Are you looking to avoid the crowds this festive season but still eat like royalty? The Christmas holidays are the perfect time to stay at home and enjoy some quality time with family and friends. The Point Mall has introduced the new Checker’s FreshX store, filled with delightful ingredients and ready to cook meals.
South African Michelin Star chef Jan Hendrick van der Westhuizen has partnered with Checkers this festive season. We have put together some of our favourite dishes for each holiday, including recipes.
Christmas Eve
When you know you’re going to spend Christmas Day conjuring up a feast for kings, ordering takeout seems like an easy fallback. There are a million and one things to do, and you want something tasty to get into the Christmas spirit. It is a common tradition to eat seafood on the night before Christmas and leave milk and cookies out for Santa.
Before you open the food delivery app, consider these ‘throw together’ dishes:
“For me, seafood screams “summer celebration”, and it’s a real showstopper.” - Jan Hendrik.
Quick and Easy Seafood Soup With Aioli: Jan’s version of a bouillabaisse with a tomatoey base can be put together in 30 minutes. The fresh hake and half-shelled mussel dish will satisfy your dinner guests and not tire you out too much!
Spaghetti Puttanesca: As Jan says, “this vegetarian pasta dish is the ‘ultimate throw-together, hits-all-the-right-notes comfort food.” It is an excellent option if you’re planning to eat a wide variety of meat on Christmas day. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese, and there will be happy tummies all around.
For dessert, draw inspiration from Santa’s favourite midnight treat and pick up a box of hand-assembled Milk Tart Flavoured Macarons made with almond flour.
Christmas Day
Go all-out on Christmas day and make these traditional dishes with a twist.
Fried Bobotie Balls With Coriander Mint Yoghurt Sauce:
This recipe puts a fresh spin on the classic bobotie and makes for a festive starter perfectly geared to the South African summer!
Holiday Eisbeins: Spoil yourself and your loved ones by serving each guest their own perfectly cooked and beautifully glazed Eisbein.
Gammon With Marmite Honey Glaze:
This rich and juicy gammon will steal the show. It has a delectable balance of sweet and umami flavours, different to the typical sweet glazes made with fruit juice and sugar. This recipe will most certainly be a request for every year to follow!
Festive Turkey With Stuffing On The Side: Christmas day isn’t complete without a soft and succulent turkey in the middle of the table! This recipe ensures there will be no dry or bland mouths present.
For dessert, we all love a good variety of choices. Try this steamed sticky toffee pudding from the Forage and Feast range at Checkers, or try your baking skills at this delicious Baked Cheesecake recipe by Jan Hendrik.
Boxing Day
This day is perfect for lounging in the sun, nibbling on leftovers and coming together for an afternoon braai!
This Biltong Crusted Rack of Lamb with Rice-Filled Apples brings a creative and festive mix of holiday flavours to your braai day.
The Ready to braai range at Checkers has an excellent selection of meats, S.A’s Number One Championship boerewors, snoek, flavoured Espetadas and a variety of plant-based patties and grillers - all ready to throw on the fire.
“The best thing about coming home, without a doubt, is the pap! Nothing else makes me feel like I’ve reconnected with my home country until I cook my first potful, whether it’s slappap, stywe pap or krummelpap. It’s that one ingredient that brings all South Africans – no matter what our culture – together, and it’s so willing to be dressed up or down. “
- Jan Hendrik van der westhuizen
Twelve Delicious Pap Dishes: Choose your favourite one to take your braai to the next level!
New Years Eve
New Year’s Eve get-togethers are all about the tapas-style finger foods that are snacked on whilst sipping on a glass of bubbly and shaking your hips into the New Year! So if you are hosting the 2021 farewell party - you can’t go wrong with these dishes.
Pacific Half Shell Oysters: Find these fresh shellfish at The Point Mall’s Checkers. Serve over ice with salt, pepper, lemon and tabasco.
Vegetarian Spicy Cauliflower Bites: This light veggie alternative to buffalo wings is always a crowd favourite and is made of cauliflower in a crispy panko shell.
Chicken Brioche Pies: For the main event of the night’s menu, these golden pies consist of slow-cooked roasted chicken wrapped in Black Forest ham, encased in a brioche crust. Make sure to start preparing this one early, so your chicken falls off the bone - it is so worth it!
Fudgy Bean Brownies: Nothing says a dinner party like a sweet ending of chocolatey goodness. These smooth and velvety brownies use butter beans as the main ingredient, which give them a more decadent and fudgier consistency.
Prepare for this festive season in only one stop at Checkers in The Point Mall. The grocery store is one of the new FreshX stores which aim for the highest quality food shopping and tasting experience. So whatever you need (or don’t know you need yet) - you will find it at The Point Mall. Happy Holidays!