What to do if there is absolutely no time for long standing at the stove and cooking pickles, or culinary talents are far from the title of master chef, but you want a delicious and beautiful New Year's table? The answer is simple: prepare simple New Year's meals and a well-thought-out menu.
It is from them that the following menu for a festive feast is composed:
- Whole chicken in the oven
- Pork with prunes
- Baked potato
- Roll with red fish
- Meat and cheese platter
- Stuffed eggs with cheese
- Pine cone salad
- No baked marshmallow cake
- Baked apples
- Boom boom cocktail
Whole chicken in the oven
Simple meat dishes are of two types: those that are quickly prepared, but require constant participation of the hostess in the cooking process, and those that take longer to cook, but do not require constant control over the cooking process.
The second type includes whole baked chicken, for which you will need:
- 1 medium chicken carcass;
- 350 g unsweetened yogurt without fillers or additives;
- 30 g cilantro;
- salt, pepper, curry and other spices.
We bake as follows:
- Wash the chicken and pat dry with paper towels. In a separate container, mix together yoghurt, finely chopped cilantro, salt and spices.
- Grate the carcass well with this mixture on all sides and put it in the refrigerator for 12-20 hours so that it is marinated.
- Then preheat the oven to 180-200 degrees. Line a baking dish with foil, place the chicken on it and bake until tender and golden brown. This can take 40 to 60 minutes.
To determine the readiness of the chicken, it is enough to pierce it with a knife. If clear juice flows out, the meat is ready.
New Year's pork with prunes
This hot pork dish takes no longer than half an hour to cook. What could be easier, especially for lovers of sweet and sour meat? When buying meat for this simple New Year's Eve meal, go for the fatty cuts. The thigh, neck, underneath, or sternum will do.
List of required ingredients:
- 400 g pork tenderloin;
- 100 g of prunes;
- 50-70 g dried cherries;
- 150-200 g of onions;
- 40 g tomato sauce;
- 15 ml balsamic vinegar;
- salt, pepper and vegetable oil.
Algorithm of actions:
- Pour vegetable oil into a frying pan and put it on fire. While the oil is warming up, peel and chop the onion in half rings, transfer it to the skillet and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
- Cut the pork into medium pieces, transfer to the onion, fry everything together for 5-7 minutes. Then add vinegar, salt, spices, tomato sauce.
- After a couple of minutes, add dried fruits to the contents of the pan. It is not necessary to steam the prunes, but the seeds must be removed. Simmer everything over medium heat until the meat is cooked.
If there is no balsamic vinegar in the kitchen, then pour the meat with a mixture of soy sauce (80 ml), honey (20 g) and lemon juice (5 ml).
Baked potatoes are a simple and hearty dish
Potatoes are a constant favorite among the side dishes at any festive feast. Potato recipes can be complex and simple, requiring minimal input from the hostess. So, with modest culinary skills and a lack of time for cooking, baked potatoes can be served as a side dish for the New Year.
To prepare it you will need:
- 800 g potato tubers of medium size and oblong shape;
- 30 g of vegetable oil;
- salt, black pepper, curry and dry Italian herbs to taste.
Progress:
- Potatoes can be cooked with or without the skin. In the first case, carefully wash the tubers with a brush and wipe dry with a paper towel. Peeled potatoes are also washed and wiped.
- Cut each potato into several approximately equal slices and put in a baking container. Sprinkle everything with salt, spices and herbs, then add oil and mix well.
- Send the form with potatoes to an oven preheated to 180 degrees and bake for 40-60 minutes. If you turn on the convection or grill five minutes before the end of cooking, then an appetizing golden crust will appear on the slices.
The spices with which potatoes are baked can be changed in accordance with your tastes, for example, add minced garlic or dry garlic. Sprinkle fresh chopped herbs on a hot garnish before serving to make it even more flavorful.
Roll with red fish
A party snack should be a simple and tasty dish that will take a minimum of time to prepare. Using just such recipes will allow you to prepare a rich and satisfying table in just a couple of hours. Lavash rolls meet all these requirements.
You will need:
- 1 thin Armenian lavash;
- 250 g cream cheese;
- 200 g lightly salted salmon;
- 20 g of dill greens;
- 20 g of green onion feathers;
- 20 g lettuce leaves;
- 15 ml lemon juice.
Priority of actions:
- Wash and dry the greens by spreading them out on a paper towel. Then finely chop the dill and onion feathers and mix with the cream cheese, adding lemon juice to it at the same time.
- Spread a thin sheet of Armenian lavash on the table and brush it with an even layer of cheese and herbs. Cut the red fish into thin plates, which are evenly distributed over the pita bread. Spread clean and dry lettuce leaves on top.
- Roll everything into a tight roll, cut into portions, and the appetizer is ready to serve. To prevent the cut pieces of the roll from falling apart, you can tie them up with green onion feathers.
Meat and cheese plates
No matter how many salads and other dishes are on the table, the New Year's menu will not be complete without a meat and cheese plate. In addition, this is the easiest way to quickly feed unexpected guests, and not only in the New Year.
When decorating a meat or cheese plate, you should take into account the advice of experienced housewives:
- Sausages and meat products should be cut very thinly. Of course, you can buy ready-made slices in a vacuum package or use such a service in the supermarket, or you can sharpen a knife sharper and do everything yourself.
- The cheese can be cut into thin slices or small cubes. Slices made with a curly knife will look beautiful. To avoid winding the cheese, it is better not to cut it in advance.
- Cheese goes well with honey, nuts and fruits (grapes, strawberries, pears, figs), so they can be used to decorate a cheese plate, for example, by separating different types of cheese with them.
- The simplest type of layout is placement in layers, when each subsequent row is smaller than the previous one in diameter. You can just lay out slices, or you can fold them into neat tubes. Ideas for inspiration can be found in the photo.
- Cheese and meat plates can be combined on one dish, but so that the tastes of the products do not mix, it is better to separate them, for example, with fruits or olives.
Stuffed eggs with cheese
Also very easy to prepare stuffed eggs with various fillings. The most difficult part of the process of preparing them is to peel the eggs so that the surface of the protein remains smooth without damage. To do this, after boiling, they must be immediately cooled under running water, then mash a little so that cracks appear on the shell, and leave to lie for another 10-15 minutes in cold water.
And to cook stuffed eggs with cheese filling, you need the following ingredients:
- 6 hard-boiled eggs;
- 100 g of hard cheese;
- 100 g carrots;
- 10 g garlic;
- 40-60 g of mayonnaise;
- dill, salt and spices.
How to cook:
- Cut each egg lengthwise into two halves and carefully remove the yolks.
- In a bowl, grate the cheese and carrots on the finest grater, knead the boiled yolks into crumbs and pass the garlic through a press.Add mayonnaise, salt and pepper and mix well.
- Using a spoon, fill the halves of the proteins with the resulting mass, lay out beautifully on a serving dish and sprinkle with chopped herbs on top.
Yolks for the filling can be mixed not only with crushed cheese, canned fish, cod liver, fried mushrooms, red caviar and others are suitable.
Pine cone salad
At first glance, it seems that it is difficult to achieve such realism, but the cooking process is simple, as is its composition:
- 200 g of hard cheese (you can take several different types);
- 100 g soft cream cheese;
- 10-15 g of garlic;
- 5 g Dijon mustard;
- almonds and rosemary for garnish.
Cooking method:
- Grate hard cheese on the finest grater, add soft cream cheese, garlic and mustard pressed through a press. Knead the mixture diligently and form a pine cone or two out of it.
- Lay the cheese blank on a plate, and then insert almond kernels into the salad in rows and slightly at an angle, imitating a lump. After that, it remains only to add greens, which will imitate a pine branch.
Instead of whole nuts, you can use almond or unsweetened cornflakes, a salad will also look like a pine cone, but the decorating process will take much longer.
No baked marshmallow cake
Simple New Year's dishes are not only snacks and salads, there are many beautiful, tasty and easy-to-prepare desserts, such as, for example, a marshmallow cake without baking.
The composition of such a delicacy includes:
- 3 ready-made biscuit cakes (can be bought at the store);
- 300-400 g of marshmallows;
- 300 g wafer rolls;
- 500 ml heavy whipping cream (33%);
- 100 g icing sugar;
- marmalade, fresh or canned berries and fruits, various candies and sweets for decoration.
Preparation:
- Whisk the cooled cream with icing sugar into a fluffy stable cream. It will be easier to do this if you put the mixer beaters in the freezer for 15-20 minutes.
- Grease the first biscuit cake with cream, and then spread the marshmallow halves on it as tightly as possible. Fill the gaps between the marshmallows with cream, cover with a second cake layer, again - cream and a layer of marshmallows.
- Cover the marshmallow with the third crust, and then coat with cream on all sides. Glue wafer rolls tightly to the sides of the dessert, and lay the decor of sweets, sweets and berries on top.
To prevent the waffle rolls from falling off the cake, they can be tied with a beautiful satin ribbon, which can then be removed before serving. In a couple of hours in the refrigerator, the tubes will stick tightly, and you can cut the cake without any problems.
Baked apples
A simple but delicious dessert that is easy to serve in portions, can be made with apples.
For this you will need:
- 5-6 medium apples;
- 100 g of walnuts;
- 100 g raisins;
- 20-40 g of honey;
- cinnamon, powdered sugar to taste.
Baking process step by step:
- Finely chop the walnut kernels with a knife. Rinse and dry the raisins, but do not steam in boiling water, it will become soft, saturated with apple juice released during baking. Mix nuts, raisins, honey and cinnamon.
- Wash and dry apples. Then, with a sharp knife, cut off the top of the "lid" and cut out the core, leaving the walls about 1 cm thick.
- Fill apples with dried fruit stuffing with nuts, cover with lids and send to bake. This can be done in the microwave for 4-5 minutes at maximum power or in the oven at 180 degrees for 15 minutes.
This simple dessert can be sprinkled with powdered sugar before serving.
Boom boom cocktail
A delicious menu is impossible without New Year's drinks. Of course, you should not change traditions and celebrate the New Year 2022 better with a glass of champagne, but during the feast you can treat guests with something new, for example, a cocktail based on a sparkling drink and orange juice.
Ingredient proportions:
- 200 ml of white rum;
- 180 ml of champagne;
- 180 ml sweet vermouth;
- 100 ml orange juice.
How to do:
- Pour rum, vermouth and juice into a shaker.Add crushed ice and shake well.
- Pour the contents of the shaker along with ice into glasses and top up with champagne. Decorate the drink with slices or figuratively chopped orange peel.
Having prepared simple dishes for the New Year, you can have a hearty and tasty festive night in the company of family and friends, spending a minimum of time and effort on preparing for the holiday, which will allow you to have fun all night without getting tired.