Seven Christmas recipes to impress without straying from tradition

l 1 pork rind of approximately 20 cm x 20 cm.

Coarse salt

125g raw almond

l 2 red eggs

75-100 g powdered sugar

1/2 grated lemon peel

20g raisins

6 dried apricots

1 1/2 glass of brandy

l 1/2 tsp good quality cinnamon

We'll thin the bark and sew it into a small bag, large enough to fill. We'll coat it inside and out with salt and let it drip for about 24 hours. After that time, we'll remove the salt and dry it with a cloth.

A few hours beforehand, soak the raisins and chopped dried apricots in the brandy. Set aside. The brandy should cover the fruit.

Beat the egg yolks with the powdered sugar until you have a whitish cream. Add the almonds, grated lemon zest, cinnamon, and the nuts along with the brandy. Mix well.

We'll fill the little bag with this stuffing and finish sewing it closed. We'll truss it to strengthen the crust and bake it at 180°C (350°F). It's recommended to place it on a baking tray supported by two wooden spoons or two canes, just like you would roast a suckling pig. It's important that it doesn't touch the bottom of the tray so the juices don't soften the skin. I baked mine for about an hour, turning it every 15 minutes so it would roast evenly. But this will depend on your oven.

Cook until golden brown and crispy. Let it cool and cut it into pieces before serving.

Grades:

– I recommend you thin the bark layers before sewing it. It can be difficult to pierce it with the needle if you don't.

– It is also important to have a thick needle, like the one you use at home to sew your legs.

Don't worry if you think the pastry isn't filled enough, as it will expand in the oven. To check if it's filled sufficiently, press down in the center, trying to touch the bottom. Anything that sticks out is excess. For this reason, it's best to secure the pastry to give it strength, as the filling will expand.

If you don't slaughter animals, you might be able to find rinds or legs at butcher shops that do.

For the dough

450g all-purpose flour

135g butter

100g brown sugar

125g sherry or sweet wine

l 2 red eggs

1 pinch of salt

For the filling

1 1/2 cooked and boneless farm chicken

1 onion

250 ml chicken broth

l 2 tbsp Cornstarch

2 apples

1 tsp vanilla extract or a pinch of ground cinnamon

1 tbsp sugar

butter or oil

First, we'll make the dough by mixing the egg yolks with the sugar and butter. We'll add the sherry, and once it's combined, we'll add the flour. We won't knead it, just bring the ingredients together. We'll form a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap, and put it in the refrigerator for about an hour.

Sauté the onion. When it's translucent, add the shredded chicken. A few minutes later, add the cornstarch and stir occasionally to cook the flour. Add the broth to the chicken, pouring it in gradually, season with salt and pepper, and add a pinch of nutmeg. Set aside.

In a frying pan over low heat, brown the apples, cut into eighths, with a knob of butter or a drizzle of oil. After a few minutes, add the vanilla extract or cinnamon, sugar, and a pinch of salt. Set aside.

We'll roll out two-thirds of the pastry and line the greased tart tin. We'll fill the tart with half the chicken filling, then add a layer of apples and finish filling it. With the remaining third of the pastry, we'll make a lid and close the tart. We'll trim off any excess pastry, which we'll use for decoration, and brush it with beaten egg.

We'll bake the cake at 150ºC for about 50 minutes. In my case, I lowered the oven temperature to 140ºC for the last ten minutes.

We'll serve the casserole with plums that have been previously soaked in liqueur, a salad, or any vegetables you like. As you can see, it's quite tall and filling; just a little goes a long way.

Note: To cook the chicken, you can boil it and use the cooking liquid to make a good broth. You can also roast it. Both the pasta and the filling can be made the day before. Shortcrust pastry is best when cooked the same day.

200g sugar

l 200 gr raw peeled almonds

the oil

half a lemon

We'll lightly toast the almonds in the pan. We'll take them out and add the sugar. When it starts to caramelize, we'll add the almonds and stir constantly to prevent burning and sticking.

Grease a surface with oil and place the almond and sugar mixture on it. Using the lemon, flatten and shape it.

When it is lukewarm and before it cools completely, we will cut the drum into pieces with the help of a knife.

If you wish, you can put it between two wafers.

300 ml of water

l 100 g of chocolate 70% cocoa

cinnamon sticks

star anise

the massif

pink peppercorn

orange peel

juniper

coriander seeds

cardamom

We'll put the water on the stove. When it boils, we'll add the spices. We'll remove the saucepan from the heat and cover it. We'll let the water steep for about ten minutes. This can be done the day before, if desired. We'll strain the water and reheat it. We'll add the chopped chocolate and stir constantly to prevent it from sticking. We'll add more chocolate if we want the drink to be thicker. We'll serve it hot.

l 12 large Gordal-type olives

200g of mixed minced meat

2 eggs

1 clove of garlic

parsley

the crushed cookie

sesame

salt and pepper

We'll make a mixture of chopped garlic and parsley, combine it with the meat and one of the two eggs, and season with salt and pepper. We'll stuff the olives with the mixture, beat the remaining egg, and coat the olives. We'll then coat them in crushed crackers and sesame seeds and fry them in very hot oil. We'll let them drain on paper towels.

l 1 lamb baldachin

400g of mixed minced meat

1. 8 dried apricots

8 dried plums

2 eggs

1 onion

2-3 cloves of garlic

Moraduix, parsley

250 ml of sherry, cognac or wine

Salt, good pepper

For the carrots

8 carrots

4 oranges

1 cm of fresh ginger

1 clove of garlic, rosemary

A few hours beforehand, or the day before, soak the nuts in the liqueur. Set aside. Season the baldana with salt and pepper. Finely chop the onion, garlic, and herbs, and mix them with the ground meat. Drain the nuts (reserving the liqueur), chop them finely, and add them to the rest of the stuffing. Season the meat with salt and pepper and tie it with the beaten eggs. Lay the baldana flat, and since it's usually long, you can cut it in half. Spread the stuffing over the meat, roll it up, and seal it tightly. In a frying pan, brown the baldana on all sides and place it in a baking dish with the reserved liqueur and a glass of water. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 45 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 120°C (250°F) and bake for another hour. Turn the meat occasionally and baste it with the juices, making sure it doesn't dry out.

For the carrots, sauté the grated ginger and garlic in a pan with a little oil. Add the rosemary and carrots. Sauté. Pour in the orange juice and let it reduce.

We will serve it with the meat cut into slices and accompanied by the carrots.

1 500 gr raw almonds

250g sugar

1 egg

the grated peel of a lemon

1 teaspoon of cinnamon is a lot

We'll grind the almonds and mix them with the sugar, cinnamon, and grated lemon zest. Stir all the ingredients until we have a paste.

We'll take spoonfuls of dough and shape them into pyramids with our hands. We'll place each portion on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. We'll bake them at 160 degrees Celsius (325 degrees Fahrenheit) for 15 minutes, or until cooked through. If they cook too quickly, we can lower the temperature to 150 degrees Celsius (300 degrees Fahrenheit). We'll remove them from the oven and let them cool completely before storing them in an airtight container. Properly packaged, they can last for a long time.