Christmas Lunch with Chicken

A stripped down Christmas lunch for 2020. Brussels sprouts cooked for about seven or eight minutes in a steamer, roast potatoes, pork sausages wrapped in bacon (pigs in blankets), boiled carrots and parsnips, a whole chicken breast roasted for thirty minutes in a lidded casserole dish, then for another fifteen minutes without the lid (judge by eye). The pork and bacon sausages could have been cooked along with the pork, but I did them separately since the sausages cook in half the time the chicken takes. Doing them separately means you don't have to stand around the hob the whole time, watching progress. 

A gravy was made  with the stock from the boiled carrots and parsnip, with chicken stock and some cornflour, plus a pinch of sage. The chicken breast was dressed in a pinch of coriander leaf. 

What did I skip this year? Chestnut stuffing, and cranberry sauce. I used no onions at all (those would have been a component in the pork and chestnut stuffing). 

As I've said before, the trick is to have all the ingredients ready at the same time. The entire dish was prepared by lunchtime on Christmas Eve, put into the fridge overnight, and reheated in a casserole dish the next day. 

I've discussed the making of good roast potatoes here. 

Beef Chilli with Carrots, Red Pepper, and Coriander

A healthy ground beef chilli with lots of vegetables - red kidney beans, carrot, onion, mushroom, chillies, red pepper, garlic, tomato puree (or tinned tomatoes), plus the herbs coriander and basil. 

The beef had been prepared the day before (with the Bisto browning), and was added to the pot, along with the diced vegetables, the red kidney beans, the garlic and the chillies, and tomato puree. Simmered under glass for an hour and a half. Added coriander and basil during the final ten minutes. 

Served with basmati rice, and dressed with a dusting of dried coriander.  

Peppered Gougons of Chicken, with Oven-roasted Potato Chips

Pan-fried goujons of chicken, in a peppered chicken gravy (chicken stock), thickened with cornflour or gravy granules. The gravy was prepared separately, and spooned over the goujons, along with a generous dressing of freshly ground black pepper.

The chipped Maris Piper potatoes were dressed in a little vinegar, tomato ketchup, olive oil, and dried basil. Cooked for fifty minutes on the middle shelf of the oven at 190 deg C. Watch progress carefully.

The chips were served with another dusting of basil.

Ground Beef with Spring Onion and Curried Rice

5% fat ground beef, browned for twenty-five minutes in some sunflower oil. Eight chopped spring onions (cybes) plus two diced carrots were caramelised in a separate small pan at the same time.

Added together, along with some Sainsbury's gravy granules, and with some boiling water, and beef stock. Actually inferior to the traditional way of thickening beef mince, which is to use cornflour. Sainsbury's granules contain wheat flour, which I try to avoid. Always read the label before buying.

Simmered for at least an hour under glass at a low heat. Longer is better, if you like your beef tender.

The rice was cooked for ten minutes with curry powder, salt, turmeric and a green chilli. Drained, and the whole green chilli was removed before serving. 

Potato Rosti Patties, with Pork Stew

A pork stew, accompanied with potato rosti patties.

The patties were made with potato rosti, one egg, two tablespoonfuls of cornmeal (cornflour will do just as well), and several pinches of the herb sage. I used an ice-cream scoop to shape the patties. Cooked under glass in a little olive oil,  until they were ready (about twelve minutes).

The pork stew was made with chopped selections from a roasted joint of pork. Cooked with tinned tomato, mushrooms, leek,vegetable and pork stock,  and numerous herbs (oregano, tarragon).

Seafood Pie (Red Salmon, Haddock and Smoked Pollock)

This pie was made with a selection of fish pieces found in Sainsbury's supermarket. The fish was first blanched in boiling water, and then poached for seven minutes under glass.

I made a white sauce with cornflour, milk and some Blue Stilton cheese (about 100g). Stirred until the cheese had entirely melted. Add the fish pieces to the sauce, along with a couple of dessert spoonfuls of drained garden peas, and remove from the heat.

Four large potatoes were boiled until soft, then mashed with a little butter and pepper. The oven was heated to 150deg C while the potatoes were cooking on the hob.

Add the fish sauce mix to an oven-proof baking dish, then spoon the mashed potato on top. Texture the surface of the mash with a fork, until it looks a little like a ploughed field.

Cook the pie in the middle of the oven for about 45 minutes. Check frequently that the potato topping is browning. The pie will be ready when the topping is a golden brown.

Brisket Beef with Vegetables

I cooked a joint of brisket beef in a slow cooker for six hours, along with two bay leaves (creates a great smell in your kitchen in the morning, if you do this overnight). The joint was allowed to cool, and was cut into slices with an electric knife.

The courgette slices and the carrots were cooked separately, as were the Brussels sprouts. The juices from the cooked joint were decanted from the slow cooker into a saucepan, and the courgette and carrots were added, along with some beef stock. I mixed some cornflour with water to thicken the gravy, and added that. Simmered at a low heat for thirty minutes, until the vegetables were tender, stirring regularly.

The sprouts were cooked in boiling water for seven minutes, and the slices of brisket were reheated in a steamer for ten minutes before serving. Dust with black pepper!

Chilli and Garlic Pesto, with Green Pepper and Roasted Polenta

I started with a standard commercially available green pesto sauce (essentially made with finely ground basil, parmesan cheese, and olive oil).

I diced a whole green bell pepper, a medium sized red chilli pepper (after deseeding), and a clove of garlic, and fried them slowly in a little olive oil for about twenty minutes. The ingredients were stirred frequently to prevent burning.

Once cooked, I added two teaspoonfuls of the pesto sauce, along with some cornflour in water, to thicken the sauce. I added some salt, and stirred it through.

The sauce is spicy, on account of the diced chilli pepper, but not nearly as hot as you might imagine!

To make the polenta cakes, I first julienned a whole white onion, and shredded a medium sized tomato. Both ingredients were cooked together in an omelette pan, with a little olive oil, for twenty minutes, stirring every minute or so.

At the same time I mixed two dessert spoonfuls of finely ground cornmeal with water (200 mls), and a  dessert spoonful of apple sauce (aka stewed apple). Plus a generous pinch of salt. After that, the contents of the omelette pan were decanted into the mixing jug containing the cornmeal and water, and stirred together thoroughly.

I used a muffin tray to cook the polenta cakes (the specified quantity is enough to make six cakes). Put a little olive oil in each cake tray. Cooked in an oven preheated to 190 deg C for thirty minutes on the middle shelf. Check them after twenty minutes if you are not using an accurate oven thermometer. The polenta cakes can be retrieved very easily with a wooden skewer.

Serve with a dusting of grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, or alternatively Parmesan.

Fried Zucchini in a Cornmeal Batter

Cheap zucchini (courgettes) from the local Co-op this morning prompted this delicious dish.

I topped and tailed the zucchini, then cut it in half lengthwise. Each half was cut into four pieces lengthwise, and then subdivided into three crosswise.

The batoned zucchini was fried in some sunflower oil in a medium sized omelette pan for seven minutes, with the batons constantly moved around, and also turned over.

The batter was pre-prepared with three teaspoonfuls of cornmeal, mixed with about 100ml fresh milk, and one medium egg. The cornmeal and milk were blended together with a whisk, and then the egg was beaten into the mix. I added some salt, two dashes of Tabasco sauce, and a pinch of turmeric.

The batter was added to the zucchini with a dessert spoon, until most of the batons were almost covered. Cooked slowly under glass until the batter begins to crisp and brown. You may need to turn the contents of the pan.

Serve with a sliced salad tomato, drizzled with American mustard, and a little black pepper.

Mexican Scrambled Egg Wrap

I first had scrambled egg wraps at a conference in San Antonio, Texas, which is not far from the Mexican border.

Made with two beaten eggs. I had a cheese sauce in the fridge, made with some cheddar cheese, milk and cornflour, and some vegetable stock. I added this sauce to the beaten eggs in a small pan (with a drizzle of sunflower oil) and mixed everything together thoroughly.

Cooked at a medium heat for ten minutes or so, stirring every minute or so.

I smeared a little brown pickle on the herbed wrap, and added the scrambled eggs. I tucked in the sides of the wrap at right angles to the the line of the eggs and pickle, and rolled the wrap. The wrap was then cut at a 20 deg angle with a sharp knife. Can be served hot or cold. Delicious!

Unsmoked Gammon with Potato and Brocolli

An unsmoked gammon joint, cooked in the oven in a roasting tray in some loose wrapping in aluminium foil, cooked at 190 deg C for one hour and fifteen minutes. Allowed to cool and stored in the fridge. The juices were collected and formed the basis of a gravy.

The gravy was made with water, cornflour, paprika, a vegetable stock cube, and the juices from the joint (remove any fat from the top). Also some rosemary and thyme.

In this case I cooked the slices from the joint in the gravy in a flat glass-lidded pan, but did not serve the gravy with the dish. The flat cut semi peeled potato was cooked in the same pan with the gravy (thirty minutes altogether).

The brocolli was boiled for ten minutes in a separate pan under glass. Delicious! Served with a dusting of black pepper.

Penne Pasta in a Danish Blue Cheese Sauce

The cheese sauce is made with about 100g of Danish Blue Cheese, crumbled into a mixture of milk (100ml)  and cornflour (a teaspoonful) which has been brought to the boil. Stir more or less continuously to avoid burning. Once the sauce thickens, turn the heat right down. Add white pepper, a pinch of dried parsley, 2 chopped spring onions, and cook for ten minutes.

During which time the pasta can be prepared in water which has been brought to the boil, and to which a little sunflower oil and salt has been added to avoid sticking. I used Dove's Farm gluten-free penne pasta, which is pretty reliable. Cook for nine or ten minutes, according to how much 'bite' you prefer.

Smoked Haddock in a Cheese Sauce, with diced Spring Onion

A simple and delicious dish of smoked haddock and a cheese sauce with diced spring onion (chives would do as an alternative).

Make up a mixture of cornflour and milk, and boil until it begins to thicken. Add grated Cheddar cheese, or two spoonfuls of cream cheese, and the diced spring onion. Allow to cool and set.

Roll the haddock and secure in place with a wooden or metal skewer. Spoon the set cheese and spring onion sauce into the rolled haddock, and place in a small metal roasting tray.

Cook on the middle shelf of a preheated oven for 15 to 18 minutes at 190 deg C. Watch the fish carefully in the last five minutes.

Decant to a serving plate, and spoon the liquid sauce over the fish.  Serve with flat-cut boiled potatoes, cooked with a little salt. Utterly delicious!

Ham Hough with Green Beans and Potato

Ham hough is one of those difficult joints, which need a long slow cook, but which is well worth the effort. Ideal for preparation in a slow cooker, especially if it is left overnight.

If you want to have the ham with onions, cook them separately, and add them later in the process. This is because the temperature in a slow cooker is too low to soften or dissolve the onions.

I cooked the ham joint in a slow cooker, and added a little vegetable stock (not too much, since the joint is likely to be salted), and some herbs (rosemary).

Make sure you pick out all the bones from the joint. There are some quite small pieces which need to be removed before serving!

Served with some of the juices mixed and thickened with cornflour,  boiled flat cut potatoes, and green beans boiled for seven minutes. Delicious!

Cottage Pie with Mushrooms and Peppers

A bargain tray of ground (minced) beef, 5 per cent fat, encouraged me first to make a beef chilli, and then to make a slightly spicy cottage pie.

The beef was browned for about twenty minutes, with a little sunflower oil, together with white onions. During the last five minutes of this period, I added sliced chestnut mushrooms, and deseeded red and green chillies. After that I added some beef stock, a bay leaf, and some Bisto browning (cornflour), in order to thicken the gravy. That was served with basmati rice.

For the cottage pie, made subsequently, preheat the oven while the semiskinned potatoes are boiling (to 180 deg C or thereabouts). Mash the potatoes in a glass bowl. Add two dessert spoonfuls of Greek style yoghurt and blend together. Add a little white pepper. Spoon the mash over the ground beef base, and texture with a fork.

Cook for an hour at least in the middle of the oven, checking during the last half hour that the potato topping is not overbrowning.

Sweet and Sour Egg Noodles

A simple Chinese style dish made with mixed vegetables. I used diced carrot, courgette,  a third of a yellow pepper, plus a dessert spoonful of diced ginger root. A wide range of other vegetables can be used, including cabbage, sweetcorn, bamboo shoots, etc.

The vegetables (plus the ginger) were cooked in a little boiling water for twenty minutes until they were soft. Then left to cool under glass.

I used a shop-bought sweet and sour sauce (Aldi own brand), but it is easy to make one with some tomato puree, sugar, salt, and white spirit vinegar. It can be thickened with a teaspoonful of cornflour. It is best to make it separately. Stir in the sauce, and heat until the vegetables and sauce come to the boil.

Serve in a bowl with egg noodles, which cook in less than ten minutes. Stir the sauce and vegetables through the noodles. Add some Szechuan pepper, or black pepper. Delicious and easy to make!

Sweet and Sour Vegetable Soup, with Ginger

A simple Chinese style soup made with mixed vegetables. I used diced carrot, courgette, and a third of a yellow pepper, but a wide range of other vegetables can be used, including cabbage, sweetcorn, bamboo shoots, etc. Plus a dessert spoonful of diced ginger root.

The vegetables (plus the ginger) were cooked in a little boiling water for twenty minutes until they were soft. Then left to cool under glass (while I went shopping).

I used a shop-bought sweet and sour sauce (Aldi own brand), but it is easy to make one with some tomato puree, sugar, salt, and white spirit vinegar. It can be thickened with a teaspoonful of cornflour. It is best to make it separately. Stir in the sauce, and heat until the soup comes to the boil.

Serve in a bowl with some Szechuan pepper, or black pepper. Delicious and easy to make.

Pasta Bake with Cauliflower and Tomato

Cut off the leaves from a whole head of cauliflower. Cut the florets into smaller chunks, and place in a pyrex (ovenproof) bowl. Shred two salad tomatoes, and add to the bowl.

Cook penne pasta in a separate pan for 8 or 9 minutes, and drain.

Preheat the oven to around 190 or 200 deg. C.

Make a white cheese sauce with cornflour, milk, Greek yoghurt, and a little water. Add 150 grams of medium strength cheddar cheese, thinly sliced. Stir frequently at a medium heat until the sauce thickens. Add half a teaspoonful of white pepper.

Grate about 75 grams of the cheddar. Add the cheese sauce to the cauliflower and tomato, and also add the pasta. Stir together with some vegetable stock. Dress the surface of the dish evenly with the grated cheddar.

Put the bowl on a shelf in the middle of the oven, and cook for at least 45 minutes. Watch the contents carefully, and don't allow the grated cheese to overcook. Turn the heat down if necessary, and extend the cooking time (not necessary in this example).

A very satisfying dish. It takes about thirty minutes to prepare, apart from the cooking time, but it is well worth it for the result!

Salted American Pancakes with Brown Pickle

Add two medium eggs to a glass bowl, a heaped dessert spoonful of cornflour, and three desert spoonfuls of whole milk. Add a teaspoonful of salt. A pinch of oregano is optional. Stir the mix together, until the cornflour is blended together with the other ingredients, then beat the mixture with a whisk for a few minutes. Repeat the process two more times.

Preheat a flat non-stick pan containing a brushing of sunflower oil, until a couple of drips of the pancake mixture begins to bubble and brown. Add a ladle full of the mix for each pancake. Cook for two and a half minutes each side. Turn down the heat until the pancakes are ready (if you are using an electric hob). Turn up to a high heat for each of the subsequent pancakes, and reduce the heat during the cooking process.

Serve with a dessert spoonful of brown pickle. Delicious!

Sweet Chilli Houmous Dip with Carrot and Celery

Houmous dip from the Co-op, served with carrot and celery batons.

Houmous is made from chickpea flour, cooked with the addition of an emulsifier such as olive oil, and in this case also with some cornflour in the mix. Also with a little vinegar, sugar, crushed garlic, and chilli sauce.

Batoning vegetables is fairly straightforward if you are using a very sharp vegetable knife, and hazardous with one which isn't. Cut both the carrot and the celery into strips, and then divide into three or four.