Holiday on a Stick

This is the time of year when entertaining is a pleasure. Especially if you can serve a feast that doesn’t demand too much effort on your part--or force too much indulgence on your guests.

The following menu is perfect: Just about everything can be done ahead, and the meal contains very little fat.

Sweet-sour turkey brochettes are served on a subtly spiced rice pilaf mingled with toasted angel hair pasta. A bold Cranberry Chutney and mushrooms and zucchini round out the meal. To begin, you could offer nuts or crudites, or something more festive such as crab or shrimp remoulade salad. Dessert could be a glazed, poached pear or a chocolate torte--or both. The newly arrived 1992 Beaujolais Nouveau would work well with this menu.

The cubes of meat become so tender as they marinate that it’s hard to believe it’s turkey. Both the turkey breast and onions become slightly caramelized on the surface during the broiling or grilling. Squares of sweet red pepper can be added to the skewers for more color.

BROCHETTES OF TURKEY BREAST AND SWEET ONIONS

1 (1 3/4-pound) skinned, boned turkey breast, trimmed of all visible fat and gristle 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar 2 tablespoons oil 1/3 cup honey 1 1/4 teaspoons dried thyme 1/2 teaspoon crushed rosemary Salt Freshly ground pepper 2 large Spanish onions, peeled, split, each half cut into 6 equal chunks Angel Hair Pilaf Cranberry Chutney

Cut turkey breast into 1 3/4-inch cubes. Put vinegar, oil, honey, thyme, rosemary, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste in large plastic food bag. Shake bag to mix ingredients. Add turkey cubes and onion chunks to bag. Close bag as tightly as possible. Turn bag to coat turkey and onions with marinade. Refrigerate overnight, turning bag occasionally.

Drain marinade from bag and reserve. Divide turkey and onion chunks between 6 skewers, alternating turkey with onion, leaving some space in between.

Place skewers on broiler pan lined with foil. Broil about 7 inches from heat about 10 minutes total, turning once midway. Baste often with reserved marinade. (Brochettes may also be grilled.) When cooked as desired, season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot arranged on Angel Hair Pilaf. Drizzle with pan juices (discard uncooked marinade). Pass Cranberry Chutney in serving dish. Makes 6 servings.

Each serving contains about: 564 calories; 673 mg sodium; 100 mg cholesterol; 12 grams fat; 72 grams carbohydrates; 40 grams protein; 0.49 gram fiber.

Angel Hair Pilaf

2 tablespoons safflower oil 4 ounces angel hair pasta, broken into pieces 1 1/2 cups rice 3 cups chicken stock or broth 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice Freshly ground pepper

Heat oil in 2-quart pot over medium-high heat. Add pasta and rice. Cook until lightly browned, about 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Add stock, cinnamon, allspice and season to taste with pepper. Bring to boil. Simmer, covered, until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 10 minutes. Adjust seasonings to taste.

This Cranberry Chutney smacks of fresh ginger and cumin, an especially complementary flavor for turkey, chicken and ham . You can also use the chutney as a spread on sandwiches, mixing it with a small amount of light mayonnaise for a low-fat flavor boost.

Cranberry Chutney

2 tablespoons oil 4 large cloves garlic, minced 2 large onions, finely chopped 2 large ripe tomatoes, halved, juiced, seeded, coarsely chopped 1 (12-ounce) bag cranberries, sorted through and rinsed 1 (3 1/2-inch) piece peeled fresh ginger, minced 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup light-brown sugar, packed 2/3 cup malt vinegar 2 tablespoons mustard seeds 2 tablespoons ground cumin 2 teaspoons salt 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper Water

Heat oil over medium-high heat in 3-quart non-aluminum pot. When hot, add garlic and onions. Cook until onions are tender, about 4 minutes, stirring often to avoid burning. Add tomatoes, cranberries, ginger, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vinegar, mustard seeds, cumin, salt and cayenne.

Cook, covered, over medium heat until as thick as marmalade, about 45 minutes, stirring often to prevent scorching. Add water, if needed, for flowing consistency. Let cool completely. Adjust seasonings to taste. Can be refrigerated as long as 3 weeks or frozen up to 3 months. Stir well before serving. Makes 2 3/4 cups.

Tossing some watercress or spinach leaves into the pot toward the end of cooking livens up the appearance and taste of this straightforward vegetable combination.

SAUTEED ZUCCHINI AND MUSHROOMS

1 tablespoon olive oil 1 tablespoon butter or margarine 12 small mushrooms, stems trimmed, quartered 2 large zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch dice 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon salt Freshly ground pepper 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 1 cup watercress leaves or julienned young spinach leaves

Heat oil and butter in 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add mushrooms, zucchini, nutmeg, salt and season to taste with pepper. Cook over high heat until just tender, about 4 minutes, stirring often. (Can be made several hours ahead to this point and kept at room temperature. Reheat gently.) When hot, add Worcestershire sauce and watercress leaves. Toss to combine. Remove from heat. Adjust seasonings to taste. Serve hot. Makes 6 servings.

Each serving contains about: 46 calories; 233 mg sodium; 5 mg cholesterol; 4 grams fat; 2 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 0.31 gram fiber.