XMAS and NEW YEAR Leftovers 1

Turkey Fricassee

50g butter

100g chestnut or button mushrooms

1 tbsp plain flour

100ml white wine

200ml chicken stock [use an oxo cube]

150ml double cream

800g leftover turkey [or a mixture to include, ham, pork and chicken] cut into chunks

small bunch of parsley

Heat the butter in a deep frying pan or sauté pan until just sizzling [ don’t burn it ] , then add the mushrooms and fry for about 4-5 mins until softened. Sprinkle over the flour and stir until a paste forms. Cook for a few more minutes. Splash in the wine and let it bubble for a minute, then stir in the stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and stir in the cream. Season, then stir in the meat mixture. Simmer until the meat mixture is heated through, then remove from the heat and stir in the parsley. Serve with pasta, mash or rice.

 



 

Christmas Cake

Just thought I would share my old family recipe for Christmas Cake. ,This has been handed down in our family for years.

Ingredients:

* 2 cups flour

* 1/2 lb butter

* 1 cup of water

* 1 tsp bicarb soda

* 1 cup of sugar

* 1 tsp salt

* 1 cup of brown sugar

* Lemon juice

* 4 large eggs

* Nuts

* 1 bottle Brandy

* 2 cups of dried fruit

Sample the brandy to check quality. Take a large bowl; check the brandy again. To be sure it is of the highest quality, pour one level cup and drink.

Repeat.. Turn on the electric mixer. Beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl. Add one teaspoon of sugar. Beat again. At this point it’s best to make sure the brandy is still OK. Try another cup… Just in case, turn off the mixer thingy. Break 2 eggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit.

Pick the blasted fruit up off floor. Mix on the turner. If the fried druit gets stuck in the beaters just pry it loose with a drewscriver. Sample the brandy to check for tonsisticity. Next, sift two cups of salt, or something. Check the brandy. Now shift the lemon juice and strain your nuts. Add one table. Add a spoon of sugar, or somefink. Whatever you can find. Greash the oven. Turn the cake tin 360 degrees and try not to fall over. Don’t forget to beat off the turner. Finally, throw the bowl through the window. Finish the brandy and wipe counter with the cat.

Bingle Jells!

 

 



 

Christmas Cookies From Abroad

CHRISTMAS COOKIES FROM ABROAD

Zimtsterne from Switzerland

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups sugar

2 large eggs

100g semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled

2-3/4 cups of SR flour

1/3 cup ground cinnamon

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and chocolate. Combine the flour and cinnamon and gradually add to the creamed mixture. Mix well. Wrap in cling film; refrigerate for about 1 hour or until the mixture is easy to handle.

On a lightly floured surface roll out dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut with a floured 2 inch star shaped cookie cutter. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased non-stick baking trays. Chill and re-roll scraps.

Bake at 180C fan for 10-11 mins or until edges are firm. Cool on wire racks.

 


 

Snowy Mountain Cookies

1-1/4 cups butter softened

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 tbsp. vanilla extract

4 cups SR flour

1 tsp salt

350g miniature semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup finely chopped walnuts

350g white baking chips

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Add chocolate chips [dark ones] and the walnuts; mix well.

Divide the dough in half. Shape each into a disc and wrap in cling film. Refrigerate until firm enough to roll. This will need to be about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 180C fan. On a floured surface, roll each portion of dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut with a 2 inch triangle-shaped cookie cutter. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased non-stick baking trays. Bake until edges begin to brown; 10-12 mins. Cool on trays for about 2 mins. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Meanwhile, in a microwave, melt the white baking chips, stir until smooth. Dip cookie tops in the melted chips, Let stand until chocolate is set

They should look like little snow capped mountains.

 



 

Bonfire Night Treats

Bonfire Night Treats

Chocolate Toffee Popcorn

200g milk chocolate

200g white chocolate

2 x 30g bags toffee popcorn

Line a 20 x 30cm baking tray with parchment. Melt the milk chocolate and white chocolate separately, then allow to cool slightly. Pour most of the chocolate onto the tray, roughly swirling together. Sprinkle over the toffee popcorn, then drizzle over the remaining milk and white chocolate, and chill until set. Break into big chunks before serving.

Mini – Tiny Toads

2 – 3 tbsp. sunflower oil

85ml milk

1 large egg

50g plain flour, sifted

12 mini cocktail sausages

Preheat oven to fan 180C. Put a generous half-teaspoon of sunflower oil in the bottom of each cup of a deep 12-hole mini muffin tin set on a baking tray. Pour the milk into a jug, add the egg, flour and a good pinch of salt and whisk everything together with a hand blender or wire whisk until a smooth batter forms. Put the muf-fin pan in the oven for a minute or two until the oil becomes very hot. Remove from the oven and quickly fill the cups just under two- thirds full. Drop a sausage into each cup and bake for 20 – 25 minutes until golden brown, well risen and crisp. Serve with a dipping bowl of tomato ketchup.

Chocolate Fingers

125g plain chocolate

175g butter

4 tbsp. cocoa powder

1 tbsp. golden syrup

1 x 200g packet ginger nut biscuits, crushed

75g glace cherries, chopped

125g muesli

75g chopped walnuts

Break chocolate into pieces and melt in a bowl with the butter over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir in co-coa, syrup, biscuits, cherries, muesli and walnuts. Mix well to combine. Pour into a prepared loose bottomed tin 20 x 28cm tray. Smooth and leave in the fridge for about 6 hours until set. Remove mixture about 15 mins before eating. Mark into 3 x 1in fingers. Remove from tray with a plastic fish knife

 

 



 

Eve’s Pudding

EVE’S PUDDING

(Use windfalls if you can get them)

6 med/ large Bramley apples, peeled, cored and finely sliced

200g unsalted butter, softened

150g raisins

100g soft brown sugar

4 large eggs

200g SR flour

Heat the oven to fan 180C. Prepare apples as above. Grease a large baking/serving dish, about 2.5/3.0 ltr with 25g of the butter. Tip the apples into the dish (sprinkle with sugar if required). Scatter the raisins over the top. In a separate dish/ bowl beat the remaining butter and sugar together until the butter turns pale and the sugar starts to dissolve, about 8 – 10 minutes. Beat in the eggs, then carefully fold in the flour with a large spoon. Spread the batter over the apples, then bake for about 45 minutes until golden. Serve with custard or double cream.

 



 

Colcannon Fish Pie

 

COLCANNON FISH PIE

600g Maris Piper potatoes, peeled and diced

4 large Savoy cabbage leaves (about 100g), finely sliced

500g pack leeks, sliced

1 tbsp. vegetable oil

1 large onion, finely sliced

1 chicken stock cube, made up to 300ml

300ml milk

3 tbsp. cornflour, mixed with 4 tbsp. of the milk

200g frozen peas

390g pack of fish pie mix

75g mature Cheddar, grated

Preheat oven to 180C fan. Boil the potatoes until almost tender, then add the cabbage and one leek. Boil for a further 3-4 minutes, drain and set aside. Heat the oil over a med heat in a large pan. Fry the onion and remaining leeks for 5 minutes, then add the stock and milk. Add the cornflour paste, stir to combine and simmer for about 5 – 8 minutes until thickens and comes to the boil. Add the peas and fish, season and pour into a 1.5ltr pie dish. Mash the potato and veg together and season. Spoon over the fish mix, top with the grated cheese and bake for about 30 mins until golden and bubbling

 



 

Sticky Toffee Pear and Ginger Pud

Sticky Toffee Pear and Ginger Pud

150g dates, chopped small

125g butter, softened

125g caster sugar

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

175g SR flour

1 tsp baking powder

2 tsp ground ginger

for the sauce

50g butter

75g soft brown sugar

5 tbsp. double cream

4 pears, peeled and chopped

3 balls of stem ginger in syrup, chopped

Butter a 20.5 cm [ 8inch] non stick baking tin. Pre-heat oven fan 160C. In a bowl add dates and cover with 75ml boiling water and leave to soak for about 10 mins, then drain and set aside. In a large bowl, mix butter and sugar with a whisk until creamy. Gradually mix in the eggs, then the flour, baking powder and ground ginger with a whisk until creamy, set aside. Make the sauce. In a sauce pan melt the butter [don’t let it burn] and sugar till sug-ar dissolves. Remove from heat and stir in the cream. Add pears and stem ginger, stir to coat and tip into the prepared tin. Spoon pudding mixture over pears and bake for about 1 hr, covering with foil half way through. Check with a skewer to check it’s cooked. When cooled turn out onto a serving plate, let the sauce filter through the pudding. Serve with either extra double cream or vanilla ice cream. ENJOY.

Apology for my mistake on last month’s recipe – it should have been entitled Pasta Shells with Tuna and Peas not Pears

 

Mr Greedy

 



 

Maple-Bacon Buttermilk Scones

Maple-Bacon Buttermilk Scones

300g pack smoked streaky bacon, diced

2 tbsp. maple syrup

430g SR flour, Plus extra for dusting

½ tsp salt

4 spring onions, finely chopped

170g butter, cut into cubes

240ml buttermilk

1 egg, lightly beaten

Preheat oven fan 180C. Line a large baking tray with non stick baking paper. Fry the bacon for about 5 mins until golden and crisp. Stir in the maple syrup and fry for a further 1 min. Transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper, set aside to cool completely, Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl, stir in the spring onions. Add the butter and rub with finger tips until mixture resembles large bread crumbs, stir in the cooled bacon. Gradually mix in the butter milk with the blade of a table knife to form a slightly sticky dough. Lightly dust a work surface with flour and tip out the dough and roll out to a rough 22cm square, about 2.5 cm thick. Cut the dough into 9 squares, then cut each square into 2 triangles and place on the baking tray. Lightly brush the tops of the scones with the egg and bake for about 18 – 20 mins until golden. When slightly cooled, slice in half, butter and enjoy.

 



 

Nutty Brownies

Nutty Brownies

225g dark chocolate

100g unsalted butter

150g dark soft brown sugar

150g caster sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

150g plain flour

50g walnut, hazelnut or pecan pieces

A 20cm square tin, lined with greaseproof or baking paper

Heat oven to 160C fan. In a saucepan, melt 125g of the chocolate with the butter over a low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove pan from the heat. Stir in the sugars, then the eggs one at a time, stirring after each one, and then the vanilla. Fold in the flour and 1/4 tsp salt. Stir in the nuts and the rest of the choco-late, broken into pieces. Pour into cake tin and cook for 20-25 mins till just set in the centre.

Cool then cut into squares

 



 

Pasta Shells with Tuna and Pears

Pasta Shells with Tuna and Pears

350g pasta shells

50g butter

125g frozen peas

med onion chopped

2 egg yolks, beaten

300ml double cream

226g can tuna in oil, flake larger pieces

salt and fresh black pepper

2 tsp fresh thyme

fresh mixed herbs to garnish

Cook pasta as per instructions for about 7 – 10 mins. Drain. Melt butter in a separate pan and fry peas and onion until tender, about 5 mins. [DON’T BURN THE BUTTER ] Stir in the drained pasta, mix in the beaten egg yolks, cream and tuna, add the seasoning and thyme. Heat gently for 5 – 10 mins until sauce thickens, Serve garnished with fresh herbs. Serve with fresh garlic bread.

 



 

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