An Ayurvedic-inspired variation on traditional Christmas flavours, simple yet delightfully hearty.
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients for the ragout
The quantity varies depending on the size and quality of the ingredients.
- 4 carrots
- 1 celeriac
- 4 parsnips
- 4 parsley roots
- 2 onions
- 2 cloves of garlic
- Rosemary
- Thyme
- 4 juniper berries
- 2-4 bay leaves
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 2 tbsp cranberry jam
- 200-400 ml red wine or red grape juice
- 500 ml vegetable stock
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Crème fraîche
- A little cornflour or potato starch, as desired
- A little ghee or oil for frying
- 1 tsp cane sugar
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Wash, peel and dice the root vegetables. Finely chop the onion and garlic. Heat the oil in a pan. Sauté the onions, garlic, rosemary and thyme. Add the diced root vegetables and fry well. Add the cane sugar and allow to caramelise slightly. Add the juniper, bay leaves and tomato purée and allow to simmer gently. Deglaze with the red wine or red grape juice and balsamic vinegar and allow to reduce. Then add the vegetable stock, bring to the boil and simmer gently for 15 to 20 minutes. The cooking time depends on the size of the root vegetable cubes.
There are two ways to thicken the sauce:
- Thicken with cornflour or potato starch.
- Purée some of the cooked vegetables together with the stock/sauce, either in a blender or with a hand blender.
Finally, season to taste with cranberry jam, salt and pepper and add a little crème fraîche if desired.
Ingredients for the red cabbage
- 1 red cabbage, approx. 1 head or 1 kg
- 2 onions
- 2 apples
- 100 ml red wine or apple cider vinegar
- Ghee or olive oil for frying
- Some vegetable stock, approx. 100 ml
- 2-4 cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp cane sugar
- ½ to 1 tsp salt (depending on the salt content of the stock)
- Pepper
- A little apple purée, to taste
Cut the red cabbage in half and remove the stalk. Then cut the red cabbage into fine strips. Place the red cabbage in a bowl, sprinkle with salt and sugar and add the vinegar. Knead well and leave to stand in the fridge overnight.
Clean and peel the onion and apples and cut into cubes. Drain the red cabbage and reserve the liquid.
Heat the ghee in a saucepan, add the onion and apple cubes and sauté. Add the cloves and bay leaves. Now add the red cabbage and sauté. Deglaze with the liquid from the drained red cabbage and add a little vegetable stock. Cover the saucepan and simmer over a low heat for approx. 45 minutes. Stir occasionally and add a little stock if necessary to prevent the red cabbage from drying out or burning. Finally, season to taste and add a little apple sauce for a sweet note, if desired.
Ingredients for the potato dumplings
- 800 g starchy potatoes
- 50 g soft butter or margarine, softened at room temperature
- 100 g potato starch
- Salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste
Wash the potatoes. To cook: either boil the potatoes in a pot with water and salt or cover a baking tray with 1 cm of salt, place the potatoes on the salt and then bake in the oven at 170 C degrees for approx. 30-60 minutes (depending on the size of the potatoes).
Then peel the potatoes and press them through a potato press or mash them. Add the softened butter or margarine, potato flour, salt, pepper and nutmeg and mix into a dough.
Then divide the potato mixture (80-100 g per piece) and shape into round dumplings.
TIP: The dumplings can also be filled as desired, e.g. with a mixture of butter, parsley and coarse breadcrumbs or croutons.
Bring a pot of water to boil and reduce the temperature so that the water hot and steaming, but not simmering (the dumplings will fall apart if the water is bubbling). Then add the dumplings and leave them uncovered for 20-25 minutes until they float to the surface.
Bon appétit and Merry Christmas!