Count Down to Christmas: Everything you need to do, week by week.

   

Christmas Planner - Week One

At this stage you need to be making lists, gathering recipes and placing orders. Here are some points to start with.

•     Make a comprehensive list of who has been invited and for how many meals.

•     Order the turkey

•     Order a ham

•     Make Christmas pudding and steam for 8 hours

•     Make or buy your un-iced Christmas cake, pour over a few tablespoons of brandy each week.

•     Buy crackers, candles and napkins for Christmas table

•     Stock up on soft drinks, long life juice and Squash

•     Re-arrange freezer to allow room for Christmas supplies

•     Buy and freeze chiabatta loaves for use as pizza bases, crostini etc.

•     Buy chicken winglets and make some concentrated chicken stock as a base for the turkey gravy. Store in freezer

•     Check cupboard for dry goods, tins, spices, mincemeat, etc.

•     Make and freeze batches of pastry for mince pies

•     Make cranberry relish and store in fridge/freezer

•     Make cheese straws and shortbread, store in air-tight tin.

•     Order extra cream and milk for 24th December

•     Make extra ice cubes and store in plastic bags in freezer

•     Check recipes and make a list of ingredients needed

Christmas Planner Week Two

Check wine rack and order wine, sprits and after dinner drinks

Buy mixers, soft drinks, mineral water and long life juice

Buy long life milk for emergencies

Order cheese, one or two large pieces of cheese will look better than a collection of small slices. Try an alternative to Stilton such as Been Leigh or Cashal, both blue cheeses, this year and have beautiful mature farmhouse cheddar such as Montgomery or Quickes as the second cheese.

Buy cheese biscuits and nuts. Store fresh chestnuts in the refrigerator

Count china and cutlery borrowing or buying extra as needed.

Make sure you have a roasting pan and serving platter large enough for the turkey or goose.

 

During the course of this week you should aim to:

•     Cover the cake with almond paste then white icing store in an airtight tin.

•     Make brandy butter and store in fridge or freeze

•     Draw up a table plans and check for any dietary problems

•     Count cutlery and china to check quantities, wash any little used dishes, clean silver, rinse and polish glasses.

•     Buy cheese biscuits, coffee beans, tea

•     Make a list and order as necessary all fruit and vegetables remembering onions, fresh herbs, lemons and salad ingredients.

•     Make an oven-ready dish for Boxing Day, e.g.: lasagne, fish pie, root vegetable gratin etc., cover, label and store in freezer.

•     Buy tomatoes and store in a bowl in a cool room

•     Check Christmas wine, beer, sprits and mixers

•     Buy supply of bottle water

•     Buy large size foil, cling film and greaseproof paper

•     Stock freezer with croissants or home made muffins for breakfasts

•     Buy extra butter, soft margarine and cooking oil

•     Order bacon, sausage meat and sausages from butcher

Christmas planner - Week Three

Buy fruit and vegetables making sprouts your last purchase. These really do taste better if cooked as soon after picking as possible so these really should be a Christmas Eve purchase.

Ice cake and decorate

Make more mince pies and this time store out of reach of marauding family

Buy fresh dairy products cream, milk, butter and cheese

Buy fresh orange juice

Buy Panatonne for Christmas breakfast, excellent with ham!

Make trifle, ice cream or other alternative pudding

Play carols loudly on family stereo

Christmas Eve

Collect Turkey and ham from butchers

Glaze ham, leave in cold place overnight

Make stuffings and store in fridge

Make bacon rolls arrange on baking sheet, place in fridge

Make stock from Turkey giblets

Peel potatoes, carrots and parsnips and place in bowl of cold water over night.

Peel sprouts and place in polythene bag in fridge overnight

Arrange sausages on oven roasting dish, place in fridge

Panforte de Sienna

I first tasted Panforte in Sienna when, having finished teaching a class at a cookery school set in the hills above Orvieto I spent a couple of days being a tourist before coming home. I love Sienna maybe even more than Florence as, especially twenty years ago, it was less packed with visitors and cheap pizza dives.

I love the irony that we all exhibit when abroad, It’s fine for us to be there but we look with absolute disdain at other tourists, never considering we are of their number!

So it was in a back street in Sienna that I found an ancient sweetmeat shop selling all manner of things I had no knowledge of. The Panforte was wrapped in beautifully illustrated paper and tied with a thin gold ribbon. I bought some on impulse, having no idea what I was buying.

About a couple of months later I found my Panforte in the back of a cupboard and opened and ate it. It was quite simply unlike anything I’d tried before. At first I was unsure but when I found that all that was left was the wrapper I knew then I would be adding to my list of must have goodies along with Turron and nougat.

Made with candied peel, almonds, cocoa and honey, Panforte dates from around the fourteenth century, when the spice trade was in full flourish and spices were shipped overland often entering Italy through Venice.  

The spicing is unusual as peppercorns and coriander feature along with the more usual sweet spices of clove and nutmeg.

Traditionally made in December it symbolised a prosperous and sweet New Year. Serve cut into small pieces, it is very sweet!

Panforte Di Siena

360 gm 12 oz whole unskinned almonds

60g/2oz walnuts

1 cinnamon stick

1 tablespoons coriander seeds

6 cloves

6 black pepper corns

1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

! heaped tablespoon cocoa powder

245gm 8oz caster sugar

120gm 4oz clear honey

450gm 1lb whole preserved candied fruit, chopped

30gm 1 oz plain flour

To finish

I tablespoon icing sugar

1 tablespoon corn flour

Rice paper ( available from specialist cake shops)

Preheat the oven to 180’C/350F/Gas 4 and roast the almonds and walnuts until golden.

Line the base of a 20cm 8” spring form tin with rice paper.

Either grind all the spices plus the walnuts in a coffee grinder or pound the cinnamon stick, walnuts, coriander seeds, cloves and peppercorns in a pestle and mortar. Stir in the nutmeg and cocoa powder.

Heat the caster sugar and honey in a saucepan, stirring continuously until the mixture comes to a gentle rolling boil.

Continue to stir for half a minute, remove and stir in the almonds, fruit, walnut and cocoa mixture and sifted flour.

Pack the mixture in a round baking tray. It is very hot and stiff at this stage, but work as quickly as you can, flattening it down into the tin with the back of a spoon. Cut more rice paper to fit and cover the top of the Panforte.

 Bake for 30 minutes.

Once the Panforte has cooled, take it from the tin. You will need to do this whilst it is still warm. Run a palette knife around the edge of the tin the open it. Lift the Panforte from the base and using your hands press and mould any loose bits back into shape. Once cold dust with a mixture of icing sugar and corn flour.

Panforte keeps for months wrapped in greaseproof paper and stored in an airtight tin.

The lovely picture above was taken by the very talented Diana Miller

Pumpkin Ravioli

 These misty days just scream for bright food and things don’t get much brighter than pumpkin. Ravioli was also what my stomach demanded and rather than pop to Farringdon Road and buy my pasta fix from Gazzano’s I though I’d make my own.

It all very simple and like any craft rather soothing, but with moments of frustration. I learned fresh pasta making during my stays in in Italy and love it texture and silkiness. I also learnt most definitely that dried pasta was often the pasta of choice and that you never, never put oil in the pasta water to cook it.

Many of my most humiliating food moments have been when in Italy: asking for cappuccino after 11 am, hanging onto your red wine when you have asked for dessert, wanted Parmesan on seafood risotto…….. My cheeks have stung often with the scorn of the waiter as I make yet another Faux Pas!

But I have learned and now only drink macchiato after 11am and finish my wine before ordering dessert. I do occasionally add Parmesan to crab risotto but only in the privacy of my own home and then only when the curtains are drawn!

 

So to the pasta: I make mine in a food processor though any freestanding mixer works well and  I would use a dough hook in preference, or naturally you can knead the dough by hand.

I use the usual ration of eggs to flour: 100gms pasta flour to 1 medium egg just adding a couple of pinches of salt. If my egg is a bit on the large side I add flour a sprinkle at a time. It’s worth spending time getting the texture right so the pasta rolls evenly. It should be malleable but not stick to the heel of your hand when push away from you.

To make the filling I roasted a butternut squash with olive oil and a few cloves of garlic until it was soft. I then peeled the squash and whizzed it in a processor with plenty of freshly ground pepper and lots of fresh Parmesan. Nutmeg or cinnamon would work and many add amoretti biscuit crumbs but I find that makes the finished dish too sweet.

As the sage in my garden was way past it’s best I used a sauce of warm extra virgin oil with chopped pecans, fresh thyme leave and some lemon zest.

Pumpkin Ravioli

300gm pasta flour

3 medium eggs

2 pinches salt

filling

I medium butternut squash

4 plump cloves garlic

90gm finely grated Parmesan

freshly ground black pepper

Sauce

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

fresh thyme leaves

30gms pecan or walnuts finely chopped

a little finely grated lemon zest

Make the pasta by mixing the flour and salt with the eggs, kneading until you have a smooth firm dough.

Allow it to rest under an up turned bowl for 30 minutes

Cut the squash into pieces and place in a dish in the oven with the garlic and a little oil roasting until soft.

Peel off the skin and peel the garlic cloves. Whiz the flesh with the cheese and season well.

Roll out your dough and fill as shown.

I lay the made ravioli on trays dusted with polenta to stop them sticking.

Bring a big pan of water to the boil add a couple of tablespoons of salt to it and when you’re ready drop in the ravioli. They will need about 3 minutes rapid boiling though the degree of  “al dente” is personal!

While the pasta cooks warm the oil, nuts and herbs together and when the pasta is drained toss the ravioli in this sauce.

Serve at once.

Pot Roast Heaven

Well pot roast beef in fact, but heavenly indeed on a glum November day.  The rediscovery of the casserole is the latest news on the food front and a pot roast is just one step further along.

I love this type of cooking as it combines so many of my favourite things: a delicious tasty meal, minimum last minute preparation and a dish that is extremely forgiving.

I have chosen beef for this recipe but the technique is the same whether you pick chicken, venison or pork. A pot roast shoulder of lamb would work just fine but I might cook that rather fatty meat open over the veg as in Lamb Boulanger to allow the skin to crisp.

The basics are a decent sized piece of meat about 2 kilos and whatever vegetables you have in the larder with a definite lean towards roots. You will need an onion or two, leeks work well especially with chicken, and some seasoning herbs. For liquid you can chose stock, or wine but I often use water, not wanting to add too many flavours to the dish.

I have a beautiful collection of cast iron casserole/cocotte dishes collected over many years and half the pleasure to me of making pot roast is being about to use one of these lovelies.

The method is simple and can be followed for which ever meat you chose, the economy is perfect, less costly joints faring best here, and any leftovers will make gorgeous hearty soups.

Beef Pot Roast

2kg  joint of silverside, topside or leanish brisket

110gm smoked streaky bacon

a couple of tablespoons olive oil

Vegetables:

2 leeks cleaned and sliced

4 carrots peeled and cut into chunks

4 small parsnips peeled and cut into chunks

2-3 ribs of celery sliced

4 fat cloves of garlic peeled and bashed a bit

I pint stock, water or red wine

Salt, freshly ground black pepper

A couple of sprigs of thyme and a bay leaf or two

To finish:

A couple of handfuls of small potatoes and some black olives these are optional but tasty if you have them in the fridge, Sun blushed tomatoes would work too.

Method

Begin by choosing a lidded casserole into which all your ingredients will fit.

Place this over a moderate heat and cook the bacon till the fat runs and the bacon browns. Remove this to a plate then adding the oil brown the beef ( chicken, venison etc) on all sides. This does not seal the meat but it does caramelize the sugars and deepens the flavours of the final dish.

Take the meat out and add the veg. Give this all a stir and cook for about 4-5 minutes until things start to look a little relaxed.

Put the meat and bacon back then add the stock, season and tuck in the herbs.

Put on the lid and bring to a simmer.

Pop the dish in the oven and cook at 150 (140 fan) gas mk 2 for about 3 hours. It will sit in the oven happily for 4 hours.

I like to check the stock level a couple of times during cooking, it should come no more than half way up the meat.

About 40 minutes before serving add the potatoes and olives if you’re using them.

Serve with a good green cabbage.

Cook often until spring!!

Just some of my dishes!!!

Cracking Quinoa

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Well today is quite a day as I think I have at last cracked quinoa!!!
I have really tried to like this must-eat grain for a couple of years but have found it stodgy and tasteless. On the few occasions I’ve tried to cook with it I’ve ended up with something that has more in common with school tapioca pudding than a cutting edge dish.

 If I hadn’t tried it once at Ottolenghi in Islington I would have just shrugged my shoulders and not bothered with it at all. But I had had a delicious salad there and it rather haunted me. I’d really enjoyed it and wanted to make it myself.

So today I did what I should have done months ago. I went to Yotam’s book Plenty and looked up how he cooked Quinoa!! The salad recipe he gave had a load of ingredients not in my fridge so I used his cooking method and added a dressing I’ve been working on this summer.

Sweet white miso paste has a wonderful light flavour, add honey, citrus juice and oil to make the dressing. This time I used lemon, but orange and pink grapefruit work too.

Chop plenty of herbs and a small bunch of spring onions and mix these in. I added dried cranberries as I was looking for a sweet/sharp taste and I wanted to balance the texture with something a little chewy but pomegranate seeds would work well.

Quinoa salad with sweet white miso dressing

200 gm. quinoa

Dressing:

1 dessertspoon white miso paste

1 teaspoon honey or to taste

2-3 tablespoons citrus juice

2-3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 clove garlic crushed to a paste with ½ teaspoon salt

Black pepper

To finish

A good handful flat leaf parsley and one of fresh coriander

4 plump spring onions finely sliced

50gm dried cranberries

Cook the quinoa in plenty of boiling water for 10 minutes, drain very well and tip into a large bowl.

While the grain cooks mix the salad dressing and then add this to the warm quinoa. Stir well and cover the still steaming bowl with a tea towel.

When the salad is cool stir in the herbs, onions and cranberries. Taste and correct the seasoning.

Piccalilli, Yes it's that time of year!!

Click here to buy my new book Ham, Pickles and Jam

So even though it's still technically summer I am already feeling the urge to get into the kitchen and start pickling. It's the same every year, some thing I guess I owe to my post war childhood when the end of summer signalled a round of preserving that filled the house with the smell of vinegar for months.
There really is no need for any of us to make our own pickles and chutneys these days and folk that sell on Farmer's Markets are only to happy to shift their preserves. But as with much home cooked food, not all, you didn't meet my mother-in-law, home made is best.
I find no difficulty in passing over jam making as I have almost no sweet tooth but pickles really appeal.
I was at the Red Market in Shoreditch , before it was closed down, and was trying out Piccalilli at Tom Dixon's Shorditch Smoke stand. One was made to my recipe and one he got from a friend who used some whole spices and fresh chilli so I though to adapt mine and update it.
The Farmer's market yielded fresh veg and so today I'm back in the pickling swing.

Piccalilli


1 medium cauliflower cut into tine florets
2 medium courgettes chopped into 1cm cubes
3 medium onions, peeled and cut into 1 cm cubes
1 green pepper de-seeded and cubed
about 300gms runner beans cut into 1cm cubes
Prep all the veg and put them into a big china, glass or plastic bowl.

Now make the brine by dissolving 250gm salt in 1/2 litres of water and pour this over. It's best to weight the vegetables down with a plate so they stay under the brine.

Put the bowl into a cool dark room and leave for about 24 hours.

Next make the sauce for the piccalilli You need to do this in a large stainless steel or enamelled pan.

Mix :

30g (1oz) plain flour

60g (2oz) mustard powder

225g (8oz) white granulated sugar

1 tbsp turmeric

1tablespoon crushed fennel seeds

Together then make them into a paste using part of 750 ml distilled or white wine vinegar

I've found if you mix the dry ingredient well the tend not to "clump" when the vinegars added.

Put this over a medium heat and cook, stirring often. until the mixture thickens. Now turn the heat to low and simmer the sauce for 4-5 minutes . Again you must stir well as it can catch on the bottom but you need to cook the flour to avoid a raw taste.

Meanwhile drain the veg and rinse under running water. Shake as much water off as you can then tip these into the pan with the sauce.

Cook the vegetable in the sauce, simmering for 2-3 minutes then pot into jars and store in a cool dark place for at least a month.

Are you eating lesser known fish? I am.

Click here to buy my new book Ham, Pickles and Jam

Dabs, fresh from the boat on Aldeburgh beach. Such an inexpensive luxury, the seven fish shown above cost me £3.00. Yes, amazing value. I know I had to buy them fresh from the boat but that was no hardship. It gave me a chance to catch up with Dean, one of our local inshore fisherman. He was feeling gutted that day as his gear had snagged on some rocks and he'd not only lost his nets but most of his catch. Dabs it was then but whilst I'd set out for sole I'm really pleased I tried these fish again, after a long absence, as they were delicious

New potatoes and a butter sauce seemed perfect so I picked up some samphire on Chapel Market to blanch and to the burre blanc.

My only problem was then should I cook the fish whole, pan fried or should I fillet them? The fillet option will leave less fish but make for easier eating. Dabs do have a lot of bones or rather the bone to flesh ratio is rather too high. The obvious thing to do when serving bony fish: kippers, trout etc is simple to put a bits plate on the table to take the detritus and keep the plate you're eating from relatively clean.

In the end I filleted them. Not difficult, but a bit time consuming. Dipped in seasoned flour then pan fried with the Samphire sauce they were sensational.

Seven were way to many to eat at one sitting so I froze 3 of them raw for another time. Supper for two people for two quid, not bad!!

Burre Blanc

1shallot , finely chopped

1 small glass white wine

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon double cream

170gm 6 oz butter, cut into small dice

sea salt and black pepper

lemon juice

In a heavy saucepan cook the shallot in the wine and vinegar until the liquid has reduce to about 2 tablespoons. Add the cream and as soon as it boils remove the pan from the heat. Using a balloon whisk beat in the butter cubes, whisking until you have a smooth amalgamated sauce. Season to taste with salt pepper and lemon juice .

Easy and delicious! Add the lightly steamed samphire and serve with your fish and a glass of chilled Suffolk cider.