There's never enough bread sauce, and I think Delia's recipe is one of the best. It reheats well and I think it suits cold meats of all sorts. I've modified it a bit, though, both to make better use of the onions and to ensure you have enough for the turkey (or goose or whatever) on the day, and for a couple of days afterwards.
Ingredients
2 large onions
lots of cloves - try 8–10 per onion half
2 bay leaves
black peppercorns
2 pints of full cream milk (although semi-skimmed will work)
4 oz butter
8 oz of breadcrumbs (some bread whizzed up in your food-processor is ideal)
4 tablespoons of double cream
Preparation
Start this the day before you need the sauce. Put the milk in a pan and add the bay leaves and peppercorns. Cut the onions in half and stud the round surface with cloves and put them in the milk. The onion will float flat side up so the cloves need to be on the underside. Warm the milk until it's about to boil and then remove from the heat, cover and leave it overnight.
The following day, remove the onions and bay leaves and keep them handy—chasing around after the peppercorns is a bit fiddly so I leave them in. Add the breadcrumbs to the infused milk and stir over a low heat for fifteen minutes or so.
Pick the cloves out of the onions and throw the cloves away. Carefully chop the onions; they'll be soggy with milk and very slippery and fry them gently in half the butter until they're as cooked as you like them, adding a twist or two of black pepper. Add them to the milk and breadcrumbs.
Beat in the remainder of the butter and the cream and season if necessary.
Pete Wright
Portsmouth
Saturday, 29 December 2007
Tuesday, 25 December 2007
Turkey Soup
The highlight of the Christmas Turkey for me is the Turkey Soup you make with the carcass. Distilling the very essence of the bird down into a golden nectar that is fit for the very gods themselves.
The Stock
Ingredients
- Turkey Carcass Including any bits of stuffing still hanging about. Try to keep some meat on the bird when stripping it. The more meat, the more flavor.
- 1 Carrot split in half length ways
- 2 sticks of celery
- 2 sprigs of thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 12 black peppercorns
- salt
- Break the carcass up and put them in a stock pot or other large pan fit for the job.
- Add the rest of the ingredients
- Cover with water & bring to a simmer
- Skim off any scum that floats to the top and simmer for two hours
- Using a sieve lined with a piece of paper kitchen towel strain the stock, replacing the towel periodically
- Discard the debris.
The Soup
Ingredients
- 1 lb (450g) of vegetables per pint of stock - (a mix of carrots, leeks, swede, celery & onions) chopped
- 1 heaped tsp of Turkey Dripping or butter per lb (450g) of vegetables
- Salt & freshly milled black pepper
- Melt the dripping or butter in a large pan and sweat the chopped vegetables, with the lid on, on a low heat for 10 minutes.
- Add the stock and leave to simmer gently for 1 1/2 hours
- Liquidise the soup in batches
- Season to taste
Optionally add chopped cooked turkey meat to the soup before serving and a spot of cream.
Blogged with Flock
Brussel Sprouts with Pancetta and Marsla Wine
I caught this recipe on Nigella Lawson's TV show last year. Even sprout haters will love this one.
Ingredients
Cooking
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 pounds Brussels sprouts
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 9 ounces pancetta, rind removed and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 2 tablespoons butter
- About 8 to 9 ounces vacuum-packed chestnuts
- 2 fluid ounces Marsala wine
- 1 large handful fresh parsley, chopped, divided
- Freshly ground black pepper
Cooking
- Parboil the Brussels sprouts for 5 minutes
- Take pan off the heat and drain the excess water
- Heat oil in a largepan. Add the pancetta and cook until crisp and golden, but not cooked to the point of having dried out.
- Add butter and chestnuts and use a wooden spoon or spatula, press down on them, breaking them into pieces.
- Once the chestnuts have warmed through, increase the heat up and add the Marsala.
- Cook until reduced and thickened slightly.
- Add the sprouts and half the parsley to the saucepan and mix well. Season the Brussels sprouts with freshly ground black pepper.
To serve, place the Brussels sprouts onto a warmed serving plate and sprinkle the remaining chopped parsley over the top.
Traditional Roast Turkey
To some, the traditional Christmas dinner is a daunting proposition, with a myriad things to juggle to get that fat bird on the table. However, with a little organisation, and a copy of Delia Smith's Christmas, cooking the perfect bird every time is a doddle.On the night before Christmas Eve make up a batch of Cranberry Sauce ready for the big day. That'll be one less thing to do on Christmas morning.
Liking a leisurely Christmas, we eat Christmas Dinner at around 3 o'clock as such the timings that follow are geared around hitting that mark. For an earlier, or even later fare, adjust them accordingly.
Ingredients
- 1 x 6.5 kg (14lb) turkey, oven ready (I'd recomend getting a Bronze turkey if possible)
- 175g (6oz) softened butter
- 225g (8 oz) verys fat streaky bacon
- Salt (preferably Maldon) and freshly milled black pepper
- Stuffing
- Extra wide Turkey Foil
Timetable
8:45 a.m
- Pre-heat the oven to 220C (gas mark 7, 425F)
- Stuff the bird, packing the neck end then putting the rest in the body cavity. N.b. if you use the body cavity then please ensure that both turkey and stuffing are defrosted properly. Failure to do so can be dangerous. If in doubt, just stuff the neck.
- Arrange two sheets of foil across the roasting tin, one widthwise and one length wise. Allow for enough to make a nice tent for the bird.
- Lay the turkey on it's back in the centre then rub all over with your softened butter. Pay special attention to the thigh bones.
- Season the bird all over with salt and pepper.
- Lay the bacon in overlapping rows over the breast.
- Wrap the turkey loosely in the foil. Sealed firmly but allowing for an airspace around most of the upper part of the bird.
- Place the turkey in the pre-heated oven. It will cook at this high temperature for 40 minutes.
- While it is cooking peel the potatoes and cover in cold water ready for roasting, and prepare the bread sauce.
- Drop the oven temperature to 170C (325F, gas mark 3)
- Relax. All is now well in the Christmas world for the next couple of hours. So drink a glass of wine, eat some breakfast and unwrap those presents!
If you're having chipolatas and / or bacon rolls, then now is the time to roll with it and get them prepared.
- Brush a shallow baking sheet with oil and arrange the sausages in rows.
- Stretch the bacon rashers, rind removed, out as far as possible, roll them very tightly before threading them on long flat skewers. Place them next to the chipolatas ready to go into the oven later.
- Increase the oven temperature to 200C
- Take the turkey out of the oven
- Remove the foil from the top and sides
- Take off the bacon pieces, put them on a tray and return them to the oven
- Give the bird a damn good basting
- return it to the oven for a further 30-45 minutes to finish browning basting as frequently as possible
- Parboil the potatoes for 10 minutes then drain.
- Put the lid back on the saucepan and shake vigorously, giving the spuds a fluffy edgde to them.
- Take a solid roasting tin and add some lard, or, as we prefer, some goose fat.
- Place on a direct heat till it sizzles.
- Add the potatoes and baste them with the hot fat.
- Put the tin in the oven with the turkey.
- Take a 2nd roasting tin and add 3 tbsp of oil and 1tbsp of butter
- Place over a direct heat
- When hot add and baste the parsnips
- Remove the Turkey from the oven and increase the temperature to 230C (450F, gas mark 8).
- Transfer the turkey to a warm serving plate to let it relax for up to 50 minutes covered in foil to keep it warm.
- Place the parsnips on the middle shelf of the oven, and the chipolatas / bacon rolls at the bottom.
- Pour the wonderful turkey fat into a ceramic heat proof container. Don't waste it.
- Turn the sausages, chipolatas, bacon rolls over
- Par boil the sprouts for 5 to 6 minutes. Either serve them al-dente or cook them as per the recipe for Brussel Sprouts with Pancetta and Marsla Wine (a much better idea).
- Carve the turkey and serve up.
- Bone apetite !!!
Cranberry Sauce
There's nothing better with your Christmas turkey than home made cranberry sauce.
Ingredients
Preparation
When quality cranberry sauce is so easy to make, there's no reason to use the shop bought variety, other than a lack of cranberries that is.
Ingredients
- 225g (8oz) Cranberries
- 100g (4oz) Demerara (or other brown) Sugar
- grated rind and juice of 1 orange. Alternatively you can also use a fresh good quality orange juice here. Just add a glass full and reduce a bit more if the sauce is too thick. This year I used Tropicana Cranberry Blend, and the result was superb.
- glass of port (85-120 ml / 3-4 fl oz)
Preparation
- Put the cranberries, sugar orange rind, orange juice and port in a pan.
- Stir it over a gentle heat until the sugar disolves.
- Simmer for 5-8 minutes untill the cranberries are soft and the sauce has thickened.
- Allow to cool, then poor into a rigid container.
When quality cranberry sauce is so easy to make, there's no reason to use the shop bought variety, other than a lack of cranberries that is.
Saturday, 1 December 2007
Drinkies
Here are some off-beat Christmas wine suggestions.
The Times is running a '100 Winter Wines' series at the moment and rather than try to kill my liver matching that before Christmas, I thought I'd point you in the direction of some of my current favourites. A 'favourite' may, of course, be enjoyed no matter what the season. Or it wouldn't qualify as being a favourite now, would it?
First there are three kinds of wine without details of maker or vintage; go with what you can find. Then I've listed two specific wines that I'll be opening this Christmas. Here we go:
Tokaji Azsú - Hungary - White
Tokaji comes from Hungary and has a long and distinguished history. It's a sweet, golden wine, refreshingly sharp, too, made with Hárslevelu and Furmint grapes some of which been affected by noble rot, caused by a fungus called botryitis cinerea. This reduces the water content of the grape and concentrates its flavour. It also means that it takes considerably more grapes to make a given quantity of wine. The measure of sweetness is given as a number of 'puttonyos'; which will be between 3 and 6. The larger the number, the sweeter the wine. There is a category beyond 6 puttonyos called Aszú-Eszencia, but that's rare stuff indeed.
It is usually sold in 50cl bottles rather than 75cl ones. Expect to pay between ten and twenty quid (or more) per bottle. It's really good with nice cheese, but do put it in the fridge for a couple of hours before you serve it.
Madeira - Portugal - Brown
Hailing from the island of Madeira, surprise, surprise. Almost always a blend of different vintages (vintage Madeira is very unusual and somewhat costly). Originally used as tradeable ships ballast, madeira was transported around the world in the hot holds of ships in days gone by. This caused it to oxidize as completely as a wine can, which is why it is the way it is. These days the same effect is reproduced by storing the wine in heated cellars to mature. A bottle of Blandy's 10 year old Malmsey has always been a popular tipple here at Chateau Wright. We also once had a bottle of Henriques' Malmsey which was pretty good, too.
Drier madeira may be labelled 'Sercial' or 'Verdelho' and the sweeter ones 'Bual' or 'Malmsey'—the classic four varieties of madeira.
Recioto della Valpolicella - Italy - Red
Once upon a time, if you suggested to your friends that a bottle with the word 'Valpolicella' on the label was worth coughing up more than a fiver for, you'd be taken away for a well-earned rest somewhere. Let's get this straight. This is not the same beast at all. It's a rich red wine made from partially dried grapes, so the flavour is quite concentrated. This is not something you're ever likely to find in the bargain bucket - expect to pay around twenty quid or so for a good one.
Masi make a good one (try Oddbins - it'll be around £22 for a 75cl bottle), but the best one I tasted was from a 50cl bottle (at a fairly stiff seventeen quid from a now-defunct wine shop in Lechlade, if I recall correctly) and tasted like liquid blackberries. Gorgeous, and well worth the asking price. I think it was "Recioto della Valpolicella 'Le Arele'" from producer Giuseppe Lonardi - the label, description, bottle size and price are hauntingly familiar on the winedrop.co.uk site, but I'm not 100% sure - it was a few years ago and, like an idiot, I didn't make a note. If they would be so kind as to send me a free bottle - or, preferably, a free case, just to be sure, I'd be delighted to confirm it.
Cune Rioja Reserva 2001 - Red - Spain
I'd been itching to try this. Anne (my wife) worked for a short while in Spain a few years ago and Cune was one of the vineyards we had seen on our travels. I've always wanted to try this one because it has a good reputation, and I finally got the chance to do so last week in Majestic's in Salisbury. I did try an approximately equivalent claret but because I was driving, I couldn't go overboard with the comparisons. The Cune wine beat that particular claret hands down. Eleven quid a bottle and six quid off the pair if you buy two.
At Majestic you buy your wines by the case, i.e. 12 or more bottles at a time. Don't be shy - it's perfectly OK to go in with or without an idea of wines you like, and if the range of the wines gets your head buzzing, then get the chaps there to help you make up a case. It's quite fun from time to time to ask a wine merchant to make up a case for you. You can end up trying and liking wines you had no idea existed.
Villa Maria Reserve, Wairau Valley, Sauvignon Blanc 2006 - White - New Zealand
Anne and I took a friend out to dinner in the truly excellent Green Island Restaurant in Jersey - the most southerly restaurant in the British Isles. The meal was wonderful and we drank this. This is the only time I've ever ordered another bottle of the same wine during a meal. My tastes usually run to big red wines redolent of prunes and toadskin, but this is a gorgeous floral and very tasty white. Chill it well, like the Tokay I mentioned above. For goodness sake don't use it to wash your curry down!
Again, eleven quid a bottle from Majestic, and they drop the price to £8.79 for two or more. I bought four bottles this time because I know I like it a lot and it's a damned sight cheaper than restaurant prices! There are other Villa Maria wines available at Tesco, and they're worth a go. But, if you can run to it, the Wairau Valley is particularly good.
In Conclusion
None of these wine are cheap, but in my opinion they're pretty good and worth your attention. Enjoy, and do let me know what you think.
One thing I've learned over the years is not to combine good port (which I haven't covered this time) and good stilton. I think it's a waste of both. I love both port and stilton, but not at the same time. They're both highly aromatic and very tasty, and I think each destroys the other's strengths.
Perhaps I'll have a crack at some good wines under six quid soon. I can think of a couple that need to be tested again...
Have a good Christmas!
Pete Wright
Portsmouth
The Times is running a '100 Winter Wines' series at the moment and rather than try to kill my liver matching that before Christmas, I thought I'd point you in the direction of some of my current favourites. A 'favourite' may, of course, be enjoyed no matter what the season. Or it wouldn't qualify as being a favourite now, would it?
First there are three kinds of wine without details of maker or vintage; go with what you can find. Then I've listed two specific wines that I'll be opening this Christmas. Here we go:
Tokaji Azsú - Hungary - White
Tokaji comes from Hungary and has a long and distinguished history. It's a sweet, golden wine, refreshingly sharp, too, made with Hárslevelu and Furmint grapes some of which been affected by noble rot, caused by a fungus called botryitis cinerea. This reduces the water content of the grape and concentrates its flavour. It also means that it takes considerably more grapes to make a given quantity of wine. The measure of sweetness is given as a number of 'puttonyos'; which will be between 3 and 6. The larger the number, the sweeter the wine. There is a category beyond 6 puttonyos called Aszú-Eszencia, but that's rare stuff indeed.
It is usually sold in 50cl bottles rather than 75cl ones. Expect to pay between ten and twenty quid (or more) per bottle. It's really good with nice cheese, but do put it in the fridge for a couple of hours before you serve it.
Madeira - Portugal - Brown
Hailing from the island of Madeira, surprise, surprise. Almost always a blend of different vintages (vintage Madeira is very unusual and somewhat costly). Originally used as tradeable ships ballast, madeira was transported around the world in the hot holds of ships in days gone by. This caused it to oxidize as completely as a wine can, which is why it is the way it is. These days the same effect is reproduced by storing the wine in heated cellars to mature. A bottle of Blandy's 10 year old Malmsey has always been a popular tipple here at Chateau Wright. We also once had a bottle of Henriques' Malmsey which was pretty good, too.
Drier madeira may be labelled 'Sercial' or 'Verdelho' and the sweeter ones 'Bual' or 'Malmsey'—the classic four varieties of madeira.
Recioto della Valpolicella - Italy - Red
Once upon a time, if you suggested to your friends that a bottle with the word 'Valpolicella' on the label was worth coughing up more than a fiver for, you'd be taken away for a well-earned rest somewhere. Let's get this straight. This is not the same beast at all. It's a rich red wine made from partially dried grapes, so the flavour is quite concentrated. This is not something you're ever likely to find in the bargain bucket - expect to pay around twenty quid or so for a good one.
Masi make a good one (try Oddbins - it'll be around £22 for a 75cl bottle), but the best one I tasted was from a 50cl bottle (at a fairly stiff seventeen quid from a now-defunct wine shop in Lechlade, if I recall correctly) and tasted like liquid blackberries. Gorgeous, and well worth the asking price. I think it was "Recioto della Valpolicella 'Le Arele'" from producer Giuseppe Lonardi - the label, description, bottle size and price are hauntingly familiar on the winedrop.co.uk site, but I'm not 100% sure - it was a few years ago and, like an idiot, I didn't make a note. If they would be so kind as to send me a free bottle - or, preferably, a free case, just to be sure, I'd be delighted to confirm it.
Cune Rioja Reserva 2001 - Red - Spain
I'd been itching to try this. Anne (my wife) worked for a short while in Spain a few years ago and Cune was one of the vineyards we had seen on our travels. I've always wanted to try this one because it has a good reputation, and I finally got the chance to do so last week in Majestic's in Salisbury. I did try an approximately equivalent claret but because I was driving, I couldn't go overboard with the comparisons. The Cune wine beat that particular claret hands down. Eleven quid a bottle and six quid off the pair if you buy two.
At Majestic you buy your wines by the case, i.e. 12 or more bottles at a time. Don't be shy - it's perfectly OK to go in with or without an idea of wines you like, and if the range of the wines gets your head buzzing, then get the chaps there to help you make up a case. It's quite fun from time to time to ask a wine merchant to make up a case for you. You can end up trying and liking wines you had no idea existed.
Villa Maria Reserve, Wairau Valley, Sauvignon Blanc 2006 - White - New Zealand
Anne and I took a friend out to dinner in the truly excellent Green Island Restaurant in Jersey - the most southerly restaurant in the British Isles. The meal was wonderful and we drank this. This is the only time I've ever ordered another bottle of the same wine during a meal. My tastes usually run to big red wines redolent of prunes and toadskin, but this is a gorgeous floral and very tasty white. Chill it well, like the Tokay I mentioned above. For goodness sake don't use it to wash your curry down!
Again, eleven quid a bottle from Majestic, and they drop the price to £8.79 for two or more. I bought four bottles this time because I know I like it a lot and it's a damned sight cheaper than restaurant prices! There are other Villa Maria wines available at Tesco, and they're worth a go. But, if you can run to it, the Wairau Valley is particularly good.
In Conclusion
None of these wine are cheap, but in my opinion they're pretty good and worth your attention. Enjoy, and do let me know what you think.
One thing I've learned over the years is not to combine good port (which I haven't covered this time) and good stilton. I think it's a waste of both. I love both port and stilton, but not at the same time. They're both highly aromatic and very tasty, and I think each destroys the other's strengths.
Perhaps I'll have a crack at some good wines under six quid soon. I can think of a couple that need to be tested again...
Have a good Christmas!
Pete Wright
Portsmouth
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