Christmas table. Christmas recipes: holiday menu What to cook for Christmas

If you carefully study the entire history, customs and traditions of Christmas, you will find out that housewives prepared two tables for such a bright holiday. One for Christmas Eve - fast, and the other rich, but modest for Christmas morning. Today, many families are trying to adhere to Christian customs and are trying to figure out what to cook for Christmas.

Each Orthodox culture has its own Christmas dishes, which are prepared on the eve of the holiday and for Christmas itself. Unlike Catholics, Orthodox Christians have a less strict Christmas menu, but there are recipes for dishes that are definitely prepared for Christmas.

Kutia is a must-have Christmas dish. It is prepared not only for Christmas, but also for other major Christian holidays, because according to legend, such a dish will bring good luck, prosperity, fertility and prosperity to the house. And the richer the kutia, the more successful the coming year will be. Also, such a dish is a symbol of immortality and unity of the living and the dead.

Ingredients:

a glass of rice;
100 g poppy seeds;
100 g dried fruits (dried apricots, prunes);
50 g raisins;
200 g walnuts;
100 g candied fruits;
100 ml honey.

Preparation:

The first step is to put dried apricots, prunes and raisins in a bowl, pour hot water over the dried fruits and leave for 20 minutes. We also fill the poppy seeds with water, the liquid should be twice as much as the poppy seeds, and also leave for 20 minutes.

Next, take the nuts, grind half of them on a grater or blender, fry the other half in a dry frying pan and leave for decoration.
Then we thoroughly wash the rice grains, pour them into a saucepan, pour in twice as much water, cook for 20 minutes, then let the grains brew.

Afterwards, put the finished cereal in a deep plate, add nuts, add poppy seeds, raisins and chopped pieces of dried fruit, stir, pour over melted honey, decorate with nuts and candied fruits.

Kutia is considered the main Christmas dish; it begins and ends the meal. All family members and even animals should eat three spoons of kutya to protect themselves and loved ones from all misfortunes and diseases.

Uzvar is a traditional Christmas drink, which has a special meaning for believers. This drink is served on the table on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day along with kutya. It was also required to be placed near the icons on ears of wheat and straw, which only the owner of the house should bring.

Ingredients:

100 g dried apples;
100 g dried pears;
a handful of rose hips;
liter of water;
honey (sugar) to taste.

Preparation:

We rinse the dried fruits with water; if they are dry, then soak them in warm water for several minutes; if they are dried, then soaking is not necessary.

Place all the dried fruits in a saucepan, add boiling water and bring to a boil, then turn off the heat, cover the drink and leave until it cools completely.

Then strain the uzvar and sweeten it with honey or sugar.

Today there are different recipes for how to prepare uzvar for Christmas 2019. The main thing here is to create a unique taste of the drink and preserve most of the beneficial properties of dried fruits.

Pork leg jellied meat is a real Russian dish that is prepared for many holidays, but it can mainly be seen on the Christmas table.

Ingredients:

1 kg pork pulp;
4 pork legs;
bulb;
6 black peppercorns;
2 bay leaves;
salt.

Preparation:

We wash the pork legs well with water and be sure to scrape them with a knife. Now we make cuts, remove the keratinized part and make another cut along the leg.

We put the meat pieces into a pan, fill it with water and put it on the stove for 4 hours, do not forget to remove the foam after boiling.
We cut the pork pulp into large pieces and, together with the unpeeled onion and all the spices, send it to the pork legs, cook for another 2 hours.

Next, put the meat and legs in a bowl to cool, and strain the broth through a double layer of gauze.
We separate the meat into fibers and place it in molds, fill it with broth and, after cooling completely, send the dish to a cool place.
We decorate the frozen jellied meat as desired and serve it to the Christmas table.

What to cook for Christmas on January 7th, of course, fish. But don’t forget that all dishes should be modest, which means no trout or salmon, but we take delicious crucian carp.

Ingredients:

crucian carp (total weight 1 kg);
bulb;
5-6 tbsp. spoons of flour;
curry, garlic, nutmeg, salt;
oil for frying.

Preparation:

First, we clean the crucian carp from scales, gut it, and be sure to cut out the gills. If the gall bladder was accidentally damaged during cleaning, then quickly rinse the carcass with water and rub the dirty area with salt.
Now on the prepared carcasses we make cuts every 10 mm, you can even reduce the distance by half. This is necessary so that small bones cannot spoil the meal. We make cuts on both sides.
Next, rub the crucian carcasses inside and out with salt and leave for 5 minutes.
Pour flour and any seasonings as desired into a wide plate, mix, bread the carcasses and place in well-heated oil.

Fry until golden; it’s better not to cover the fish with a lid, otherwise you won’t get a crispy crust, but if you don’t want to get a steamed dish.
We first place the finished crucian carp on a napkin, then transfer it to a dish, flavor it with lemon juice, decorate it with slices, as well as herbs, vegetables and serve.

A very tasty and easy-to-prepare dish of marinated mushrooms and cream cheese, ideal for the Christmas table.

Ingredients:

400 g fresh champignons;
onion (optional).

For the marinade:

500 ml water;
150 ml vinegar (6%);
15 g salt;
30 g granulated sugar;
Bay leaf;
2 clove buds;
5 black peppercorns.

For filling:

100 g cream cheese;
a clove of garlic;
a little hot pepper;
parsley.

Preparation:

We wash the mushrooms, dry them, cut off the stems and remove the fringe from the caps.
Chop the onion into half rings, finely chop the parsley, and pass a slice of the spicy vegetable through a press.
Place a saucepan with water on the fire, bring the liquid to a boil, then add sweet and salty granules along with all the spices, mix and add mushrooms, cook for 7 minutes after boiling again.
Then add the onion, add vinegar, bring to a boil again and cook for 7 minutes.
Then turn off the heat, leave the champignons to cool directly in the marinade, and then put the mushrooms on a sieve so that all the liquid drains from them.
For the filling, mix cream cheese with garlic, parsley and hot pepper.
Using a spoon or pastry bag, stuff the mushrooms and place them on a plate along with the onions and herbs.

You should definitely prepare a meat dish for Christmas, but you don’t need to choose expensive veal or lamb, but rather take pork. After all, what could be tastier than tender and appetizing roast pork with onions.

Ingredients:

500 g pork tenderloin;
bulb;
4-5 cloves of garlic;
salt and pepper to taste;
vegetable oil.

Preparation:

Cut the prepared meat into small pieces and brown in a frying pan with butter.

Then add the chopped onion, add a little salt, fry and transfer to a saucepan with a thick bottom.

Pour in water and simmer for 40 minutes, then add finely chopped garlic and pepper, simmer for another 10 minutes.
Sprinkle the finished roast with herbs and serve it to the festive table with any side dish.

Jellied pike perch - the best find for the Christmas menu

You can prepare a variety of snacks for Christmas, but the real decoration of the table will be pike perch aspic, which can be prepared with the addition of bright boiled carrots, canned peas and herbs.

Jellied pike perch - the best find for the Christmas menu

Ingredients:

pike perch (weighing 500 g);
1 carrot;
1 onion;
Art. spoon of gelatin;
Bay leaf;
parsley;
salt.

Preparation:

Pour gelatin into a bowl, pour a glass of warm water, stir and leave for 25 minutes.

Pour a liter of water into the pan, boil and add pieces of pike perch along with carrots, onions, salt and bay leaves, cook for 15 minutes.

We take out the finished pike perch, cool it and break it into small pieces.
We cut off several circles from the carrots, cut out triangles at the edges to make flowers and place them on the bottom of the container in which the aspic will harden.

Next, lay out the parsley leaves, put in a few pieces of pike perch, pour in a little gelatin and put in the freezer for 10 minutes.

Lay out the remaining carrots, alternating them with pieces of fish.
We send the gelatin into the strained broth and pour it into the container in a thin stream, lay parsley leaves on top and let the aspic set for at least 4 hours.

Then we take the container out of the cold, lower it into hot water for 40 seconds and turn the aspic onto a flat dish, decorate with sprigs of herbs and serve.

When you don’t know what to cook for Christmas 2019, baked chicken with brisket may be a good choice. The chicken can be baked as a whole carcass or individual parts of the carcass can be used.

Ingredients:

5 chicken thighs;
50 g brisket;
5 cherry tomatoes;
100 g hard cheese;
greens, mayonnaise;
mustard;
seasonings;
a quarter of sweet pepper.

Preparation:

Place the prepared chicken thighs in a bowl, add salt and pepper, add mayonnaise and a little mustard, mix and marinate the meat for 40 minutes.

Cut the brisket into small pieces, cut the cherry tomatoes in half, chop the greens and bell peppers, grate the cheese.
Place the thighs on a baking sheet, lay out the cherry halves on top, then place the brisket, grease it with mustard, pepper and sprinkle with cheese along with herbs.

Bake the dish for 45-50 minutes and serve with boiled potatoes.

Stuffed cabbage rolls are also considered a Christmas dish. On Christmas Eve they prepare lean cabbage rolls, and on Christmas Day they prepare more filling ones - with meat.

Ingredients:

500 g minced meat (pork + beef);
large cabbage;
0.5 cups rice;
small carrots;
large onion;
2 cloves of garlic;
3 tomatoes;
fresh herbs;
oil, salt, pepper.

For the sauce:

2 tbsp. spoons of tomato paste;
4 tbsp. spoons of sour cream;
400 ml water;
salt to taste.

Preparation:

We take a head of cabbage, remove the top leaves and make deep cuts around the stalk, put it on a knife or fork and lower it into a pan of boiling salted water.

Gradually, the leaves will separate from the head of cabbage and as soon as there are 3 leaves in the pan, take out the forks, cook the leaves for 2 minutes, then take them out with a slotted spoon, return the head of cabbage and repeat the steps until the required number of cabbage leaves are separated.
For the filling, sauté finely chopped onion in a frying pan until soft, then add grated carrots and fry the vegetables for 3 minutes.

We put fried vegetables into the minced meat, and also add pressed cloves of garlic, chopped herbs, pre-boiled rice and tomato pulp, mix, add salt and pepper to the filling.

Now take a cabbage leaf, cut out the stem, lay out 3 tablespoons of the filling and wrap the leaf in an envelope. To do this, first cover the filling with the bottom edge, then fold in the sides and fold in the top edge.

Afterwards, fry the envelopes with filling on both sides, pour in the sauce of sour cream, tomato paste and water, add a little salt and simmer the cabbage rolls for 40 minutes.

Place the finished cabbage rolls on a serving plate, pour over the sauce and sprinkle with herbs.

Interesting! Desserts for the New Year 2019: what to cook new and interesting in the Year of the Pig (recipes)

Zavivanets is a Ukrainian dish that is prepared specifically for Christmas. In essence, such pastries are a roll of yeast or puff pastry filled with various ingredients. So, step by step, you can bake a zavivanets with vegetables, meat or fruits, for example, apples, for Christmas.

Ingredients for the dough:

500 g flour;
2 chicken eggs;
125 ml milk;
125 ml water;
7 g dry yeast;
30 g butter;
20 ml vegetable oil;
70 g granulated sugar;
teaspoon salt.

For filling:

7 apples;
100 g butter;
100 g granulated sugar;
10 g starch;
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon.

Preparation:

Take the eggs, separate one yolk, and pour the rest into a bowl. Pour a spoonful of milk into the yolk, stir and leave aside for now.
Melt the butter, stir granulated sugar and salt in warm water.
Sift the flour into a bowl, pour in the dry yeast, pour in sweet water, eggs, milk and melted butter, start kneading the yeast dough, and add vegetable oil while kneading.

Afterwards, cover the base for the curl and leave for 1.5 hours.

Peel the apples and remove seeds, cut them into cubes and pour them into a frying pan with a melted piece of butter, simmer for 2 minutes, then sprinkle the fruit with granulated sugar, mix and simmer the apples for another 5 minutes.

Then pour in the cinnamon and pour in the starch diluted in water; as soon as the filling thickens, remove it from the heat.

Roll out the dough into a layer, put the filling on the edge, grease the rest of the space with butter and sprinkle with granulated sugar, wrap it in a roll, transfer it to a baking sheet with parchment, connect the roll into a ring, cover and leave for 30 minutes.

Afterwards, grease the ring with yolk, sprinkle with almond petals and put in the oven for 30-40 minutes (temperature 180°C).
Sprinkle the finished curl with apples with powdered sugar and serve.

Christmas is a wonderful family holiday; everyone tries to spend this day with their family, even if relatives meet extremely rarely. Every housewife strives to prepare holiday dishes to heartily treat and delight her guests. Before telling in detail what Christmas dishes should be and how to prepare them correctly, let’s dive into the traditions of this wonderful holiday.

Traditions and customs

Almost everyone knows that all dishes must be prepared in advance, namely on January 6th. It is also customary to prepare 12 dishes for Christmas, which symbolizes the number of apostles. One of the most important church holidays is associated with many customs and traditions. Firstly, on Holy Evening you need to wait for a new Christmas star, especially kids are very happy about this tradition, it’s so nice to watch how they wait with bated breath until the star lights up in the sky. It is after the first star that one is allowed to sit at the festive table.

The table also needs to be decorated, traditionally a large white tablecloth is laid out and hay is placed under the plates, which speaks of the birth of Christ in a manger. And in the center of the table, you must place a candle in a saucer with grain, pray and thank God for the holiday treats, for the fact that the whole family has gathered together.

So what kind of Christmas menu should you create to comply with all the traditions of this great Christian holiday? On Holy Evening itself, i.e. January 6, only Lenten Christmas dishes are served: for example, uzvar, jelly, Christmas kutia, vinaigrette, Lenten borscht, garlic donuts, vegetable stew, etc. On January 7, you can prepare savory dishes; the most popular are meat and fish dishes: jellied meat, baked goose, stewed pork, fried fish, hare stewed in sour cream. You can cook a huge number of varieties of meat and fish, limited only by the imagination and skill of the housewife.

Also on the festive table there must be baked goods, most often these are various pies and pies with fillings; it is also customary to prepare pancakes and casseroles; among fillings, preference is given to meat and fish. A traditional version of Christmas baking is cookies, for which the following shapes are used: stars, hearts, flowers, and the finished products are covered with sweet glaze.

Along with sweets, nuts, dried fruits, and berries are usually served.

Now let's talk in detail about the menu for Christmas and Holy Evening.

Cooking for Holy Evening

Do not forget that there should be exactly 12 dishes on Holy Evening, and all of them will be fast. It would seem, what kind of Lenten holiday dishes can be prepared, because all food should not contain animal fat, you cannot use sour cream, mayonnaise, eggs, cheese - everything from which any holiday dishes are traditionally prepared. But, if you look, there are a large number of options for what can be prepared on Holy Evening. Here are some recipes:

1. Christmas kutia.

What should the Christmas version of kutia be like? There are two types of this dish: wheat and rice kutia. Let's look at both recipes.

Wheat kutia. Main ingredients:

0.5 kg. wheat;
3-4 tbsp. honey;
200 gr. walnuts;
200 gr. raisins;
0.5 cups of poppy seeds and powdered sugar.

First you need to prepare the wheat cereal; to do this, boil it and cool it. Next, you need to crush the poppy seeds and boil them in sweet water. Add raisins, honey and chopped walnuts to the cooled wheat cereal. Add boiled poppy seeds to the finished mixture, mix thoroughly, sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.

Rice Christmas kutia. Main ingredients:

200 gr. rice;
100 gr. raisins;
a couple tbsp. honey

To prepare this version of kutia, you need to rinse the rice thoroughly until the water becomes completely clear, then add 1.5 glasses of water and cook. The basic rule for cooking rice is: 3 minutes on high heat, 6 on medium heat, 3 on low heat, 12 on low heat and cover with a lid.

Separately, you need to boil the raisins, dilute the honey a little with water, and mix all the ingredients. As you can see, preparing kutia is very quick and easy.

2. Vinaigrette is the most popular Lenten salad in our country; Russian people simply adore this simple dish. It’s easy and quick to prepare; even the youngest and most inexperienced housewife can handle it. Traditionally, boiled potatoes, carrots and beets, sauerkraut, green peas, and pickled cucumbers are used for vinaigrette. The ingredients are cut into cubes and mixed. The salad is seasoned with vegetable oil, salt and spices are added to taste.

Don’t let this unusual old Russian name scare you, because this is a simple dried fruit compote. It is usually prepared from dried apples, pears, plums, cherries, etc. To make the compote more rich, boil it in the morning and let it brew until the evening, adding sugar to taste.

4. Lenten borscht.

Borsch without rich meat broth and fatty sour cream is no less tasty; it is usually stewed with a dressing of carrots and chopped onions. Tomato paste, sauerkraut or wild mushrooms are added; with such ingredients this first dish will acquire a unique and rich taste. You can prepare lean borscht in the morning so that it is better infused in the evening.

5. Dumplings with garlic and onion gravy.

Traditionally, for Lenten borscht it is necessary to prepare small donuts from unleavened yeast dough, and to make them even tastier, they serve garlic and onion gravy, which not only decorates the taste of the dish, but strengthens the immune system in winter. For those who don't like spicy food, you can do without gravy.

6. Baked apples.

For Lenten desserts, you can make baked apples with honey and walnuts. For this dish you will need:

apples according to the number of guests;
chopped walnuts;
cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg.

It is very easy to prepare such a dessert; first you need to thoroughly wash the apples, cut off the caps from them, and remove the core and seeds. Mix honey, nuts and spices, stuff them into apples, and cover with a cut cap on top. Place the apples in a deep baking tray, add a little water and bake at 180 degrees.

To prevent the apples from drying out, they must be periodically watered with the juice formed from baking.

As soon as the apples become soft, the dish is ready.

Here are some simple and quick recipes to prepare for Holy Evening. Now let's look at what to serve on the table on Christmas.

Christmas Recipes

What is customary to cook for the holiday? 12 dishes for Christmas are the same tradition as for Holy Evening, only they can be modest; usually the choice is given to meat and fish dishes, and sweet flour desserts. Let's look at a few recipes.

1. Christmas goose.

This is one of the most delicious and popular Christmas dishes; it is traditionally prepared in all families. For the festive goose with apples you will need the following ingredients:

goose carcass;
about 1 kg. apples (preferably Antonovka);
50 gr. butter;
2 tbsp. sour cream;
dried cilantro seeds, ground into powder;
salt and spices to taste.

To cook a goose, first you need to thoroughly wash the bird, rub it inside and out with cilantro, salt and other spices. Also coat the top with sour cream, and place finely chopped apples and a piece of butter inside. Sew up the goose's belly with thread, pour a little water into a baking tray, and bake the dish at a temperature of 200 degrees until golden brown.

2. Curd cookies.

All children simply love Christmas cookies covered with sweet icing. The following ingredients are needed:

150 gr. butter;
200-250 gr. cottage cheese 9% fat;
250 gr. flour;
0.5 stack. granulated sugar.

The cooled butter must be ground with cottage cheese and sugar. Add flour and knead the dough. Next, wrap the dough in film and place in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees, while the oven is heating up, you need to roll out the cold dough thinly and cut out various shapes with molds. Line a baking tray with baking paper and place cookies on it. The dessert is baked for about 15 minutes.

Ready-made cookies can be decorated with icing, sprinkled with powdered sugar or cinnamon.

We tried to select for you the simplest and most delicious recipes that can be easily prepared for Holy Evening and Christmas. These dishes will definitely please your family and friends.

The date of the birth of Christ is determined to be December 25 for Catholics and Protestants and January 7 for Orthodox Christians. In Europe and the United States, Christmas is mainly celebrated on the night of December 25, but the traditions of the holiday table are very different all over the world. Christmas is the most family holiday; it is not customary to invite friends to Christmas dinner. Christmas dishes can be very different, the traditions of different countries in this regard have a huge variety, but there must be one central dish (goose, turkey, duck, chicken, fish, baked whole, bigos - for Catholics; kutia - for Orthodox) - a symbol unity of all those gathered at the festive table. Catholics do not fast before Christmas, unlike Orthodox Christians, so they can immediately afford to taste hearty, fatty meat dishes.

From time immemorial, residents have served plum porridge oatmeal, cooked in meat broth, on the table for Christmas. Bread crumbs, raisins, almonds, prunes, honey were added to it and served very hot. By the beginning of the 3rd century. porridge was transformed into “plum pudding” - one of the main dishes of the Christmas table (does this remind you of Russian kutya?). It is also called pudding on fire - before serving the pudding, it is doused with cognac and set on fire.

Traditional dishes for Christmas include roasted or stuffed turkey, roast goose in Scotland, and smoked goose in Ireland and Wales. Only men cut up the Christmas game and put it into portions.

Traditional dishes for Christmas include blood sausages, roast goose or turkey, baked pig's head, peas, beans, lentils, nuts, chestnuts, milk cakes, and sweets. A traditional French Christmas delicacy is foie gras.

On Christmas Eve there should be seven dishes on the table: lentils, white beans, chickpeas, beans with honey, cabbage, rice cooked in almond milk, and pasta with sardines in walnut sauce. In other places there should be nine such dishes. The custom on Christmas Eve is to serve eels or cod dishes, oysters and other seafood, as well as various shellfish mixed with traditional spaghetti for dinner. At Christmas dinner, it is traditional to eat a blessed goose.

This is a roast goose and a pie with nuts, marzipan and raisins. They bake pretzels and shaped cookies.

Traditionally, at Christmas dinner they eat national noodle soup, and for the main course they eat carp baked with caraway seeds.

on Christmas Eve they prepare almond soup, honey-nut halva, rice porridge, ritual cookies and sweets, and on Christmas Day they prepare hearty meat dishes: pork, ham, capon, as well as ritual boiled chestnuts and porridge.

The customs of the Christmas, New Year and Epiphany tables have a lot in common: in the evening they eat Christmas ham, porridge, fish and special bread and butter. Decoration of the Christmas table - boiled stuffed tongue and fried pig's head. For dinner - roast goose with apples and plums, roast pork, stewed potatoes, zucchini, apple pies, nuts, fruit. The New Year's table is complemented with cold appetizers - salmon, herring salad, cheese. A traditional and special dish of dried and jelly-soaked cod and rice pudding.

During the winter holidays, the table usually includes a stew of pork, beef and blood sausage, boiled dried cod with potatoes, barley or rice porridge with milk, baked rutabaga and, of course, mashed potatoes baked with melted pork fat.

For Christmas dinner, duck with apples is a must; an indispensable drink, in addition to champagne, is “gleg” (a mixture of cinnamon, cloves, wine, diluted with water).

On any holiday table - traditional salmon and roast.

At Christmas, pies are baked with porcelain dolls, rings, coins, red pepper pods and other surprises baked into them. Rings and coins, according to popular belief, will bring prosperity.

They also bake pies with surprises - banitsa. Dogwood buds, a dogwood sprig and a coin are baked into the pie. Whoever gets one kidney will be healthy all year, two kidneys mean happiness, three means a new family, four means good study, and whoever gets a coin will get rich this year.

Cookies, waffles, cakes, and special types of bread are popular everywhere at Christmas. Drink hot tea with milk, sugar and cinnamon, cloves, lemon powder, saffron or nutmeg.

Winter holidays for the peoples of Europe end on January 6th. At the end of this day, a baked bean pie is baked and a "bean king" is chosen.

The main dishes of Christmas differ depending on the ethnicity of the family - this includes stuffed turkey, baked whole, or other poultry, beef, ham, pork, fried vegetables. Desserts include pumpkin pie, plum pudding or Christmas pudding, marzipan, sugar cookies, muffins, apple pie, carrot cake, Buc de Noel, and other pies.

On January 7, meat dishes are prepared: baked goose, various rolls, aspic dishes. They put liqueurs, liqueurs, and wine on the table, but on Christmas Eve alcohol is not allowed under any circumstances. Christmas Eve is the evening meal on the eve of Christmas. According to tradition, this is the first meal that ends the pre-Christmas fast. The whole family should sit down at the table, festively dressed, with the appearance of the first star, in memory of the Star of Bethlehem, which announced the birth of Christ. For Orthodox Christians, the meal begins with eating kutya. Then appetizers are served - vinaigrettes, fish and salads. Then - red borscht, mushroom or fish soups, the constant companions of which are snack pastries - sochni. At the end of the meal, sweet poppy seed rolls, honey gingerbread with jelly or dried fruit compote are served. According to tradition, everyone sitting at the table must taste at least a spoonful of all prepared dishes.

The traditional colors of the Christmas table are red, green and gold. Mandatory decorations are fir branches and candles.

Merry Christmas!

Hello dear readers. Christmas is no less important a holiday than New Year, although many today completely forget about it. On this day we celebrate the birth of Christ, which means that the celebration must take place according to all the rules. Many of us, while celebrating Christmas, completely forget about the true meaning of this holiday. It is for these reasons that we believe that any dishes can be prepared for the holiday table. Although in fact there is a list of certain dishes that would be appropriate for a holiday meal. This holiday involves preparing exclusively Lenten dishes, so you will have to give up some of the usual delicacies. At Christmas, the whole family gathers together at one table, so it is necessary to prepare a sufficient number of festive dishes.

There are a huge number of similar dishes, but for celebrating Christmas you should choose the most suitable ones.

Of course, today not everyone adheres to fasting, but still some lenten dishes are traditional today and are served at the Christmas table.

What dishes are prepared for Christmas? What to cook for Holy Evening

If for the New Year we can prepare absolutely any dishes, then for Christmas we need to prepare a somewhat restrained menu. Ideally, all dishes should be lean, which means they should not contain meat, milk or eggs.

Now, many do not follow this important rule when preparing various meat delicacies.

But if you are used to sticking to traditions, then during the celebration you will have to give up your usual meat treats. Therefore, you should prepare traditional dishes for Christmas.

The main dish that everyone is used to preparing on this important day is kutia. Traditional kutia is made from boiled wheat, which is supplemented with liquid honey. In this case, it acts as a symbol of fertility and prosperity.

Today, boiled rice, which is also served with a small amount of honey, is becoming a popular substitute for wheat. Each family prepares kutya according to its own special recipe, so today there are a huge number of variations of this traditional dish.

Dinner is prepared the day before Christmas, and the hostess must be in a good mood during preparation. At this time, we need to forget about all existing problems, because our mood can affect not only the preparation of dishes, but also the general festive atmosphere.

The festive table should consist of 12 traditional Lenten dishes, personifying all the apostles. Therefore, it is necessary to think through the holiday menu in advance, which will contain only lean dishes. Also, let me remind you that it is better to celebrate Holy Evening with close people.

An obligatory dish is kutia, which is ceremoniously placed on the family table, giving the owner of the house the right to be the first to try this delicacy. Only after this can the rest of the family taste the kutya, scooping it up with a spoon.

And now it’s time to get acquainted with the rest of the festive dishes that will be present on the Christmas table.

12 dishes for Christmas - recipes

Nowadays, not many people would agree to give up a baked bird or meat pie. In this regard, a festive menu was compiled, consisting of meat dishes, without which the celebration would hardly be considered successful. Although many still fast without experiencing any discomfort.

We will look at a modern version of the Christmas menu, which consists of a wide variety of dishes prepared according to a special recipe.

1. Kutya

If earlier this dish was prepared exclusively from wheat grains and honey, today there are a huge number of options for its preparation, which differ in the variety of ingredients.

Today, in addition to wheat, rice is also used, which is supplemented with raisins and walnuts.

We will consider the next version of kutya, for the preparation of which we will need the following ingredients.

Ingredients:

- a glass of rice and wheat grains;

- a glass of raisins;

- 100 g honey;

- sugar and salt to taste.

Preparation

The cooking process takes a small amount of time, so this dish will please any housewife.

First of all, you need to boil the rice in lightly salted water, then transfer it to a colander and rinse under running water. Place the washed rice in a separate bowl, where we mix it with honey and sugar. We thoroughly wash the raisins, then pour boiling water over them so that they gain moisture.

Add softened raisins to the rice and mix thoroughly. Actually, the dish is ready, which means it can already be served.

2. Pie with cabbage and mushrooms

This dish is considered lean, because mushrooms are used as a meat substitute. This option is perfect for those people who still adhere to fasting during these holidays.

That is, there may be meat dishes on the table, but it is always important to provide a choice to guests who can follow the good old traditions.

Preparing such a pie will not take too much time, because we will use ready-made dough for its base.

Let's take a look at the list of products that will need to be prepared to prepare such a pie.

Ingredients:

- half a kilogram of puff pastry;

- 200 g champignons;

- 100 g hard cheese;

- half of white cabbage;

- a third of a glass of milk;

- 20 g butter;

- two medium-sized potatoes;

- two tablespoons of vegetable oil;

- a mixture of dried herbs, salt, pepper.

Preparation

Despite the fact that this is a pie, it does not take long to prepare. At least most of the time will be spent baking the pie itself. But first of all, you need to try to chop the cabbage as finely as possible, adding a little salt and pepper.

A small amount of vegetable oil is added to a heated frying pan, in which we will fry our cabbage until fully cooked. Cut the mushrooms into small slices and fry in a separate frying pan along with the basil. The frying process will take at least 10 minutes, and the prepared mixture should be poured with soy sauce.

Next, we begin to prepare the potatoes, which need to be boiled until fully cooked and the prepared butter and milk added to it. Essentially, we are preparing a puree that will become part of the filling. Mix the mushrooms with cabbage and cheese, then add the prepared puree.

Preheat the oven to 210 degrees, into which we place two layers of puff pastry. After just 15 minutes, the cakes will be completely ready, after which they will need a little time to cool completely.

After the cakes have cooled, distribute all the prepared filling onto one of them, and cover with the second cake on top. Sprinkle grated cheese on top of the pie and place in the oven for another five minutes until the cheese is completely melted.

3. Compote with dried fruits

Since at this time of year it will be problematic to prepare compote from fresh fruits, dried fruits come to our aid, which will be an ideal basis for uzvar.

You can use not only dried fruits, but also various spices that will give the drink a special piquancy.

In order to prepare such an uzvar, we will need:

- two liters of purified water;

- half a kilogram of various dried fruits;

- 3 tablespoons of sugar;

- a tablespoon of honey.

Preparation

First, let's start with our dried fruits, which will include: pear, apple, cherry and apricot. You can choose the ideal combination of fruits for yourself, that is, you don’t have to use them all.

We wash the dried fruits and leave them in warm water so that they have time to soften. Boil water for the compote and add the prescribed amount of sugar, after which we place the fruit in the syrup.

Boil the compote for about half an hour, after which we give it a little time to cool. Add a spoonful of honey to the warm drink.

4. Easy baking

No holiday table is complete without baking, but more often than not, we make do with the store-bought version. For such a holiday, you can take the time to bake delicious homemade pies yourself.

For this we need the following products:

- half a kilogram of apples;

- 500 g flour;

- 60 g margarine;

- 1 pack of yeast;

- one glass of milk;

- three tablespoons of sugar;

- 2 teaspoons sunflower oil;

Preparation

It is necessary to dissolve the yeast in milk, adding a teaspoon of sugar. Beat the eggs together with melted margarine and sugar.

Pour a few tablespoons of vegetable oil into the mixture, and begin to gradually introduce the prescribed amount of flour. Gradually knead the dough, after which we leave it for about an hour so that it has time to rise.

Peel the apples and cut them into small cubes, which will need to be fried in a frying pan, adding a small amount of sugar. Next, we form the pies themselves by placing an equal amount of filling into the dough.

The pies will be ready 15 minutes after they are placed in the oven, and the oven should be preheated to 200 degrees.

5. Salad “Poloninsky”

This salad is a meatless dish, so it will please everyone. In addition, it is quite simple to prepare, which will not take you too much time.

For preparation you will need the following ingredients:

- two small beets of the same size;

- about a dozen walnuts;

- one onion;

— 300 frozen mushrooms;

- a few cloves of garlic;

- a teaspoon of vinegar;

- about five tablespoons of vegetable oil.

Preparation

The beets are baked in the oven for about an hour, after which they are peeled and cut into strips. Add a little vinegar to it.

Grind the garlic and nuts using a meat grinder. Mix all ingredients and season with vegetable oil.

6. Vinaigrette

This salad is familiar to everyone, because it is prepared from the simplest vegetables, which are first boiled until fully cooked, peeled and cut into cubes.

To prepare, we need potatoes, beets, carrots, pickled cucumbers and beans.

All these ingredients are thoroughly mixed, and the salad is complemented with vegetable oil and fresh onions.

7. Dumplings with potatoes

For dumplings, prepare ordinary yeast-free dough from wheat flour. The filling can be boiled potatoes with the addition of fried mushrooms and onions. Both wild and porcini mushrooms can be used.

8. Stuffed cabbage rolls

Ordinary cabbage rolls are prepared with meat, but if you are fasting, then this ingredient can be replaced, for example, with the same mushrooms. Most often, rice is used for the filling, but you can also replace it with millet.

The Lenten version, consisting of mushrooms and millet, is complemented by stewed carrots, onions and tomatoes. The further course of action is probably known to everyone.

9. Pickles

We need to create an interesting mixture of sauerkraut, tomatoes and frozen cranberries.

This light, slightly spicy salad will please absolutely everyone, and at the same time, it will serve as an ideal snack.

Cranberries and cabbage are a rather unusual combination, but the taste is quite interesting.

10. Vegetable stew

To prepare such a lean dish you will need carrots, celery, onions and parsnips. If this combination of vegetables seems boring to you, then you can supplement it with the same mushrooms. They will give the dish a special taste and aroma.

By the way, it is best to use dried mushrooms, because only they can make vegetable stew so fragrant.

11. Cabbage

The classic version of this dish involves the use of meat broth, but if we are fasting, then it should be cooked in water.

To prepare cabbage we need sauerkraut or raw cabbage, to which millet is added. You can add potatoes or parsnips to the resulting mixture; the choice is yours.

The carrots are grated and then fried along with the onions in vegetable oil. Boil the dish until fully cooked.

12. Baked apples with honey and nuts

To prepare such a festive dessert, you will only need sweet varieties of apples. The secret to cooking apples evenly is to first pierce them with a fork all over the surface.

Remove the core from each apple and place inside each apple a teaspoon of honey and walnuts, which must be chopped in advance. Sprinkle sugar mixed with cinnamon on top of the apples and place in the oven.

Please note that a small amount of water must be poured into the bottom of the mold to prevent the fruit from burning.

Lenten dishes for Christmas

Each of the proposed recipes has several cooking variations. In fact, even from an ordinary dish containing meat, you can prepare a lean version by replacing the meat with another ingredient of similar calorie content.

Traditional delicious dishes for Christmas are rich in a fairly large number of different vegetables, which makes them lean. If you are not used to fasting, then you can prepare classic versions of such dishes.

Each of us wants to spend Christmas at the festive table, enjoying delicious homemade dishes. Some strictly adhere to fasting, while others do not deny themselves anything even on such a day.

But both have their own ideal menu, the dishes of which may vary depending on the ingredients used.

Prepare 12 dishes for Christmas that will decorate your table and delight not only you, but also your guests. I hope you liked the recipes!

Useful tips

A bright holiday is approaching - Christmas.

This means that Orthodox people are running out of fasting time, and caring housewives are in turmoil looking for recipes to surprise their dear guests on the holy Christmas evening.

Read also:How to make your wish come true (and not just at Christmas)

12 dishes for Christmas

It is believed that there must certainly be 12 dishes on the festive table, symbolizing the 12 apostles.

Kutya (sochivo)

The word Christmas Eve or Sochevnik comes from sochivo, which means grains of wheat. However, it can be lentils, peas and barley prepared in a special way.

Sochivo is traditionally eaten after a church service on Christmas Eve, ending a forty-day fast with this dish. Sometimes it is called "kutya".

Kutia is, without exaggeration, the main dish and symbol of Orthodox Christmas. This is where dinner begins on the eve of Christmas.

This dish, in addition to wheat grains, usually includes poppy seeds, symbolizing martyrdom, and honey, which is a symbol of purity and innocence.

In addition, kutya also means unity with God and the world of the dead. For this reason, the dish is also reserved at night for the souls of departed relatives and friends.

So, kutia is a dish made from wheat and other grains or legumes (such as rice, barley or beans), sweetened with honey. To improve the taste, raisins, dried apricots and other dried fruits are also added to kutya.

Kutya is eaten from a common dish. This process seems to symbolize unity, and in some families a spoon of kutya is thrown to the ceiling. If it sticks, you can expect a bountiful harvest of honey in the coming year.

Mushrooms

In the countries of the former Soviet Union, where picking mushrooms, drying them and pickling them is a national pastime, special attention is paid to mushroom dishes. Mushrooms at Christmas are one of the 12 main holiday dishes.

This can be either mushroom soup, or simply pickled mushrooms, which must be seasoned with vegetable oil. To emphasize the taste of the product, as a rule, housewives prefer sunflower oil.

Mushrooms symbolize the two essences and lives of Jesus Christ: divine (cap) and earthly (leg).

Borsch

Some families choose borscht made from sauerkraut, vegetarian borscht, or vegetarian solyanka, to which they add something like dumplings with mushroom, potato or cabbage filling instead of meat.

The dough for these dumplings is also prepared with a small amount of vegetable oil.

Borscht is a symbol of the triumph of good over evil. It is believed that the housewife prepares Lenten borscht from all the ingredients that the earth gives her. This means that everything that our land is rich in should be present on the festive table.

Some read that red borscht also symbolizes the blood of the children of Bethlehem, who were exterminated by order of King Herod.

What dishes are prepared for Christmas?

Kapustnyak

Another main dish that should definitely be present on the festive table is cabbage.

Cabbage symbolizes simplicity and at the same time strength, strength, unity, cohesion, which has one single basis - the Almighty.

Fish

Not all Orthodox Christians eat fish and eggs during Lent. However, when fasting ends, fish dishes are an obligatory part of the festive table.

So, the central place in the fish list is occupied by pike perch, cod, carp, eel, salmon and salmon. By the way, the most diligent housewives bake kulebyaka with fish filling. Eggs, dill and rice are also added to the kulebyaka.

In addition, fish snacks are welcome on the table. This could be herring and other salted fish.

Stuffed cabbage rolls

Stuffed cabbage rolls are one of the main dishes of the Christmas meal. When preparing this dish, housewives use their imagination: some prepare cabbage rolls from sauerkraut leaves, but there are also those who prefer to use grape leaves.

As a rule, sour cream is served with cabbage rolls.

The name of this dish already contains the main word. In many cultures, the dove is a symbol of the Holy Spirit, a messenger of God and signifies beauty and strength.

Vareniki

Dumplings are a symbol of wealth and prosperity.

The hostess chooses the filling for this dish based on the taste preferences of her household and guests. It could be potatoes, mushrooms, sauerkraut, cherries.

Please note that the dough for dumplings is prepared according to a special recipe using exclusively lean sunflower oil. And making dumplings is actually a real art.

Russian dishes for Christmas

Pies

Well, what would a feast be without your favorite pies?

Every good housewife has her own original recipe for making pies. The filling here can also be absolutely anything: from potatoes and peas to mushrooms or cabbage.

By the way, the pies symbolize longevity, health and happiness that a person receives from communicating with the newborn Son of God - Jesus Christ.

What to cook for Christmas

Peas

Pea dishes are a symbol of God's spring. Peas also symbolize the unity of the human race, so this dish must be included in the Christmas dinner.

Dishes for Orthodox Christmas

Beans, vegetables

Beans and boiled or stewed vegetables should also be present on the table. The beans need to be simmered slowly for several hours the day before.

Then it can be seasoned with fried onions and sunflower oil. Stewed vegetables are also a welcome dish and an essential element of Christmas dinner.

Beans, other legumes and vegetables take center stage on the table and symbolize wealth and prosperity in the coming year.

Christmas goose in the oven

Goose baked in apples or oranges

Well, where would we be without a Christmas goose?

Just as turkey plays an important role in Western culture, so in Orthodox culture the goose takes its place of honor, displacing other types of meat from the festive table.

As a rule, housewives bake goose in apples or oranges. But here it already depends on the desires of the household and on the imagination of the housewife.

However, of course, goose or other poultry is cooked and eaten by those who do not fast.

As an example, take into account the following recipe for cooking goose in white sauce:

Trim any excess fat from the goose, then steam it in a saucepan. Rinse the bird thoroughly, then portion it into desired portion sizes, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and fry in melted fat.

Fry the goose until golden brown, then remove from the pan and add finely chopped onion. Add a spoonful of flour and fry this mixture for a few minutes, then add a couple of spoons of sour cream to it. Pass the sauce through a sieve, pour it over the bird and bake at low temperature until the meat is cooked.

Desserts for Christmas

Dessert and uzvar

Dessert on Christmas Eve in the most strict Orthodox families is exclusively dried fruits and nuts, seasoned with honey or fruit compote, the so-called uzvar.

So, this drink is more like a compote and is a sweet mixture of dried fruits such as apples, pears, cherries, prunes, currants, raspberries, gooseberries and raisins. All ingredients are mixed with honey, sometimes with spices and boiled in water.

It's essentially half drink, half stewed fruit.

Uzvar is a ritual drink that serves to celebrate those who have just arrived, therefore it symbolizes the birth of the Baby Jesus and his coming into this world.

According to Orthodox tradition, food on Christmas Eve should be washed down not with water, but exclusively with uzvar.

Some families serve more elaborate desserts, such as gingerbread and animal-shaped cookies. These cookies are called carols.

Kolyadki are Russian Christmas cookies, usually made from rye flour with the addition of cottage cheese.

Baked apples are delicious, healthy, and just right for Christmas.

To improve the taste, apples are baked with honey and raisins. To add even more taste and a pleasant aroma, some housewives add seasonings in the form of cinnamon and cloves. Just a few minutes, and your delicious Christmas dessert is ready. Well, even children have heard about the benefits of baked apples.

Lenten dishes for Christmas

The vinaigrette- this salad can be a wonderful alternative to a side dish.

If you are not a fan of vinaigrette, you can opt for any other lean salad. These can be salads from beets, nuts, various raw and boiled vegetables. If you don’t fast, you can find recipes for delicious salads in our article: Top 11 delicious and healthy holiday PP salads

Pickles- an invariable addition to any holiday table in Russia.

Favorite by many, salted and pickled cucumbers, tomatoes and zucchini are loved by everyone, young and old.

Dumplings- It is customary to serve bread with garlic baked inside for dinner. It is believed that garlic drives away evil spirits and attracts all that is good and kind.

Stewed cabbage with mushrooms-another hearty and tasty Lenten dish that is prepared by many housewives in the post-Soviet space.

Lenten potato dishes- it can be either baked potatoes with salt, or potatoes stewed with vegetables, or boiled potatoes with herbs and garlic.