Main
Lemon Butter Turkey
1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
1 lemon, grated zest only
110g/4oz butter
1 onion, halved
turkey- giblets removed
225g/8oz streaky bacon
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1. Preheat oven to 180C /350F/Gas 4.
2. Mix the thyme, lemon zest and butter together, season with black pepper.Chill in the freezer for approx. 5 minutes until firm.
3. Put the onion, leftover lemon into the cavity of the bird: loosen the skin of the breast by sliding your fingers gently between the flesh and skin. Take the lemon butter and fit the firm pieces between the skin and the breast meat.
4. Smooth the skin back over and tuck the flap underneath. Tie the legs together. Lay the bacon, overlapping across the top of the turkey.
5. Place in a roasting tin which has been lined, cover the turkey loosely with aluminium foil. Cook for 20 minutes per pound and then an extra 20 minutes. Baste every 30 minutes, recover with foil each time.
6. For the last 30 minutes of cooking, remove the foil to let the turkey brown.
7. When cooked remove the turkey from the oven and let it rest of 15 minutes.
Apricot and bacon Stuffing
10 slices bacon, diced
2 pounds pork sausage meat
1/2 cup finely diced dried apricot.
2 large onions, chopped
1 tsp. dried sage leaves, crumbled
1 tsp. dried thyme leaves
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 pound tart apples, cored and cut into 1/2" pieces
3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 eggs
3 slices of bread crumbs
Cook bacon until it just begins to brown, Crumble sausage meat in same pan
and cook till done. Add onions and apricots. Stir in sage, thyme, salt and pepper, then the
apples. Remove from heat, add parsley. Cook until apple just start to break down. Remove from heat and cool.
Add the breadcrumbs and eggs. Chill in the fridge for 20 mins. Roll into balls and roast in the oven for 30mins or until brown.
Pigs in Blankets
Chipolates (2 per person)
Streaky bacon (1 per sausage)
1) wrap each sausage in the bacon
2) roast for about 30mins until dark brown
Roast Potatoes
Potatoes peeled and halved
4 tablespoons Olive oil
1 tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
8 cloves garlic (whole)
2 medium onions, peeled and quartered
Salt + pepper
1) add Potatoes to a pan of water, turn on to a high heat and bring to the boil. Once boiling boil for 3-5mins. Drain and place in the baking tray.
2) throw in the Onions and garlic.
3) mix the olive oil, balsamic vinegar salt and pepper, poor over the potatoes and shake tray to coat everything
4) roast for1hr30-2hrs, until golden. turn once halfway through.
Roast Parsnips and Butternut squash
Parsnips peeled and cut into 8 long strips
Butternut squash peeled and diced in to 2” cubes
4 tablespoons Olive oil
1 tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
2 cloves garlic (whole)
1 medium onions, peeled and quartered
Salt + pepper
1) add Parsnips to a pan of water, turn on to a high heat and bring to the boil. Immediately drain and place in the baking tray.
2) throw in the Onions and garlic.
3) mix the olive oil, balsamic vinegar salt and pepper, poor over the veg and shake tray to coat everything
4) roast for1hr, until golden. turn once halfway through.
Honey carrots
Carrots
1 teaspoon butter
1 teaspoon Honey
1) Chop carrots in to long thin battons.
2) Bring to the boil in salted water untill aldente
3) Drain, replace in pan add butter nad honey and mix untill coated and glossy
Stir fried cabbage
1 medium Cabbage
2 tbsp Oil
1 Egg
1) shred the cabbage
2) In a large wok ad the oil and stir fry the cabbage
3) Just before the cabbage is cooked, break the egg in and stir till it’s evenly coated
Chestnut Brussels
1 pound Brussels
½ pound chestnuts
1 shallot
4 streaky rashers of bacon
Large knob butter
1) Cut a slit in each chestnut with a small knife, place in a pan and add water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook for 20 minutes. After 10 mins add the brussels, when cooked drain.
2) Melt half the butter in a pan, add the shallot and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until translucent.
3) finely slice the bacon into small strips and add to the shallot, fry until brown and crispy.
4) add the Brussels and chestnut mixture to the shallots and fry for a few mins. Finley add the rest of the butter and mix to coat.
Yorkshire puddings (makes 6-8 small)
75 grams flour
100 mls milk
2 eggs
Oil/fat
1) Whisk the flour milk and eggs together with a pinch of salt and pepper.
2) Leave to rest in the fridge for 15-20 mins
3) Turn and pre heat the oven to highest temperature.
4) Place a baking tray with a generous slug of oil in each cake space.
5) Wait 10 mins until oil is smoking. Remove batter and give a final good whisk, poor batter in so it’s 1/3 high up the tin.
6) Return to oven and cook for about 15 mins, or 25mins if you make a large Yorkshire pudding.
Gravy
I have two recipes for this, a fast simple one and a traditional.
Fast and simple
2 heaped tablespoons flour
3 tbsp Oil
1 pint water
3 tbsp Bovril
1) combine flour and oil in frying pan or in the turkeys roasting tin, if there is water in the roasting tin, boil this of first.
2) Let the oil and flour mixture fry for 30 secs, do NOT colour.
3) Add the water a little bit at a time, whilst continuously whisking, wait till it balls up/boils. Before adding more water. Keep doing this until you reach the required consistency.
4) Add the Bovril a bit at a time until you reach the required taste level.
Traditional Gravy
1 meat roasting tin
1tbsp oil
1 onion
1 celleray stick
1 carrot
2 garlic cloves
1 litre stock
1) Again put the roasting dish on the stove and boil of any liquid.
2) Add a little oil and throw in the veg and garlic. Fry over a low heat till tender
3) Add the stock and boil until reduced by1/3-1/2
4) Pass through a sieve, pushing some of the veg through to help thicken the gravy.
Looks really good.
