Christmas Turkey

It's the most important part of Christmas dinner. The part that (usually) mother's slave over for hours on end. When I think back to any childhood Christmas, the two things that always stand out are the turkey and, of course, the presents! The smell of it roasting evokes warm memories of great family celebrations and playing in a sea of new toys strewn all over the kitchen floor. It does however also divide opinion. It has been labelled dry, flavourless and boring and in some families has been scrapped for a "tastier" Christmas meal. 

The flavour of a turkey, or any meet for that matter, can be directly linked to the life which the animal led. The commercially produced animals have little space to move and so cannot develop the deeper flavour of their free range or organic cousins. A traditional breed of turkey can also guarantee flavour and the meet tends to be a little browner than a regular bird.

Regardless of the type of bird, the most important thing about cooking turkey is: DO NOT OVERCOOK IT! Buy a thermometer, it will be your best friend and not just for Christmas. The turkey is done when the internal temperature reaches 73 degress celcius (an organic turkey can be removed at 65 degrees). That could happen a matter of hours before you are used to taking the turkey out of the oven and once not overcooked it should keep its moisture much better. Resting is also extremely important to allow the juices to redistribute evenly throughout the turkey, 40 minutes to an hour is perfect.

There is much debate on how best to cook the turkey. Some like to cook it upside down, some like to stuff under the skin while some like to put it in a big foil tent. All of this falls a distinct second to cooking time. Once it's not overcooked everything else is secondary. I do like to stuff under the skin of the bird and, because I use a free-range/organic bronze turkey which cooks in about half the time of a conventional bird, I don't bother with a foil tent.

My grandmother's trick of putting a pound of sausages into the cavity of the turkey may sound strange but does produce the greatest sausages known to mankind. We are probably the only family that eat sausages with our Christmas dinner!

I would like to extend a massive thank you to David at Termonfeckin Delicious for supplying me with a Bronze Turkey in August!

Instructions

(free range or organic bronze turkey):

1. Take the turkey out of the fridge at least 1 hour before cooking and remove any giblets from the cavity. Season the cavity with plenty of salt and pepper.

2. Run your hands under the skin of the turkey, lifting it a little from the meat. Stuff all of this with your stuffing, trying to be relatively even.

3. Grease a large roasting tin and add thyme stalks, a sliced onion, 2 whole cloves of garlic, a chopped carrot, a bay leaf and plenty of seasoning. This will add lots of flavour to your gravy.

4. Place your turkey on top of the veg and put approx. 1 lb of sausages in its cavity. Pour 4 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil all over the top/legs of the turkey and season generously with salt and pepper.

5. Put into a pre-heated 170 degree (fan) oven and allow to cook for 2 hrs and 30 minutes (15lb) before checking the thigh with a thermometer. If your turkey is smaller, check it a few minutes earlier. If it’s not cooked just put it back in the oven and check at 5-10 minute intervals.

6. Remove from the oven and carefully lift the turkey onto a large plate/serving dish. Loosely cover with 3-4 layers of aluminium foil. Allow to rest for 40-45 minutes while you make the gravy.

For a standard commercial turkey the recommended cooking time is often quoted as 35 to 40 minutes per KG and should be cooked under a foil tent to avoid it drying out too much. You can take the foil off for the final hour to give a crispy skin. Basting the turkey with the pan juices every hour or so will also help to keep the bird moist.

Recipes for great gravy, stuffing, roasties, veg and ham are all coming over the next couple of weeks.

Lentil, Bean and Sausage Stew

I can feel it in the air. Winter is just beginning to approach again. Daylight is receding earlier while the Autumn chill can be felt in the evening air. I love it. I love the dark evenings listening to the wind howl while sitting in front of the fire. I know I'm one of the few. This is the time of the year I start to cook more stews. Warming and sustaining with deep flavours, they make the winter all the more bearable for those unlike me. September isn't the time for big hefty lamb stews, its the somewhat lighter ones I'm after now. This one is just the ticket. 

The dried beans will need to be soaked for 8-12 hours (overnight is handiest) first. If you are using tinned beans you can omit the soaking and cooking of the beans and just add them into the stew. A good sausage is of vital importance here, don't skimp on it!

Serves 4

For The Beans:
100g Dried Black Eyed Beans
100g Dried Cannellini Beans
1 Onion (skin left on, halved)
2 sticks of Celery (halved)
1 Carrot (whole)
1 Bay Leaf

For the Stew:
3 tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1 Onion (finely chopped)
2 cloves of Garlic (finely chopped)
1 Chilli (finely chopped)
1 Red Pepper (finely chopped)
8 good quality Sausages
250g Red Split Lentils
1 litre of Vegetable Stock
1 Bay Leaf
1 tbsp Tomato Purée
Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

1. Soak the beans in 2-3 litres of cold water for 8-12 hours (or overnight). Drain and add to a pot with 4-5 litres of water. Add the onion, celery, carrot and bay leaf. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 90 minutes. Drain, discard the vegetables and bay leaf and set aside.

2. Heat the oil over a medium heat and add the onion, garlic, chilli and red pepper. Season well with salt and pepper and cook for 5-7 minutes to soften. Add the sausages and brown lightly. Add the lentils, stock and bay leaf.Season, bring to the boil and add in the cooked beans. Bring back to the boil, reduce heat, cover and cook for 20 minutes stirring occasionally.

3. Add the tomato purée and mix in well. Continue to cook, uncovered for 10-15 minutes until the lentils are tender and have started to disintegrate into the sauce. Check for seasoning and serve with thick, crusty bread.

Dodgy Omelette

World Cup, Day 4 - France

Omelette

Day 3 proved a great day for Italy, with a 2-1 win over a young English side. The ragu was a success too! I had planned to make 'poule au pot' today but after a long day at the Kildare County Show in Athy, I decided to make an omelette instead.

It was inevitable. At some point during this project, one of the dishes wasn't going to work: but I didn't expect it to be an omelette! It wasn't that it didn't taste good, it was fine even if there was a little too much cheese, it was the texture that got me. It was a strange consistency; dry but soft. I normally make Italian style frittatas that have a crust but an omelette, I'm told, shouldn't have one.

I used:

2 tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
6 Duck Eggs
40g grated Sheep's Cheese
1 tbsp finely chopped Fresh Parsley
Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

I gently mixed the eggs, cheese and parsley together before adding to the heated oil. I stirred well, let set for 10-20 seconds and stirred again. I repeated this for a few mins until almost everything had set apart from the last little bit. I moved the last bit of liquid around with a spatula to fill in any gaps before finishing under a grill to set the top. I served it up with (very un-French) Norcia-style sausages. I thought it would be delicious but no - DO. NOT. MAKE. THIS!

BBQ Season!!

BBQ Season

My favourite time of year is finally here! Although I relish the coziness of dark evenings in front of the fire, I particularly love the al fresco nature of summer and barbecue season. Nothing beats the whole family sitting outside in the (hopefully) sun enjoying good food and a few beers. For my birthday this week we took a chance, we decided to have a small family barbecue and hoped that the weather held up (it is the middle of May after all!). Thankfully the sun shone, the rain stayed away and we had a great evening together. 

Even though it was my birthday, I decided I'd take care of the cooking and with €50 to feed 12 people (including 2 fussy kids) I knew I had my work cut out! First thing to sort were the salads:

Egg Salad - Hard boil 10 eggs, peel and roughly chop. Mix with plenty of mayonnaise, finely chopped chives and season well. Sprinkle a little paprika on top.

Potato Salad - Boil 1kg of baby potatoes until tender, drain and put into a large bowl. Add plenty of extra-virgin olive oil and season well. Add some dried oregano and some finely chopped chives. Mix well.

Pasta Salad - Boil 500g fusilli pasta in salted water until cooked, drain and put into a large bowl. Add lots of extra-virgin olive oil, plenty of halved cherry tomatoes, chopped basil and season well. Mix thoroughly and squeeze in the juice of 1/2 lemon just before serving.

Spicy Rice Salad - Saute some garlic, chilli, onion and chopped red pepper over a medium heat for 5 minutes. Add some turmeric and stir well. Continue to cook for another 5 minutes before adding 250g of rice. Add 500ml of vegetable stock and allow to simmer. Add more stock as necessary until cooked.

With the salads complete and in the fridge, I moved onto meats. For me, the most important piece of equipment for a BBQ is an instant digital thermometer. It allows you to get everything cooked perfectly without having to overcook for safety's sake I prefer to cook chicken in the oven first and then finish off on the BBQ. This method ensures they are cooked through without burning:

For the dry rub mix together; 1tsp cayenne pepper, 1/2tsp white pepper, 1tsp thyme, 1/2tsp smoked paprika, 1/2tsp dried oregano and 1/2tsp salt.

Lightly oil a large baking tray and lay out 15-20 chicken drumsticks. Sprinkle over 3/4 of the dry rub and massage it all over the drumsticks. Put into a 150 degree oven for 30-40 minutes until just cooked through. Char on the BBQ for a couple of minutes to add a bit of life. You can also brush some of your favourite BBQ sauce onto the drumsticks before they go on the BBQ for an extra hit of flavour.

Next I made burgers: spicy lamb for those of us keen on a bit of heat and plain beef for the more conservative!

Saute 1 onion, 1 red chilli and 2 cloves garlic (all finely chopped) in plenty of extra-virgin olive oil with some salt and pepper for 10 minutes until soft but not coloured. Allow to cool. Put 500g of lamb mince into a mixing bowl and add the onion mix, including the oil. Season well and add in half a beaten egg. Mix well. Lightly oil a large plate and with wet hands, shape the lamb mix into five patties. Lay on the plate, cover with cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for an hour or two. Season each side and cook on the BBQ, brushing with BBQ sauce if you like.

You can make the beef burgers the same way but I just mixed 500g of mince with salt, pepper and half a beaten egg and continued as above.

The last bit of cooking was some Nolan's of Kilcullen sizzler and plain pork sausages which were brushed with BBQ sauce and placed on the BBQ until cooked through.

The small amount of cash left over was spent on 12 cans of San Pellegrino orange and lemon and Ali baked a beautiful orange and almond cake for dessert (and to hold the birthday candles).

 I'll have plenty of BBQ posts up over the summer, it's good to take advantage of whatever little sun we get!

Sausage and Herb Pasta

Sausage and Herb Pasta

At this time of the year, with the rain pelting down, wind howling and fires blazing, there's nothing better than a warm, comforting dinner to cheer you up. The weather has been creeping steadily downward in this part of the world for the past few weeks and it now seems inevitable that we are back to our usual October....damp and miserable.

It is at this stage of the year that I can't help but crave Stews, Shepard's Pie and other belly warming delights to perk up the spirits and provide the necessary sustenance to face the pouring rain. This is a simple yet very comforting recipe. The herbs give it a punchy flavour that for me sits perfectly in Winter time while the tomatoes are a throwback to the summer just past. This could be made "Irishy" by serving on a bed of mashed Potatoes but I'll stick to its Italian roots, served with Tagliatelle.

Serves 4

*3 tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
*1 Medium Onion (finely chopped)
*1 Clove Garlic (finely chopped)
*3 Smoked Rashers (chopped)
*8 Skinless Sausages (chopped)
*1/2 tsp Dried Oregano
*1/4 tsp Dried Thyme
*1 tbsp Tomato Puree
*2 Cans of Chopped Tomatoes
*1 and 1/2 tsp Chopped Fresh Rosemary
*2 tsp Sugar
*100ml Cream
*Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper
*Chilli Flakes

To Serve:
*500g Tagliatelle (cooked al dente)
*Freshly Grated Parmesan

1. Saute the Onion and Garlic in the Oil over medium heat for 5-7 minutes or until soft. Add the Rashers and Sausages with the dried herbs and cook for 5 minutes to lightly colour. Season well with Salt and Pepper.

2. Add the Tomato Puree and a good pinch of Chilli Flakes and stir well. Cook for 2-3 minutes before adding the cans of Chopped Tomatoes, 1tsp of Fresh Rosemary and the Sugar. Turn down the heat, put the lid on the pan and allow to simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Add the Cream and remaining 1/2 tsp of Rosemary and stir in. Simmer for a further 10 minutes with no lid, check the seasoning and add more Salt/Pepper if necessary. Serve with some Tagliatelle and a nice sprinkling of Parmesan on top.

Variations

This dish would work as a great base to add a ton of veggies to. You could easily add some finely chopped Carrot, Celery, Courgette, Chillies, Peppers and even fresh Tomatoes to give it a serious nutrient hit. The herbs could be swapped out for whatever you like, Sage would work very well. It could also be done with almost any meat or fish, the options are endless!