Chef Martin Anderson
Yes folks the most stressful meal of the year is only four weeks away.
Love it or hate it Christmas dinner is without a doubt a mystery to a lot of people.
But if you think about it, it's just a larger dinner than normal and if you're organised it'll all go to plan .
Preparation, preparation , preparation it's as easy as that .
The first thing you need to do is decide what you are going to cook, how many people you're cooking for, what time do you want to eat, do you have enough fridge space, is there anyone going to help you and who is going to do the washing up , that's one of the most important things.
Are you having a starter? Last week I gave a recipe for prawns and this week the recipe is for a vegetable broth, turkey flavoured of course .
Perhaps melon, pate with toast. Personally we serve small hot pastry hors d'oeuvres usually an hour before the dinner just to get us in the mood for eating and of course a wee glass of bubbly too.
Are you going for the traditional turkey and gammon , perhaps a goose , roast beef or even lamb.
Now is the time to get it your fresh meat ordered from your butcher. Pay a deposit and arrange a collection time. Many butchers have an ordering system in place so get organised.
Next week I will be giving the turkey and gammon recipe so keep an eye out for that.
Are you making your own gravy and cranberry sauce , cranberries can be bought at any time now and kept in the freezer and the sauce may be made three days in advance.
What vegetables will you be cooking , mashed potatoes , roast potatoes or perhaps cheese and garlic just to be different.
Have you decided on a desert yet? Which reminds me, it's time to soak your Christmas cake with a little brandy. Baked Alaska is a favourite, trifle or the traditional plum pudding with brandy cream.
We generally don't have desert until a couple hours after the main meal and a wee nap of course before it's served. The joys of Christmas Day !!
As regards refrigeration remember you are going to need enough room for a raw turkey or the other meet you are cooking , if you're going for a vegetarian Christmas dinner then you are not going to be stressed out at all .
Is someone going to help you? Perhaps your family are coming for dinner so maybe they can store some of the food in their fridge and bring it with them on Christmas morning. Even ask them to do some of the preparation and their own homes and take the pressure off you.
Are you cooking on gas make sure you have a spare gas cylinder ready , I know for a fact that some folk have run out of gas on Christmas morning it will be no joke trying to find a shop open at the last minute.
Who is doing the washing up? Surely you deserve a wee rest after doing all that cooking I don't cook on Christmas Day so I do the washing up - very relaxing !!
So here you go my turkey broth recipe.
But you will be boning turkeys so simply ask him for some of the bones.
Make sure you make a large part of stock as you can use it for the gravy as well that recipe will be included next week
Turkey Broth (4 covers )
The most important thing to remember is that a soup or sauce is only as good as the stock and ingredients that you use.
You will need for the stock
2lb of turkey bones , leg bones are fine
1 large carrot peeled and roughly sliced.
1 Chopped leek
4 stalks of celery chopped
1 onion roughly chopped or sliced
Bouquet garni.
1 bulb of garlic.
Seasoning.
Water.
white wine.
For the Broth .
1 bag of prepared soup vegetables or the equivalent in chopped fresh vegetables usually 500g
100g of barley , lentils or split peas
50g of real butter.
Method.
Trim the bones of any excess fat and place on a roasting tray with the onions roast at (180c) until well browned.
Place the vegetables in a large pot with a little oil and fry until they begin to soften, add the bones, bouquet garni , garlic and water........... enough to cover the bones.
Simmer for at least 4 hours and top up the water as it reduces , keeping the bones covered.
Remove any excess fat which comes to the surface during the cooking process.
When finished allow the stock to cool slightly and strain , keep the stock and discard the rest .
Add the white wine if desired and reheat.
You may now allow the stock to cool completely in preparation for the broth .
This stock will keep for three days in the fridge or can be frozen , you can use it straight from the freezer if you wish , it will just melt in the pot !
On Christmas morning place your pot on a medium heat add the butter and prepared vegetables. Allow to cook slightly without colour until they begin to soften , add the barley or whatever you have chosen to use , stir for a minute , finally add the stock and simmer until the barley is cooked , you may add water at anytime just make sure the broth using too thick making sure it doesn't burn !!
Season when cooked , I love to add frozen peas just a few minutes before its finished , they give a lovely colour to the broth .
Serve with crusty buttered bread rolls
This broth can be gluten free if you leave out the barley & serve toasted gluten free breath with it
For vegetable stock, use the same recipe, leave out the bones and add extra vegetables.
Why not have a go at making this recipe this weekend , it's the time of year for a good bowl of broth and it will give you an idea if you'd like to serve it on Christmas Day .
Thanks for your messages and shares last week for the cake recipe.
Follow my page on www.facebook.com/chefmartinanderson