Forget the faded salads and devote yourself to a perfectly prepared side dish that does not disfigure the main course.
All the attention spent to decide which first and second to bring to the table for Christmas lunch, and then run out of ideas for the side dish. And at the end the choice falls on the usual salad, a bit 'sad and uninviting. If it is true that the first and second courses are the masters on this occasion, why not think also of the contours for Christmas lunch a bit 'more elaborate? Below are our suggestions for an impeccable menu from start to finish.
Camembert potato cups
For this dish you can use any flowery crust cheese. Cook the potatoes cut into thin slices in the oven at 180 degrees for 20 minutes. Separately put the cream, chopped garlic, a pinch of nutmeg and the cheese cut into small pieces in a bowl. Put a layer of potatoes in an oven dish, add a layer of cream and cheese and then more potatoes. Finish with a slice of Camembert, bake in a bain-marie and cook for 40 minutes. Turn out and serve hot.
Fried pumpkin slices with fresh mint
To prepare this side dish cut a Mantovana pumpkin into thin slices, fry them in plenty of extra virgin olive oil and dry them well with absorbent paper. Remove the frying oil and cook for a few minutes in the same pot of white wine vinegar with a tablespoon of sugar, a tablespoon of oil, a small bunch of fresh mint, a clove of minced garlic and a pinch of salt. Season the pumpkin slices with this sauce and serve.
Caponata of artichokes
A winter version of the iconic dish of Sicily. Clean and boil the sliced artichokes for 5 minutes. In a saucepan, brown a clove of garlic with the diced artichokes and celery for a few minutes. In another pan, cook the tomatoes with garlic and extra virgin olive oil. When cooked, add the artichokes, the green olives cut into small pieces, the pine nuts, the celery and the raisins previously soaked in vinegar and sugar. Cook for a few minutes until it is well blended.
Baskets of potatoes and chestnuts
A rich and tasty side dish. Brown the slices of peeled pumpkin in a pot with a little oil. Meanwhile, boil the potatoes and broccoli that reduce to purée once cooked. In another pan fry the shallots, add the crumbled chestnuts and after a few minutes add some toma, a spoon of Parmigiano Reggiano, salt and pepper. Crush the potatoes and season with salt and pepper oil. Grease with the butter of the single-dose molds, cover them with pumpkin slices, make layers with the crushed potatoes, the pureed broccoli and the browned chestnuts. Bake at 180 degrees for 20 minutes and serve hot.
Leeks with cheese
A delicious and quick to prepare dish. Boil the leeks in salted water, drain and dry well. Arrange two crosswise and put in the center a piece of soft cheese such as taleggio. Fold up the leek sheaths by closing the cheese to a bundle, flour the chunks, pass them in the beaten egg and then in the bread crumbs. Fry the bundles of leek in plenty of olive oil, dry them with absorbent paper and serve hot.
Bundles of cabbage and cauliflower
To prepare this side dish, boil the cauliflower florets in boiling salted water and then, when cooked, blend them. Meanwhile cook the leaves of a cabbage steamed, then spread them on a towel and dry them. Cut off the central rib of the leaves, overlap and fill them with cauliflower cream. Rewind them and cook them for ten minutes along with shallots. At the end of cooking, shake the shallots, add some cream on the stove. Cut the slices of cabbage and toss with the cream of cream and shallot. Sprinkle with some black pepper and serve.
Skewers of Jerusalem artichokes and pumpkin with lettuce sauce
The sweet taste of this skewer will be diluted with a lettuce sauce. Boil the diced Jerusalem artichokes and the pumpkin slices. Then brown them in a pan with a knob of butter. Let cool and then make the skewers alternating a piece of pumpkin and one of Jerusalem artichokes. Separately steam lettuce leaves and when they are cooked, whisk them with a little oil, a sprinkling of paprika and salt. Serve the hot skewers seasoned with the lettuce sauce.
Caramelized endive wedges
Ideal to serve with a roast or stuffed turkey. Boil the endive cut into wedges in acidulated water and a pinch of salt. Let it simmer for about 40 minutes then drain it, dry it and put it to caramelise in a pot with some butter and some brown sugar. When it is golden add the juice of an orange juice, reduce and serve with a sprinkling of cinnamon.
Courgette dadini seasoned with onions in sour.
Brown the zucchini cut into small pieces and when they are cooked but still crisp, roll them out in a well oiled baking pan. In a bowl, soften the sultana raisin. Meanwhile, combined with the zucchini of garlic and thinly sliced red onions, some marjoram leaves, squeezed raisins and toasted pine nuts. Separately, cook for three minutes three tablespoons of white wine vinegar and a tablespoon of sugar. When it has thickened, pour it over the zucchini, add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and cook in the oven for 5 minutes. Serve warm.
Escarole rolls
A quick to prepare and very tasty side dish. Boil a bunch of salad and when it is cooked, drain and dry. Spread the escarole leaves and fill them with chopped black olives, capers, pine nuts, raisins and anchovies in oil. Close the leaves, place them in a pan with a clove of garlic, cook for a few minutes and serve.
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