Last-minute Christmas recipes: quick dishes to save your holiday feast

Short on time but still craving a festive feast?

These last-minute Christmas recipes make it easy to deliver from starter to dessert without the stress.

Beef, bean and mushroom sliders with homemade tomato sauce

Makes ± 12-15 sliders, depending on size

Ingredients 

Homemade tomato sauce:

1 x 400g tin tomato purée

40g brown sugar

3 tbsp red wine vinegar

½  tsp onion powder

1 tsp celery salt

Patties:

250g portabellini mushrooms, finely sliced

1 large white onion, diced

1 x 400g tin black beans, rinsed, drained and lightly mashed

500g beef mince

50g panko breadcrumbs

2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped

To serve:

12-15 white slider buns or mini burger buns

Mayonnaise

Lettuce leaves

Sliced tomato

Sliced red onion

Olive oil, for cooking

Salt and pepper, to taste

Method

To make the tomato sauce:

Place all the ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir gently until everything comes to a light simmer.

Cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes for the flavours to develop.

Taste to adjust seasoning. Cool.

For the patties:

Preheat a braai to medium-high heat. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a frying pan. Add the mushrooms and cook until golden brown.

Add the onion and a pinch of salt.

Cook until tender, golden and lightly caramelised. Place in a large bowl. To the bowl, add the black beans, beef, breadcrumbs and parsley.

Season well with salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly until very well combined. Shape mixture into patties.

Note: It is a good idea to check the size of your slider buns and make your patties just larger than the buns, as they will shrink during cooking.

Brush patties all over with olive oil and braai until golden brown on both sides. You can also bake them in the oven or cook them on the stovetop. Allow the patties to rest.

Build sliders with your favourite burger toppings. Add a generous dollop of homemade tomato sauce to each slider and savour the flavour!

Recipe courtesy of the South African Mushroom Farmers’ Association.

Citrus and herb roast chicken with summer salsa

Serves: 6

Ingredients

For the chicken:

1 whole chicken (1.8 – 2 kg)

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp butter, softened

Zest of 1 lemon + 1 orange

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves

1 tbsp chopped rosemary

Salt and pepper

1 lemon, quartered

For the summer salsa:

1 mango, diced

1 cup pineapple, diced

½ red onion, finely chopped

1 small cucumber, diced

1 red chilli, finely chopped (optional)

Juice of 1 lime

Small handful of coriander or mint, chopped

Method

Heat oven to 200°C. Pat chicken dry. Combine the oil, butter, citrus zest, garlic, herbs, salt and pepper. Then, rub the mixture all over the chicken, including under the skin.

Place lemon quarters in the cavity, then roast for around 75 minutes or until juices run clear. Remove from the oven and rest it for 10 minutes before carving.

To make the salsa: Combine the mango, pineapple, onion, cucumber, chilli, lime juice and herbs. Spoon salsa over the top of the chicken before carving.

Recipe courtesy of chef lecturers at the Capsicum Culinary Studio.

Festive cherry and chocolate coffee charlotte

Serves: 6 – 8

Ingredients

Some oil for the mould

175g Boudoir finger biscuits

2 – 3 tbsp brandy

1 small cup of strong Jacobs coffee

300ml cream

200g mascarpone cheese

2 tbsp cocoa powder (plus extra for dusting)

2 tbsp powdered sugar (plus extra for dusting)

300g cherries, pitted and halved (plus 3 cherries for garnish)

100g dark chocolate, melted

Method

Lightly brush a deep bowl with oil and line the base with baking paper. Set aside 5 biscuits. Mix brandy and Jacobs coffee and soak the remaining biscuits briefly.

Line the bowl with halved biscuits at the bottom and whole biscuits around the edge (sweet side facing out).

Whip cream until stiff and fold in mascarpone. Divide into two bowls – mix cocoa + powdered sugar into one, and cherries into the other.

Alternate layering cream mixtures in the biscuit-lined bowl. Add spoonfuls of leftover soaked biscuits on top and press down firmly. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight to set.

Before serving, invert onto a plate. Dust generously with cocoa and powdered sugar, garnish with cherries, and drizzle melted dark chocolate. Serve and enjoy!