Everyone has their favourite way to cook the turkey so today I will concentrate on dishes to serve with it.
Christmas Red Cabbage
Preheat the oven to190°C
1 head of Red Cabbage discarding the core
9ozs Cranberries
2ozs Butter
3 tablespoons Sherry or Red Wine vinegar
3 tablespoons water
9ozs canned or vacuum-packed cooked and peeled chestnuts
Finely shred the cabbage and layer in a casserole with Cranberries, Butter, Sherry or Red Wine vinegar & water. Cover tightly and cook for 1 hour.Stir in chestnuts and cook for a further 15 minutes.Serve immediately or cool quickly and reheat the next day (often better).
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Port & Apricot Bacon Rolls
Preheat the oven to190°C
12 ready to eat Dried Apricots
3tblsp Port
6 slices smoked Streaky bacon
Soak the apricots in the port overnight.Stretch the bacon slices by running a sharp knife along the length of each slice, then cut in half crosswise.Wrap a piece of bacon around each apricot and place in a small roasting tin.Pour over remaining port, and then cook for 20-25 minutes until bacon is a delicious golden colour.
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Lemon & Thyme Stuffing
Small Onion chopped
½ tablespoon Sunflower Oil
2ozs white Breadcrumbs
½ tablespoon fresh chopped Thyme
Grated rind of a Lemon
2 tablespoon s chopped Parsley
1 Egg beaten
1 tablespoon Lemon juice
Cook chopped onion in oil and cool.Put all the ingredients in a bowl & add onion and season.Roll into Balls and chill.Add to roasting tin for last 20 minutes of cooking time
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Chestnut & Sausage-meat Stuffing
Small Onion
½ tablespoon Sunflower Oil
4ozs Cumberland Sausages
1oz Cranberries
1oz fresh wholemeal Breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon p chopped Parsley
2ozs cooked & peeled Chestnuts
1 Egg beaten
Cook the onion in oil until softened and leave to cool.Put remaining ingredients in a bowl and add onion and season.Shape into balls, cover and chill.Add to roasting tin for last 20 minutes of cooking time
Ah Grannymar, I can almost taste and smell the aromas of Christmas wafting out of your kitchen… (eyes glazing)…
T.V. cooks, eat your hearts out!
Perfect timing! GM
We had a family discussion last night about which accompaniments to serve with the turkey this year.
Ham got the thumbs down with bacon rolls winning the vote.
Can’t wait to surprise them with your Port & Apricot bacon rolls! 😀
some new ones here! Thank you!
Did you know that red cabbage juice can be used as an indicator for acid/alkali?
@Geri – I remember times when the aromas of Christmas wafted all day from my kitchen.
@Steph – I love the Port & Apricot bacon rolls. They go down well as finger food too!
@Magpie – The red cabbage will also dye fabric.
GM – Made your Guinness Stew on Saturday. Yummy yummy! Thank you!
@Lottie – so is that why I wasn’t allowed to taste the stew???? 🙂
Lottie,
Glad you liked it!
What colours do you get? what do you use as a mordant?
We had a great stew on Sunday too…no guiness but some ale in it!
Magpie,
To be truthful I am not a great fan of vegetable dyes. They give dull mucky colours. I use salt in cold water to fix them.
I have in the past fixed colours with heat. fabric in a microwave safe bowl COVERED WELL but be very very careful or you burn the fabric.
This method is not for the novice!
Grannymar – the red cabbage one sounds nice, but, in September my wife and I had red cabbage with a meal in a pub that was somehow cooked with a chutney flavour and served hot with a shepherds pie – we’ve searched for the recipe since but don’t even know what the dish is called because the damn pub has changed hands.
Anyway, I have today bought a huge jar of tomato and chilli chutney and a red cabbage in the hope that its was as simple as mixing the two – I’ll let you know.
Gary,
I know that place… you enjoy a meal yet hesitate to ask for the recipe. I do have another one among my stock and will look it out and pass it on.
Happy Cooking.
Perhaps it was pickled red cabbage with extra spice s ánd heated up;-)
Magpie,
I am not sure I like the sound of reheated pickled red cabbage.
Tried the red cabbage and tomato & chilli chutney today, its close to what I was trying to get to and well worth a go – boil the cabbage for 10 mins, drain off the water then add generous amounts of chutney and put back on the heat until the chutney starts to liquidise a little – serve hot – gorgeous.
Gary,
Thanks for reporting back. That sounds easy like an easy way to a tasty red cabbage dish! Yum yum!
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