Good enough for Guests

Two appointments this morning, so straight in with answering your queries then on to the recipes.

Thanks for taking time to write in Moira, hope your life will soon return to normal and you can catch up with blog news.

Regarding cooking a turkey in a small oven Stella, and it taking up all the space. Normally, professional cooks suggest that once the turkey is cooked, it be remove from the oven, tented with foil and left to stand for about half an hour before carving - this helps the bird soak back up some of its juices and makes it easier to carve. During this resting time, par-boiled potatoes are roasted in the oven, along with any stuffing balls, bacon rolls, and whatever else needs oven-cooking. After half an hour the turkey can be carved, put onto a hot plate, again covered while the spuds etc are put into various dishes. Freshly carved turkey can be kept hot either by standing the covered plate over a pan of simmering water, or covering the meat in clingfilm or similar and keeping warm in the microwave (low power).
Another way of cooking the turkey without having to freeze the cooked meat is to cook the bird the evening before, then put on a plate, cover and leave in a cool place overnight so that it is ready to carve the next morning, this can be re-heated in the oven (or on the hob) by sliding the meat into a small roasting tin containing gravy, and heated through thoroughly.
Microwaving cooked meat can be done if it is first thawed overnight in the fridge and then reheated in the microwave, but best heated with gravy or it could easily dry out, and also should be reheated in small amounts, rather than a large pile, as the centre may not get hot enough. As I have plenty of books re freezing foods and re-heating, so will see if I can find more details re the turkey. Watch this space.

Have not heard of a fruit cake made with mincemeat Julie but certainly the two contain similar ingredients, each cooked in different ways - one steamed for hours, the other baked in the oven. It would be interesting to know if anyone knows of a recipe using mincemeat to make a Christmas Cake, but am not really sure if this came from a good idea or a desperate way to use up too much mincemeat made in the first place.
Thanks also to Janet for her comment on Freezer Mincemeat.

Peppadew in a capsicum sauce would work well CheesePare as it would give a really spicy yet sweet flavour. As to cuppa soups versus home-made. Home-made are ALWAYS the best, it is just that there is no room in our freezer to store soups at the moment, also the 'instant' soups are so far removed from 'proper' food that they don't make me feel like wanting more, if you know what I mean. They are just a low-calorie and warming way to fill the kunch-time gap. Sometimes my self-control - when it comes to eating - is so low that I cannot be trusted to cook something small for myself, and when it is lunch-time, the faster I am in and out of the kitchen, the better.

Your query about 'posh nosh' recipes has been taken on board CP, certainly several have already been posted, but I need to do some trawling through the complete index to discover them. As to using smoked salmon - here (for economy) I always buy packs of smoked salmon pieces (incidentally sm.salmon freezes well) and use them in recipes where whole slices are not needed. There are two recipes using smoked salmon that appeared on my data listings, both using pancakes, one on 12th March '08, the other on 3rd Nov '07. I will try to find more for you.
As to fillet steak - with this cut I always recommend making Beef Strogonoff (23rd Jan '07) for as the mushrooms take up the flavours of the steak as the juices run out, this makes a little meat go a long way. The large flat mushrooms, sliced thinly, look remarkably like meat when cooked, and smaller button mushrooms could also be added to the dish.
Regarding mushrooms absorbing too much fat - in the strogonoff it is essential they do so as they also absorb the meat flavours, but as you say - first poaching them in hot stock will prevent them from taking up further fat in other dishes. Have to say I have always added thinly sliced raw mushrooms to an omelette for, as you say, otherwise it can make it too greasy in texture. It is rare I fry mushrooms to add to dishes unless there is a good reason to - so we can always choose to poach or add raw even if a recipe suggests otherwise.

The cabbage soup diet I have heard of, and have never been slightly interested in trying it. Am sure it would work as a diet, but then all diets work when stuck to. Problem with some diets is the food is nice enough to want more - cabbage soup probably has the opposite effect so works even better. Perhaps worth trying after all.

Yesterday spent some time looking through my 'new' selection of cookbooks (those that had been thrown out by other people). There was a fairly expensive one on French Regional Cooking, and there was not one recipe that interested me in any way, shape, or form. The book itself looked brand new, so the previous owner probably came to the same conclusion. Sometimes I wonder if anyone would be interested in a book such as this, but then my needs are quite different to the average cook.
The problem with recipes is that they appear to be so 'exact', and novice cooks would dare not deviate from them whatsoever. All recipes should be able to be adapted, and depending upon the main ingredients (usually no more than three plus several secondary ones), even these could be changed - lamb instead of beef etc.

As CheesePare points out, even a home-cooked soup (that we might think of as pretty ordinary served up at home) to most people today this would be as good - if not better than - soup served in a top restaurant. In Rosemary Shrager's School for Cooks (ITV 4 - 5pm) she wants the foods served to be as for 'fine dining' - and it has to be said, much of this comes from the appearance of the dishes rather than the content. This week, both the kedgeree and the chicken pie her students made were really simple recipes, it was mainly to do with getting the flavour (by way of seasoning) and the presentation right. Often the difference between 'family fare' and 'posh nosh' is all to do with the portion size. A family meal can have everything dished up on a plate as it comes - ir 'help yourself'. With fine dining, the portions are smaller and the 'additions' - a sauce or salsa, plus a veggie or two t(of which one may be pureed) seem there only to enhance the flavour of the main part of the dish (be it steak or a meat pie) and these have to be arrangedwith such precision that the whole thing looks like a work of art. Two spoonfuls and the lot is eaten. It may well taste wonderful but not what I call a meal. At least, the advantage of 'fine dining' is that an expensive ingredient can serve twice as many people than if served in the normal 'full plate' as at a family meal.

Today am giving some really interesting, and often quite frugal recipes - and yes, even some of these could be passed off as 'posh nosh', and explanations will be given with each recipe, the first being something so simple that it is exactly the type of dish that you would expect to see on a menu. Remember that in top restaurants today it is the unusual - such as fried pigs ears, or brawn (or Spotted Dick pudding) that are being served. The fact the ingredients cost very little is not reflected in the price shown on the menu, this is more to do with the persuasion that we are getting a taste from the past that is now back in fashion.

The first recipe is a soup - with dumplings. It is the dumplings that control most of the flavour, the soup is basically stock. But to get this right it should be a good stock, preferably home-made. At a pinch a can of beef consomme, slightly diluted and heated through would form the base, but a quality home-made chicken stock cannot be beaten - and this should always be in our freezer. Because this is such an inexpensive dish, this is still worthy of a dinner party. Instead of the bacon ( or included with) lightly fried chicken livers could form the meat part of the dumplings. To make the dish slightly more interesting, some dumplings could be made with white breadcrumbs, some with brown, serving both with each bowl of soup.
Bacon Dumpling Soup: serves 4 (F)
12 oz(350g) stale white bread, crusts removed
half pint (300ml) milk
2 oz (50g) back bacon rashers. chopped
1 oz (25g) butter
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
1 tbslp chopped fresh parsley
good pinch dried marjoram
salt and pepper
3 eggs. lightly beaten
4 oz (100g) self-raising flour
2 pints (1.1ltrs) clear chicken or beef stock
chopped parsley for garnish
Tear the bread into chunks and put in a bowl with the milk. Leave to soak for a couple of hours. Meanwhile, fry the bacon with the butter until crisp, stirring in the garlic near the end. Remove using a slotted spoon, drain on kitchen paper and set aside.
Add the onions, garlic-flavoured bacon, parsley and dried marjoram to the soaked bread. Season well, using plenty of pepper, and stir in the eggs. When well mixed together, sift over the flour and stir this in until completely absorbed.
Put the stock into a large saucepan and bring to the simmer. Form the dumpling mixture into 1" (2.5cm) balls, rolling them in a little flour (the flour prevents them falling apart when cooking). Carefully put the dumplings into the stock and simmer for 15 minutes. Serve hot with a sprinkling of fresh parsley.
If wishing to make in advance, the dumplings can be frozen separately to the stock. Thaw dumplings before adding to the hot stock.

This next dish is certainly worthy of serving - possibly as a starter - at a dinner party. Why? Because the pasta and filling has been 'home-made'. If it is good enough for Rosemary Shrager, then good enough for me. It would be easy enough to refer you to the recipe for making 'duxelles' and also to the one for home-made pasta, but to save looking it up, this recipe contains both, although the original recipes may have been slightly more elaborate. Prepared duxelles can be frozen, so this could be quite a speedy recipe to put together with a little advance planning. Although this pasta dish is cooked in salted water (and do use salt when cooking pasta in water), a little more flavour could be given by cooking the pasta in chicken stock. As to whether you wish to serve a dish of grated Parmesan with this is a matter of cook's choice. It doesn't need it, so why bother?
Ravioli Duxelle: serves 4 (F)
12 oz (350g) strong plain flour
1 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper
3 eggs
1 lb (450g) mushrooms
3 shallots, or 1 onion
pinch freshly grated nutmeg
2 oz (50g) butter
Sift the flour and salt into a bowl, make a well in the centre and add the eggs. Stir the eggs and flour together, bringing the flour from the sides into the centre, and using clean hands, knead together to make a smooth, glossy dough. When ready, pop in a polybag and put in the fridge to rest while preparing the duxelle mixture.
Chop the mushrooms and shallots (separately) as small as possible. Melt half the butter in a frying pan, and first fry the shallots for a few minutes until transparent, then stir in the mushrooms and season to taste. Stir-fry over medium heat for about 10 minutes or until the liquid that leaches out of the mushrooms has evaporated. Reduce heat to low and cook for a further 5 minutes. Stir in the nutmeg, then remove from heat and leave to cool.
Roll out the dough on a floured surface and cut into 3" (7.5cm) squares. Divide the mushroom mixture (duxelle) between the squares, wet the edges of the dough slightly, fold over and press edges together to seal (if you wish you can make the dough into strips so that when folded they look like square packets - alternatively cut round the shape with the rim of a glass to make half-moon shapes. Just make sure the edges are sealed together).
Take a large saucepan and fill with plenty of water (lightly salted) and bring to the boil. Drop in the ravioli and cook for 10 - 15 minutes. Drain well and place back in the pan. Melt the remaining butter and pour this over the ravioli, tossing to spread the butter over the pasta, then immediately turn into individual heated bowls.
Tip: to add more flavour, omit the nutmeg and sprinkle a little sherry or brandy over the chopped mushrooms, allowing them to absorb this before frying on.

This next dish is a real oldie, and always one made on Boxing Day as a way of using up any leftover potatoes and Brussels sprouts - but as with any dish such as this (often called a 'hash') other ingredients can be added. The recipe today includes left-over cooked meat (and this could be any kind - turkey, chicken, beef, lamb, pork, sausages...) and the left-over cooked greens could be sprouts, broccoli, or - as today - cabbage.
Dare I say that if we already have left-over meat and greens, but not cooked potatoes, then no shame in making up a batch of instant potato. Although this dish comes under 'frugal fare', served with a good sauce or gravy, it is pretty darn good. As a guide to amounts, use 3 -4 oz (75 - 100g) each of meat, greens and potatoes per person.
Bubble and Squeak: serves 4 - 6
1 lb (450g) mashed potato
1 lb (450g) cooked shredded cabbage
1 lb (450g) chosen cooked meat, diced
salt and pepper
2 oz (50g) butter
Using a wooden spoon, thoroughly mix together the potato and cabbage, adding a little salt and plenty of pepper (or to taste). Mix in the meat.
Melt the butter in a large frying pan and when hot, spread the mixed mash over the bottom of the pan. pressing it down slightly. Fry, turning the mixture over from time to time as it crisps up at the bottom, until it has all turned crisp and golden. Serve immediately.

Someone, sometime back asked if there was a recipe using runner beans. Yesterday discovered a really unusual one in that green beans are the main ingredient in this dish that although has the appearance of a cake, is somewhat like a solid souffle. With flavoursome secondary ingredients it is worth a try.
Green Bean Cake: serves 4
1 lb (450g) green beans, sliced
salt and pepper
1 rib celery, chopped
3 oz (75g) butter
2 tblsp sunflower oil
1 tblsp grated onion
1 tblsp chopped fresh parsley
1 oz (25g) plain flour
9 fl oz (250ml) milk
4oz (100g) mature Cheddar cheese, grated
2 tbsp dried breadcrumbs
3 eggs, lightly beaten
Blanch the beans in boiling water for 5 minutes, then drain. Put 2 oz (50g) of the butter in a frying pan with the oil and heat until the butter has melted, then add the onion and celery. Fry until the onion is lightly browned, then stir in the parsley and beans. Cover and cook over a low heat for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, melt the remaining butter in a small saucepan, stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes, then gradually whisk in the milk. Simmer until thickened, then add the cheese and seasoning to taste.
Grease an ovenproof dish or cake tin and coast sides and bottom with the breadcrumbs. Drain the bean mixture and put into a bowl with the cheese sauce and mix well together. Then stir in the eggs. When thoroughly mixed together pour into the prepared container. Place this in a roasting tin containing water (bain marie) and bake for 25 minutes at 220C, 425F, gas 7 then reduce heat to 200C, 400F, gas 6 and bake for a further 10 minutes (myself find that not opening the oven and turning off the heat instead of reducing the it, leaves enough heat in an electric oven to complete cooking the dish).
Remove dish from oven, leave to stand 5 minutes then turn out onto a serving plate (bottom side up). Can be served hot or cold.

Final recipe today is for a pudding. This I have chosen as it is made with semolina, and because of this it is open to adaptation. Instead of the grain suggested, use cornmeal or ground rice/rice flour. The milk itself could be reconstituted dried milk, diluted evaporated milk, coconut milk, soya milk...the sugar itself could be replaced by honey or golden syrup. As to the sultanas - just think about all the other dried fruits that could be used instead, and these could be soaked in wine, brandy, rum, sherry, or orange juice instead of water This recipe could be rewritten a hundred times over and each would be different. Use this one as a guide and do your own thing.
Austrian Sweet Semolina: serves 4 - 6
2 oz (50g) sultanas
warm water
1 pint (560ml) milk
1 oz (25g) butter
3 oz (75g) semolina
Put the sultanas in a bowl and cover with warm water, and leave to soak for at least an hour, longer if possible. Put the milk into a saucepan with the butter and heat until just warm and the butter melted,, then pour in the semolina, stirring constantly while bringing it to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes then stir in 3 tblsp of the sugar.
Drain the soaked fruit and mix into the semolina (if soaking in wine etc, this can be added to the semolina if you wish). Pour the mixture into a greased ovenproof dish and level the surface. Bake at 180F, 350C, gas 4 for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and raise the temperature to 200C, 400F, gas 6. Stir the semolina with a fork to loosen the texture and sprinkle over remaining sugar. Return to the oven for 5 more minutes or until the roughened top is dry and crisp. Serve hot straight from the dish. Good eaten with cream.

As ever, when if full recipe flow, time has caught up with me. Two appointments this morning so have to wend my way to the first. Luckily the sun is still shining, although there was quite a wind during the night it now seems to have dropped. Two things I dislike most, wind and rain. Although - it has to be said - well wrapped up and walking along a cliff top overlooking a rough sea, the wind and rain can be almost enjoyable.

Looking foward to chatting with you again tomorrow...