You can take the English out of England, but you can't take the custard out of the English! Sally Prosser, the creator of My Custard Pie is a forty something British expat who has been living in Dubai for over a decade now. Speaking of her culinary experiences in the Middle East, Sally says that in spite of living in temperatures of over 40 C at times, her British origins dominate her culinary preferences.
Tell us about Christmas in your childhood.
“My father was Polish and my mother English, so my sister and I revelled in the excitement of having two celebrations as Poles mark the occasion on Christmas Eve. We’d all exchange kisses in exchange for a piece of Communion wafer (Oplatek) until there was none left and then eat from a copious spread. We children would often prepare entertainment and I remember many hilarious magic shows. Exhausted, we’d fall asleep as soon as our heads touched the pillow but would wake early to crawl down the bed in the dark to feel a knobbly stocking of presents; the start of another lovely day celebrating with our English relatives this time.”
What was a typical Christmas fare, in your childhood?
“On Christmas Eve our meal would always include fish and Russian salad and my Aunt’s delicious Coffee Walnut Cake. Christmas dinner on the 25th was the usual turkey, roast potatoes and my mother’s heavenly roast parsnips.”
How do you celebrate Christmas in Dubai?
“Dubai is very tolerant of most religions, and Christmas is embraced with gusto and at this time hotels and shopping malls are resplendent with decorations and Santa’s grottoes. Although we do miss our family back home, we have developed our own traditions. After opening presents we meet with a few families on the beach and sit in deck-chairs around a tiny tree with a glass of bubbly. We then move on to someone’s home, taking turns to host, but largely everyone contributes to the food as each has their own ‘must have’ dish.”
What’s the one Christmas tradition you never skip?
“Having our two daughters sing carols at our bedroom door and bringing us a cup of tea at 7am (and NO earlier)! Plus even if we are eating at someone else’s house, I always cook a small turkey for our family, to make the house smell great and for turkey leftovers!”
What else smells good for Christmas?
“My very special mulled wine, warming on the stove, filling the house with its scent. It has a secret ingredient which smells divine.”
Christmas menu will be incomplete without…?
“I think it’s the ‘trimmings’ that make the Christmas menu special. For me fresh cranberry sauce, bread sauce, bacon-wrapped chipolata sausages and at least two different stuffing are essential. I like this fragrant lemon, herb and pistachio stuffing cooked separately (rather than in the bird) so my vegetarian daughter can enjoy it. It has ingredients of the Middle East but tastes very English so I think it’s spot on for our Dubai celebrations.”
LEMON, HERB AND PISTACHIO STUFFING
(This quantity would stuff a 1.4 kg bird if you wanted - it goes well with chicken.)
Ingredients
25g butter
1 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
125g fresh white breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons fresh parsley and thyme, finely chopped (or any fresh herbs of your choice)
zest of one lemon, grated finely
a squeeze of lemon juice
25g skinned pistachio, roughly chopped
Salt and pepper
1 egg
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180 C.
2. Melt the butter in a non-stick pan and heat until it foams, then cook the onions and garlic gently for about 10 minutes, until soft and golden. Allow to cool in a bowl.
3. To this mixture add the breadcrumbs, herbs, lemon zest, juice and pistachios. Season generously.
4. Beat the egg and add just enough to bind the stuffing together.
5. Put in an oven-proof dish (unless stuffing a bird with it) and bake for 20-30 minutes until slightly browned on top. Enjoy the aroma. If you want to use this later, it can be frozen at this point.
For more delicious English fare from an expatriate’s kitchen, drop by Sally’s blog My Custard Pie (http://www.mycustardpie.com/)
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