my lead-up to Christmas is usually quite long. I even listen to Christmas music when planning the magazine features, hoping that my neighbours don’t hear that, otherwise they’ll think I’m nuts!
So come December, I start by sharing recipes for my gingerbread cookies, home-made mustards, Christmas fruitcakes, and other delicacies, left, right, and centre. By the end of the last Christmas meal, I’m done with Christmas. No more black pudding or sauerkraut after Christmas – New Year's Eve is all about elegant canapés, caviar, and fizzy drinks!
… I spent a year in Denmark as an exchange student in the early 1990s and lived in bonnie Scotland for seven years while doing my Masters, PhD, and postdocs at Edinburgh University, and these stints abroad have left a mark.
A family request
One of my cousins – I’ve got no less than eleven – called me the other day and asked for a full Christmas menu. It was only then that I realized that, while I have been talking about various dishes and drinks and nibbles on the radio, on national TV, in cooking classes, and in various magazines and newspapers, I’ve not written down a full menu as such. I love my cousin, so I obliged and wrote down the menu. By now, I know exactly what I’ll be serving. Many of the dishes are traditional Estonian Christmas fare, of course. But I spent a year in Denmark as an exchange student in the early 1990s and lived in bonnie Scotland for seven years while doing my Masters, PhD, and postdocs at Edinburgh University, and these stints abroad have left a mark. So while my Christmas menu pays homage to traditional Estonian food – and to my Rapla county roots – then I add some Scandinavian and British touches.
On Christmas Eve, I sit behind a table set for 13. Me and my partner of 17 years, our three kids (11, 12, 14), my mother-in-law (87), my parents (both 75), and my sister with her partner and her two sons and one potential daughter-in-law. So it's a baker’s dozen around the table. We’ll have another Christmas feast just two days later at my sister’s place with all of my family (minus my mother-in-law) plus my paternal aunt with her lot of ten people, so 22 in total. I’ll help to cook for that feast as well, obviously, but it’ll be a slightly different menu.
Pille Petersoo’s Christmas menu, 2023
Here it is. Hope you find some ideas to share with your family as well. All recipes are available in Estonian on www.nami-nami.ee and I’ve marked with asterisk (*) the dishes that you’ll find on my English-language blog www.nami-nami.blogspot.com
Nibbles and starters
I won’t do potato salad, which is usually a must at any festive table – just because we’ll have that at my sister’s place two days later. I’m also not a huge fan of the layered beet salad with herring (“kasukas”), but I do love the one where herring is replaced with smoked salmon, and a novel version with spiced sprats and pickled pumpkin. So there’s going to be one or both at the table. There will be seenesalat – a simple salad of finely chopped salted mushrooms, mixed with onions and sour cream.
I made some home-made mustards earlier, so I’ll put those at the table as well. Cranberry mustard is a particular favourite, as is the oven-baked apple one.
Then there are various condiments to go alongside the Christmas roast and black pudding. There is lingonberry jam, pickled mushrooms (two different ones this year – rufous milkcaps and orange milkcaps), and pickled cucumber. I made some home-made mustards earlier, so I’ll put those at the table as well. Cranberry mustard is a particular favourite, as is the oven-baked apple one.
There will be good black rye bread, obviously. I used to bake my own, but nowadays I get one from my favourite stall at my local farmers’ market in Viimsi.
That’s it – for Christmas, I keep the first course simple, as I want to focus on the main course and desserts.
Main course
For a while, I was convinced that it’ll be oven roasted duck legs this year, but eventually I opted for my traditional roasted pork shoulder*. My dad prefers pork to any other meat and as it’s increasingly difficult to lure him out of the comfort of his home, I have to compromise. So pork – a 2-2.5 kg pork shoulder rubbed with mustard, honey, garlic, and herbs (a great way to empty those long-forgotten spice jars, though fresh herbs are tastier). I can prepare the pork up to 3-4 days in advance, put it into a Dutch oven and into a cold larder or fridge, and bake slowly on Christmas Eve.
There will be two types of sausages. I know how to make sausages, but as we are spoilt for choice here, the black sausages come from the farmers’ market this year. We also have potato sausages – a traditional Christmas sausage from Rapla county and I was lucky enough to get a delivery of home-made potato sausages from two very kind women near Raikküla. These are waiting in the freezer at the moment.
Butter, soft brown sugar (we use “fariinsuhkur” here, but muscovado sugar would work, too), a bottle of Christmas porter (a dark beer), and a pinch of salt and caraway seeds. All go into the pan, to be simmered for an hour or an hour and a half.
Another must have at the Christmas table is sauerkraut, of course. Traditionally these are made with fatty pork, but as we have a pork roast on the table already, I make mine vegetarian. Butter, soft brown sugar (we use “fariinsuhkur” here, but muscovado sugar would work, too), a bottle of Christmas porter (a dark beer), and a pinch of salt and caraway seeds. All go into the pan, to be simmered for an hour or an hour and a half. I usually make mine several days in advance and simply reheat before serving – space on the stove top is in high demand on the day, so I try to do some dishes in advance.
And then there are vegetables. Crispy roasties, of course (I pre-boil the peeled potatoes for 7-8 minutes, then drain, ruffle them up a little, and bake them in the oven until they're crispy). Or perhaps I’ll do them Hasselback style (“accordion potatoes”). I’ll decide on the day. There will also be oven-roasted parsnips drizzled with maple syrup and some Brussels sprouts. Neither one of these vegetables are very popular in Estonia, unfortunately, but I learned to love them on my festive table when living in Scotland, and they’re a must! I’ve converted my whole family and the sprouts are always devoured quickly!
I almost forgot – sült (brawn/head cheese! Obviously homemade is best, but as it’s not the star of the show on Christmas Eve, I might opt for the store-bought variety. I get my uncle-in-law’s excellent sült at the next party anyway.
Dessert
My favourite part of the Christmas meal is the dessert spread. I’ve already baked two fruitcakes* (I’m pretty sure I baked two, though there’s just one foil-packed fruitcake in the cold storage. I’m looking at my partner here!) This is another British element on my Christmas table. I pre-soaked the fruit – dark and yellow raisins, apricots, prunes) in Vana Tallinn glögi this year and will not “feed” my finished fruitcake after it’s baked. There’s plenty of flavour in the fruit already and the recipe I have results in a beautifully flavoursome and moist fruitcake.
There’s also always risalamande or the Danish rice pudding with cherry compôte and almonds on the table. Scandinavians love rice porridge during December – and the leftover rice porridge can be mixed with whipped cream and chopped or flaked almonds. The pudding is served with warm cherry compôte and it’s a beautifully comforting dessert. I’ve yet to meet someone who doesn’t like it – especially as there’s usually a whole almond inside. Whoever finds the whole almond (it’s usually a kid and if there are many kids around the table, there may be more whole almonds which miraculously end up in the portions served to the kids. I’ve no idea how that happens 😉) receives a small gift from the host.
For those who prefer a light dessert, I slice some sweet oranges crosswise and sprinkle them with pomegranate seeds (also known as arils) and some crushed cardamom seeds.
Another dessert I’m thinking of serving this year is a mousse made with creamy kohupiim or curd cheese (I imagine ricotta or Greek yogurt would work as well), whipped cream, melted milk chocolate and some crumbled gingerbread cookies. I’ll make the portions small. For those who prefer a light dessert, I slice some sweet oranges crosswise and sprinkle them with pomegranate seeds (also known as arils) and some crushed cardamom seeds.
To nibble – there will be piparkoogid or gingerbread, glögg-soaked raisins (so lovely with cheese), and probably some chocolates.
That’s about it. I think we’ll be full, satiated, and happy. What’s on your table on Christmas Eve?
Wishing you and your loved ones a stress-free Christmas full of good food and peace.
Pille
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