Twelve days 'till Christmas Day 12

Christmas Eve

Time to relax and enjoy yourself in the kitchen.  As the saying goes, ‘I like to cook with wine, sometimes I even put it in the food.’

Hopefully you have planned ahead & all the food is there waiting for you. Some adrenalin junkies will be playing Russian roulette & leaving the shopping until the last possible minute, hoping for bargains. I prefer to do that just after New Year, if there is space in the freezer.

Where possible, rely on K.I.S.S. ‘Keep It Simple Stupid. Keep the portion sizes small, the dishes down to a reasonable level, and the food out of the bin.

After the meal , strip the turkey carcase & freeze what you are not likely to use in meal sized portions. Boil up the bones to make stock or the basis for a soup.

Otherwise, get creative with the leftovers. Guests needn’t feel like they are getting warmed up seconds if you put a little imagination into the preparation.

This year I’m taking the easy way out & heading over to my brother’s family in Kent.

Happy Christmas, Poppadom.



Twelve days 'till Christmas Day 11

Time to talk Turkey – you need to be thinking about it NOW!

Cooking your turkey to the correct temperature is essential to avoid food poisoning. An internal temperature of 73C is a minimum, but try not to go too far over that as the taste deteriorates.

Cooking turkeys that are still frozen is a recipe for disaster. Instead of cooking your bird you will just be breeding bacteria at a nice cosy temperature.

If your turkey is frozen you will need 24 hours per 5lb/2.5Kg in the fridge to defrost. Place the bird in the bottom of the fridge in a pan to collect any juices. Make sure that the juices do not contaminate any other food. Especially ready food like meat and desserts.

Alternatively, if your bird is big & time is short, defrost in COLD water. Place the bird in a sealable bag to stop it becoming waterlogged & spoiling the texture. Allow 2.5 hours per 5 lb/2.5 Kg  but change the water every 30 mins.

Finally, leave your turkey outside of the fridge in a cool room, away from any pets, for 8 hours before cooking. This goes for the stuffing as well. This means that the turkey will start to come up to temperature from the moment it goes inside a pre-warmed oven.

If you are buying a frozen turkey on Christmas Eve you are best saving it for New Year.

The other benefit of removing the turkey from the fridge is that you now have more space to store pre-prepared food the night before.



Twelve Days 'till Christmas Day10

Spare Booze

In the unlikely event of leftover alcohol it pays to have a contingency plan up your sleeve.

If wine is still fresh then you have a number of options:

Marinades

Wine can be used to both flavour and tenderise meat. Simply add crushed garlic, olive oil, ground pepper and herbs to red wine for a delicious marinade for red meat. Do not add salt before cooking as this can dry and toughen it.

White wine, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and oregano works well with chicken or pork.

Gravy/Sauces

Use the wine to deglaze the cooking pan, boil off the alcohol and use as the basis for your gravy or sauce.

Salad Dressing

Boil the wine and reduce to about 1/3 the original volume, cool and use to flavour a traditional vinaigrette.

Cider and Mustard Sauce

You will use this time and again. Add some English Mustard and reduce the cider in a pan to about 1/3. Stir in some double cream, warm and serve. Simple but very good.

Beer Batter

Use as part of the liquid in a classic coating batter recipe.

Advocat

The bottle that you bought for Grandma/Great Aunt, who had one tiny glass. Here’s a recipe for Advocat Mousse.



Twelve Days 'till Christmas Day 9

Eat your scraps

Sad but true but often the most nutritious bits of fruit and veg get thrown away. Properly treated they can actually add to a dish or even stand alone. Why not plan them into your Christmas feast?

Peelings

If you havn’t tried potato peelings cooked as crisps you havn’t lived. Not only are they incredibly tasty but they are a good source of fibre and contain a higher proportion of nutrients than the rest of the potato. Be sure to avoid green potato skins as they are actually mildly poisonous.

Carrot & parsnip peelings can also be fried and served instead of shop bought crisps.

Onion Skins

The papery skins contain more antioxidants than the onion itself. They are also especially rich in quercetin which is said to reduce blood pressure, ideal at Christmas. Simmer the skins in stock to extract the goodness & discard before serving.

Celery Tops

These leaves contain five times more magnesium than the stalks. They are also a rich source of vitamin C & phenolics, potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds. Finely chop the leaves and use as a garnish instead of parsley.

Carrot Tops

Carrots at Christmas are often available with the tops still attached, these are highly nutritive, rich in protein, minerals and vitamins. The tops of the carrots are loaded with potassium. They have a slightly bitter taste and can be used as an alternative to bitter herbs or leaves in salads.

Citrus Peel

The peel contains more than four times as much fibre as the fruit.  & more tangeretin & nobelitin, flavenoids with anticancer, antidiabetic and anti-inflammatory  properties. A 2004 study suggests that these nutrients may even reduce harmful LDL cholesterol  better than some prescription drugs. The peel can be grated & sprinkled over carrots or green beans, added to cake mixes or candied or covered in chocolate.

Not only will you feel  good about cutting down the food waste but you will also be doing your health good at the same time.



Twelve days 'till Christmas Day 8

Portion Control is probably the simplest way to avoid wasting food at Christmas.

It also makes a lot of sense in so many other ways. 

·         Less peeling and chopping.

·         Enough room in the pans and the oven.

·         More even cooking.

·         Less cost.

·         Less to carry home.

·         Less fuel to cook with.

·         More time. 

·         Less stress.

·         Convinced yet?

Remember that you will probably be serving far more different types of vegetables and accompaniments than usual. So if you have twice as many dishes divide the portion size by a half, three times, then by a third. Four times as many, you are just showing off.

Don’t forget that the average calorie consumption on Christmas is 6000!! Three times you’re daily requirement.

You also need to take into account the extras like nuts, crisps, sugar mice, chocolates, mince pies and cake. And perhaps some alcohol.

When you do your shopping avoid the pre-packaged fruit and vegetables:

One, they encourage you to buy more than you need.

 Two, you actually pay more for the ‘convenience’ of having them pre-bagged.

Three, by choosing them yourself, you can judge the quality. As with all Christmas goods the pre-packaged ones may have been stockpiled in advance to meet demand and might not be so fresh.