Gino's festive side recipes!
Roast potatoes
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
700g new potatoes, halved or quartered where necessary so they are all the same size
3 large peppers (1 yellow, 1 red, 1 green), deseeded and sliced
6 garlic cloves, whole, bashed
6 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp roughly chopped rosemary leaves
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 220C/Fan 200C/Gas 7.
2. Mix the potatoes, peppers, garlic, olive oil and rosemary with 1 tsp salt and plenty of pepper in a large roasting dish.
3. Toss well and roast for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, turn the potatoes and roast for a further 20 minutes until golden and tender. Serve with any main dish of your choice.
Brussel sprouts and chorizo
Serve 4 as a side dish
Ingredients
4 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
½ tsp chilli flakes
150g chorizo, finely chopped
500g Brussels sprouts, trimmed, then par-boiled for 5 minutes
3 tbsp maple syrup
Fine sea salt
Method
1. Pour the olive oil into a shallow saucepan and set over a high heat. Add the onion and chilli and fry for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Add the chorizo and continue to fry for a further 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Pour in the par-boiled and well drained Brussels sprouts, then add the maple syrup and a pinch of salt. Reduce the heat to medium and fry for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. So quick and easy, but the flavours together are amazing.
Gravy
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 large red onion, peeled and finely sliced
3 tbsp rosemary leaves
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
500ml red wine
1 tbsp runny honey
400ml hot chicken stock, made with 1 stock cube
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 ½ tsp corn flour
1 tbsp cranberries jelly
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1. Pour the oil into a 20cm diameter saucepan and place over a medium heat add in the rosemary, onions and salt and fry all together for 8 minutes. Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon.
2. Pour in the runny honey and continue to fry for 2 minutes.
3. Pour in the wine, stir and bring to the boil. Adjust the heat to low and cook for 15 minutes. Stir every 5 minutes.
4. Stir in the balsamic vinegar with the stock and continue to cook on a low heat for 20 minutes. Stir every 5 minutes.
5. Meanwhile add the cornflour into a small espresso cup and stir in 3 tablespoons of water, set aside.
6. Place a sieve over a medium size bowl and pour in the gravy. At this point you should have all the bits into the sieve and the gravy without any bits into the bowl. With the back of a tablespoon press all the bits into the sieve allowing all the juices from the onions and rosemary to run through the sieve into the gravy. Discard all the bits into the sieve and pour the gravy back into the 20cm diameter saucepan.
7. Place the saucepan over a low heat and whisk in the corn flour mixture, keep whisking for 1 minute.
8. Add in the cranberry jelly and continue to whisk for 30 seconds.
Negroni
Serves 1
Ingredients
25ml gin
25ml sweet vermouth
25ml Campari
Ice
Orange peel
Method
1. Pour the gin, vermouth and Campari into a mixing glass or jug with ice. Stir well until the outside of the glass feels cold.
2. Strain into a tumbler and add 1 large ice sphere or some fresh ice, and garnish with an orange slice, using a blood orange when in season.