by: Paul Curran

Christmas recipe serves: 4

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes

Calories per serving: 875

Suitable for freezing after step 3.

Christmas recipe ingredients

Sherry or balsamic vinegar, 15 ml (1 tbsp)

Caster Sugar, 10 ml (2 tsp)

Salt and pepper

Olive oil, 120 ml (8 tbsp)

Cranberries, fresh or frozen 50 g (2 oz)

Celery, 125 g (4 oz)

Walnuts, toasted 50 g (2 oz)

Turkey, roasted meat 450 g (1 lb)

Garlic cloves, 2

Olive oil, 15 ml (1 tbsp)

Fennel seeds (optional), 10 ml (2 tsp)

Oregano, dried 10 ml (2 tsp)

Cranberry sauce, 30 ml (2 tbsp)

Breadcrumbs, fresh 125 g (4 oz)

Eggs, 2

Parmesan cheese, freshly grated 50 g (2 oz)

Oil

Green salad

Christmas recipe instructions

1. Chop the turkey, walnuts and celery into small pieces. Crush peeled garlic. Cook the oregano, fennel seeds, garlic and celery in oil for about five minutes. Then add the cranberry sauce. leave to cool.

2. Add salt and pepper to the vinegar and sugar, mix in the oil and cranberries. Heat to boiling, cook for 1 minute and leave to cool.

3. Combine salt and pepper, parmesan cheese, walnuts, eggs, breadcrumbs, celery mixture and turkey. Split into twelve golf-sized meatballs.

4. Deep-fat fry the meatballs until golden brown (about 4 minutes). Place them on kitchen towel paper to soak up the oil and serve onto green salad sprinkled with cranberry dressing from step 1.