Holiday Cookery

Of which there was plenty, in my family, but not quite so this year. There're the traditional meals to prepare, and, of course, the sweets to put a smile on everyone's face.

This year's noche buena had a very simple menu:
Arroz Valenciana and fruits suspended in whipped cream. Hot cocoa on tap. Always. With Dwight (and his family) abroad, Winston (with his family) typically holidaying somewhere, and George sleeping through tradition there's really no point in lavish dinners for Mum, Dad and myself. Gone are the days of overflowing tables and a house spilling with people.

However, every Christmas a friend gifts us with a garden of vegetables from Baguio. Since we can't finish those beautiful vegetables all at once nearly everything is destined for preservation and thankfully keeps the holiday kitchen alive. Chutneys, pickles, and roasts are the easiest to prepare and can last a long time in the pantry (if not consumed immediately).

Mum copied a recipe for tamatar chutney from a magazine she chanced on while we were snacking at Chocolat over at MoA. I have yet to try that out, but despite the number of spices the amounts listed leaves me thinking that it won't be as flavourful as the chutneys of memory. Plus, it sounds like it will be a very watery chutney instead of being thick, gooey, and rather chunky like any self-respecting chutney should be. The more I think about it, the more I suspect it to be a recipe for ketchup. Hmm.