From A’s Holistic Holiday Season Pantry – I love Christmas. But I really hate the compulsive gift-hunting, scrambling crowds, stress and overspending that precedes it. I think it’s very harmful because it overshadows this wonderful time of year. Most people arrive frustrated, tired, and worn out to the festive dinner, and by the time they manage to relax and start enjoying Christmas, it’s already over. We let out a sigh of relief, and the grey everydays come again.

Does it have to be like this? I hope not. If we spared ourselves all the unnecessary stress, exhaustion, we could get down to it much more peacefully, and make Christmas cozier, more love-filled. You don’t have to spend a fortune, you don’t have to spend long hours in shopping malls.

Light a few candles, put on some nice music, brew a tea, and make presents for your family and friends in a loving, festive atmosphere. This is what I’d like to give you tips for in this upcoming few series. These are simple, yet still special delicacies that you can prepare quickly and, wrapped with style, they can make beautiful presents.

Wishing you pleasant, calm preparations and merry, peaceful holidays!

ELDERFLOWER VINEGAR

The tasty, flowery aroma of elderflower vinegar makes even the simplest salad exceptional. It also spices up Eastern cuisine dishes. It harmonizes well with sweet and sour chicken, for example, and can serve as the base of special piquant sauces.

Ingredients for 1 jar present:

1 pretty 2 dl glass jar with lid
1,5 handful of dried elderflowers
As much white wine vinegar as it takes up (about 1,5-1,8 dl)

Preparation:

Put the elderflowers in the glass jar (use a funnel if the mouth of the jar is too narrow), then pour as much white wine vinegar in as you can in the jar next to the petals. Make sure that you don’t fill the jar all the way so that the flowers drifting to the surface of the liquid do not touch the lid or cover you close the jar with.

Store the jar somewhere (it’s not a problem if it gets some sunlight now and then), shake it up 2-3 times a day, and the vinegar will take on the fragrance and flavor of the elderflowers in 2-3 weeks.

You have to strain it before use but because the elderflower petals look nice floating around in the vinegar, you can leave the straining up to the person you’re giving this gift to.

CHRISTMAS SPICE OIL

Spice oil is the perfect gift for anyone who cooks, from the natural born chef to someone who rarely ventures into the kitchen, and has not discovered the expanse of kitchen technologies further than throwing together a casual salad from time to time. This is truly a kitchen super weapon, which makes any kind of a dish sumptuous, and you don’t need any technical knowledge. You just have to pour it, and that’s it.

This version may seem a little unusual at first, but don’t worry, you can use it in a variety of ways, and you end up with a very exciting kind of oil if you prepare it. You can use it to marinade meat, grill cheese or rofu, it goes really well with wintery salads with dried fruit, and you can even bake into a cookie. It makes every meal taste luxurious, and fills your home with a smell that gets everyone into a cosy and merry mood. Long live the ‘hygge’!

Ingredients for 1 small jar present:

1 pretty, nicely rounded 2-2,5 dl glass container (it’s important to make sure it can be sealed tight)
2-2,5 dl (as big as your conatiner is) good quality olive or grape seed oil
2-3 cinnamon sticks
15-20 almonds
15-20 cloves
1-1,5 spoons of (about 40-60 g) finely chopped candied orange peels

Preparation:

Throw all the ingredients into the glass conatiner and slowly, in a thin trickle, pour in the oil. Seal the conatiner tightly and put it in a sunny place. Shake it up daily or every second day, the oil will soak in the the flavor of the spices in 2-3 weeks. You don’t have to strain it even if you store it for longer. You can keep it among the condiments in your pantry, which is a great fortune, because these spices not only make the oil taste delicious, but also pretty to look at.

VODKA ON A HOLIDAY BED

We would make this drink from ‘pálinka’ here in Hungary, but since vodka is more readily available in most party of the world, I offer this version to you now. I’ve tried it and the end result is just as tasty as if it were made with pálinka. The wintery spices not only make the drink look and taste festive, but they are useful as well. If you have a sore throat, have fever or the flu, mix a shot of the magic drink with a spoonful of honey, swig it, dive under the covers, and you’ll see, in a few hours you’ll be feeling better. So, holiday vodka does not only look nice, but it’s a really useful gift as well.

Ingredients for 1 bottle of the drink:

1 pretty, nicely shaped half-liter (glass, not plastic!) bottle that can be sealed well
3-4 sticks of cinnamon
80 grams of finely chopped candied orange peels
2 thumb-sized fresh ginger roots
Half liter of good quality vodka

Preparation:

Peel the ginger and cut it into matchstick-thick slices, then put it in the bottle with the other spices. Pour the vodka on the bed of spices and seal the bottle tight. Store it a place out of direct sunlight and shake it up every 3-4 days. You’ll start tasting the spiciness of the vodka in 2-3 weeks, but the real deal is after 6-8 weeks.

Eating is joy, cooking is magic.
With love:
A.