Rye flour and meatball soup

I found this soup in Poland. I went with some friends in August to the north of the country, near the Russian border, and a family made it for us. It's a very traditional soup and I just loved it. I thought it would be perfect for Christmas because it's very warming – put a big bowl on the table and let people help themselves.

Serves 6
For the rye flour water
rye flour 500g
water 3 litres

For the soup base
carrot 1, diced into 1cm cubes
onion 1, diced into 1cm cubes
garlic clove 1, chopped
boiling potatoes (eg Maris Piper) 2, diced into 1cm cubes
fresh thyme 3 sprigs
pork sausage meat 500g
toasted rye flour 50g
chicken stock 1.5 litres
rye flour water 2 litres

For the meatballs
rye bread (no crust) 50g
milk 50ml
pork sausage meat 400g
flour 50g
olive oil and butter for frying
fresh thyme 1 sprig

For the garnish
quail eggs 12
rye bread 600g
potatoes 2, peeled
chicken stock 0.5 litre
parsley ½ a bunch, chopped

To make the rye flour water, blitz together the flour and water in a food processor and leave overnight to infuse. Pass through a sieve.

To make the soup base, cut all the vegetables, the garlic and the thyme into a mirepoix [finely chopped mixture]. Sweat them down with the sausage meat until golden. Add the toasted rye flour, chicken stock and the rye flour water. Cook uncovered for 1 hour at a low heat until the vegetables are soft (you will lose around half a litre of liquid to evaporation). Pass through a sieve and set aside.

To make the meatballs, soak the rye bread in the milk. Press to remove all the milk and then mix well with the sausage meat. Roll into 20g balls and coat with a little flour.

Heat a frying pan over a medium heat, add some olive oil, butter and a sprig of thyme, and cook the meatballs until they are coloured completely (approximately 10 minutes).

For the garnish, soft boil the quail eggs in boiling water for 2 minutes. Cool over ice. Peel the shells. To make the croutons, dice the rye bread and pan fry with butter until crispy and golden.

Dice the potatoes into ½in pieces and cook in the chicken stock on a medium-low heat until slightly soft.

Finish by adding the potato dice and meatballs to the soup (retain the stock or use to thin the soup if necessary). Sprinkle with the crispy croutons and soft-boiled quail eggs. Add chopped parsley and a drizzle of olive oil.

Christmas turkey

Turkey has a bad name because it's cooked very poorly in lots of places, but it's fantastic if it's good quality and you treat it properly. Get a nice small one.

Serves 6-8
whole turkey 1, 4-5 kg
chicken stock 1.5 litres
melted butter for brushing

For the brine
water 5 litres
table salt 300g
rose salt 150g
granulated sugar 150g

For the mirepoix
carrot 1, diced into 1cm cubes
onion 1, diced into 1cm cubes
sprig of thyme 1
leek ½ diced into 1cm cubes
clove garlic 1
salted butter 150g

For the stuffing
chicken breast 300g
whipping cream 300g
minced pork 300g
turkey offal (heart, liver, kidney) 150g, finely chopped
vacuum-packed cooked chestnuts 135g, roughly chopped
clear honey 3 tbsp
salt and pepper
sage ½ bunch, roughly chopped
fresh white bread soaked in milk 4 slices

For the vegetables
Brussels sprouts 500g, prepared
smoked bacon 200g, diced
onion 150g, chopped
fresh thyme 3 sprigs
salted butter 50g
fresh chestnuts 200g, roughly chopped

For the roast potatoes
King Edward potatoes 1.8kg
duck fat 450g

Christmas Eve
To make the brine, boil the salt, rose salt and sugar in the water until dissolved. This will take a few minutes. Allow to cool.

Remove the turkey giblets and place the turkey in a large container. Cover the turkey with the brine until completely submerged and leave for 4 hours. Rinse the bird thoroughly with water, pat dry with kitchen towel and leave to air-dry overnight.

Peel and chop the potatoes and parboil until soft. Drain well, and set aside in the fridge.

Christmas Day
To make the stuffing, place the chicken breast and whipping cream into a food processor, blend to a smooth paste and set aside in the fridge. Take the remaining ingredients for the stuffing and place into a mixing bowl. Mix well, then add the chicken and cream paste to the bowl and mix together. Using a large metal spoon, stuff the turkey.

Preheat the oven to 220C/gas mark 7. To cook the turkey, put all the ingredients from the mirepoix list into a roasting tray. Place the turkey on top of the vegetables and brush with a little melted butter. Put the bird into the preheated oven for 40 minutes, then add the chicken stock and reduce the temperature to 170C/gas mark 3. Cook for a further 3-3½ hours, depending on the size of the bird. Then give it a final 30 minutes at 200C/gas mark 6.

To roast the potatoes, melt the duck fat in a second roasting tray in the oven 1 hour before the turkey is finished. When the fat is smoking, place the potatoes carefully on the tray, baste and sprinkle with salt. Cook until golden and crispy.

To prepare the Brussels sprouts, blanch them in a pan of boiling salted water. Save two large ladles of the cooking water. In an oven tray, brown the bacon and onions and add the thyme. Place the sprouts into the bacon mixture and add the reserved cooking water and butter. Cover with foil and place in the oven; cook until the sprouts are soft. Just before serving, add fresh chestnuts, season with pepper and salt.

Pigs in blankets

Sausages and bacon are a great complement to a turkey, served alongside the stuffing, roast potatoes and all the veg. My picture of a perfect Christmas dinner is somebody wearing a cheap paper crown and tucking into a big plate of food, piled high, with lots of gravy on it, and some cranberry sauce if they find space.

Serves 6
lightly smoked streaky bacon 9 slices
small sausages, such as chipolatas 18

Cut each rasher of bacon in half and run the back of a knife along the length of each piece to flatten and stretch them slightly – this stops them shrinking during cooking.

Wrap one half-rasher of bacon around each sausage, making sure that the seal is underneath the bacon/sausage roll. Skewer with a cocktail stick if necessary. Cover them with cling film or place them in a sealed container and store them in the refrigerator until ready to cook.

When ready, preheat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6 and cook for 25 minutes, or until the bacon is crisp. Set to one side and keep warm until needed. Serve with the roast turkey.

Christmas pudding and brandy butter

I don't make my own Christmas pudding because I don't have a good recipe. I don't want to find out it hasn't worked on Christmas Day! So it's fine to buy a good quality one from a shop – but it's very easy to make your own brandy butter.

icing sugar 150g
salted butter, softened 150g
boiling water 50ml
good French brandy 75ml

Mix the sugar into the butter thoroughly, then stir in the water and brandy.

Ham with honey and mustard

This is very British. I had it for the first time when my mother-in-law cooked it. We eat ham on Boxing Day. When you come back from your long walk, you have a plate of cold meat, maybe a soup, and some turkey if you have any left. I would poach the ham in a broth for nearly two-thirds of the cooking time – if you cook it too long in the oven it goes dry.

Serves 6-8
unsmoked English gammon about 4kg
black peppercorns 6
cloves 6
fresh thyme 15g
fresh bay leaf 1, torn
onion 1, cut into quarters
Guinness 570ml
bouquet garni 2
English mustard 3 tbsp
high quality clear honey 3 tbsp
dark muscovado sugar 2 tbsp

Put a saucer upside down in a large pan and place the gammon on the saucer to stop it from touching the hot base of the pan. Leave the string around the gammon to hold it together during cooking. Add the peppercorns, cloves, thyme, bay leaf, onion, 400ml of the stout, the bouquets garnis and enough cold water to cover the gammon. Place the lid on the pan and bring slowly to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes per 500g, adding more boiling water as necessary.

At the end of the calculated cooking time, turn off the heat and allow the ham to cool in the cooking liquor for at least 30 minutes, or cool enough to handle. Transfer it to a board and pat dry with kitchen paper. Using a small, sharp knife, cut off the string, then peel away the skin, leaving a layer of fat.

Cut a thin slice from the base of the ham, so the joint can stand without toppling over, then score the fat into a diamond pattern. Transfer to a roasting tin and heat oven to 200C/gas mark 6.

Mix together the mustard, honey and sugar, then stir in enough of the remaining stout to thin the paste down to a pouring consistency. Pour the glaze over the ham, allowing it to run down into the tin. Spoon it over until the ham is thoroughly coated. Roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes, or until evenly browned, basting every 10 minutes. Cover, and allow to cool.

Bubble and squeak

Serves 6
butter 80g
onion 1 medium, finely chopped
leftover mashed potato
leftover vegetables cabbage, swede, carrots, peas, sprouts, finely chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a large frying pan melt the butter, add the chopped onion and fry gently for 3 minutes or until soft. Turn the heat up slightly and add the mashed potato and vegetables. Fry for 10 minutes, turning over in the melted butter two or three times to ensure the potato and vegetables are thoroughly reheated – you are aiming to brown the outside edges but not to burn the bubble and squeak. Press the potato mixture on to the base of the pan with a spatula and leave to cook for 1 minute. Flip over and repeat. Season to taste and serve.

Alternatively mix the potato and vegetables and form into small patties, then fry in a bit of oil and butter.

Chicken and leek pie

I made one of these recently for my niece's christening – I love them. Eat it warm on Boxing Day.

Serves 6
leeks 2
butter 10g
chicken breasts 4
ready-made shortcrust pastry 500g ready rolled, 1 sheet
egg 1, beaten

For the bechamel sauce
full-fat milk 500ml
butter 25g
flour 25g
nutmeg a scant grating

Preheat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6. Prepare 500ml of bechamel sauce by bringing the milk to room temperature – do not use straight from the fridge. Melt butter in a saucepan, then add the flour to form a paste. Slowly add the milk, stirring constantly to make sure there are no lumps. Grate the nutmeg over. Simmer very gently over a low heat for 10 minutes to cook out the flour and until the sauce is creamy.

Chop the white parts of the leeks, keeping the pieces quite large so they have some texture; otherwise they will disappear in the sauce. Melt 10g butter in a frying pan and cook the leeks gently without colouring them, until they are softened and most of the liquid has evaporated.

Cut each chicken breast into three. I keep the chicken quite chunky – I want it only half-cooked when I assemble the pie. Poach the chicken pieces for about 10 minutes in the sauce. Keep stirring. (The pie and chicken finish cooking in the oven.) Transfer chicken, bechamel and leek mix to a pie dish.

Roll out the pastry, lay it over the dish and mould it around the side of the dish so it holds in place. It helps to glaze the edge of the dish with beaten egg beforehand to help it stick. Brush the pastry lid with egg wash. This will give it some colour in the oven. Don't trim the pastry because it will shrink in the oven, and if the pastry shrinks, the pie will leak. Put the pie straight into the oven for 20-30 minutes, or until it is golden brown on top.

Orange sherry trifle

I love English puddings. Trifle is my favourite. It's the different layers, the different textures. It has to be boozy, too – maybe too boozy to give some to your daughter! I use the sherry that comes in a blue bottle… Harveys Bristol Cream. It's sharp and has good acidity.

Serves 6
For the sponge
eggs 4
sugar 125g
flour 125g
butter 25g, softened

For the orange and sherry syrup
fresh orange juice 200ml
sherry 100ml
sugar 50g

For the orange jelly
gelatin 2 leaves
fresh orange juice 250ml
sugar 50g

For the sherry custard
egg yolks 8
sugar 125g
cream 500ml
vanilla pod 1
cream-style sherry 150ml

To serve
oranges, segmented 4
whipping cream 400g, whipped to soft peaks
zest of an orange
candied orange peel (or candied orange slices)

To make the sponge, whisk eggs and sugar until stiff and fold in the flour and then the softened butter. Spread on to a lined baking tray and cook at 180C/gas mark 4 for 12 minutes.

Make the syrup by warming all the ingredients until dissolved – do not boil!

For the orange jelly, soak the gelatin in cold water until soft. Then bring the orange juice and sugar to the boil, add the gelatin and set aside.

To make the custard, whisk the egg yolks and sugar together. Bring the cream to the boil with the split vanilla pod and infuse for 30 minutes. Remove the pod, then bring back to the boil. Whisk the cream into the egg and sugar mix, return to a low heat and cook until it has a thick consistency. Do not boil, otherwise you will get scrambled eggs! Add the sherry and leave to cool.

To assemble the trifle, cut the sponge to fit into a round glass bowl and soak it with the syrup. Place the orange segments on top. Pour over just enough jelly to cover the segments and leave to set for approximately 45 minutes.

When the jelly is set, pour over the sherry custard and leave to set for another hour. To finish, pipe on the whipped cream (or spread it if you do not have a piping bag), grate over the zest of 1 orange and garnish with the candied orange peel.

Claude Bosi is chef patron of Hibiscus Restaurant, 29 Maddox Street, London W1S 2PA; 020 7629 2999, hibiscusrestaurant.co.uk