Three main dishes for Christmas Eve dinner that do not fail

With the appetizers we can get out of the way with something bought. Desserts and nougats, we ask a family member. The wines, which are brought by the (presumed) expert in each family. But if we have to make Christmas Eve dinner or Christmas lunch at home, the joy / brown of preparing the main dish is not taken away by anyone. And that’s where the panic attacks start because of not knowing what to put on or because of the fear of failure.

Relax. Like every Christmas since 2010, the El Comidista team has donned the Santa Claus hat and the most horrible Christmas sweaters they have found to think about how to help you. Thus, we have come up with three second-rate recipes that do not require too much work and with little margin for error: a monkfish with garlic, a chicken with walnuts and pomegranate, and a mushroom and gorgonzola lasagna specially designed for vegetarians. We recommend that you see how they are made in the video above, but if the moving image with sound is something too modern for you, you also have the recipes in text.

MONKFISH WITH GARLIC WITH RAISINS AND PINIONS

Ingredients

For 4 persons

4 monkfish loins of about 200-225 g each 50 g of pine nuts 50 g of raisins 8 cloves of peeled garlic 2 bay leaves A few threads of saffron (8 or 10 is enough, but the amount is to taste) 150 ml of fine or chamomile oil extra virgin olive salt

Preparation

Soak the raisins in hot water. Toast the pine nuts in a large frying pan over the fire, being careful not to burn them. Put the saffron threads in a glass or small bowl, soak them with a couple of tablespoons of boiling water and leave them covered so that infuse and mash the garlic with the side of a knife. Brown them in a large skillet with a splash of oil over medium heat. When they are lightly browned, remove them from the pan and set aside. Salt and pepper the monkfish fillets. Turn up the heat and when the pan is hot, brown them on one side. Then, carefully turn them over and leave them on the other side for another minute.Put the garlic in the pan again and add the bay leaves, the fina, the water with the saffron and the raisins. Lower the heat and cook for a few minutes until the alcohol evaporates, turning the monkfish from time to time. Add salt if necessary. Add the pine nuts to the stew and serve.

CHICKEN WITH WALNUTS AND POMEGRANATE

Ingredients

For 4 persons

1 kilo and a half of chicken cut into pieces 250 g of walnuts 1 large red onion ½ level teaspoon of ground cinnamon A pinch of powdered saffron 1/2 teaspoon of other spices to taste such as turmeric, cumin or black pepper (optional) 500 ml of pomegranate juice (fresh or packaged) 2 tablespoons honey 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 level teaspoon salt Parsley and minced mint and pomegranate grains for garnish Basmati rice cooked as garnish (optional)

Preparation

Crush the walnuts in a mortar and salt the chicken and brown it over medium high heat in a large saucepan. Do it in batches if necessary. Remove the pieces and set them aside. Lower the heat a little and put the chopped onion in the saucepan. Add oil if necessary. 10-15 minutes later, when the onion has softened, add the cinnamon, saffron and other powdered spices to taste. Cook for one or two minutes, put the chicken pieces back in and add the walnuts, pomegranate juice, honey, lemon juice and salt. Stir and as soon as it starts to boil, put on a low heat so that it cooks very slowly. After 20 minutes, remove the breasts, check if they are done and reserve them. If they are not there, leave them for 5 more minutes. Cook the rest for another 30 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened and the chicken is well done. Return the breasts to the casserole, and season with salt, honey and lemon juice. Garnish with mint and chopped parsley and grains of pomegranate.

MUSHROOM, LEEK AND GORGONZOLA LASAGNA

Ingredients

For 4-6 servings

250 g of lasagna slices 250 g of sliced ​​mushrooms 30 g of dried mushrooms 3 medium or 2 large leeks (without the greenest part) 1 medium onion 2 teaspoons of fresh thyme 200 g of gorgonzola cheese 100 g of cream cheese 200 g of semi-cured manchego cheese Pepper freshly ground black 2 tablespoons olive oil

Bechamel

3 tablespoons of flour 200 ml of water to rehydrate the dried mushrooms 500 ml of milk 2 tablespoons of oil Salt and black pepper to taste

Preparation

Put the dried mushrooms in a bowl with very hot water for 15 minutes or as indicated on the package. Chop the leeks and onion, and sauté them in a pan with a drizzle of olive oil over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Add the thyme, the sliced ​​mushrooms and the well drained rehydrated mushrooms. Do not throw away the liquid that will be used later. Sauté for about 5 minutes, season to taste and reserve. Prepare the béchamel by heating 2 tablespoons of oil in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add the flour and cook for 4 or 5 minutes. Gradually add the broth to rehydrate the mushrooms while stirring so that lumps do not form. Then add the milk slowly, stirring without stopping. Cook over a very low heat and stir all the time until a creamy sauce forms that covers the spoon. Salt and pepper to taste and remove from the heat. Up to here you can do it in advance. Heat the oven to 180 ºC. In a baking dish, spread first the third part of the béchamel sauce. Cover evenly with a layer of lasagna sheets and on top, spread a third of the mixture of mushrooms and leeks, spread the gorgonzola cheese on top and cover with another layer of lasagna sheets. Pour another third of the béchamel sauce and another third of the leek and mushroom mixture. Spread the cream cheese on top and cover with another layer of slices. Finally, pour the sauce and the remaining leek and mushroom mixture on top, and grate the semi-cured Manchego cheese on top. Add a little black pepper and bake for about 30 minutes (40 if the ingredients were cold from the fridge).

If you make these recipes, share the result on your social networks with the hashtag #RecetasComidista. And if they go wrong, complain to the Chef’s Ombudsman by sending an email to [email protected]

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