What should the New Year's menu be like in the year of the White Metal Ox: features and recipes

The New Year's menu in the Year of the White Metal Ox promises to be varied. The leader of the celebration will enjoy hot dishes, salads, colorful appetizers, vegetable and fruit cuts, and delicious desserts. The more the table is bursting with food, the more successful the year will be for the owners of the house and invited guests.

Features of the New Year's menu in the year of the White Metal Ox

The bull is a big fan of nourishing and tasty food. If you want to please the owner of the coming year, adhere to the following principles when creating a menu for the holiday:

• Abundance of plant foods

Most of all, the head of the coming year loves vegetables, herbs, fresh fruits, and mushrooms. Therefore, the basis of the holiday menu should be dishes based on such products. In particular salads and light snacks.

• Ban on beef and veal

The bull will definitely not like it if his relatives are eaten. Therefore, any dishes made from beef, veal, or beef offal will have to be excluded from the menu. Products with gelatin are also prohibited: jelly, jellied meat, aspic. After all, this ingredient is made from the bones of cattle.

• Moderate amounts of animal products

The bull will not object to pork, chicken, turkey, duck, fish. Also on the table there may be dishes made from eggs and dairy products.

• Refusal of exotics

The owner of the coming year is a true conservative. He is unlikely to be pleased with foreign delights like miso paste, foie gras or paella. It’s better to show the Ox something familiar, but very appetizing. For example, oven-baked potato wedges or pork cutlets. And if you prepare a new delicacy, then only from available products.

Hot food recipes

Hot dishes are always the center of attention for the New Year. They quickly relieve guests of hunger and lift their spirits.

New Year's duck with apples

What's New Year without a festive duck or chicken? During the baking process, the fat is gradually rendered from the meat, making it very tender and juicy. And the fruit filling sets off the specific taste of the bird.

To prepare the dish you will need the following products:

• duck weighing about 2–2.5 kg;
• apples – 1 kg;
• butter – 50 g;
• honey - 3 tbsp. spoons;
• dry red wine – 700 ml;
• salt, sugar, black pepper - to taste;
• 2-3 sprigs of rosemary.

Cooking process:

1. Pour half a bottle of wine into the pan, add honey and bring the liquid to a boil. Pour in the melted butter, add black pepper and stir the mixture.
2. Wash half the apples, peel and core. Cut into cubes. Pour half of the wine sauce over the fruit and leave for 15 minutes.
3. Wash and dry the duck. Place apples inside and secure with skewers. Rub the bird with the remaining sauce outside and inside, and add salt.
4. Pour 50 ml of water into a baking tray, place the duck, cover it with foil. Bake at 200 degrees for an hour.
5. Remove the dish from the oven, remove the foil. Pour the remaining wine into the pan. Peel the remaining apples, remove the cores, add a little sugar inside. Place the fruit on a baking sheet and bake the duck for another 10 minutes at 200 degrees. Garnish the finished dish with rosemary sprigs.

Potato wedges with bacon

If you don’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen before the New Year, prepare potato wedges. This simple dish will please both the guests and the White Metal Bull.

Prepare the following ingredients:

• medium-sized potatoes – 8–10 pcs.;
• bacon – 200 g;
• hard cheese – 200 g;
• fat sour cream – 200 g;
• paprika, dried garlic, salt, fresh parsley - to taste.

Boil the potatoes until half cooked, peel, and cut into medium-sized slices. Coat with sour cream, sprinkle with salt, dried garlic and paprika. Cut the bacon into thin slices. Grate the cheese on a coarse grater. Place the potatoes and bacon in a baking dish (or on a baking sheet) in 4 layers. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake in the oven at 180 degrees for 10–15 minutes.

Baked red fish steaks

Oven-baked fish contains fewer calories than meat, while being very filling. The White Metal Ox will approve of such a dish.

To prepare New Year's fish you will need the following ingredients:

• salmon, trout or pink salmon fillet – 0.5 kg;
• potato starch (you can also use regular flour) – 1 tbsp. spoon;
• olive oil – 20–30 ml;
• dry red wine – half a glass;
• salt, spices - to taste;
• fresh herbs;
• lettuce leaves;
• olives.

You need to mix olive oil, starch, spices and salt. Coat the fish with the resulting sauce. Place it in a baking bag and pour wine inside.Bake steaks in the oven at 180 degrees for about 20–25 minutes. Serve with lettuce, fresh herbs and olives.

Salad Recipes

The bull will be more happy with light vegetable salads than with the Soviet classics, generously flavored with mayonnaise. And the guests will not suffer from heaviness in the stomach the next morning. The recipes below will help you create the right New Year's menu.

Bean salad

Beans are a universal product. It goes well with meat, vegetables, and milk. A worthy alternative to New Year's Olivier!

To prepare the dish you will need the following ingredients:

• canned white beans – 200 g;
• fresh cucumber – 1 pc.;
• pork ham – 200 g;
• boiled eggs – 3 pcs.;
• sour cream 20–25% fat – 2 tbsp. spoons;
• salt, black pepper, fresh herbs - to taste.

Cut the ham, eggs and cucumber into cubes. Add beans, salt, pepper to them and mix everything thoroughly. Before serving, season the salad with sour cream and garnish with herbs.

Mushroom salad

This light salad will look spectacular on the table in the coming year of the White Metal Ox. Most likely, it will appeal not only to adults, but also to young guests.

Prepare the following products:

• raw champignons – 200 g;
• tomatoes (preferably cherry) – 200 g;
• mixture of lettuce leaves – 200 g;
• hard cheese – 50 g;
• almonds – 2 tbsp. spoons;
• sunflower oil - for frying;
• olive oil – 3 tbsp. spoons;
• balsamic vinegar – 2 teaspoons;
• salt, black pepper - to taste.

Wash the mushrooms and cut into slices, lightly fry in a frying pan in sunflower oil. Grate the cheese on a coarse grater. Cut the tomatoes into medium-sized slices. Mix all ingredients. Line the bottom of a deep dish with lettuce leaves.Top with a mixture of mushrooms, cheese and tomatoes.

Now prepare the salad dressing. To do this, grind the almonds in a coffee grinder. Combine olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Add chopped almonds and mix everything well.

Fruit salad

If simple cutting of fruit seems banal to you, try making a bright salad. The White Metal Ox will appreciate your efforts.

Take the following products:

• orange;
• banana;
• kiwi;
• pear;
• half a pomegranate;
• walnuts – 2 tbsp. spoons;
• “Jumbo” raisins – a handful;
• Greek yogurt without sugar - 250 g.

Grind the walnuts in a mortar. Soak the raisins in water for half an hour. Peel the orange, banana, kiwi and pear and cut into medium pieces. Mix all ingredients and top with Greek yogurt. Top the salad with pomegranate seeds.

What's for dessert?

The White Metal Ox has a sweet tooth. Therefore, any delicacy except jelly will be appropriate on the holiday table. We offer you a recipe for toffee pudding. In Europe, this dessert is served in gourmet restaurants, although it consists of ingredients available to everyone and is easy to prepare.

To make toffee pudding you will need the following ingredients:

• eggs – 3 pcs.;
• wheat flour - 3.5 cups;
• water – 1 glass;
• pitted dates - 3 cups;
• brown sugar - 5.5 cups;
• vanillin – 0.5 teaspoon;
• ground cinnamon – 0.5 teaspoon;
• baking powder - 1 teaspoon;
• butter – 450 g;
• rum, brandy or cognac – 1.2 cups;
• salt - a pinch.

Mix dates, ¾ cup water and ¾ cup alcohol in one container. Place on the stove, bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook for another 5 minutes. Then add vanilla and blend the mixture in a blender for 1-2 minutes.

Mix flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Combine 120 g of softened butter with 2 cups of brown sugar. Then begin to gradually add flour, whisking the mixture with a mixer until smooth. Finally add date puree.

Grease a baking dish (preferably rectangular 20*30 cm) with butter. Place the pudding in the oven preheated to 180 degrees for 30–35 minutes.

Now prepare the caramel sauce. To do this, mix the remaining butter, sugar, alcohol and water in one container. Simmer over low heat, whisking the liquid constantly until it thickens. Remove the pudding from the oven and pour the sauce over it. Leave to soak for 15–20 minutes.

New Year's menu: FAQ

Question: What drinks would be appropriate in the year of the White Metal Ox?

Answer: Any non-alcoholic drinks based on vegetables and fruits: juices, nectars, compotes, fruit drinks. But the White Metal Bull doesn’t like people who drink, so it’s better not to abuse alcohol at the holiday.

Question: What snacks should I put on the holiday table?

Answer: For the New Year of the Ox, you can prepare sliced ​​pork or chicken sausage, a cheese plate, stuffed peppers with eggs, lavash rolls with vegetable filling, and fish tartlets.

Whatever dishes you prepare in the year of the White Metal Ox, do not forget about other aspects of the holiday. It is important that a joyful and friendly atmosphere reigns in the house, and that guests do not get bored between meals.