Christmas Cookery

When I was growing up we had all sorts for birds for Christmas: chicken (when chicken was still a luxury), guinea fowl (small), quail (even smaller), duck (yummy, esp the skin), goose (oooh, that wonderful crisp skin!), pheasant (great with fried breadcrumbs and tasty gravy).  

However, for the last few years it's been turkey, as this seems to suit everyone, and I've found that Delia's recipe for turkey has been, like her, dependable and delicious. 

For Delia's way to cook a turkey see: http://www.deliaonline.com/how-to-cook/chicken-and-other-poultry/how-to-roast-turkey.html, and these are her recipes for stuffing - which are also scrumptious:

Sausage and Bacon Stuffing
8 oz streaky bacon, chopped
8 oz sausage meat
8 oz breadcrumbs
1  tbsp wholegrain mustard
1 tbsp thyme
s&p
Fry bacon until brown, add to rest of ingredients. Either stuff bird or make into balls.
Cook 30 mins in a medium oven.

Lemon Oatmeal Stuffing
8 oz sausage meat
grated zest and juice of a lemon
6 oz breadcrumbs
2 oz chopped nuts
2 oz butter
4 oz oats
2 oz suet
1 tbsp marjoram
s&p
2 eggs
Melt butter, add oatmeal, cook until golden, add sausage meat.
Cool slightly, add rest of ingredients.
Stuff the bird or cook in foil covered dish for about 30 mins.

Another recipe for stuffing (not just for Christmas)

1 onion, diced
1 apple, diced
225g pork sausage meat
100g fresh breadcrumbs
1 sprig thyme leaves
1 pinch grated nutmeg
2 tbsp chopping parsley
juice of half a lemon

1. Heat some butter in a saucepan, add onions and soften over a low heat, stir in apples and continue cooking until they are just beginning to lose their shape.  Remove from heat.
2. Stir in sausage meat, breadcrumbs, thyme, nutmeg and parsley, squeeze in lemon juice.
3. Mix well (best done with the fingers!)
4. Stuff the turkey or bake separately in oven dish. Bake at 180C about 25 minutes.

Red Cabbage: See Delia (font of so much culinary knowledge) at: http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/type-of-dish/party-food/accompaniment/traditional-braised-red-cabbage-with-apples.html

Now I'm on the look-out for a good Chestnut Stuffing recipe, using tinned chestnut puree as I've bought a tin on impulse....

For other ideas for cooking see:
http://foodspeople.com/roast-turkey/
http://mrsipskitchen.blogspot.com/2010/11/mini-christmas-puddings.html




Christmas Pudding Cheesecake from FairTrade:
http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/homemade