The twinkling lights, the crisp winter air, and the warmth of shared laughter – Christmas is not just a season; it’s a feeling that fills our hearts and homes with joy. This year, our team and interpreters have come together to create a culinary celebration that goes beyond the usual festivities. We’ve unwrapped the gift of flavor and gathered a treasure trove of Christmas recipes, each one a delightful embodiment of the holiday spirit.
In our virtual kitchen, we’ve stirred up a blend of traditions, memories, and creativity to bring you a collection of recipes that will not only tantalize your taste buds but also add a sprinkle of magic to your festive table. From time-honored classics to innovative twists on seasonal favorites, our Christmas recipes reflect the diverse backgrounds and cultures that make up our incredible team.
As you navigate through this culinary journey, you’ll find not just ingredients and instructions but stories that accompany each dish. These tales weave a tapestry of shared experiences, highlighting the universality of the holiday season and the unique ways in which we all come together to celebrate.
So, whether you’re a seasoned chef or a kitchen novice, join us in savoring the flavors of Christmas, one recipe at a time. From our team to yours, may these dishes bring you warmth, joy, and the true essence of the holiday season.
Let the feasting begin!
Recipe from Kseniya (Ukraine): Cheesecake inspired by Australian recipe
Ingredients:
- 150 g regular sweet biscuits or cookies
- 1.5-2 tablespoons of sugar
- 85g of drained butter (melt it)
- 435-450g of cream cheese at room temperature
- 2-3 tablespoons of flour
- 160g of sour cream
- Zest and juice of 1 lime
- 3 eggs at room temperature
- 165g of sugar for filling
Actions:
-
- Grease a springform pan (23 cm) with butter. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment to make it easier to transfer the cheesecake out of the pan.
- Grind the cookies in a blender until fine crumbs. Add sugar to the butter, then the crumbs, and mix. Pour into the pan and, using your hand, a silicone spatula or the bottom of an enamel cup, pressing firmly, distribute the crumbs evenly over the bottom and sides of the pan. Cover the pan with cling film and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
- Combine the remaining ingredients and beat with a mixer for 5 minutes at medium speed.
- Pour about 2 fingers of water into a large pan that will fit the cheesecake pan.
- Wrap the cheesecake pan in foil so that the water does not flow inside. Pour the cream cheese mixture into the cookie base, place in a mold with water, and place the entire structure in the oven on a medium rack. Bake at 155-160 degrees for 50-60 minutes (depending on the oven).
- Turn off the oven, open the door slightly, and leave the cheesecake inside to cool for about 30 minutes.
- After removing it from the oven, let it cool completely and, without removing it from the mold, put it in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or overnight.
Recipe from Florencia (Argentina): Pionono (rolled-up thin cake)
This is a very traditional appetizer in Argentina that comes from our Spanish culture. And it’s my specialty. It is a cold dish to have as an appetizer while we wait for the barbecue meat or pork or for those who don’t like the usual Christmas meals, Italian pasta!
Actions:
- To make this dough we need to have a thin baking sheet and parchment paper.
- First place parchment paper on the baking sheet and then butter it well so that you can then easily remove the pionono.
- In a bowl place 4 egg yolks along with 4 spoons of sugar. Beat this for 10 minutes with an electric mixer. Leave aside.
- In a separate bowl beat the 4 egg whites to a whipping point. (You have to beat them until you can turn over the bowl and it doesn’t move).
- Start mixing the egg yolks with 4 spoons of white flour using enveloping movements and the egg whites. So you put one part of flour, mix with enveloping movements, and one part of the egg whites until the 3 parts are all mixed. Be careful with the mixing!
- Pour the mixture onto the plate and level it so that it is evenly distributed.
- Bake for 15 minutes in a preheated oven at 200ºC.
- For the filling, you can be very creative! You can mix prosciutto with monster cheese, sour cream, blue cheese with mayo, or tuna with mayo. And the most important side dish for this is a nice salad.
And if you decide to make it a dessert, you can fill it up with “Dulce de leche” our favorite, some meringue, peanuts, whatever you like!
Recipe from Solana (Argentina): Cindy’s Zucchini Bread
Here’s my Christmas recipe! It’s from my host kids’ grandmother (from when I was an Au Pair). It’s not common to have this in Argentina, so it has a special place in my heart. It’s really good too (you should try it!).
Ingredients:
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup of vegetable oil
- 2 cups of sugar
- 2 tablespoons of vanilla extract
- 2 cups of flour
- 3 tablespoons of cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons of baking soda
- 1 tablespoon of salt
- ½ tablespoon of baking powder
- 2 cups of grated zucchini
- Optional: Glaze
- ½ cup of powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons of milk
Actions:
- Combine eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla
- Combine dry ingredients
- Mix
- Add zucchini
- Grease and/or flour a bundt pan
- Bake at 350° for 55-60 minutes
- Let it cool for 20-30 minutes
- Drizzle on glaze
Recipe from Valeria (Argentina): Christmas Pound Cake
Recipe from Tamim (Afghanistan): “Haft Mewa” or Seven Fruits
I wanted to share a traditional meal with you that is called “Haft Mewa” or Seven Fruits. Afghan people make it just right on the first day of the new year. It is delicious.
Here are the actions for making what we call “Haft Mewa”.
- First, we should have raisins, almonds, walnuts, pistachios, apricots, and two others. They should all be cleaned and washed.
- Second, we should wash raisins. Then, we boil almonds. Next, we boil water and pour it into a pot. Then we let it get cool.
- After that we should add two spoons of sugar with half a spoon of green cardamom to the pot.
Finally, we add all the fruits in the pot but not almonds and we should wait 12 hours. After 12 hours we should add almonds. Then we can enjoy eating it.
