Post-Xmas lunch

[milkmoustache]

Am cooking lunch for 7 adults and 5 kids, who will no doubt be feeling bloated and sick of big roast lunches by then... Would like to make something a bit lighter so we can have a big pudding, possibly vegetarian, and ideally something to freeze in advance. Had thought of doing lasagne or similar, but any ideas for something less stodgy? Kids not that fussy, but not keen on anything spicy.

quiche, new potatoes
bolognaise pasta bake topped with cheese served with garlic bread
cheese and tomato filo tart
(all can be served with salad as well)

French bread and some home-made soup?
Or a pasta salad*?

*grate courgette, fry it lightly, mix it into spaghetti, mix in philedelphia and goats/feta cheese, add diced red/orange/yellow peppers and pine nuts and serve with grated cheddar, a splash of balsamic vinegar and french bread (you can always provide extra salad/olive oil+vinegar to eat with the bread). It goes down well with most people, I've found. :)

Fish is nice and light. My choice would be something like a whole salmon, baked/steamed in a tin-foil parcel with some herbs, served with light things like steamed vegetables and a few minted new potatoes. For dessert something simple like baked apples or a nice cheeseboard where guests can have as much or as little as they like.

Fish stew (can't think of a more glamorous name for it), but it's so easy and so lovely. You can make the base before and freeze it and you can freeze the fish and seafood til you need it too. You can make it super glam by adding fancy stuff if you have the cash, or keep it simple. You can make it luxurious by adding cream, or leave it more brothie for a lighter version. Fry a couple of onions and some garlic in olive oil, add in chopped carrots and chopped fennel, whatever size you want. When it's all softened, add in fish or chicken stock, salt & pepper to taste and a pinch of saffron. This is your base to freeze if you need to. If you want potatoes, you can quarter some new potatoes and add them at this stage but do it after you have defrosted. When all the veg is just soft, add in your seafood. I usually put in raw prawns, pieces of salmon and squid. It only needs 3 mins to cook the fish. As I said, you can go fancy with scallops, lobster, cod or whatever. Ooo mussels would be lovely in it too. Then finish as you like with cream or not, very good with lots of chopped corriander, but if you are not a fan chives dill or parsley just as lovely. I sometimes take out some for the kids before I add herbs as small green bits don't go down too well. Great with some garlic bread or plain crusty bread, you can even have it with rice if you thicken the sauce a little with a bit of flour mashed into butter.