At the request of my sister I have added a picture of our Christmas Day lunch. There were five people present, three meat eaters and two pescatarians. Our lunch consisted of:
1 small roast pork loin
1/2 a poached salmon
1 cashew nut and apricot roast wellington - made into a Christmas Cracker
Roast potatoes
Boiled new potatoes
Broccoli florets
Carrot batons
Sugarsnap peas
French beans
Brussel sprouts and cauliflower florets sauteed with chestnuts and cumin
Mushroom and sherry sauce
Homemade cranberry sauce with port
All washed down with Prosecco with blackberry vinegar (and non-alcoholic sparkling Chenin Blanc for the drivers - also with blackberry vinegar which worked well)
Followed by Christmas pudding and custard with sweet pudding wine.
Then followed by freshly ground coffee and Christmas cake.
I always like to cook extra vegetables so there is plenty left to have bubble and squeak for Boxing Day breakfast. My secret ingredients to bubble and squeak are the chestnuts and cumin.
On Boxing Day we had bubble and squeak with crispy grilled pancetta and a poached egg.
There was enough left to have some again the next day, so on the 27th we had bubble and squeak with smoked salmon and a poached egg. We always have free range blue eggs (Cotswold Ledbar or Bluebell Araucana) and we had an added unexpected bonus of two double yolked eggs with our smoked salmon!
Ingredients:
1 large tub of double cream - 600 ml
1 handful of mini marshmallows
2 meringue nests - crushed
Fruit steeped in vodka from making Christmas Pudding Vodka (see previous recipe)
(After straining out the Christmas Pudding Vodka which I had previously made, I removed all the orange and lemon peel, cloves, cinnamon and cardamon to keep just the vodka infused sultanas and candid peel)
Method:
Lightly whip the double cream until it is almost coming to very soft peaks - don't over whip as there are other ingredients to stir into the cream and the stirring will thicken the cream more
Stir in 2 crushed meringue nests and a handful of mini marshmallows
Stir in the vodka infused sultanas and candid peel
Line a loaf tin with cling film - have plenty of cling film hanging over the edges to pull in and cover the gelato - I put two layers of cling film in the tin crossing over each other
Spoon the gelato into the prepared loaf tin, gently cover with the overhanging cling film and place into the freezer
This will take a few hours to set and is best made the day before required
For a very classic, completely white gelato I use just white marshmallows rather than a mix of colours
In the past I have used a mix of pink and white marshmallows and also some finely chopped pink and white nougat
I always use 2 or 3 meringue nests as these add both a bit of sweetness and also a lightness to the dense mixture
Gelato is very nice served with fresh raspberries and raspberry coulis
Ingredients:
1 small onion - finely chopped
1 clove of garlic - crushed
2 slices of seeded bread - grated into breadcrumbs
6 oz cashew nuts - chopped
1 beaten egg
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried sage
1 tsp yeast extract
up to 1/4 pt hot water
2 oz dried apricots - chopped
1 large carrot - cooked and mashed
2 medium/large mushrooms - chopped
Splash of olive oil
1 pack ready rolled puff pastry
1 beaten egg for egg wash
Method:
Gently fry the onion and garlic in the oil until soft, add in the mushrooms and continue to cook for a few minutes until the mushrooms have also softened - remove from the heat
In a large bowl mix together the breadcrumbs, cashew nuts, dried herbs and apricots
Mix in one beaten egg
Stir in the mashed carrot and the onion and mushroom mixture from the frying pan
Dissolve the yeast extract in a small amount of hot water - no more than 1/4 pt at the most - and then add to the mixture
Mix everything together really well and then spoon onto a large length of cling film
Shape the mixture into a large fat sausage shape and roll tightly in the cling film - keeping away from the edges and twist the ends to keep the mixture tight
Refrigerate for a least a couple of hours to firm up
Open out the sheet of ready rolled puff pastry
Gentle unroll the nut roast mixture from the cling film and place in the centre of the pastry
Brush some of the beaten egg on the edges of the pastry as this will help it to stick together
Carefully pull up each side of the pastry over the nut roast, overlapping by a small amount
If making just a parcel, fold in the ends - add some more egg wash, trim off any excess if needed and turn over so that the parcel has all the joins underneath
As I wanted to make my parcel into a Christmas Cracker, I kept the ends of the pastry open, but still turned it upside down so that the join was underneath, then pinched together the pastry at each end of the nut mixture and snipped out triangles at the end of the excess pastry to give a fluted edge
Brush the whole parcel with more egg wash and add on any decoration using excess pastry if required
Cook at 160-170 degrees for about 30 minutes until golden brown all over
The nut mixture needs to be moist enough to stick together, but not too wet. I squeezed out as much water as I could from the cooked carrots (using a potato ricer) before mashing
I made my roast mixture the day before needed and refrigerated it over night before wrapping in the pastry
Ingredients:
2 large part-boned chicken breasts
1 onion - chopped
1 clove of garlic - crushed
1 red pepper - sliced
1/4 pt vegetable stock (I used one cube)
1/4 pt red wine
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tbsp sliced black olives
Splash of olive oil
Method:
Brown the chicken on all sides in an ovenproof dish with a splash of olive oil
Remove the chicken and add the onions, garlic and pepper to the pan to soften for a few minutes
Add the stock, wine, tomatoes, thyme and olives and bring up to the boil
Return the chicken breasts to the pan, cover and then cook in the oven at 180 degrees for about 30-40 minutes until the chicken is cooked through
Serves 2
Served with roasted potato wedges
Ingredients:
1 pack ready rolled puff pastry
2-3 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground mixed spice
1 tsp demerara sugar
Olive oil spread
2 glace cherries - chopped
1 egg - beaten
Method:
Thinly spread the olive oil spread over the pastry - ensuring it is completely covered right up to all the edges
Evenly sprinkle over the cinnamon and ground mixed spice
Lengthways cut the pastry in half
Starting with the longest edge carefully roll up each half of the pastry into a long thin sausage
Cut each piece into 1cm lengths
Dip each small whirl into beaten egg to fully coat
On a baking sheet, covered in parchment or greaseproof paper, arrange the small whirls into the shape of a Christmas tree
Ensure that all of the whirls that are at the outside edges of the tree shape have the open ends placed facing inwards
The whirls should all be touching, but do not push them together as they need space to spread out as they cook
Sprinkle the demerara sugar over the top of the assembled tree and place small pieces of glace cherry around the tree to resemble decorations
Cook at 160 degrees for about 30 minutes until all of the whirls are cooked and golden
The next time I try this I might use a mincemeat filling instead.
Ingredients:
1 orange - grated zest and juice
1 lemon - grated zest and juice
1 medium bramley apple - peeled, cored and diced
8 oz sultanas
2 oz dried cranberries
2 oz shredded vegetable suet
3 oz sugar
2 oz candid mixed peel
2 tsp ground mixed spice
50 ml spiced rum
Method:
Mix together all of the ingredients - except the rum - in a large bowl and cover with cling film for 24 hours
After 24 hours tip the mixture into a pan, stir in the rum and bring up to the boil
Simmer for about 10 minutes and then spoon into hot sterilised jars
Makes 4 small jars.
Ingredients:
For the pastry:
2 oz plain flour
2 oz wholemeal flour
2 oz olive oil spread
1 tsp cold water (may not be needed)
tiny pinch of salt
For the filling:
1 medium potato - peeled, diced and cooked
1/4 of a small butternut squash - peeled, diced and cooked
1 small onion - finely chopped
1 clove garlic - crushed
1/2 tsp minced ginger paste
1 red chilli - finely chopped
1 tsp cumin seeds - lightly pounded in a pestle and mortar
3 oz Manchego cheese - grated
handful of frozen petit pois
2 tbsp milk
splash of olive oil
Method:
For the pastry:
Mix together the two flours and salt and then rub in the olive oil spread to a breadcrumb consistency
Pull together into a ball of dough, use a small amount of cold water to help if needed
Roll out the pastry and line a quiche dish
Blind bake the pastry for 10 minutes at 180 degrees
Remove from the oven and leave to cool for a few minutes
To make the filling:
Soften the onion, garlic, ginger and chilli in a little olive oil
Add in the diced potato and butternut squash and continue to fry for 3-4 minutes
Stir in the cumin seeds and petit pois and cook for a further 2 minutes
Stir in the milk and 3/4 of the grated cheese, mix well
Fill the pastry case with the prepared potato mix and sprinkle over the remaining cheese
Cook at 170 degrees for 18-20 minutes until golden brown on top
Serves 6
Can be eaten hot or cold
Was served as part of a cooked breakfast with grilled bacon, tomatoes, mushrooms and a poached egg,
also served as a lunch with salad and hot beetroot chutney (see previous recipe)
Ingredients:
1 medium potato - peeled, diced and cooked
1 small sweet potato - peeled, diced and cooked
4 mushrooms - chopped
1/2 red pepper - deseeded and chopped
4 slices serrano ham
3 large eggs - beaten
1/2 tsp dried mixed herbs
salt and freshly ground black pepper
splash of sunflower oil
Method:
Warm the oil in a frying pan, add in the potato and gently fry for about 4 minutes, turning occasionally
Add the chopped mushrooms and pepper and continue to cook for 3-4 minutes
In a jug/bowl beat together the eggs, salt, pepper and herbs
Place the slices of serrano ham on the top of the potato in the frying pan
Pour the egg mixture on top of the ham and tilt the pan slightly in all directions to ensure that the egg gets around the edges of the ham and into the potato mix below
Cook on a low heat for about 5 minutes, until most of the mixture is cooked
Transfer pan to the grill to continue to cook the top for 3 minutes
Served 2 for breakfast
Or would serve 4 if served alongside other food, perhaps salad or vegetables
Ingredients:
4 large chicken thighs
1 medium onion - chopped
1 clove garlic - crushed
1/2 pt vegetable stock (I used 2 stock cubes)
1/4 pt red wine
5 closed cup mushrooms - sliced
5-6 cm chorizo sausage - sliced and quartered
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 carrot - sliced
1 courgette - sliced
1/2 tsp plain flour
Splash of sunflower oil
Method:
Brown the chicken in the oil in a large pan/casserole dish on the hob
Remove the chicken from the pan and place to the side for a few minutes
Add the onion and garlic to the pan and cook for a few minutes to soften
Add the wine, stock, carrot and tomatoes and bring up to the boil
Return the chicken to the pan and simmer for 15 minutes
Stir in the sliced mushrooms and simmer for another 15 minutes
Stir in the chorizo and courgette and simmer for another 10 minutes
Place the flour into a cup and spoon into this about 5-6 tbsp of the sauce from the pan. Mix together until smooth and then return this mix back to the pan and stir in to thicken the sauce slightly
Cook for a further 2-3 minutes
Serves 4
Served with couscous
I used mulled wine for this recipe as I had a bottle open and it worked really well.
Ingredients:
6 oz fresh cranberries
Zest and juice of one orange
50ml port
3 oz sugar
1/4 tsp ground mixed spice
Method:
Put all of the ingredients into a pan
Bring up to the boil and boil for about one minute until all the cranberries have split/burst
Simmer for 2-3 minutes whilst stirring to break down the fruit
Spoon into a hot sterilised jar
Makes one jar of sauce
I used a zester to peel the zest from the orange, each length is 3-4cm. A grater could be used if a finer consistency is required
Ingredients:
2 medium sized chicken breasts - diced
2 small leeks - sliced
5 large closed cup mushrooms - cleaned and each cut into 6-8 large pieces
1/2 pt vegetable stock (I used one stock cube)
1/2 tsp plain flour
1 pack ready rolled short-crust pastry
1 egg - beaten
Splash of sunflower oil
Method:
Cook the chicken in the oil for a few minutes to seal all sides
Add the leeks to the pan to soften
Add in the stock, bring up to the boil and then turn down to simmer for 10 minutes
Add the mushrooms and continue to cook until the stock has reduced down to about half
Sprinkle the flour into the pan, stir well and cook for another couple of minutes
Remove from the heat and allow to cool for a few minutes
Line a pie dish with just over half of the pastry (I usually roll it out slightly to make it a little bit thinner)
Add in the filling and then brush the edges of the pastry with the beaten egg so that the lid will stick
Cover with a pastry lid
Cut a couple of small holes in the lid to allow steam to escape
Brush the pastry lid with beaten egg
Cook at 170 degrees for 15-18 minutes until the pastry is golden brown
Serves two
