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Written by Tony Carson

Category: Recipes

Created: 27 December 2021

• Bacon
• Turkey
• Left Overs
• Gluten Free

Well it looks a lot like our experimental Christmas Pie worked! We’ll be having a bit of a ‘Leftovers buffet’ later today. Our £5.01 Turkey Crown is still feeding us, there’s a Turkey Curry planned for tomorrow….

Ingredients:-

Filling:-

Roughly sliced cooked Turkey & Bacon.
A Chicken Stock Pot
2 Tsp of Cornflour
100g of Water

Hot Water Pastry:-

110g of Lard
280g of Water
500g of Plain Flour (Gluten free in our case)
2 tsp salt
Egg, beaten

Sage & Onion Aspic:-

10g of powdered Gelatine
2 Tsp of Onion Salt
2 Tsp of Dried Sage
Fresh ground Black Pepper
200ml of boiling Water.

Method For the Pastry:-

(1) In a pan add the Water, Salt and Lard and bring to a simmer.
(2) Turn the heat off.
(3) Add the Flour a little at a time and mix thoroughly as you go.
(4) Once all the Flour has been combined transfer your still hot dough to a floured surface and roughly roll out.
(5) Add dough to your pie casing and using your hands press into shape.

Method for the filling:-

(1) Make sure your have your pastry in your casing ready.
(2) In a jug add the Cornflour to the Water and mix well.
(3) Add to a pan and simmer.
(4) add the Stock pot and stir until it has dissolved.
(5) Turn the heat off and stir in the cooked Turkey and Bacon.
(6) Spoon into your casing while still hot.

Filling and cooking your Pie:-

(1) Add the filling allowing a little space around the sides.
(2) make a lid with remaining dough and press a hole through the middle.
(3) Use a fork to press the joint firmly together.
(4) Brush generously with beaten Egg.
(5) Cook in a pre-heated oven for 45 minutes at 180c. If you have a probe you are looking for an internal temperature of 80c.
(6) Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Method for the Sage & Onion Aspic:-

(1) Once the Pie filling has cooled mix all the ingredients in a jug.
(2) Pour through the hole in the top of the Pie to fill all the remaining spaces.
(3) Place the completed Pie in the fridge for at least a couple of hours to allow the Aspic to set before cutting.

I’d set myself up to potter with this invention thinking the the major shops would be open on Boxing Day – Wrong! So I had a bit of a wander for the bits and bobs we didn’t have in. Gelatine from one Continental Shop and Lard from another. The Sage & Onion Aspic tasted like liquid Stuffing when we were assembling the pin, which is exactly what I intended. We’ll see what the finished Pie tastes like later today, but it looks pretty good so far!
 

Details

Written by Tony Carson

Category: Recipes

Created: 25 December 2021

There might be quite a few posts involving Bacon over the next few days. We made quite a bit of home cured Bacon! This is the third cure and we’ve refined it a little. The original recipe is here -  http://www.eatwellonuc.org.uk/index.php/recipes/599-dry-cured-bacon Which is pretty robust. This version was for a discounted bone in Loin which weighed just over 2Kg when I’d removed the bone and outer rind.

Rub ingredients:-

50g of Salt
30g of Sugar
3G of Saltpetre
4 Tsp of Smoked Paprika
1 Tsp of Garlic Powder
3 Tsp of fresh ground Black Pepper.

Method:-

(1) Trim the Pork Loin to as near to 2Kg as possible.
(2) Mix the rub ingredients in a bowl.
(3) Apply the rub evenly over the entire surface.
(4) Place in a tub in the fridge loosely covered.
(5) Turn daily for 3 weeks.

The Burgers were hand pressed from a yellow sticker pack of mince at £1.24

So the build went something like – Toasted (Gluten free) Bun base, Mayonnaise, Tomato Sauce, Lettuce, Red Onions, Tomato, Burger, Bacon, Mushrooms, Egg and the toasted Bun top.

As the name implies, we’re still eating this, this morning. Our Christmas roast might be late evening today!

Details

Written by Tony Carson

Category: Recipes

Created: 19 December 2021

• Gluten Free
• Pork Leg
• Indian Recipes
• Slow Cooker Recipes

We're working through the Pork Leg I found in the yellow sticker fridge, butchered and froze. Pork recipes for Indian dishes aren't very common, but this really worked.

Ingredients:-

500g of Pork Thigh, cubed
1 Onion, sliced
4 Cloves of Garlic, sliced
1 Inch of Ginger, julienned
3 Green Chillies, slit in half
10 Peppercorns, crushed
3 Cloves
1 Cinnamon Stick
1 Cardamom Pod, crushed
1 Bay Leaf
2 Tbsp of White Vinegar
10 Dried Red chillies. Soaked for 15 minutes and drained
1 Tbsp of Coriander Seeds
½ a Tbsp of Poppy Seeds
1 Tbsp of Cumin Seeds
2 Tsp of Mustard Seeds
1 Tsp of Turmeric Powder
1 Tsp of Salt
1 Tin of Chopped Tomatoes
Fresh Coriander and Red Chilli to garnish

Method:-

(1) Grind together the Red Chillies, Coriander Seeds, Cumin Seeds, Mustard Seeds and Poppy Seeds.
(2) Add a little Water near the end and add the Vingar to form a paste. Set aside.
(3) In a Dutch Oven or flame proof Casserole dish add the remaining ingredients, excluding to chopped Tomatoes.
(4) Add the Masala Paste and mix gently.
(5) Place over a low heat and cover.
(6) Simmer for 2 hours or until the Pork is tender.
(7) Add the Tomatoes, stir and simmer for a further 20 minutes.
(8) Garnish with fresh Coriander and Chillies.

We service ours with Turmeric coloured mixed Rice. This was a really rich Curry with a relatively dry sauce.

Details

Written by Tony Carson

Category: Recipes

Created: 16 December 2021

• Chicken
• Gluten Free
• Indian Recipes
• Slow Cooker Recipes

A £2 yellow sticker Chicken was the foundation here. I roughly butchered it so we have sizeable chunks of Meat on the bone with the skin on.

Ingredients:-

Dry Seasonings:-

1 Tsp of Black Peppercorns
3 Cardamom Pods
1 Tsp of Cumin Seeds
5 Cloves
½ a stick of Cinnamon
1 Tsp of Fennel Seeds

Curry Ingredients:-

A whole Chicken, cut into quarters roughly
¼ a Tsp of Turmeric
½ a Tsp of Salt
15 Curry Leaves
1 Onion, finely diced
10 Cloves of Garlic, minced
1 of Tbsp of Tomato Puree
½ a Tsp of Paprika
½ a Tsp og Cayenne Pepper
2 Tbsp of Chilli & Garlic Oil
1 Tsp of Salt
Fresh Coriander leaves and sliced Red Onion to garnish
Oil to fry

Method:-

(1) In a dry frying pan fry the spices on a low heat until aromatic.
(2) Set aside to cool.
(3) When cool grind and set aside.
(4) Mix the Chicken with the Turmeric and Salt and allow to sit for 20 minutes.
(5) In a flame proof dish of Dutch Oven add the Oil.
(6) Once heated the the Curry Leaves and fry until they start to pop.
(7) Add the Onions and Garlic and sauté over a medium heat until softened.
(8) Add the Chicken and cook turning occasionally, until it is browned on all sides.
(9) Add the Tomato Puree, Cayenne, Paprika, Chill & Garlic Oil and Salt. Stirring gently.
(10) Bring to the boil and stir thoroughly.
(11) Reduce the heat to a simmer.
(12) Once the Chicken is cooked through add the Spice Powder and a little extra Oil.
(13) Simmer for a further 10 minutes.
(14) Serve over Rice garnished with Fresh Coriander leaves and sliced Red Onion.

This is a recipe for four servings. Still roughly in budget and we have a couple of servings in the freezer for a rainy day. We’re fortunate to have a Continental Store just up the road so the Garlic & Chilli Oil was easy to source. The Green Chilli Popadums were really good as well, but they are a bit of an Oil killer if you fry them too hot.