Page 52 - Tropic Magazine Issue 33

TROPIC • FOOD

Festive feasting

HOME CATERING
Cooking a Christmas feast
for the masses – including
those with special diets – can
be daunting during what is
already a stressful time of the
year. Tropic has sought some
guidance about how to create a
fuss-free, nutritious and crowd-
pleasing festive spread.

Q&A, Jo Whitton
Wholefood guru and author of
Quirky Cooking

How do I go about planning a Christmas
lunch menu?
Choose the centrepiece first then
plan sides to complement it. We love How can I make the most of my fridge
traditional roast turkey, but slow-roasted and freezer space?
lamb, seafood platters, smoked brisket or Clean out your fridge and freezer a week
a vegetarian main are all great options! before to reduce unnecessary clutter and
Next, choose vegetables, salads, sauces, create plenty of space. Prepare freezable
condiments, and breads to complement foods ahead and store in reusable freezer
the main. Decide if you want canapes, bags or rectangular, stackable dishes.
cheese platters or other nibbles, and Most sweets, cakes and other baking
choose desserts and drinks. Find trusted freeze well. Even the jelly and custard
recipes (ask family and friends), for trifle can be made ahead of time and
then write out a plan for each step of frozen – thaw out the day before, then
the preparations so there’s not a last- on the day just re-blend the custard so
minute rush. that it’s smooth and assemble the trifle.
Drinks can be kept cold in eskies packed
Is there a guide for ensuring I don’t with ice.
under-cater?
Search online for portion sizes Are there strategies I can use to actually
for catering. You’ll find charts and get out of the kitchen and mingle
calculators that will give you suggested with guests?
serving sizes of different foods and Prepare ahead as much as possible!
how many grams are recommended Assign dishes to families attending so you
per person. Cater for a bit extra in case don’t have to do all the cooking.
of big appetites, and you may want to Involve your guests in the last-minute
increase amounts of dishes that keep cooking and serving – preparing food
well so there’s leftovers for the feasting together is part of the fun! Don’t stress
to continue (without any more effort!) on about perfection, just focus on the joy of
Boxing Day. sharing a delicious meal together.

Maintaining gut health
Feeding the good flora in your gut is especially important during the silly season,
when most of us tend to overindulge in irritants such as alcohol. Jo’s latest book,
Simple Healing Food, delves deep into recipes microbiomes will thrive on.
It’s available for sale from 5 January.

52 • Tropic • Issue 33