Tess Prince: three twist-on-a-classic Ibiza Christmas recipes
The celebrated chef and food writer shares three festive recipes sure to shake up your Christmas table.
Tess Prince is an Ibiza-based private chef, restaurant consultant and award-winning food writer who is passionate about nurturing the body and soul through her brand, Love Food Ibiza. She has lived on the island for eight years and has forged close relationships with Ibiza’s finest artisans and organic farmers, ensuring she uses only the very best of the island’s natural produce. Tess has teamed up with L’OFFICIEL IBIZA to create three subtly festive, plant-based recipes to cook and share this Christmas.
Lebanese flatbread with smoked salmon, herb cream cheese, clementine pickled pink onions, capers and nasturtium leaves.
I do like classic smoked salmon blinis during the festive season, but this is a triumphant twist. It makes a great starter or a knockout Christmas breakfast or brunch idea that’s perfect for sharing.
Ingredients
- 300g strong bread flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon sea salt flakes
- 7g sachet fast-action dried yeast
- 1 tablespoon natural yogurt
- olive oil
For the flatbread topping
- ½ red onion, finely sliced
- Juice 1 clementine
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 200g soft cheese
- 100ml soured cream
- 2 tablespoon chopped mint
- 2 tablespoon chopped dill
- Juice 1/2 lemon
- 200g smoked salmon
- a handful capers
- a handful nasturtium leaves (or rocket)
Method
- First make the pink onions, combine with juice, vinegar, and salt in a container. Shake vigorously for about 10 seconds. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours
- Now make the flatbread, combine the flour, sugar, salt and yeast in a large bowl. In another bowl, mix together the yogurt, 1 tbsp olive oil and 175ml warm water, then gradually mix into the flour to form a soft dough. Tip out onto a lightly floured worksurface and knead for 8-10 minutes until smooth. Put the dough into a bowl, cover and leave it to rise for 1 hour or until it has doubled in size.
- Heat the oven t 200C. Tip the dough out onto a worksurface, then roll into a 25cm x 35cm rectangle. Put on a large baking sheet. Brush all over with olive oil and bake for 15-20 minutes or until puffed and golden. Cool on a rack.
- Mix together the soft cheese, soured cream, herbs and lemon juice, then season with a little salt and plenty of black pepper.
- When the bread has cooled to just-warm, spread the cheese mix all over it. Drape the salmon on top and scatter with red onion, capers and nasturtium or rocket.
Creamy Brussel sprout, Ibiza Almond and Smoked Manchego Soup
Even if you’re not such a huge fan of sprouts, I’m confident you will like this recipe. Much like its cruciferous cousin the cauliflower, sprouts and almonds turn beautiful creamy without any need for cream. The smoked manchego is a dream and for an unexpected treat you can add a decadent drizzle of black truffle oil. The little flowers on top are edible Bermuda buttercups, which are part of the sorrel family and growing wild all over Ibiza at the moment.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 400g Brussel sprouts
- 80g almonds (soaked in water overnight)
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 750ml vegetable stock
- 100g smoked Manchego, grated
- (Suggested garnish of buttercups and truffle oil)
Method
- Cook the sprouts in boiling salted water for 8-10 mins until soft and tender.
- Heat oil in pan sauté the onion until soft, add garlic, then the cooked sprouts. Pour in almonds and stock then bring to boil 5 minutes.
- Purée the soup until smooth and creamy. Stir the smoked cheese until the cheese has melted. Serve with drizzle of truffle oil, a scattering of cheese and some sprout leaves.
Ibiza Lemon Almond Lemon Thyme Cake
Being citrus season here in Ibiza this beautiful zesty cake makes a fantastic alternative to a Christmas pudding. It’s reminiscent of a classic lemon drizzle cake but naturally gluten-free and with the lovely graininess of an Italian polenta cake. If you were to imagine what lemon curd would taste like in cake form, this would be it!
Ingredients
- 140g butter (or vegan butter) softened
- 2 lemons
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 3 eggs
- 200g caster sugar
- 200g ground almonds
- 175g polenta or fine cornmeal
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon lemon thyme
For the syrup
- juice of 1 and half lemons
- 50g sugar
Method
- Line a 23cm cake tin with baking paper, heat oven 160C. Put 2 lemons in a saucepan cover with water boil then simmer for 1 hour until the lemons are really soft.
- When cool, halve the lemons, remove the pips and then blitz in a food processor to a smooth purée.
- Now add all the other ingredients and mix again until you have a batter.
- Scrape into the cake tin and bake for 40-50 mins until golden. Prick the cake with a toothpick, pour the syrup over the cake and leave in the tin to cool
