Oatmeal Stuffing

Ingredients
200g coarse oatmeal
100g Atora-light vegetarian suet
1 onion, chopped finely
salt and black pepper
a pinch of dried thyme

Method
Combine the ingredients in a bowl and then use the mixture to fill the cavity of a large ready-to-roast chicken using a spoon. This is the quantity for a large chicken. When the chicken has been roasted, the oatmeal stuffing will be moist and delicious. This is a traditional Scottish stuffing, sometimes called skirlie, and can be used in turkey or pheasant as well, using the same proportions but altering quantities to suit the size of bird.

Christmas Cake, Part 3

The Christmas Cake is wrapped in greasproof paper, then aluminium foil. It has been labelled and it will be stored in an unheated cupboard (I always put it in the cupboard in the dining room) for two months. About ten days before Christmas it will get its layer of almond paste and a week later, royal icing.

More to follow!

Christmas Cake, Part 2

Following baking, the cake cools in its tin next to a freshly-baked granary loaf. It smells gorgeous!

The cake mixture is ready to bake.

The batter mixture sets rather than rise the way a Victoria Sponge would.

BAKING THE CAKE

Measure out

175g Lurpak Lighter

175g dark muscovado sugar

3 eggs

50g self-raising flour

100g plain flour

1 tablespoon black treacle (didn't have any, so used golden syrup)

1 tsp. ground mixed spice

Beat very well together in a food mixer for 3 minutes.

Stir in 50g blanched chopped almonds (this year I used walnuts instead). Stir in all the soaked fruit and sherry (see Christmas Cake, Part 1)

Grease and line an 8 inch/20 cm round cake tin (or a 7 inch/18 cm square tin). Spoon the cake mixture into the tin and level off the top. Put the cake on to a rack in the simmering oven of the Aga for 4 - 10 hours. When cooked, a warm skewer pierced through the centre of the cake will come out clean. If not cooked yet, bake for another 30 minutes or so and test again. Leave to cool in the tin.

In a conventional oven

Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 1, 275°F (140°C). Wrap the tin in brown paper or newspaper and tie it with string. This is to protect the outside of the cake from burning. Bake on the lowest shelf of the oven for 4-4¾ hours. Sometimes it can take up to ½-¾ hour longer than this, but don't look until at least 4 hours have passed. A fan-assisted oven may need to be set at a slightly lower temperature.

A low fat cooked breakfast

Two lightly grilled turkey rashers, grilled mushrooms, a grilled tomato (with herbs) and a grilled hash brown. Poach an egg to accompany.

Beefburgers

Burgers are easy to make and are so much nicer home-made than bought. For each burger, use 125g minced beef, season well with salt and pepper. They can be bulked out with fresh breadcrumbs and/ or finely chopped onions and they are nice too. Form the burger shape and grill or BBQ. Serve in a burger bun with lettuce, tomato slices, onion rings, gherkins and ketchup, crisps and coke or lager.

Granny's Lentil Soup

Granny makes lovely Lentil Soup! This is how it's done.

Ask the butcher for a ham bone and add it to 3 pints of water in a large pan. If you don't have a bone, use two ham stock cubes with the 3 pints of water.

Measure out 200g red lentils and chop (roughly, if you are going to blend the finished soup; finely, if not) 200g each of onions, carrots and swede. Add a sprig of parsley if you have one. Add these to the water and ham. Grind in some black pepper, but don't add salt, because the ham bone may be salty.

Bring this to a simmer. Scum will form on the top if you have used a fresh meat bone. This can be removed, or stirred in.

Allow the soup to simmer gently for one hour.

In the meantime, find something peaceful to do - read a book!

Finally, remove the bone, liquidise the soup and check the seasoning. Finish with freshly chopped parsley.

If you are not going to blend the soup smooth, remove the bone and the parsley sprig and stir through freshly chopped parsley. (Sometimes it's nice to blend half the soup so that you get a textured soup.)

Serves 8


There are one or two things you can do with the meat from the ham bone. You can give it to the lucky dog, as I did, or you can shred it and stir it into the soup or you can use it for a sandwich or to add to a risotto. The meat today was delicious and would have made a lovely ham roll!

Leek and Potato Soup

Leek and potato soup can be as simple or as complicated as you like. Even the most basic of recipes ends up as one of the tastiest soups around. The variants include serving it smooth or chunky, or with other ingredients added. Not only is leek and potato soup extremely tasty, it is almost foolproof and you will always end up with a very edible soup. It's quick to prepare and freezes well.
Below is the quickest, simplest leek and potato soup recipe.

Serves 4 - 6
Ingredients
Four medium leeks trimmed
Two medium potatoes
Medium onion
1 litre Chicken stock, fresh or water and two stock cubes
225 ml Milk
2 tablespoons Butter
¼ teaspoon Pepper
¼ teaspoon Salt

(optional ingredients)
Fresh chopped chives or parsley.
Four tablespoons of cream or creme fraiche.
I like to add a stick of celery and ¼ teaspoon curry powder in the initial sweating of the vegetables.

Method
Wash the leeks and slice off the tough top green parts. Remove the tough outer layer. Chop the leeks finely. The best way to do this is to slice them lengthwise into three sections then gather the sections and chop them. Put the chopped leeks in a colander and rinse them thoroughly. Soil particles and grit is often present in the outer layers of the leeks.
Peel and finely chop the onion.
Peel and chop the potatoes into small cubes, roughly 2cm / ¾ in cubes.
If using stock cubes, dissolve them in boiling water.

1.Melt butter in a pan on a medium heat.
2.Turn the heat to low then add the leeks, onions and potatoes to the pan. Add seasonings. Cover the pan and cook on a low heat for 10 minutes. Stir the vegetables twice whilst cooking.
3.Add the stock to the pan and simmer for a further 20 minutes until the potatoes are softened and cooked through. Add the milk and warm through.

Your soup is now cooked and ready to serve. The texture of the soup will be chunky. If you prefer a less chunky texture, let the soup cool for 5 minutes and then either blend for 30 seconds in a food processor or mash the soup with a potato masher (it will still not be smooth).
Reheat the soup until it just starts to boil and serve.
If you want to improve the presentation then add a tablespoon of cream to the centre of each bowl of soup and swirl it round gently with a spoon.
Sprinkle the chopped parsley or chives over the top.

The Basic Beef Casserole (or Beef Stew)

First, the cut. Casseroling, or stewing, renders hard-working muscular meat tender with slow cooking. As the muscles contain marbled fat and connective tissues, the dish will be very flavoursome when cooked. You need to make sure you get the right cut. Braising steak will be too dry. Shin is excellent as it is cheap and with all its connective tissues melted down, the finished meat is very soft, but it needs to be cooked for three hours. Shoulder steak is very good. I think it is called 'chuck steak' in England. I love skirt, which you will only get from a butcher. It's particularly tasty. Don't pay more than £10 a kg. for meat you are going to cook slowly. Less, if poss!

The basic recipe is straightforward and you can adapt it to suit. You need meat, a liquid to cook it in, some vegetables, flavourings and something with which to thicken the gravy.

The liquid can be stock, wine, beer, a can of tomatoes or water. The vegetables can be onions (almost always), carrots and celery for a basic casserole, but mushrooms, bacon, red wine and garlic mimic a Boeuf Bourguignon; peppers, paprika, tomatoes and finished off with creme fraiche and you're heading towards a Goulash. Simmer it in a bottle of beer and some garlic as well as the basic vegetables and you're in Beef Carbonnade territory (see first blog entry in 2007). You can add what you like. If you've got spices or curry powder, they can be added after the initial frying of onions and garlic and then a can of tomatoes added to make a tasty curry. Experiment, but cook it long and slow for best results!

Work on 150g per person.

Serves 4

Ingredients

600g beef ( see note above)

a large onion, chopped

a couple of carrots, sliced

a stick of celery, sliced (optional, but good!)

2 tablespoons flour

salt and black pepper

beef stock, about 300 ml.+

oil

Method

You can bung everything into a casserole dish as it is, missing out the oil, bringing it to the boil, then sticking it in a low oven (150 degrees) to simmer for 2 -3 hours until it's tender (it will taste fine) but to make it more flavoursome and refined, follow the instructions below.

Brown the meat in two lots in hot oil until it is a rich mahogany colour (ie. don't crowd the meat, but let it get a good hot 'fry' to seal the outside). Remove the meat and put on to a plate. Add the onions to the oil and fry until they brown, chuck in the carrots and celery and fry for a minute or two. Put the beef back in with any juices that have accumulated and sprinkle over the flour. Stir it and let the flour soak up all the juices. It doesn't matter if it browns a little, as it will add to the colour of the final dish. Pour stock in to about half-way up the vegetables. The vegetables will release water as they cook, so if you add more stock, the final dish will be too watery. Season with salt and pepper and add any flavourings (ie. some herbs if you have some - thyme is good, and add a bay leaf if you have one). Remember that seasoning added at this stage will not taste 'too much', but will enhance the dish as it cooks with the meat, so don't leave it out. Now allow the dish to come to a good simmer, give it a stir, pop a lid on and stick it into the oven for at least two hours. The oven should be at 140 - 150 degrees.

To stew the meat instead, leave the pan with its lid on, on the hob, turn it to low so that it just plops and check it from time to time, for the same length of time.

Shoulder steak may be done after two hours. I prefer cooking for three. No hardship if you've allowed for this! Don't forget that all casseroles taste more 'rounded' if prepared a day in advance, cooled, then reheated. The flavours really develop. Never reheat more than once. Serve with ............. well, take your pick! Mashed potatoes, brown rice, basmati rice, pasta, naan bread. Remember the mustard (or mango chutney, if it's a curry). Enjoy this with.......friends.

Christmas Cake, Part 1

Started the Christmas cake today! The fruit needs to be soaked in alcohol for three days before it is baked with the rest of the ingredients. It's good to get the cake made before the end of October because to taste at its best, it needs to mature for a couple of months.

The first stage

for an 8" round tin (20 cm)

350g currants

225g sultanas

100g raisins

225g glace cherries

rind of 1 orange

rind of 1 lemon

150 ml sherry

Preparation

Chop the raisins with a damp knife and quarter the cherries. Put the fruit in a container and pour over the sherry and stir in the grated rind. Cover and leave to soak for three days, stirring daily. I also added a couple of tablespoons of Orange Muscat & Flora, left over from last Christmas (it's a dessert wine). I might have added a dash of brandy if I had had some.

More to follow in three days!

Fegato alla Veneziana (Venetian-Style Liver)

Liver and onions is elevated to a more exotic concoction when given its Italian title, Fegato alla Veneziana, one of the best loved dishes of the Veneto. Simple to prepare, the onions are cooked long and slow for sweetness. In Roman times, liver was cooked with figs, from which the word 'fegato' comes. The sweetness of the onions counteracts any slight bitterness from the liver. The liver should be cooked quickly to brown the outside but retain a slight pinkness in the middle. Served with North Italy's polenta or with pasta or mashed potatoes, this is a very economical and nutritious meal. Ask for the liver to be sliced thinly and then remove any membrane before cooking.

Ingredients (serves 2)
250 grams calf's liver (traditionally calf's liver, the most tender, but lamb's liver can be used)
250 grams onions
15 grams butter
2 tablespoons oil
salt
pepper
chopped parsley (optional)
lemon slices (optional)

Preparation

In butter and oil, slowly cook thinly sliced onion until limp but not browned. This may take up to 40 minutes. Add salt and pepper. Seasoning during cooking ensures you do not get a raw salt taste. A few minutes before serving add liver cut in thin strips, and cook over a high heat. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve immediately.

Minced Beef Stroganoff

You can substitute the sour cream and lemon juice for a cup of full-fat plain yogurt (room temperature). Do not allow to boil.
Ingredients
· Butter
· 500g minced beef
· Salt and pepper
· 1 onion, chopped
· 225g sliced button mushrooms
· 4 tablespoons of dry sherry, dry white wine, or water
· 3 tablespoons chopped parsley, loosely packed
· 250 ml cups sour cream (room temperature) – or yoghurt – see note
· 1 teaspoon lemon juice (not necessary with yoghurt)
· 1/4 teaspoon paprika or more to taste
· 250g pasta (it would also be good with rice)
Method
1 Put a large pot of salted water on to heat, for the pasta.
2 Heat a large sauté pan on medium high heat. Melt 1 teaspoon butter in the pan and swirl it around. Sprinkle the bottom of the pan generously with salt. Working in batches as not to crowd the meat (crowding it will make it hard to brown), break up the minced beef and add it to the pan. Sprinkle the meat with salt. Do not stir the meat, as stirring will prevent browning. Once the meat is well browned on one side (a couple minutes, depending on how hot the pan), use tongs or a fork or a metal spatula to flip to the other side. Once that side is browned as well, use a slotted spoon to remove from the pan and set aside. Continue to brown the meat in batches, adding a teaspoon of butter to the pan with each batch if needed, and salting the pan and the meat, until it is all browned. Remove meat from pan. Drain excess fat from pan.
3 Lower the heat to medium. Add the onions to the pan. If you are working with very lean meat, you may not have any residual fat in the pan. If this is the case, you'll want to add in a tablespoon of olive oil or butter to the pan. Cook the onions, scraping up the meat drippings, until soft, about 5 minutes. Remove onions from the pan (add to the meat).
4 Depending on the cooking times of your particular brand of pasta, this is likely a good time to add the pasta to the (should be now) boiling, salted water.
5 While the pasta is cooking, add a tablespoon of butter to the pan, increase the heat to medium high. Add the sliced mushrooms. Sauté until nicely browned (about 4 minutes). Add the sherry (or dry white wine or water) to the pan to deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned bits. Let the sherry reduce by at least a half, then lower the heat to low.
6 Remove the pan from the heat. Mix in the sour cream and paprika until smooth. Return the pan to very low heat, and not let the sour cream boil (or it may curdle). You may add a few tablespoons of water to the mixture to thin it out a bit at any time. Stir in the lemon juice, and about 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of salt (taste). Stir in the meat and onions. Stir in the chopped parsley. Add more salt, pepper, and/or paprika to taste.
7 Keep the stroganoff on warm heat until the noodles are done cooking. When the pasta is ready (al dente), drain.
Serve the stroganoff on top of pasta.
Serves 4.