Delicious holiday dinner options besides traditional turkey

Could there be a better time to change the pace of things, break away from the mainstream and shift your poultry paradigm?

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While I'm not saying you shouldn't have any turkey, it may also be refreshing (and refreshingly delicious) to skip the Butterball this holiday season and explore alternative dishes to eat and enjoy.

Birds of another feather

However, you don't have to leave the realm of our avian friends completely: you can ease your way from traditional roasted turkey by serving guests roasted Cornish game hens prepared with herbs, garlic and lemon, or more seasonal dried fruits and spices. Cut in half and served, they make for an elegant and unique Christmas dish. 

Take a drive into the country in Waterloo Region and you will see signs for geese and Muscovy duck. You could also try Hungarian partridge, as well; they can be found at Tanjo Family Farm in Millbank, for instance. 

Beef Wellington

Moving toward red meats, here is a dish that can be brought to the table, carved and shared can put a different twist on a holiday dinner. The classic beef Wellington — slathered in foie gras and mushroom duxelles before being wrapped and baked in puff pastry — can be both a showpiece and delicious eating. (By the way, there is no evidence that the dish was named for Arthur Wellesley, the first Duke of Wellington.)

Mammoth steaks

This hearkens back to the 1960s television cartoon The Flintstones and their Brontosaurus cuisine: it's an impressive presentation to bring out what's called a cowboy or tomahawk ribeye steak. At up to 36 ounces in weight, this ribeye is roast beef on the big Frenched bone. It makes for an awe-inspiring and satisfying meal.

The classic bistecca alla Fiorentina is a big Tuscan T-bone, traditionally from Chianina cattle. Try it with a liberal dosing of herbs and maybe some truffle shaved on top. Why not? It's Christmas.

On a smaller scale, a good quality pork tenderloin or two can be butterflied open and stuffed with winter fruit such as chopped apples, dates and prunes along with some nuts and spices served with a little light pan gravy from the roasting.

From the seas

Festa dei sette pesci, or "Feast of the Seven Fishes," doesn't allude to the mob and cement overshoes for seven wise guys: it's a traditional Italian-American holiday feast that usually takes place on Christmas Eve as a "vigil" for the birth of the baby Jesus. Move the ceremony to Christmas Day and have friends or family each bring a dish to lighten the work load. You could include dishes such as a side of poached salmon, grilled calamari salad, salt-baked red snapper, crab cakes or succulent lobster.

Don't forget the veggies

Just to see an example of the possibilities, open up a book such as Yotam Ottolenghi's Plenty and you will marvel at what can be done with vegetables if that is the route you'd like to travel on Christmas Day. For instance, though it is an Easter dish, Torta Pasqualina is a rich puff pastry creation chock-full of goodies including ricotta cheese and eggs. With some research and imagination, the avenue of vegetables is a wide open and very tasty one.

Classic dishes 

There are a couple of other classic possibilities to consider, as well. The Quebec tourtière is always nice and rich. Try making it with some bison meat for a healthier and grass-fed protein (Ontario bison is available in Waterloo Region). Combine it with some wintry spices and a wickedly rich pastry and it says "Holiday like you mean it!" out loud.

How about some Cassoulet: it's the classic dish from Languedoc, in the south of France, and it can make for a rich, hearty and soul-soothing meal. It's a big ol' pot of white beans, sausage, pork, confit duck or goose, prepared with duck fat (available at better shops and grocery stores) and cooked low and slow. Make sure you get some really good rustic bread from your favourite baker to go with it.

Make it a Big Night Christmas

This is a "project recipe," to say the least. It requires practice, patience and five hours or so. The "Timpano" is the centrepiece dish of the 1996 Stanley Tucci movie Big Night. It's a "pastry drum" filled with layers of ricotta-stuffed ziti, meatballs, salami, provolone and pecorino cheese, hard-cooked eggs and a rich, meaty ragù. It's truly a labour of love during the holidays.