December is my favourite month for many reasons, and like everyone else it would be blasphemy not to shed light and celebrate the joys of good food and much wine at this time of the year. My meals centre around salmon, my snacks centre around cheese and chocolate, and my consumption of alcohol increases ten-fold, but this is never with guilt and never deemed as gluttony. That being said, I know this time of year can be tough and after the year we have had some will have a heavier heart than usual. As a result, cooking and maintaining a good diet might not be paramount in the mind. But this post is to alleviate these feelings, to provide food for celebration, food for comfort, and food for pleasure to aid your emotional state and bring a smile to your face and your stomach. Some are healthy, some not-so, but each will hopefully be welcomed, from my table to yours. Enjoy.
Leftovers to Love
Ribbon Courgettes, rocket, roasted squash, cheese & walnuts
This is one of my favourite salad bases and uses up the leftovers that are too much for a snack and too little for a meal on their own! For lunch I have this with chicken breast and anchovies (you can skip the anchovies, I understand). For dinner, I roast some more squash along with chickpeas and red peppers and top the salad whilst they are still warm. This starts to melt the cheese and serves to be an amazing mix of contrasts between the chilled pre-roasted squash. Simply roast some diced squash in olive oil for 30-40 mins at around 200C. When cooked, leave it to cool or put it in the fridge to chill. Spiralise or thinly slice a medium courgette and gently mix in a bowl with the rocket, squash and walnuts, then add a generous sprinkling of leftover stilton or wensleydale and serve.
Turkey Pate
This is super healthy and so much more nutritious than your usual pork parts + bacon fat liver that you get served as a starter or buy from the supermarket at this time of year. It’s a perfect addition to a light lunch platter with crudites, oatcakes and salad. I make it with olive oil, lemon + parsley to make it super fresh and almost summery but if you want to keep in with a winter theme swap these out for 75g butter, sage and a sprinkle of nutmeg.
250-300g roasted turkey
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
A few springs of fresh parsley, chopped
1 lemon, juice + zest
1 tsp salt
Black pepper to taste
Gently fry the diced onion in a little olive oil until soft. Place in a food processor with the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth. Store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to serve.
Serve with a lemon wedge and some more shredded turkey at the side.
Shredded Turkey Burgers (carrot, apricot, cumin & pistachios blitzed)
400g shredded turkey
5 spring onions
1 thumb of fresh ginger
1 medium carrot
5 rehydrated apricots
1 bunch coriander
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp shelled pistachios
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp white pepper
Rocket & salad to serve
Blend half of the turkey and the rest of the ingredients in a processor until roughly combined. Don’t over blitz it so that in becomes a puree! Add the rest of the shredded turkey and pulse once or twice. Leave the mixture to chill for at least 30 minutes in the fridge as it will be much easier to handle and the flavours can combine. With wet hands, shape the mixture into four burgers. If it struggles to combine then use some flour or mash up some chickpeas to add some stodge to the mixture. Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the burgers for a couple of minutes on each side to brown. Place in the oven to finish cooking through.
Serve in a bun with fresh slaw and mayo, or with salad, baked sweet potato + sweet chilli sauce
Drink with a crisp and acidic white or rose wine such as Chateau Changyu White Cabernet Sauvignon (available on Ocado)
Pigs with bacon, honey, cranberries + veg
Brown chipolatas in a little oil or bacon fat. Turn up the heat a touch and add diced pancetta + shallots. Fry for 2 minutes. There should be enough fat from the meat to go through the recipe but you may want to add a tsp or 2 of oil at this point. Add 2 tbsp honey and 2 tbsp cranberry sauce to the pan. Mix until it coats the sausages and combines with other ingredients. turn heat to low and finish until the sausages are cooked and the rest is sweet and sticky.
Serve with leftover roasted veg & garlicky kale.
Drink with a bright fruity red like a Chilean Pinot Noir or an Australian Shiraz.
The best Turkey Penne
450g penne pasta
200-300g Brussels sprouts, steamed / leftover roasted
2 shallots, sliced
1 medium avocado
250g shredded turkey or 145g drained sun-dried tomatoes
400ml almond milk
40g parmesan + more to serve
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
Juice of 1 lemon
2 slices of bread (we use sourdough bread)
Pinch of salt
Pinch of pepper
Begin by gently frying the shallots and some garlic in a little oil. Meanwhile, mash the avocado with some salt, pepper and lemon juice in a separate bowl. Add the avocado, almond milk, parmesan and Dijon mustard to the pan and stir until combined. Add the shredded turkey or use sundried tomatoes if you want to keep this vegetarian. Continue to cook until the mixture begins to bubble softly and reduce. Add salt and pepper and more mustard to taste.
Cook the penne in boiling water until it is done to your liking. I hope to influence you by saying al-dente is best (always), but specifically in this case because it holds against the weight of the creamy sauce and flavours of the sprouts well. When the pasta is cooking, reheat the shredded sprouts in the microwave for one minute. Add them to the pasta as you drain it off in a colander then return to the saucepan. By this time your sauce should be hot and ready to top a plate of pasta or to mix it in entirely as your preference commands. Top with lashings of parmesan or nutritional yeast. If you can resist the dish a little longer, top it with fried breadcrumbs and more cheese, and bake for 10 minutes.
Other Things Happening in the Kitchen
Venison Wellington with a stuffing of butternut squash, onions, stilton, walnuts, fresh red chillies + lots of thyme. I’m following a few different recipes to guide me with this one and fingers crossed it doesn’t ruin Christmas Eve dinner as a result!
Smokey aubergine + pomegranate puff pastry tarts
1 x 320g ready rolled all-butter puffed pastry 1 egg 4 medium aubergine 1-2 cloves garlic a few sprigs of parsley, roughly chopped 3 tsp lemon juice 1 tsp black sesame seeds seeds from ½ fresh pomegranate 400g full-fat goats yoghurt (I use St. Helens Farm as it’s the best and most nutritious!)
Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper. Slice the pastry into 8 rectangles and put onto the paper. Use a knife to make a shallow border around the edge of the pastry, about 1cm in from the edge. Prick the inside area a few times with a fork then use a brush to wash the border of the pastries with beaten egg. Chill for at least 30 minutes. To make the “smokey” aubergines, stab them with a knife a few times to prevent them bursting. Put them under a hot grill for 40-60 minutes and turn occasionally. Once cooked, set aside to cool slightly before handling. Preheat the oven to 200C. Bake the pastry for 10-12 minutes until risen and golden. Once cooked, peel a layer or two from the centre rectangle to make a bed for the aubergine mix. Slice the aubergines in half and scoop out the flesh (it should still be hot). Drain in a sieve before adding the garlic, lemon, salt and pepper. Mix roughly and scoop into the pastries whilst still warm. If the mix has started to cool down too much then fry for a couple of minutes on a hot pan then scoop into the pastries. Spoon the yoghurt onto the pastries and scatter over some of the pomegranate and sesame seeds. Drizzle with olive oil and away you go.
Serve as an appetiser or lunch alongside some salad
Drink a dry but zesty white wine such as an Austrian Grüner Veltliner
Smokey aubergine + Greek yoghurt soup
3 large aubergines 2 tbsp mustard 2 tbsp olive oil 1 medium white onion, diced 4 garlic cloves 3 tbsp chopped thyme 250g full fat Greek yoghurt 1 mug water, for consistency Salt + pepper, to taste
Just as before, stab them with a knife a few times to prevent them bursting. Put them under a hot grill for 40-60 minutes and turn occasionally. Once cooked, set aside to cool slightly before handling. Scrape out the flesh but save the skins and set aside. Saute the mustard, oil, garlic, onion and thyme in a frying pan for about 5 minutes. Add the aubergine flesh, yoghurt + water to the blender along with the onion mix from the pan. Blitz until smooth then transfer back into the pan to heat up for serving. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Why save the skins? Because they are perfect pan fried in some oil with garlic and salt until crispy. Use to top the soup, top your salads or put in a bowl and serve as a snack with a martini.
Serve with a good chunk of granary bread and a swirl of yoghurt through the top.
Mini naans baked soft and topped with sauteed red onions, spinach, cumin roasted cauliflower, red chillies, fresh coriander and coconut yoghurt. This is such a cheat I know, but such a comfort dish with a bit more health than served with a takeaway. I also live off fish at this time of year so will be topping another with smoked salmon and soft cheese or lobster meat and parmesan. Don’t knock it until you try it!
Move over mulled wine, it's my Fireside Rum
50g butter 100g soft muscovado sugar zest of 1 clementine 1 cinnamon stick 400ml dark rum
Combine all ingredients except the rum in pan over low heat until combined. Add rum. Pass through sieve, divide between glasses, top with a little water. Grate cinnamon + orange peel for garnish.
It goes without saying but I'll say it anyway: Drink champagne, dance on the table, and celebrate the love and the joy that continues to thrive in the face of uncertainty. Life is tough, but you are tougher, and you deserve to smile.
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