Friday December 27, 2013

Dinner for 10

Christmas #3

Pork Loin stuffed with Couscous and Feta
Trout Stuffed with Lemon and Thyme with Prosciutto and Cornichon Sauce
Roasted Brussel Spouts
Mashed Potatoes
Spinach Salad with Blue Cheese and Dried Cranberries
Christmas Baking by Family

Christmas is that busy time of year when you are rushing around doing way too much.  I try not to get to caught up in it all. My husband and I don't usually end up with a lot of social obligations during this festive season which helps us not to be overly booked. We do have family gatherings though, which to me is what Christmas is all about.  Spending time with those you love.  The first is my family.  We have traditionally gathered at one of the sisters' houses the weekend before Christmas.  We eat a traditional dinner of turkey and all the trimmings we grew up with.  It is nice.  

Then comes the actual Christmas day.  For the years we lived in Australia we did various things, nothing traditional, a favourite being a pot luck gathering of expats we knew living there.  On the return to Canada we have kept the day low key and I have cooked less traditional dinners as my children were not use to the traditional turkey and didn't miss it.  However for the last couple of years we have had my husbands mother staying with us for Christmas so we have gone back to the traditional dinner on Christmas day too.  My mother in law is simply not someone who will try anything outside of her tastes.

The third Christmas gathering is with my husband's brother and his family, which happens between Christmas and New years and includes their Mum. We rotate the hosting and this year is our year.  Knowing it is a tough crowd, 5 kids and a picky mother-in-law I tried to keep it fairly simple but I wanted to try some new things.  I just wasn't eating turkey again.

This beautiful pork loin from Thatcher Farms was stuffed with feta and couscous then roasted with pears.  The recipe used can be found here. It turned out beautiful and very tasty.  My Mother-in-law loved the pear and pork, although I am pretty sure she ate around the couscous stuffing. New and different is not her thing.

The trout was more for me as I love having fish for Christmas after spending 6 years near the ocean.  This recipe was delicious.  So tasty stuffed with lemon and thyme and of course who wouldn't love a prosciutto parsley sauce.

The sides to round out the meal included mashed potatoes, brussel sprouts roasted with olive oil salt and pepper and a spinach salad.

I added red onion, dried cranberries and blue cheese to spinach leaves and mad a balsamic vinaigrette with some grainy mustard in it. Next time I think I will add mandarin orange segments too.

Dessert was all the Christmas baking in the house brought and made by various visitors and myself.