Rib of beef

Three ribs weighing 4.5kg

Ensure meat is at room temperature.
Heat oven to 240C
Crumble two beef stock cubes (oxo or similar). Rub into each side of the meat.
Sear meat on all sides in hot frying pan (or baking tray if solid enough). Put on baking tray with ribs facing upwards.
Roast for 20 minutes then reduce temperature to 170C.
Cook for maximum of 30 minutes per kilo (include the initial roasting time).  Checking with a digital thermometer for a reading of just above 40C gives a very good amount of rare beef.  

Rest for at least 30 minutes (as long as the roast potatoes and Yorkshire puddings take to make!)

Take off the bone before carving.

Ham and cheese croissants

For Boxing Day breakfast I was considering making Croque Monsieur. However, two croissants were left over from Christmas Day so I went searching for ham and cheese stuffed croissant recipes. This one is worth getting additional croissants for!

Heat oven to 180C

Slice each croissant length ways to make a pocket (as in do not slice all the way through). 

For each croissant, insert slice of gruyere, then slice of ham, followed by another slice of cheese. 
Mix together dijon mustard and running honey and brush on top of the croissants. Then sprinkle with poppy seeds. Put on a baking tray and cook in the oven for 6/7 minutes until the cheese has melted. 

Apple, chestnut and bacon stuffing

The turkey this year was cooked following the John Torode recipe 
The stuffing is based on John's recipe with minor tweaks.

Chop 2 medium sized onions and 6 rashers streaky bacon. Fry them in a splash of oil until the onion is translucent. Take off the heat and leave to cool (assuming preparing ahead of time)
Add 10 torn small leaves of sage (or 5 large) and salt and pepper
Chop 360g (two packs) of vacuum packed cooked chestnuts. Aim for mix of finely and roughly chopped. Stir into the onion and bacon mix along with 400g pork sausage meat. 

Soak 100g fresh breadcrumbs in 250ml water until the water is absorbed. Add the mix above along with 3 Granny Smith apples, unpeeled and grated. Beat the mixture with the aim to incorporate air. 

Put in a greased ovenproof dish with dimensions close to 23cm x 16cm. Do not press the mixture down. Put five sage leaves on top and bake in 200C oven for 40 minutes until crispy on top.

Remove any overcooked sage prior to serving.

Orange and Pomegranate Gammon

Think this will become the Gammon recipe for each Christmas Eve from now on! Recipe is based on Nadia's Orange and Pomegranate Christmas Gammon recipe. 

1.5kg gammon - soaked overnight if you remember
1 litre orange juice - carton of 'from concentrate' works just fine
2cm fresh ginger sliced
2 tsp ground allspice
1 medium onion, skin on, quartered

2 tsps dark muscovado sugar

2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
Seeds of ½ pomegranate

For the winter serve with

Braised Red Cabbage: About two hours ahead of starting on the gammon prepare and cook braised red cabbage to accompany the gammon (and many other meals over Christmas and New Year!). Delia Smith's Braised Red Cabbage with Apples recipe is always a winner. 

Other options are Peas and Spring Onions - for example JO's recipe.

To the gammon:

1. Put the gammon into pressure cooker and pour in the orange juice. Add water to ensure that the level of liquid is half way up the joint. Add the ginger, allspice and onions. Bring to High pressure and cook for 20 minutes. 
2. Reduce pressure then lift the joint out of the cooker, reserving the stock, and set the gammon aside to cool a little.
3. Preheat the oven to 180C 
4. For the glaze: Mix the sugar and pomegranate molasses with 2 tbsps of the reserved orange stock.
5. Remove and discard the rind of the gammon Score a diamond pattern in the fat with a sharp knife. Put in a baking tray (either just larger than the joint and/or foil lined to ensure there is enough 'sauce'). Brush with glaze then push a few pomegranate seeds into slits. Scatter any remaining seeds over and around the gammon and add a few more tbsp of the orange stock in the tray at the base of the joint. 
6. Roast for 40 minutes.
   
   
   Serve sliced with new potatoes (boiled for most of us; baked for daughter), braised red cabbage, the seeds from other half of the pomegranate and the 'sauce' from the baking tray.
   
   

Hueovos Rancheros

Vegetarian Brunch today

Grate 30g cheddar. Dice a couple of large tomatoes. Dice an avocado and toss in a tsp lime juice. Roughly chop pickled jalapeño peppers. Warm four tortillas

Now for the cooking:  
Dice a small onion and gently fry in 1Tbsp oil until translucent. Add 1tsp ground cumin, quarter a tsp chilli powder, 2 crushed cloves garlic and half a tsp of dried oregano. Cook for a further couple of minutes.
Add 400g can of kidney beans in water (water and all) and cook for 5 minutes until the beans are soft.
Lightly mash.

Fry an egg for whoever would like one.


Spread each tortilla with bean mash. Top with tomato, avocado and sprinkle with cheese and a few jalapeño peppers. Top with a fried egg.

Extra toppings: greek yoghurt, chopped coriander, more lime juice ...

Courgette and Tomato Soup

Favourite recipe of the year for using the many courgettes and tomatoes from the garden

Gently fry 2 chopped onions with 1kg chopped courgettes in 2tbs rapeseed oil for about 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Add 1 level tbsp turmeric (original recipe said half a tbsp), stir and cook for a further minute.

Add 1kg chopped fresh tomatoes and 2tbsp plain flour, stir and cook for a couple of minutes.

Add 2litres of chicken stock (from cubes is fine), cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

Blend to desired consistency

Courgette and Basil Terrine

I questioned the 5 cloves of garlic when I made this on Friday (for lunch with friends on Saturday) so put just 3 large cloves in. It can take anything from 3-5 cloves. I didn’t add salt when seasoning the courgettes due to the Parmesan included. No one felt the need to add!
Serve with salads various and cold meats for the carnivores to add to their plates should they really wish.

Heat oven to 180C

Dice 1.2kg courgettes
Season then fry in olive oil for a few minutes until softened. Leave to cool slightly and then stir in 100g grated cheddar cheese

Lightly beat 6 eggs in a bowl then stir in
- 5 chopped cloves of garlic
- 3tbsp chopped basil
- 30g grated Parmesan cheese
- 3tbsp white breadcrumbs

Tip the courgette mixture into the egg mixture and combine.

Pour into a lightly greased and lined loaf tin. Place into a roasting tin that has about 1cm of water in its base. Into the oven for 45 minutes.

Leave to cool then put into the fridge to chill.

African Peanut Stew

Just spotted a variant of this recipe which is cooked in slow cooker. The author also freezes all the ingredients apart from the stock so its ready to go into the slow cooker once defrosted. Put it all bar the spinach into slow cooker and cook on low for 6 hours. Add spinach towards the end

Otherwise:

Lightly fry 1 diced onion, 4 crushed cloves garlic, 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger with 1 teaspoon cumin, half a teaspoon each of ground coriander and salt, quarter teaspoon cayenne until onion is translucent.  Add 1 can chickpeas in water (liquid and all), 1 diced large sweet potato,  1 can chopped tomatoes, half a cup of unsweetened Peanut butter (crunchy or smooth) and four cups of vegetable stock.
Bring to simmer and cook until the sweet potato is tender (about 20 minutes). Add water if getting too dry.
Add couple of large handfuls of spinach and cook until wilted.

Serve with coriander salsa. Chop 25g coriander leaves, 1 red chilli and combine with juice of lime.

Note - if using up large bunch of coriander then make the rest into the base for the Laksa soup recipe: 25g fresh coriander, 1 red chilli, 2 garlic cloves, .5 inch root ginger, 1.5 tsp lemongrass paste, juice of lime - process all OR finely chop by hand and combine

Sweetcorn and Blackbean Enchilladas

A veggie enchilada for when himself has a meat based one as happened last night. This recipe feeds two. I cook the full amount, eat half and freeze the other half to reheat on another day. 

Go meaty by adding some shredded cooked chicken at the same time as the sweetcorn to (his) half.
Go vegan with vegan cheese equivalent and coconut yoghurt.
Go Lali with hard goats cheese and coconut yoghurt :) 

Make a tomato sauce from one onion and a tin of tomatoes, and leave simmering

Fry one diced medium onion in 1tbsp olive oil until translucent.
Add 2 crushed cloves of garlic, 1 tsp of fajita seasoning, 1/2 tsp of ground cumin and fry for a further minute.

Add drained can/carton of black beans with 100ml of water (I first used the water to swill out the cans of tomatoes used for the tomato sauce) and 1/2 tsp of dried oregano.

Simmer until most of the water has evaporated. Mash, taste and season with salt and pepper. (Depending on the fajita seasoning used you might need chilli powder/more fajita seasoning as well).

Heat oven to 180C

Spread half of the tomato sauce on the base of a small oven proof dish.
Split the black bean sauce between each tortilla wrap (two UK standard size ones or four small ones). Same for sweetcorn.
Roll up each tortilla and place seam side down on top of the sauce
Cover with the remaining sauce and grate over cheddar cheese

Bake in the oven for 30 minutes (until golden and bubbling)

Serve with guacamole, greek yoghurt, shredded lettuce and diced cucumber.