Orange cured salmon with kale pesto

I love my family Christmases. We all agree food is the most important part and we keep to tradition: roasted duck, red cabbage and rice pudding, made the same way every year. In Denmark, the feasting takes place on December 24 but, this year, we’ll be spending Christmas for the first time in our house in Italy. I’ll be in my new kitchen with my mormor (grandmother) present in spirit and the family around me, peeling the potatoes, stuffing the duck, stirring the rice pudding. There is no question, however, that I will be in charge – as mormor always was – of keeping alive the traditional elements of our Scandinavian celebration.

Curing your own salmon is a game-changer when it comes to flavour and freshness. Prepare the salmon three days before you eat it (any leftovers will keep for a week or more in the fridge). I use flaky sea salt because it has a milder flavour.