Low-FODMAP feasts for Christmas Day
There is no need to miss out on a Christmas Day feast just because you have a sensitive tummy. We’ve adapted some Christmas favourites to meet low FODMAP requirements. We can’t guarantee there won’t be any bulging waistlines, but it will be purely due to over-indulgence, rather than any IBS-related bloating.
Roast Turkey
Some of us want to keep Grandma happy and go for turkey and all the trimmings even if it is 40 degrees outside. This one is for you!
Unsurpringly, we head to the UK and Delia for inspiration on the turkey recipe, but we’ve tweaked the stuffing and swapped sprouts for green beans. You will be familiar with the roast potatoes. We have given a slight twist to the carrots.
The bean and carrot recipes are low in fomaps, but do have butter and oil. If too much fat (or Christmas stress) is a trigger for your gut-symptoms, just keep them plain and simple.
Ingredients:
Roast Turkey:
1 turkey - about 6kg
Butter
Streaky bacon
For the stuffing:
250 g of breadcrumbs (use Baker’s Delight low fodmap bread)*
1 cup of spring onion green tops - finely chopped
1 and 1/2 tablespoons each of sage, thyme and parsley – fresh and chopped if you have it or a teaspoon of each of them dried
500g minced pork
grated zest of a lemon
150g chopped nuts - macadamia, brazil, walnuts and pecans
1 tablespoon of cranberries
1 egg (may need one more depending on size).
½ cup of melted butter and ½ cup of olive oil
50ml of water
salt and pepper
* if you can’t find the bread, use a large grated carrot gently sweated in some of the olive oil
Method:
Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 7, 425°F (220°C). Ensure the turkey is at room temperature and also the stuffing. This can be made the night before by simply adding all the dry ingredient together, stirring and then mixing through the chopped herbs. Melt the butter and mix through the wet ingredients.
Delia recommends stuffing the bird. We’ve found that we can speed up overall cooking times by cooking the stuffing in a separate dish. The choice is yours (and may depend on oven space). Little stuffing rolls wrapped in streaky bacon are also a delicious option.
If you decide to stuff the turkey, start at the neck end and make a space between the skin and the breast with your hand then ease in the stuffing. Don’t over pack. Close the skin back and fix in place with a small skewer. The rest goes in the main cavity of the turkey. If you are cooking the stuffing separately, place a mix of soft butter and chopped herbs under the skin of the breasts.
Arrange two large sheets of foil across your baking tin – one widthways, the other lengthways. Lay the turkey on its back in the centre. Rub it with butter, then season with salt and pepper. Place rashers of bacon across the breast and legs.
Pull up the foil and crimp neatly to make a tent over the bird. Don’t wrap it tightly - you want the hot air to circulate around it.
Cook at the high starting heat for 40 mins. After that, lower the heat to gas mark 3, 325°F (170°C) and cook for a further 3 and 1/4 hours.
Then tear away the foil and remove the bacon to crisp up seperately.
Turn up the heat to gas mark 6, 400°F (200°C) and cook the turkey for a further 30-45 minutes, with lots of basting during this time.
Check the temperature to ensure it is done. The safest way is with a thermometer - it should be 74 °C. Alternatively, check the juices are running clear.
Allow to rest for 30 mins before carving. In the meantime, make the gravy and turn the heat up the oven for the roast potatoes.
Trimmings (serves 6)
Roast Potatoes
Ingredients:
1.5 kg of peeled potatoes (Royal Blue work well)
150g of extra virgin olive oil
Method:
Pre-heat the oil in a baking tray in an oven at gas mark 7, 425°F (220°C). Chop the potatoes into big even chunks and place in a pan. Pour over boiling water and parboil for 7 minutes. Drain the potatoes and let them steam dry for a couple of minutes. Return to the pan and replace the lid and hold it in place whilst you give the potatoes a really good shake to roughen them up.
Get your oven glove ready and remove the tray from the oven and place over a medium heat on the hob. Gently, add the potatoes. Tip the tray to allow you to spoon hot oil over all the potatoes then return them to the oven to roast for 45 to 55 minutes. Turn them half way through.
Serve immediately.
Gravy
Ingredients:
Juices from the turkey
4 cups of stock - we recommend using San Elk low fodmap stock powder to make the stock
Optional - swap one cup of stock for white wine
1 heaped tablespoon of corn flour
Method:
Tip all the fat and juices out of the foil and roasting tin into a pan.. Spoon off some of the fat from the juices. Make a paste with the cornflour and a little of the stock and add it to the juices. Gradually whisk in the stock. Let it reduce a little to thicken, and then season to taste with cracked pepper.
Glazed Baby Carrots
Ingredients:
50 ml of water
1 and 1/2 tablespoons of caster sugar or maple syrup
1 tablespoons of peeled and grated ginger
20g butter
zest and juice of half a lemon
450g well scrubbed baby carrots
1 tablespoon of chopped fresh mint
Method:
Steam the baby carrots for 5 mins.
Put the water, caster sugar (or maple syrup), grated zest and lemon juice, ginger, butter, salt and pepper in a saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer to dissolve the sugar and melt the butter then add the baby carrots and coat them in the sticky glaze.
Add the chopped mint and serve.
Sauteed Green Beans with Almonds
Ingredients:
450g green beans
55g flaked almons
3 tablespoons of olive oil (garlic infused if you have it)
Method:
Top and tail green beans and cut into 2.5cm pieces. Cook in boiling water for 2 mins then drain.
Heat the oil in frying pan. Fry almonds for a minute or two until golden. Stir in beans and cook gently until beans are tender.
Pavlova
We may have turned to the UK for the roast turkey, but we’re firmly back in Australia for a dessert.
There really is no better low-FODMAP dessert than simple meringue, freshly whipped low-lactose cream and your favourite low fodmap fruit.
We are not going to give you a meringue recipe, we are sure that you have your own. If you’re using lactose-free cream, then the real fodmap challenge becomes limiting the berries you pile on your plate. While I know it’s tempting to pile all of those lovely summer berries on top, it’s easy to fodmap stack if you do this. We’ve checked with Monash University to determine exactly how many berries you can have on top of your pav. So you don’t have to get out the scales, just remember this 4-3-2-1 guideline:
4 x blueberries (30g) +
3 x strawberries (39g) +
2 x raspberries (8g) +
1 x cherry (10g) OR 1 blackberry (4g) - but not 1 cherry + 1 blackberry so you’re just going to have to decide which one you really want!
Enjoy your Christmas!