Christmas menu

I'm finally home after travelling about Estonia during the last week. Before it's time to celebrate the next fiesta, I'd share my family's this year's Christmas menu. There weren't so many of us sitting round the table - seven grown-ups and two children (as I do the talking here, I naturally consider myself a grown-up). We even had a real Santa, so the only thing missing from Christmas spirit was this really slowly falling perfect white snow... But as Christmas (fortunately or unfortunately) is a feasting holiday here in Estonia, I'll better talk about that side of the holiday.

Christmas menu
Glazed pork fillet
Creamy winter vegetables
Boiled potatoes
Cottage cheese-yoghurt sauce with dill
Sour cabbage
Gooseberry chutney
Salted salmon
Ham, cheese

Desserts
English christmas pudding with creamy vanilla sauce
Toscabuns
Fruits
Gingerbreads
Almond and coconut candies

No, we didn't have traditional blood sausage this year (I can still remember the spooky process of making it when I was little), but we did eat classical home-made marinated pumpkin, meat jelly (we actually found a whole shelf full of it, made by grandma, of course) and oven roast only the next day at my grandmother's. Oh, mystical...grannies and their cookery (I'm afraid I'll repeat this forever).

I'll share the recipe of creamy winter vegetables. I believe it could go with fish as well as with pork, it could also be eaten as a meal by itself. Light cream can be substituted with heavy cream to make the vegetables turn more silky and enjoyable.


Creamy winter vegetables

1 kg (in all) carrot, swede and onion
2 dl light cream
2 tbsp honey
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
thyme

1. peel the vegetables. cut the carrots and swede into bigger pieces, onions into four sectors.
2. lay the vegetables into a baking dish, strew with thyme.
3. mix together cream, honey, salt and pepper, pour the mixture over the vegetables.
4. cover the dish with its lid or with foil and bake at 200 C for one and a half hours.