Festive Feasts: 5 International Holiday Dinner Party Menu Ideas

It’s no secret that traditional and religious holidays dominate the bookends of the year. However, it’s also a time when summer’s warmth and all the social, cultural and sporting occasions that come with it make it the perfect period for entertaining.

However, hosting a dinner party during the festive season is far from a simple proposition. With holiday shopping, school holidays, end-of-year work functions and more making their seasonal demands, it can be a struggle to find the time and energy to make a fabulous impression on your guests.

Luckily, GreenPan’s crack team of galavanting gourmets has scoured the planet to find five of the most superb holiday dinner party dishes from various countries that are not just jaw-droppingly delicious but also simple enough for the average home chef to make.

It’s time to pull out your passports, stow your tray tables and secure your seat belt low and tight across your lap, as we take a celebratory tour of global cuisines.

First Stop: Morocco - Slow Cooker Lamb Tagine with Apricots and Almonds

Moroccan food is comfort with poetry. The kind of dish where sweet meets savoury and spices feel like an exotic getaway. Authentic tagine is cooked in clay over a gentle fire, but a slow cooker allows you to bypass the traditional cookware without compromising one iota of flavour and texture. GreenPan’s non-stick ceramic slow cooker makes this recipe a cinch, while keeping moisture locked in and flavours deep.

Ingredients (serves 6)

• 1.2 kg of lamb shoulder chunks
• 2 onions, sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 150 g of dried apricots
• 400 g of diced tomatoes
• 500 ml of stock
• 2 tbsp of tomato paste
• 2 tbsp of olive oil
• 1 tsp each of cumin, cinnamon, coriander and ginger
• Salt and pepper
• 50 g toasted almonds and a generous handful of coriander for garnish coriander

Method

1. Brown the lamb in a frying pan with a splash of oil. Season to taste.
2. Once browned, transfer the lamb to your slow cooker.
3. Sauté the onions and garlic in the pan, then add the spices and stir. Next, pour the mixture into the slow cooker, covering the lamb.
4. Add the carrots, tomatoes, stock, tomato paste, and apricots and stir gently.
5. Cook for 7 to 8 hours on low setting. If you need it done faster, 4 hours on High will do the trick.
6. Adjust the seasoning and top with almonds and coriander.

This is a dream dish for entertaining; Zero stress. Massive flavour.

2nd Stop: Japan - Takikomi Gohan (Seasoned Mushroom Rice)

This is a dish that whispers comfort like a Zen monk chanting sutras. While not exclusively a holiday food, its simple, elegant flavours make it a staple side dish at any festive occasion in the Land of the Rising Sun. Some people find the idea of home-cooked Japanese food intimidating. However, this superb dish is almost entirely in your rice cooker, making it the easiest way to cook authentic Japanese food at home.

Ingredients (serves 6)

• 2 cups of Japanese short-grain rice
• 400 ml of dashi or veg stock
• 2 tbsp of soy sauce
• 1 tbsp of mirin
• 1 tbsp of sake or extra stock
• 150 g of shiitake mushrooms
• 1 carrot, julienned
• 1 tbsp of sesame oil
• 2 tbsp of spring onion

^{Pure harmony in a bowl.}

3rd Stop: Italy - Holiday Porchetta with Garlic, Fennel and Lemon

Porchetta is a celebration piece. It’s bold, aromatic, and tells your guests you’re serious about dishing up authentic Italian delicacies. Luckily, it is easier than it looks. Your oven does most of the work. The trick lies in the seasoning paste and achieving a good crispy crackling. If lamb was earthy and mellow, this dish is its lively Italian cousin.

Ingredients (serves 8)

• 2.5 kg of pork belly, skin on
• 8 garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp of fennel seeds
• 2 tsp of black pepper
• 2 tbsp of chopped rosemary
• 1 tbsp of thyme
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 2 tbsp of olive oil
• 2 tsp of salt

Method

1. Score the pork skin with a sharp knife and pat it dry.
2. Crush the fennel seeds, garlic, herbs, lemon zest, oil and salt into a paste.
3. Rub the paste inside the pork belly. Roll and tie tightly with a kitchen string.
4. Chill uncovered for 1 hour to dry skin.
5. Roast for 30 minutes at 220°C to set the crackling.
6. Reduce the heat to 160°C and roast for 2 hours. Once done, allow it to rest for 15 minutes.

Slice, serve, and listen for the table’s applause.

4th Stop: India - Vegan Malai Kofta in Cashew Tomato Sauce

Malai Kofta is an Indian celebratory dish. Soft dumplings in a silky tomato and cashew sauce looks, smells and tastes as luxuriously exotic as they sound. Typically, it includes paneer and cream, but we are making a vegan version that keeps every bit of indulgence without dairy. This showstopper works beautifully as a vegan main in a festive feast.

Ingredients (serves 6)
For the Kofta:

• 3 medium potatoes, boiled and mashed
• 1 cup of grated firm tofu
• 2 tbsp of cornflour
• 1 tsp of garam masala
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Oil for frying

For the sauce:

• 1 onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp of grated ginger
• 400 g of tomato passata
• 100 ml of coconut milk
• 100 g of raw cashews
• 1 tsp of cumin
• 1 tsp of turmeric
• 1 tsp of garam masala
• Oil
• Salt

Method

1. Soak the cashews in hot water for 15 minutes.
2. Mix the kofta ingredients until they’re well blended.
3. Using your hands, shape the mixture into balls, then shallow fry until golden.
4. Blend the soaked cashews with 100 ml of water to a cream.
5. Cook the onion, garlic, and ginger in oil until they are soft. Add the spices.
6. Add the tomato passata, simmer the entire mixture for 10 minutes, then stir in the cashew cream and coconut milk.
7. Simmer for five more minutes, then add the kofta gently. At this point, your superb Indian delicacy is ready. However, if you want the flavours to blend more deeply, gently simmer in the sauce on low heat for 15-20 minutes.

Creamy, rich and completely plant-based.

Last Stop Mexico: Spiced Mexican Chocolate Pots

Here comes dessert. Mexican chocolate desserts are famous for warmth and comfort. A little cinnamon, a touch of chilli and a swig of chocolate come together for a gorgeous and unmistakably Mexican experience. These chocolate pots offer deep cocoa flavour with a festive twist, and they take barely ten minutes to pull together in the incredible new GreenPan Frost Ice Cream and Frozen Drink Maker!

Ingredients (serves 6)

• 200 g of dark chocolate
• 300 ml of thickened cream
• 2 tbsp of sugar
• 1 tsp of cinnamon
• Pinch of chilli powder
• 1 tsp of vanilla
• Whipped cream to serve

Method

1. Heat the cream, sugar, cinnamon and chilli gently until steaming.
2. Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate until melted.
3. Add the vanilla and whisk until smooth.
4. Pour the mixture into the Greenpan Frost and select Ice Cream Mode.

Silky and dramatic. The perfect final note to your festive food symphony.

Festive Drinks Pairing

^{To really finish the evening, pair each dish with something that lifts the mood and complements the flavour.}

• Moroccan Lamb Tagine – Serve with red wine like Shiraz or spiced mint tea
• Japanese Rice – A light sake or chilled green tea
• Italian Porchetta – Prosecco or a crisp Italian white
• Indian Kofta – Mango lassi or Riesling
• Mexican Chocolate Pots – Espresso or a cinnamon-spiced hot chocolate

Bringing It All Together

Holiday meals should feel generous but never stressful. These tantalising, innovative, yet simple holiday dinner party menu ideas offer global flavour while staying within reach of real home cooks. The slow cooker takes care of the lamb. The rice cooker handles the rice. The oven gives you showstopping porchetta. The stove transforms simple ingredients into creamy Indian comfort. Dessert chills quietly until it is time to impress.

This is a feast that feels luxurious without needing culinary gymnastics. It speaks to flavour, travel and togetherness. It lets you feed people well. Most of all, it reminds us why we cook during the festive season. Food keeps people at the table long after the plates are clean. It starts stories. It makes memories. It is the best gift we can give.

If you have enjoyed exploring global flavours, there are countless more waiting for you. But for now, raise a glass and enjoy a table full of happy faces. You have earned it.