It's what's inside that counts

3 years ago AB and I hosted our first family Christmas.

I do believe in the go hard or go home philosophy when I comes to Christmas so it had to be better than Ben Hur.

 

Naturally a Turducken was the only way to go!

 

AB gives me a look whenever I mention Turkducken and recounts a tale of sobbing on the floor at 2am when the roasting pan was too small to fit the birds.

 

My version of the event doesn't include the crying but a whole Navy of expletives, words that had never passed my lips till that morning.

 

The draw card to this rolled turkey is my love of a boneless bird mainly because I'm pretty useless when it comes to carving. (Plus AB hates bones)

 

So this year it's our turn again and I've said not to worry about any dramas I'm just doing a rolled turkey......we'll just keep quiet about the duck and the chicken till later on.......it's ok I've got a bigger pan!

 

No matter whether it's a boneless or whole bird "The Stuffing" to end all stuffing is a major star of this show.

 

"The Stuffing"

Ingredients

• 8-10 dried figs
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 500g Italian sausage skin removed or sausage mince
• 1 large brown onion grated
• 1 large red onion grated
• Half a preserved blood orange or lemon finely chopped
• 80g pistachio
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs

Method

• Soak the figs in lemon juice for about 30 minutes
• Fry off the sausages or mince with the grated onions
• When sausage is cooked, add to a mixing bowl and allow to cool
• Slice the figs and add with the soaking liquid to the sausage
• Add the remaining ingredients and combine well

The stuffing is almost like Christmas lights!

• For the boned turkey flatten the stuffing on the meat (skin side down) and then roll the sides in on each other so it looks like a turkey again.
• Cover in bacon to keep the breasts moist.
• Roast covered at 160°C for about 25-30 per 500g, then uncovered for last 20-30 minutes.  

(the bathroom scales may finally get a use after all)

 

Can be joined together with a metal skewer down it's back

The big day will have woven bacon as while I went for quick and easy it would look a million times better.

 

The turkey looks really dry in the photo but it was my hatchet job of cutting and snapping in 3 minutes before I was late for work.

 

This crazy move was purely so I could have it for lunch, I honestly could not wait!

 

It was moist, delicious and we may need to stage a turkey intervention.....again!

 

The Turkey can be made a day ahead and cut cold and reheated in tinfoil parcels with a splash of water, in the oven with the vegetable for about 20 minutes. (careful not to dry it out)

The best thing about this demo bird is I have the most amazing turkey stock in the freezer just waiting to be part of the Christmas gravy.

Here are a few pictures of how I boned the turkey (may be too graphic for some), you could always try and con your butcher into doing it for you.

For me the key is a sharp knife and letting it find it's way through the bird.

Plus take your time, don't start it 10 minutes before it is due to go into the oven.

Ditch the wings, aint nobody got time for that.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Remove the white tendons from the legs

Looks better finished for sure!

200 Odd Years And Still Pinching Bread......

I often wonder, if only my ancestors had not have stolen that loaf of bread would I be firm favourite for star baker in the Great Irish Bake Off, either that or have represented Ireland at Eurovision more often than Jedward.

The Irish version of the show is the latest dealer to supply me with my fix of signature bakes, showstoppers and technical challenges, I cant get enough!

It has become such an addiction I find myself yelling at the tv "put a tray on your pastry when cooking mille feuille" or "don't grease the tin, it won't rise!"

The technical challenge in episode 3 was a visually amazing party loaf covered in a kaleidoscope of different toppings.....I had to make it.

It is most likely due to bread stealing convict roots etched into my DNA that I then had to make the recipe my own. Is it theft or an homage?? 

In the original recipe (which is brilliant don't get me wrong) butter is rubbed through the flour, I have tweaked this by using light flavoured olive oil as part of the liquid. I like the soft texture that this adds and found it stays fresher for longer.

Perhaps I should pack my backs and try my luck in the mother land for season 2??

Fig, pistachio, and sesame loaf
Ingredients:

• 550g strong flour
• 170g dried figs chopped
• 80g pistachios (rolling pinned see photo)
• 14g dried yeast
• 25g sugar
• 15g salt
• 1 egg
• 220ml tepid water
• 60ml olive oil

Topping:

• 1 egg beaten
• Black sesame seeds (about 1/4 cup)
• Sesame seeds (about 1/4 cup)

Method:

• Combine all dry and wet ingredients together and knead till elastic
• Kneading by hand will take about 10-15 mins or 5 mins using a dough hook
• Cover with plastic wrap in an oiled bowl and let prove for about 1 hour till double in size
• Weigh the dough and divide by 19 (sorry maths I know, it should work out to around 62g each)
• Divide the dough into even portions
• Roll into balls, the best way is on the bench under a cupped hand (it is a great triceps workout, after the 19th you'll feel it)
• Lightly oil a 25cm round spring form cake tin
• In 3 separate bowls place the beaten egg, sesame seeds and black sesame seeds.
• Dip the top of a ball into the egg mix and then into one of the seeds
• Place into the cake tin, arranging in any design you like
• Repeat with 18 remaining balls, giving them enough room to expand
• Cover with a shopping bag and let prove for 1 hour
• Bake in a 180°C oven for 25 minutes
• Serve warm with butter or the next day it is a delicious breakfast with coffee.

Roll over the pistachios to slightly crush, they should still be pieces rather than ground nuts

.

If I had a $1 for every picture of dough I have.........

Weighing your balls will get the best end result

It's not very sustainable, but it stops the loaf drying out....my excuse!

 Butter!

A plain version, no additions other than a light brush of oil before baking

 

A Double Helping of Mutual Respect

Bear with me on this slight diversion from my usual anecdotes but it seems almost impossible to post a pasta recipe without mentioning the boycott of Barilla products following the homophobic comments of CEO Guido Barilla.

I spent a lot of the weekend following the story on social media and deciding whether I would or should comment on the incident. Would I have anything constructive to add to the discussion or would it just fuel the flames that have kept the issue at a rolling boil. (I promise that is my only pasta pun)

For me this issue goes deeper than the usual cries for tolerance, that is not the standard we should strive for. Tolerance refers to something unpleasant that you just have to put up with, and I believe nobody should be just tolerated.

The goal is acceptance.

To achieve this goal of acceptance we must recognise the diversity and validity of all people and in doing so we must recognise everyone's opinion with neither side being the victor.

I respect Guido Barilla's right to hold the opinions that he does but that respect also gives me the right to strongly disagree. It doesn't mean that one opinion is right and the other wrong, just that two different opinions exist.

Yes, I found him publicly communicating this opinion baffling especially from someone holding such a position of success but if I just wrote about all the reasons why I think he is wrong how does that demonstrate an environment of acceptance.

With the changes to the laws in Russia, and the Gambian President's recent address to the United Nations, I understand that many people don't approve of homosexuality but I also don't believe their approval is needed.

Too many young lives have been lost because we have not reached the point of acceptance of each person regardless of their difference to ourselves.*

As the old saying goes, let's agree to disagree.

I am not participating in the boycott of Barilla products mainly because I never really purchased them previously.

Pesto in a jar seems totally unnatural and I may even go so far as to say an abomination but I believe everyone has the right to do and be as they see fit, they don't need my approval.

Pistachio and Preserved Lemon Pesto
Ingredients

• Large bunch of basil
• 2 garlic cloves
• 85g toasted pistachios
• 100g parmesan
• 1/2 preserved lemon (see note)
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• Good pinch of sea salt flakes
• 500g penne or pasta of your choice

Method

• Cook pasta as directed on packet
• Add garlic, pistachios, parmesan, lemon the bowl of a food processor
• Add any larger but not woody stems of the basil
• Add 1/2 the oil and process for about 20 seconds
• Add the basil, salt and remaining oil
• Process till your preferred consistency, chunky or smooth
• Stir through hot pasta
• Can be used on bruschetta or risotto, anywhere a nice hit of basil is welcomed
• It can also be made in a mortar and pestle for a more traditional approach

Note
My preserved lemon's very plain with no other added spices, just the lemons, rock salt and boiled water.
I use small jars now as I found making a huge jar by the time I used all the lemons the last ones weren't looking their best.
To make them, quarter the lemon and stuff it into a jar with enough rock salt to fill up the gaps. Fill the jar with just boiled water a little at a time so that the jar can handle the heat. Ensure the lemons are covered and store in a cool dark spot for about 4 weeks. Using lemon juice instead of water will speed up the process. So easy and much cheaper and nicer than the shop bought variety.

*"Lifeline provides all Australians experiencing a personal crisis with access to online, phone and face-to-face crisis support and suicide prevention services."

No really it was nothing - Raspberry & Rosewater Labneh

A lot of people freak out when they see a recipe that takes a couple of hours, overnight or even days, but it's important to remember that you're not actively involved for that amount of time.

Patience is a virtue that allegedly based on gender I will never posses but as the hashtag states sexism stops with me so I'm ok with slow food.

48 hours is a good time frame for this dessert with about 4 minutes of participation required, how can anyone not love something pretty that takes zero effort?

Labneh is a thick strained yogurt cheese that can have an almost cheesecake like texture, sounds perfect so far. Natural yogurt is the key as the whey will separate where as some "thickened" yogurts don't separate to the same extent.

I have been experimenting using cheese moulds to shape the labneh but find the results to be not as attractive as I hoped. The raspberries may have something to do with it but I'll keep working on it as I have a vision of plating moulded labneh with crushed baklava and pistachios. Pomegranate seeds are another option and while deliciously tart I preferred the texture of the raspberry.


Raspberry Labneh
Ingredients
This recipe will serve 4-6

• 1kg natural yogurt
• 200g smashed raspberries (frozen)
• 150g icing sugar
• 1-2 tsp. rosewater (more or less depending on the strength of your rose water)
• 80g pistachios toasted and chopped to garnish

Method

• Place a fine sieve over a large bowl
• Add the yogurt and cover with plastic wrap
• Let sit in the fridge for 24-48 hours (the longer the thicker and it will lose about 200g in whey)
• Place yogurt into a mixing bowl
• Add raspberries, icing sugar, rosewater and mix
• Serve garnished with extra raspberries and pistachios
• Photographed is about 24 hours straining, I could happily go thicker
• I also haven't add the ingredients and then strained as I think that would be draining away flavour as well as whey.
• It would also make a great cake filling