A cross-cultural jamboree of a festive meal, mixing Middle Eastern, west African and French cuisine: peppered smoked mackerel pies, crab gratin, slow-cooked lamb, jewelled rice, and a rum and pineapple cake to round things off
I
was born in west Africa, and brought up between there, France and the UK in a French-Lebanese-British family. Unsurprisingly, then, our Christmas lunch was more than a bit diverse: my father always insisted on some British and Lebanese elements, while my mother contributed French dishes and technique; west African produce was also a must, because the house would be full of all nationalities, including our African family. Not only that, but our Christmas would invariably start with a guest list of about 20, and another 20 or so waifs and strays would always then turn up in need of feeding and watering. Today’s dishes were part of our regular seasonal festivities, as good in the sunshine as they are robust enough for a chilly British winter.
Lebanese feasts always feature some form of pie, and sambouseks are tiny little ones with various fillings. Smoked fish is very popular in west Africa, and these smoked mackerel pielets make a delicious nibble. They can also be made in advance, frozen and baked straight from the freezer on the day. If you can’t get hold of fresh horseradish, use 150g hot horseradish sauce, perhaps pepped up with a dollop of dijon mustard to taste, instead of the fresh horseradish and creme fraiche.
