Sunday 29 December 2013

Recipe: ham, turkey and vegetables in a creamy sauce: some leftovers

As Diane said the other day, this is hardly a recipe because I'm not giving amounts, but it is really delicious so I am sharing.

Ingredients:
butter
turkey dripping
leek, sliced
red pepper, chunks
baby corn, chunks,
chestnut mushrooms, sliced
chunks of cooked ham and cooked turkey (white and brown meat)
turkey stock
plain flour
marigold stock powder
cream
grated cheddar (I would have used Stilton but didn't have any)
seasonings
mixed dried herbs
pinch mustard powder

(It looks a long list but basically, whatever veg you have plus other bits and bobs!  Leftover sprouts would be good.)

Method
Place a little turkey dripping and butter in a saucepan and melt.  Add the leek, red pepper and baby corn and saute gently on a low heat for quite a while until it's all soft and smelling wonderful.
Add some plain flour and stir in well, continue to fry for a short time, stirring.
Add the turkey stock and stir well as it comes to a boil and thickens.
Add some cream, seasonings, marigold stock powder, mustard powder and grated and continue to stir until it is all incorporated.  You should have a thick-ish sauce.  It it's too thin, mix some more flour with some butter to make a beurre manie (imagine the accent at the end, please) and add it bit by bit, stirring, until it is the thickness you want
Add the ham and turkey and very carefully stir it in.  Reheat, check seasonings and adjust if needed and it's ready.

I'm using it to make a pie with a puff pastry topping but it would be lovely with rice, pasta, creamy mash, etc.  You could add roasted chestnuts to the mix too or a bit of cranberry sauce.  Mmmmm


Saturday 28 December 2013

Recipe: Christmas ice cream: leftovers, therefore frugal

It has to be frugal as it's using all leftovers which otherwise might (possibly) be thrown out, but you could make it from scratch.  I don't advise it, not with mince pie and Christmas pud involved and it wouldn't be at all frugal!

Christmas Ice Cream
Ingredients:
Leftover custard (mine was 'real' custard, made in Thermione), chilled
More or less two thirds of an equivalent amount of double cream, chilled - I don't think the exact measures matter all that much.
One mince pie, crumbled
A bit of Christmas pud, crumbled or finely chopped, if rather solid

Method.
Mix well the cold custard with the cream.  Pour into a freezer container, wrap and freeze for four hours until foing solid.
Place contents into a blender (I used Thermione) and zizz well.  This breaks up the ice crystals that otherwise form.
Replace in container, wrap  and freeze for another four hours or so.
Zizz again.
Before freezing for a final time, stir in the pud and the mince pie bits.
Wrap and freeze.
Half an hour before eating, take out of the freezer to soften slightly - it makes it easier to scoop and serve.

It's REALLY nice.  Worth a try!
I'm not sure how nice it would be with an instant custard but I'm sure it wouldn't be nasty at all.

Recipe: bubble and squeak cakes: frugal

These are frugal because they are made with leftovers (mostly) and they are delicious.  Filling too.

Ingredients
Leftover Christmas vegetables, mashed together.  Some must be potato.  (I quickly microwaved a potato because I didn't have quite enough.  I had potato, sprouts, carrots, parsnip and sweet potato.)
2 rashers streaky bacon, very finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
some turkey dripping (or melted butter)
Some plain flour, seasoned with salt and dried mixed herbs
(optional - some grated cheese: I didn't use this but it would be tasty)
Seasonings of choice (salt, pepper, etc)

Method:
Gently saute the bacon and onion until soft.  Use a little dripping to start it off but you don't need much as the bacon releases fat quickly.
Add the bacon and onion to the mashed vegetables and stir well.  As some seasonings (salt/pepper)
Add some turkey dripping (which stays soft, even in the fridge, so no need to melt) or some melted butter and mix in well.  This moistens the mixture.
Form into patties, roll in the seasoned flour and place on a plate (I used easy leave to separate the layers), cover and place in the fridge until needed.

Heat some oil (or more dripping) in a large pan and fry the patties until browned on both sides.  Enjoy!

There are lots of variations.  For example, I did um and ah about adding some turkey bits and some cranberry sauce but didn't in the end: we had that separately.  As already mentioned, you could add grated cheese to the mix - that would be scrummy.

And they freeze well!

Sunday 22 December 2013

Don't . . .

1 . . . post entry in wrong blog!

2 . . . do what I did with the potatoes.  I set to and prepared the spuds for roasties, intending to freeze them.  Peeled, chunked, into cold water and on the hob.  When it had reached boiling I turned off the heat, intending to go back in ten minutes, drain, etc . . .

Three hours later . . . .

Soggy, waterlogged, mushy, revolting.  I'm sure I could have salvaged something but I didn't have the will power.  So guess what I will be doing today!!

Sunday

Quite a lot of bread made.
Delia's red cabbage made
Beth's Christmas Crumble Topping made (recipe in Teacher's Recipes)
Space cleared in fridge (in fact, clean fridge)
Space cleared in freezer
Washing done (just about but I've run out of washing liquid and REFUSE to go shopping today)
Ironing just about done (more done than it's been all year, that's for sure)
Knives sharpened
Just one bed to make up upstairs.

Woohoo!!!

I did seem to be on the go most of the day and by tea time I was seriously flagging with the aches back so I rested and that did the trick!

Today Beth and Alex come round and we put up the Christmas Tree.  Yay!
Also:
Make up that bed.
Finish the ironing
Clear more freezer space
Tidy kitchen (it got a bit messed up yesterday)
Take things to the garage

And then overnight:
Do the Big Shop and remember - it is only ONE day!!!

Saturday 21 December 2013

Christmas bits and bobs: roasting chestnuts, Christmas crumble topping recipe

Firstly. I am in the middle of making a triple batch of bread with Thermione's help.  It's rising nicely and will need knocking back soon.  One small loaf for now and the rest into the freezer for the Christmas week.  I shall make some wholemeal as well but white seems to go faster.

I've just made a christmas crumble topping.  beth is vegetarian and loves a savoury crumble so that's what I'm making for her for Christmas dinner.

This is the recipe I've used - bog standard really with a few additions.  And it was all done in Thermione.

Savoury Christmas Crumble topping
Ingredients
75g butter
125g plain flour
50g regular or rolled oats
75g mature Cheddar, grated
salt, pepper, mixed herbs, a grating of nutmeg
Roasted chestnuts, crumbled. (looking at the ones I have just roasted which I am trying hard not to eat, I would say about seven or eight.
Method:
Rub the butter into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs
add the oats, cheese, herbs and seasonings to taste and chestnuts and mix well.
Use!

The thermione way:
Place the cheese in the bowl with a little of the flour.  Pulse three or four times until the cheese is grated.  Set aside.
Place the flour and butter in the bowl and pulse a few times until it resembles breadcrumbs.  It doesn't take long.
Add the oats, grated cheese, seasonings and crumbled chestnuts and reverse mix for a few seconds on 2 until it's all well mixed together/
Use!


Roasting chestnuts
I'm sure everyone knows, but in case, here's how to roast chestnuts the simple way.  Turn the oven on to 200C.  Cut a little x in each chestnut (to prevent them from exploding).  Pop them on an oven tray, bung in the oven and cook for 25-30 mins.  Easy peasy.  Be careful if shelling them hot - they can be VERY hot!

Now I'm off to deal with the bread!

Monday 16 December 2013

More apologies

Things are still busy, hectic, hard work and generally there's no time for kitchen creations, but I Will Be Back.  Holidays are coming up!

See you all then!

Sunday 8 December 2013

No new recipes

Sorry, but life is too hectic to have the energy at the moment.

However, I did make some jolly nice mince pies yesterday and am looking forward to the jacket potatoes today!  Nothing new but very tasty all the same!