Festive Recipes To Get You In The Spirit (Without A Turkey In Sight)
Tags: Festive, Cooking, Recipe, Christmas Recipes, Christmas

By Sadhbh O’Sullivan

PHOTO COURTESY OF TOP WITH CINNAMON.

Is it even worth acknowledging how weird and different the festive season is going to be this year? Or are we beyond stating the obvious now? Because I know it, you know it, and at this point we’re trying to find comfort that doesn’t break the tier rules or endanger our loved ones.

Nothing elicits that sense of comforting festivity (other than maybe ) like food. There are so many flavours, scents and textures that are intimately intertwined with the season: warming spices and root vegetables, starchy stuffings and honey glazes, chocolate, peppermint, orange and cinnamon.

These food memories can be personal too. I have a very specific sense memory linked to orange Matchmakers which always reminds me of childhood. I only need to see the box or catch a whiff of that synthetic citrus to be thrown back to a particular Christmas at home, aged 7, when I ate too much chocolate before mass and fainted on the altar (true story).

Mountains of work can go into Christmas food — the brining, the peeling, the baking, the steaming — and that’s often part of the fun. But when our family units are fractured or compartmentalised thanks to a pesky pandemic, it’s harder to work up the energy for all the faff. Not impossible, but way harder.

And so, as a sort of middle ground between huge amounts of food-related labour and nothing at all, we offer you festive recipes which capture the spirit of the season without taking a million years to prepare. These are meals suitable for weeknights or snacking or having a socially distant cocktail, so you can still eat, drink and be merry without pushing the boat out too far.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MINIMALIST BAKER.

Garlic & White Wine Pasta With Brussels Sprouts by Minimalist Baker

It’s become a cliché to talk about how maligned the humble sprout can be — when overcooked and pushed into mush territory they are distinctly unpleasant but when cooked correctly (as they are here) they can be an absolute wonder. This is a perfect weeknight dinner that gives you an excuse to pop open a bottle of white wine. Who could ask for anything more?

Lemon & Cardamom Gingerbread Cookies by Top With Cinnamon

A gingerbread cookie can come in many forms. It could be person shaped, tree shaped, built into a house or even animated. This grown-up version is particularly good: adding cardamom to the dough and a zippy lemon glaze produces something a touch more sophisticated than your run-of-the-mill gingerbread, but just as moreish.

3 Ingredient Cranberry Bourbon Fizz by Gimme Some Oven

Honestly, this list wouldn’t be complete without a range of festive drinks, both alcoholic and non. This fizzy cranberry bourbon concoction is as simple as it is satisfying. Perfect for your Zoom Christmas parties.

PHOTO COURTESY OF COOKIE AND KATE.

Classic Mulled Wine by Cookie and Kate

Mulled wine is a seasonal classic and this recipe hits every note you want — it’s spiced and warming, will fill your kitchen with a deliciously cosy aroma and is dead easy. The brandy gives it a little extra kick if you’re taking it on a particularly chilly walk.

Roasted Vegetable Winter Salad by Hungry Healthy Happy

Root vegetables like parsnips, carrots and celeriac have their moment in the sun come winter. Much like the sprout they just need a little TLC in the oven to make them into something really special. This winter salad is a welcome (but filling) break from the other traditional eats of the season, while still ticking every festive box.

Homemade Thin Mint Cookies by Sally’s Baking Addiction

My co-worker sent me the link to this recipe, saying “These are the don”. Can’t ask for a better endorsement for a peppermint chocolate cookie than that!

PHOTO COURTESY OF GREEDY GOURMET.

Rosemary Potatoes by Greedy Gourmet

I’m not saying you should have a meal of just roast potatoes to feel Christmassy but I’m also not not saying that. And when they’re hitting every note like Mariah Carey does each December, I’d challenge you to turn these roasties down.

Pomegranate Champagne Mule by Half Baked Harvest

This is like the other fizzy cocktail in this list’s fancier cousin — when she arrives, she’s really trying to impress. And impress! She! Does!

Hot Chocolate Bombs by Taming Twins

And finally, you’ve probably seen these hot chocolate bombs everywhere on Instagram and TikTok but they are surprisingly easy to make — you just need the right mould and a teensy bit of patience.