Red, White, and Green Christmas Dinner

          For Thanksgiving last year I made a cranberry pecan pie with a sour cream topping.

Cranberry pecan pie

With its deep red center and snow-white top, I thought it would make a great Christmas dessert. Then I thought of cooking an entire Christmas dinner of red, green, and white foods. When I enthusiastically suggested this plan to my sister Laura, our host for Christmas dinner, she was less than enthusiastic. In fact, she dumped my idea. But it's too good to throw away, so I'll give it to you.

     

White bean dip, cranberry-
port conservem, avocado dip

    For appetizers, serve strips of red bell pepper with a light green avocado dip on one side table and strips of green bell pepper with a white bean dip on another. You could add the white of cauliflower and the greens of celery and broccoli to the tray of crudités, but leave out the carrots, and, by all means, if you use chips, make sure they are white. Anything orange, yellow, or blue would spoil the theme. For drinks, serve mulled red wine and, for the children and the adults who don't drink alcohol, a cranberry-mint tea.

Broccoli, spinach, leek soup

          If you want a soup course, try a beautiful green soup of broccoli, spinach, and leeks garnished with red pepper and a white dollop of yogurt. Continue the theme by serving a tricolor salad: watercress, pear, and pomegranate. For vegetables, serve  broccoli with a green sauce (broccoli tops puréed with cottage cheese and goat cheese), cranberry conserve enlivened with port, and snow-white mashed potatoes flecked with dark red, sun-dried tomatoes. That way, when guests load their plates with the vegetable course, they'll have green, red, and white side by side on their plates. If you think that's too much food for one meal (or too much cooking), a one-dish vegetable course

Red-white-green vegetables

of Brussels sprouts, turnips, and beets cooked in a shallot, hazelnut, and garlic spread will keep the theme intact, as long as you add the beets separately so as not to spoil the green and white by turning everything red.

          There is a problem with the main course. Laura said, "Diana, what about the turkey?" Actually, she said, "What about the turkey and the sweet potatoes and the stuffing and the gravy?" She said, definitively, closing the discussion, "Dad would never go for it." 

          Meat-eaters are so inflexible. Vegetarians have an easier time creating color-theme meals. If you have to have turkey, say it's an exception to your theme, and go ahead and serve it. Or just serve white meat—or call the dark meat "red." Can you make a green-hued stuffing with lots of parsley and sage? Leave out the sweet potatoes, and use the green broccoli sauce instead of gravy. I think the theme will come through well enough even if you must have turkey.

          If you're vegetarian, though, I suggest a bright-red red pepper stew, as vibrant on the table as Rudolph's nose. With a spoonful of yogurt in the center and a sprig of parsley on the side, wouldn't that be the perfect Christmas dish?

          With desserts your theme can really shine. Besides the cranberry pecan pie, you could make a Christmas trifle—pomegranates and kiwis layered with whipped cream.

Christmas trifle

Or, if you don't think it's too rich, try a cranberry-glazed white chocolate cheesecake, as deeply red and snowy white as the cranberry pecan pie. For something lighter, poach some pears in port and cranberry juice to turn them red and serve them with a white scoop of mascarpone and a green sprig of mint.

          End the meal with coffee if you want. I know it's black, but since you would have already made a spectacular red, green, and white meal, you can drop the theme and relax with a good cup of coffee.

          Isn't it a lovely idea? If your dinner companions are less stuffy about traditional meals than mine, try it on them. Give them a red, white, and green feast guaranteed to gladden the eye as much as it gratifies the palate.

Next week: The Ten-mile Cake

Recipes from this post, posted below:

     Avocado dip

     White bean dip

     Mulled red wine

     Cranberry mint tea

     Green Christmas soup

     Rudolph stew

     Tricolor salad

     All-green broccoli

     White potatoes with a thin red layer

Recipes from this post, posted tomorrow:

     Cranberry port conserve

     All-in-one red-white-and-green vegetable dish

     Cranberry-pecan pie

     Christmas trifle

     White chocolate cheesecake with red glaze

     Red Christmas pear dessert

AVOCADO DIP

Ingredients
2 avocados, ripe but not overripe
1/4 cup yogurt
2 cloves garlic
1 lemon
2 tablespoons nonfat milk powder
cayenne (optional)
Preparation
Mince the garlic. Squeeze the lemon to yield 1/4 cup juice.
To make
Mash the avocados well. Blend in the yogurt, garlic, and lemon juice, then add powdered milk and cayenne (if desired) and blend well.


WHITE BEAN DIP

Ingredients

1 cup white beans, dried
2-3 cloves garlic
1 lemon
1/4 teaspoon horseradish
1/4 teaspoon (or more, to taste) cumin
salt and pepper
Preparation
Soak the beans overnight. Mince or crush the garlic. Juice the lemon.
To make
Drain the beans and cook them in boiling water till they are very tender. Drain and purée the beans, or mash them well, then whip them with the garlic, lemon juice, and horseradish. Add salt, freshly ground black pepper, and cumin to taste.


MULLED RED WINE
yield: vast quantities

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons water
2 dozen whole cloves
3 sticks cinnamon
2 crushed nutmegs
12-16 lemons (or limes)
1 orange
2 bottles red wine or Madeira, port, or sherry
Slices of lemon and pineapple
Preparation
Zest the lemons and orange. Juice enough lemons or limes to make 2 cups of juice.
To make
Boil together the first 6 ingredients to make a syrup. Add the lemon or lime juice and heat without boiling. Add the wine. Serve very hot with slices of lemon and pineapple as garnish.


CRANBERRY MINT TEA
yield: 16 cups

Ingredients
8 mint tea bags (or 8 tablespoons dried mint)
8 cups freshly boiled water
1 quart cranberry juice
To make
Make the tea by pouring the boiling water over the tea bags and letting the tea steep till it is very strong. Remove tea bags or strain the tea, if you're using dried mint. Add cranberry juice. To serve the tea hot, heat the cranberry juice before adding it to the tea. (Do not boil!) If you're serving cold tea, add cold juice. Garnish each cup of tea with a sprig of fresh mint.


GREEN CHRISTMAS SOUP (for electric kitchens only)
serves 8

Ingredients
2 heads broccoli
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large onion
2 leeks
1 carrot (This one carrot does not detract from the green color of the soup.)
6 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
8 cups fat-free, free-range chicken broth
2 plum tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
1 bunch spinach
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1-2 lemons
Preparation
Prepare the broccoli by chopping the florets and peeling and thinly slicing the stems. Dice the onion and slice the leeks thinly. Peel and dice the carrot. Mince or crush the garlic. Juice the lemons to yield 1/2 cup. Thoroughly wash the spinach, discard tough leaves, and remove stems.
To make
Cook onion, leeks, carrot, and garlic in butter over low heat till they begin to soften, about 10 minutes. Add the stock, broccoli, tomatoes, and parsley. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer over low heat about 25 minutes. Add spinach and spices. Cook one minute more; then remove the pan from the heat. Cool the soup slightly, then purée it. Reheat it gently and add lemon juice just before serving.


RUDOLPH STEW
serves 6-8

Ingredients

1/2 cup dried lentils (preferably red)
1/2 cup dried navy pea beans
2 large onions
3 tablespoons vegetable oil or butter
6 medium red bell peppers
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon cayenne (or to taste)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
3-3 1/2 cups vegetable stock
1/4 cup dry red wine
2 tablespoons dry sherry
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup plain yogurt (or sour cream)
2 tablespoons fresh parsley
Preparation
Soak lentils and beans overnight. Drain them well. Chop the onions. Seed and chop the bell peppers.
To make
Sauté the onions till translucent, then add the bell peppers and sauté the mixture another 6-7 minutes, adding spices during the last minute or two. Add 3 cups stock, the wine, and the drained legumes. Bring to a boil; then lower the heat and simmer for 1 1/2 hours. The lentils should have swollen and the beans grown tender. Mix in the tomato paste and cook for a few more minutes. Thin with water or more stock if necessary. For the reddest and most pleasing presentation, blend the soup. Serve with dollops of yogurt and sprigs of parsley for a real Christmas atmosphere.


TRICOLOR SALAD
serves 4

Ingredients
2 large ripe pomegranates
4 cups loosely packed watercress
12 kiwis
Preparation
Cut the pomegranates in half. Remove the seeds and set them aside with any accumulated juice. Peel and thinly slice the kiwis.
To serve
Place a cushion of dark green watercress on each plate. Add a circle of lighter green kiwi slices. Sprinkle bright red pomegranate seeds and juice over everything. The juice serves as a dressing. Serve the salad immediately.


ALL-GREEN BROCCOLI
serves 12

Ingredients

8 cups trimmed broccoli, including stems
8 cups broccoli florets
1 cup cottage cheese (low-fat is fine)
4 tablespoons goat cheese
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1/8 teaspoon grated fresh nutmeg
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup milk (skim milk is fine)
Preparation
Peel broccoli stems. Trim and chop the broccoli, including the peeled stems. Grate the nutmeg and zest the lemon peel.
To cook
Cook the chopped broccoli until tender in boiling water, 3-4 minutes. Drain it and purée in a food processor or mash it well with a potato masher. Blend the cottage cheese and goat cheese in a food processor or with a rotary beater. Add the broccoli purée, lemon zest, nutmeg, and pepper, and blend smooth. Warm the entire purée in a saucepan over low heat and slowly whisk in the milk, keeping the heat low and the mixture warm.
To serve
Prepare the broccoli florets by steaming them over boiling water till they are bright green and tender-crisp, about 3 minutes. Place hot florets in a serving dish and cover with green sauce.


WHITE POTATOES WITH A THIN RED LAYER
serves 8

Ingredients
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes (not packed in oil; about 2 ounces)
1/2 cup (packed) grated Parmesan cheese (about 2 1/2 ounces)
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 pounds russet potatoes (Don't use Yukon golds. They're too yellow.)
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup half and half
3 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Preparation
Chop the dried tomatoes  Peel the potatoes and cut them into 1-inch pieces. Grate the Parmesan cheese. Butter an 8x8-inch glass baking dish. Preheat the oven to 400º.
To make
Pour enough hot water over the dried tomatoes to cover. Let them soften for about 5 minutes. Drain the tomatoes and return them to the bowl. Stir in 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese and the olive oil.
Boil the potatoes till tender, about 20 minutes, then drain them and return them to the pot for a minute to evaporate excess moisture. Remove the pan from the heat and mash the potatoes with the milk, half and half, butter, and spices. (Do not blend. This dish is best with a rough texture. In my opinion.) Spread half of the potatoes in the prepared dish, cover them with sun-dried tomatoes, and top with the remaining potatoes. Sprinkle the potatoes with the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese and dot with butter. Bake for 35 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the potatoes are hot.