MY FAVOURITE CHRISTMAS LEFTOVER TURKEY STEW & DUMPLINGS

THE MOST TASTY BEAUTIFUL LIQUOR STOCK TURKEY STEW

LEFTOVER BLISS
Turkey carcass
Onion
Carrot
Leek
Celery
Bay leaf
Peppercorns
Salt & pepper
Left over turkey meat
1 cup pearl barley
Carrots
Baby leeks
3 King Edward potato's

BEAUTIFUL LIGHT DUMPLINGS
100g grated lamb suet or Atora
200g self raising flour
Big pinch of salt
White pepper
6-8 tbsp water

Remove all the meat from the bones of the turkey and keep to one side
Place the bones in a pressure cooker with one onion, carrot, leek, celery, bay & peppercorns and cook for 1 hour.  Strain and return the stock to the saucepan, taste and adjust the seasoning keeping it light.  Bring up to a simmer and add some pearl barley, simmer for 30 minutes, add the diced potato's, carrots and simmer for 10 minutes.  Add the baby leeks and dumplings, the dumplings should sit half in the stock and half out, place the lid on the pan and simmer for 20 minutes.  I just have to have fresh bread & thick butter to soak up all the stock mmm.

FESTIVE CHRISTMAS EVE PREPERATION FOR THE BIG DAY

GLORIOUS 27lb LOCAL HEN BIRD

TRIPLE GIBLETS PAN FRIED WITH CARROTS, ONION, CELERY & LEEKS FOR THE BASE TO THE DEEPEST FLAVOURED GRAVY

GENTLY SIMMERING & REDUCING AWAY TO INTENSIFY THE FLAVOUR IN THE STOCK GRAVY

PORK CHIPOLATA'S WRAPPED IN PANCETTA

SAUSAGE AND SAGE ONION STUFFING WRAPPED IN PANCETTA

CHRISTMAS EVENING
This is a magical evening for my family, we take our time to loosen the skin off the hen bird and stuff two packs of butter under the skin of the turkey, this is and has always been my fathers job, mother & I peel the potato's and trim the brussel sprouts, my husband is in charge of helping Santa fill our son's stocking and to keep the wine flowing, carrots and parsnips are peeled and trimmed ready to cook and cauliflower cheese is made ready for the big day. 

Once everyone is settled for the evening I start on the best gravy ever, I pan fry the giblets, I always ask my butcher or game keeper for extra giblets as my husband insists on pints of gravy, in a little ooil and butter, add in some diced carrots, onions, leeks and celery, sweat off for approx 30 minutes and then add 450ml of white wine and reduce, top up with 4.5ltrs of home made turkey or chicken stock from the wings and legs of the turkey or chicken roasted off in a oven with stock veg and water for 1hr.  Add some bay leaves from the tree in the garden and a few whole black peppercorns and leave to simmer away till reduced by half.  Strain and reserve for the turkey cooking juices tomorrow.

The last job is to sprinkle MAGIC ELF AND OAT DUST on our lawn so that Santa's reindeer's can find our home and fill our son's stocking with lots of pirate goodies.

SIMPLE ORIGAMI PAPER CHRISTMAS TREE

Take a old paperback book and tear out 30 pages, keeping the glued binding together, then take one page and fold the right hand corner into the middle of the spine, then repeat and then the left over little bit at the bottom of the folds turn up the create a flat bottom for the tree to stand on.  So simple and very decorative, you can spray with gold and green glitters to enhance the decorations.

CHRISTMAS SAUSAGE ROLLS

LOCAL PORK, BELLY WITH SAGE, THYME & SEASONING

HOME MADE PUFF PASTRY
450g strong plain flour
pinch salt
450g butter 70g grated
180ml water

Place the flour & salt in a bowl, place the grated butter, all the water in the centre of the bowl and using a pecking action mix into the flour to make a dough, form into a ball and leave to rest   for approx 1 hour.  Roll out the chilled pastry into a square, put the rest of the butter, 380g in the centre of the pastry, now the fun begins, bring each of the corners into the centre of the pastry like an envelope, roll out again to roughly the same size.  Now fold in three like a napkin, if it was a A sheet of paper fold 1/3 then again, then again, turn 90 degrees(FIRST TURN), roll out to the same size again and fold into 3 again, turn 90 degrees(SECOND TURN), wrap in parchment, make the up direction and rest in the fridge for a hour or so if you can.  Repeat the first two steps again, so you have turned the puff pastry 4 times, one complete circle, then rest the pastry for another hour before use. 

When the puff pastry is ready, depending on how many sausage rolls I want to make, I usually make in batches of four so they are ready fresh to bake.  I cut off 3 inches of the pastry and then roll out to a 18" long by 4" wide strip and place my sausage meat along the long side, egg wash one edge and roll into one giant sausage roll.  Then slice on top to allow the air out and cut to the size required, egg wash and bake at 180 degrees for 20 minutes.

BRAISED RABBIT PIE IN A WHITE WINE & CREAM VELOUTE

RABBIT PIE

FRESH LOCAL RABBITS

RABBIT VELOUTE SAUCE

RABBIT ADDED TO THE VELOUTE FOR A RICH PIE FILLING

PIE PASTRY
110g lard
100g butter or stork
450g plain flour
175ml water
Large pinch salt

Grate the lard and butter into a bowl, add the whisked flour and salt and water and bring together with a knife, once a ball has almost been formed bring together with your hands gently to make a smooth ball of dough, don't over work it.  Rest in the fridge for 1 hour.  Roll out and line a greased pie tin.

BRAISING THE RABBITS
Place the rabbits in a large pressure cooker with the onion, carrots, leek, celery, bayleaf, black peppercorns & salt.  Fill the pan 3/4 with water and bring upto pressure and cook for 40 minutes.  Once cooked take the rabbits out and leave to cool for 15 minutes.  Strain the stock and reserve, once the rabbits have cooled remove all the meat off the bones and put aside for the pie.

THE RABBIT VELOUTE
100g butter
100g supreme plain flour
600ml rabbit stock
seasoning
Double cream
100 ml dry white wine
Hint of nutmeg

In a deep pan melt the butter slowly and stir in the flour, on a low heat keep stirring and cook out the roux for approx 5 minutes, do not let the colour change.  Add the white wine and stir in well, the roux will go quite thick, start to add a large ladle of the rabbit stock and stir in well, keep going till you have a medium thick sauce, if you feel you have some lumps then give the sauce a good whisk.  Keep the sauce just at the beginning of a simmer, add some double cream and taste, season if needed and adjust, add the nutmeg.  Cook the veloute on a very gentle simmer for approx 5 minutes.  Add the rabbit meat.

Fill the pie casing, egg wash the top and bake at 180 degrees for 35-45 minutes.

FRESH CRANBERRY TOPPED PORK PIE

PERFECT FOR A BIT OF COLD ON BOXING DAY

(Serves 4-8)

HOT WATER CRUST PASTRY

100g lard

100g butter

550g plain flour

200ml water

2 beaten eggs

Large pinch of salt

Melt the butter and lard in the water and bring up to a rolling simmer, cut the beaten eggs into the seasoned flour and pour in the lard mix bring together and knead till shinny.  Chill in the fridge for 1 hour if you want to roll out the pastry to line your tin or if you are using the traditional hand raising method then use the hot crust immediately and push the pastry into the tin or round a dolly mould.  Keep back 1/4 of the pastry for the lid.

PORK PIE MIX

300g diced pork shoulder

100g minced belly pork

100g sweetcure bacon

2 sage leaves

1 sprig thyme

1 pinch mace

1 pinch cayenne

Salt, white & black pepper

Make a firm ball of the pork pie filling and firmly throw down into the pastry case, don't over fill as you will want space to push the lid down to create a shelf for the cranberries to sit on one the pie has cooked.  

Egg was the top and bake for approx 1 hour, then leave to cool for 15 minutes and remove the pie from the tin, egg wash the sides and pop back in to the oven for another 15 minutes to set the glaze, leave to cool while you make the cranberry topping.

CRANBERRY TOPPING

In a pan add the cranberries and 1 tbsp of water and 2 tbsp of sugar and bring just to a simmer for a couple of minutes keeping the cranberries whole, once cooled top your pie.

ROASTED CRACKLING HOT WATER CRUST PASTRY HAND RAISED PORK PIE

BOILING LARD & WATER FOR HOT WATER CRUST

HOT WATER CRUST PASTRY

HAND DICED PORK SHOULDER, TWICE MINCED BELLY PORK & FINE DICED SWEETCURE BACON, OAK SMOKED

COOLED HOT WATER CRUST PASTRY BALL WITH WOODEN DOLLY

USING THE WOODEN DOLLY TO HAND RAISE THE PASTRY

PORK PIE FILLING MADE INTO A FIRM BALL AND THROWN INTO THE PASTRY

HAND RAISED PORK PIE, GLAZED AND READY TO BAKE FREE STANDING

FINISHED PORK PIE, DOUBLE GLAZED

HOT WATER CRUST PASTRY
100g lard
100g butter
200ml water
550g plain flour
2 eggs beaten
Salt and pepper

In a pan bring the water, butter and lard to a simmer.  In a large bowl whisk the flour with the salt and pepper, make a dip in the centre and add the beaten eggs and cut in with a knife, add the hot lard mixture and stir well and knead into a smooth ball.  Divide into tennis ball size and wrap in paper or cling film and leave in the fridge for 24hrs.

PORK PIE MIXTURE
250g belly pork minced
1 kg pork shoulder hand diced
250g sweetcure bacon
20 sage leaves
4 sprigs of thyme
1 tsp mace
1 tsp cayenne pepper
Big pinch of salt
Big pinch white pepper
Big pinch fresh ground black pepper

Place all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well, leave covered to marinate for approx 2 hours.

To make the pies, I use a wooden dolly but a oiled jam jar will work just as well, (thats how I started, then my fabulous husband had a dolly made form me, from a log in our local woods).  Take a ball of chilled hot water crust pastry and place the dolly/jam jar in the centre and push down quite hard, as you want a medium thin base for the pie, hug the pastry and squeeze the pastry up the dolly/jar turning as you go, this will bring the pastry up to approx 4 inches high, make sure the thickness of the pastry is equal, it does'nt matter if the sides are not level as this is a hand raised rustic pie, made with love.

Remove the dolly/jar and make a tennis ball size of the pork pie mix and squeeze it in to a firm ball, throw the ball of meat in to the pie case, this is important as it expells air, egg wash the sides and place a lid on top of the meat just inside of the pastry.  Lightly press down and crimp the edges of the pie.  Egg wash the top and make two holes, one for jelly and one for air.

Bake for approx 40 minutes until the golden and the base is firm to the tap and golden in colour.  Leave to cool, meanwhile make the jelly.  (I don't like the jelly so I don't jelly my personal pies).

THE JELLY
1 pigs trotter
600ml water
Seasoning

Bring the trotter up to a rolling simmer and reduce the liquid by 2/3, leave to cool.  Season to taste.
Once the pork pie is cold, fill with the just warm jelly and chill to set int the fridge ready to eat.

GLORIOUS RAISED HOT WATER CRUST MIXED GAME PIE WITH BRANDY CHICKEN LIVER PATE

Glorious hand raised hot water crackling flavoured crust game pie layered with local venison, pigeon, pheasant, rabbit and a boozy brandy chicken liver pate, this is not only a show stopper pie in presentation but in flavour too, all the rich game layers are sumptuously gorgeous.

I fell in love with this pie after seeing it being made on a old 1980's television re-run called Pie in the Sky, where a detective wants to retire and opens a pie restaurant, his passion was old fashioned traditional historic pies, as soon as I saw him making this pie with this mould I got very excited. 

I could not find the mould on line or in any shop and I think the assistants thought I might be a bit cuckoo! so I resigned myself to vintage second hand cooking sites and still no luck, but my husband did find it, it is a French game pie mould and that Christmas I found this tin in my Christmas stocking (yes I am 41yrs old and I still get a stocking from Santa !!!) very happy wife...

OH LA LA THE RAISED GAME PIE

Pie filling

6 pigeon breasts

6 pheasant breasts

400g venison loin

1 whole rabbit

2 shallots fine diced

1 knob of butter

6 sage leaves
 Small bunch of thyme
Small bunch of parsley

Good pinch of salt & black pepper

Good pinch of mace

Pinch of cayenne pepper
Pre heat oven 200 degrees

Roughly dice all the game, pan fry the shallots in the butter and add the to game mix with the herbs and seasoning, mace and cayenne, mix well and allow to marinate a hour or so.

Homemade lard

1 kg back fat & skin

To make your own roasted pork crackling flavoured and back fat lard, pop to your local farm shop or butchers and ask for a kilo of back fat and any left over skin to roast at 200 degrees for around one hour, pour off  the rendered down lard into a loaf tin and set in the fridge, this makes the most gorgeous flavoured honest lard and adds a huge depth of crackling flavour to your hot water crust.

Hot water crust

100g lard

100g butter

200ml water

550g plain flour

Big pinch of salt
2 eggs beaten

Melt the butter and lard in the water and bring up to a simmer, don't let it boil.  In a large bowl whisk, or sieve the flour and add the salt, make a dip in the centre and add the beaten eggs, using a knife cut the eggs into the flour roughly, add the hot water butter lard mix and gently bring together, knead for one minute to bring to a shinny glossy dough ball, wrap in paper and chill for thirty minutes if you are going to roll out the pastry to line the tin, if you are going to use the old fashioned method of hand raising the pastry use immediately, directions below.

Grease your french pie tin or tin you are using with lard or butter then either roll out your pastry to about the thickness of two pound coins and lay into the the tin and push the pastry into all the folds of the mould, or you can form a ball, keep back 1/4 for the lid, then with the just made hot water crust, place in the centre of the tin and then push the pastry flat on the bottom which will make the pastry rise up, push this into the sides the mould

Chicken Liver Pate

200g chicken livers

1 shallot diced
1 clove of garlic grated

1 tbsp butter

1 sprig thyme

50ml brandy

50ml double cream
1 small pinch mace

Sea salt and black pepper

Next make the liver pate by gently sweat off the shallot and garlic in the butter and add the cleaned chicken livers and brown off on a high heat for two minutes, add the brandy and reduce down by half, lower the heat and season with the salt, pepper, mace add the thyme.  Cool slightly and place all the  ingredients in the blender and pulse, add the double cream until you have a smooth pate, taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.  For Christmas I add a grating of clementine zest.

Fresh game from the local game keeper off the estate, here I have rabbit, venison, pigeon and pheasant.  I always check for buck shot and normally always find one!

Dice all the game into inch square pieces and place in a large bowl add the softened shallots, chopped sage, thyme and parsley along with a generous pinch of sea salt, ground black pepper and mace, mix

well.  

Turn this into a terrine

You can also use this game mix to make a terrine, line a terrine dish with bacon, overlapping and hanging over the edge of the terrine fill with this game mix and then fold the bacon over the top, pop the terrine lid on and place in bain marie half filled with water, cook for approx 45 minutes to 1 hour, leave to cool with a weight pressing down on top of the terrine to compact.

 Pack the game mix firmly in to half of your pie case, place a generous layer of your chicken liver pate and then finish filling the pie case with the rest of the mixed game, with a little egg wash brush the top and place on the lid, crimp the top by placing your left hand or right hand thumb and first finger at the edge of the pastry and using your other hand first finger push the pastry into the other fingers creating a crimp, repeat all the way round.  I like to decorate my pie with some leaves on top and the centre of the pie lid make a hole the size of a pea, this will be for the jelly one the pie has cooked and cooled.  Glaze with egg wash and cook in the oven for 30 minutes at 200 degrees then lower the oven temperature to 150 degrees and cover the top of the pie with foil, cook for another hour and a half.

Now for the reason your pie tin comes in three sections!  Place the pie tin on a flat baking tray and gently remove the clips that hold the tin together and remove the sides of the pie tin, I always find this part nerve wrecking as you don't want the sides of the pie to split or all the lovely juices will run out and compromise the quality of the pie.  Egg wash the sides and pop back into the oven for fifteen minutes to set the glaze and brown the sides, remove from the oven and leave to cool and then place in the fridge, you will need the pie completely cold when you add the jelly, I often jelly the pie the next day, but you can do it on the same day if you make the pie early enough.

The Jelly

2 pigs trotters

sea salt

black pepper

2 bay leaves

1 sprig of thyme

To make the jelly you can do this two ways, the original was is to simmer two pigs trotters from your local farm shop or butcher in 500ml of water with a pinch of sea salt and black pepper, a couple of bay leaves and a sprig of thyme, simmer with a lid on for a couple of hours and until the liquid has reduced by half, leave to cool slightly and pour or syringe into the pie until the jelly has filled all the gaps around the pie.  The other way is to take a tin of game or beef consume and bring to a simmer take off the heat and add a couple of sheets of gelatin stir until dissolved, leave to cool and then pour into the pie.

Ta da enjoy this festive glorious pie with your family, this is great on boxing day and my husband always looks forward to this.

SAGE, THYME & TRIPLE PORK TERRINE

LAYER THE TERRINE WITH PANCETTA READY FOR THE LOVELY PORK, SAGE TERRINE MIX

LOVE  IT, BORROWED A KERB STONE FROM THE DRIVEWAY FOR THIS TO PRESS DOWN AND  MAKE THE TERRINE PERFECT

WONDERFUL BEAUTIFUL MOIST TERRINE FOR CHRISTMAS, THE PANCETTA BASTED THE PORK, SAGE AND SPICES WHILE IT SLOWLY COOKED IN IT'S BAIN MARIE

TERRINE PORK MIX

300g pancetta rashers

500g pork shoulder diced

100g pancetta diced

100g minced belly pork

3 sage leaves chopped

1 sprig thyme

pinch of mace

pinch of cayenne

pinch salt and black pepper

pinch white pepper

In a terrine dish or a loaf tin, layer the pancetta like a blanket for the pork mix.. Take the pork shoulder, pancetta, belly pork, sage, thyme, mace, cayenne, salt and pepper mix well and then press firmly into the terrine, fold over the hanging pancetta to create a neat wrapped parcel and place the terrine lid on.  Take a deep roasting tin, place the terrine into the roasting tin and half fill with boiling water, place in a pre heated oven, 180 degrees for approx 1 hour.

Rest once cooked till cooled.  Place a heavy item or two on top of the cooked terrine to press down, this will compact the meat and make a perfect juicy terrine, leave this weight on for at least 12 hours.

To remove the terrine, place back in the roasting tin and pour in some boiling water just to cover the bottom of the dish, slide a knife around the edge and turn upside down onto a board.

FRESH TURMERIC TOM YUM CHICKEN NOODLE RAMEN

FRESH TURMERIC TOM YUM RAMEN, THE FRESH TURMERIC REALLY PACKED A PUNCH AND ADDED A MUCH DEEPER COLOUR THAN THE POWDERED TURMERIC

NOODLES AND BOWL LOADED WITH CHILIES, BABY LEEKS & WHOLEWHEAT NOODLES READY FOR THE RAMEN

FRESH TURMERIC, I TREATED THIS THE SAME AS YOU WOULD FRESH GINGER

RAMEN
500ml fresh chicken stock
2oz cooked chicken
1 green chilli chopped
1 baby leek chopped
50ml coconut milk
1 tsp fresh grated turmeric
2 tsp tom yum paste
Handful of chopped coriander

Bing the stock up to a rolling simmer, add all the ingredients except the coriander, baby leeks, chillies and simmer for a couple of minutes.

LOADING THE RAMEN BOWL
In your bowl place the cook udon noodles, baby leek, chillies and coriander, when the stock is hot pour over the noodles and serve.

RENDERED PORK CRACKLING LARD READY FOR HOT WATER CRUST PASTRY

HOMEMADE LARD WITH ALL THE FLAVOURING FROM THE CRACKLING AND MEAT LEFT ON THE RENDERED DOWN FAT

Ask your butcher for pork back fat, and some skin that they discard, place in a roasting tin in a moderate over 180 degrees, and roast for approx 1 hour, I drain off the fat into a small loaf tin three to four times during the cooking time, you know when you have rendered off all the fat that it will give up as the last time you drain off, next time there will be hardly any to drain off, then this wonderful flavoursome pork fat has given you all it can, some wonderfully roasted crackling flavoured lard which will make the best hot water crust pastry or lard short crust pastry for pies.

NO PHEASANT PLUCKING REQURIED

HUNG FOR FIVE DAYS

I DID NOT WANT TO PLUCK THESE BIRDS, SO TOOK A TIP FROM A GAME CHEF AND REMOVED THE BREASTS, AND LEG MEAT WITHOUT PLUCKING,  THIS I DID CARVING DOWN THE BREAST BONE AND THEN SLIDING MY HANDS IN AND UNDER THE SKIN TO LOOSEN ALL THE MEAT FROM THE SKIN, THEN I WAS ABLE TO FILLET THE MEAT OFF THE BONE.  I ALSO DID NOT WANT TO MAKE ANY STOCK FROM THE BIRDS SO WAS ABLE TO RECYCLE WHAT I WASN'T GOING TO USE AS FOOD FOR MY DOGS

MY NUMBER ONE MOST FAVORITE DINNER EVER...NAN'S BRAISED STEAK AND KIDNEY

THE BEST EVER WINTER DINNER, SLOW BRAISED CHUCK STEAK AND OX KIDNEY IN SPITFIRE ALE

BUTTERY CREAMY SOFT VELVETY MASHED POTATO'S

EYE'S  BIGGER THAN MY BELLY & THAT IS SAYING SOMETHING LOL, HAS TO BE EATEN WITH A SPOON SO I CAN GET AS MUCH OF THE GRAVY IN EVERY MOUTHFUL

 INGREDIENTS
2/3 kilo of chuck steak diced
1/3 kilo ox kidney diced
2 bottles of spitefire ale
Salt & pepper
3 bay leafs
1 Spanish onion
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp dry mustard powder
Dash worcesthire sauce
1 tsp beef stock
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp red current jelly
Big knob of butter
2 tbsp flour seasoned
King Edward potato's
Lots of butter
Dollop of double cream

Toss the steak and kidney in seasoned flour and place all the ingredients in a deep roasting tin, stir well and cover with tin foil put in a a heated oven at 150 degrees for 3-4 hours, the gravy with thicken up all by itself as it reduces.  Stir in a generous knob of butter and serve with mashed potato's and vegetables of your choice.

MASHED POTATO
I like King Edward potato's as they are dryer and this makes a much lighter and fluffy mashed potato.  The tip is to dry the potato's. Once boiled in a lots of water seasoned with a pinch of salt, leave them to steam off their moisture, meanwhile return the pan to a low heat and melt the butter and cream together, season, add the potato's through a ricer and mix in well, adjust seasoning to taste.