Getting Stuffed & Getting Saucy

It’s a quiet holiday season, with no major celebrating or excessive consumption. Not even having a whole bird of any sort, just a turkey crown, which even as I write, is sitting in a brine bath with assorted flavourings, ready for roasting on the day. There are some things which must be done, however, because they have been done in the Den E Zen household for several years, which makes them traditional. These are the chestnut stuffing and the cranberry sauce.

As ever, ingredients are somewhat variable. Amounts are very approximate also.

Not suitable for vegetarians, vegans, those with dietary restrictions about bacon, people allergic to chestnuts, people who like their recipes with precise amounts, temperatures or people who like their meals to include jus of this, foam of that and who can’t survive without a vacuum pump in the kitchen.

The Stuffing

• Cooked Chestnuts – around a pound or so. Much as I love using fresh ingredients, I find the whole process of roasting and peeling chestnuts somewhat tedious, especially getting that furry inner skin off, so I tend to use pre-prepared ones. Feel free to do it from scratch if you so wish.
• Bacon – likewise around a pound or so. I used packs of cooking bacon, but even there, I prefer to sort through the packets for the ones that have big chunks in rather than lots of misshapen thin rashers. Also, try to use stuff that isn’t too fatty.
• Onions – a couple of medium sized ones, diced
• Dried apricots – a handful or so.
• Garlic – a couple of good heaped teaspoons once minced
• Ginger – a good thumb-sized piece, peeled and minced
• Chilli – this time, I forgot to get fresh ones, so I used a teaspoon of dried chilli flakes.  Feel free to leace these out.
• Breadcrumbs – a nice handful. Preferably fresh ones rather than the lurid yellow sawdust that comes in packets.
• Sage – a few leaves, finely chopped, except I remembered this after I had cooked it, to there aren’t any in this batch.

Roughly chop the bacon, the onions, the chestnuts and the apricots. Sweat the onions in a little oil until soft, then add the bacon pieces and gently cook until just done, but still soft. Add the ginger and garlic and chilli part-way through cooking the bacon. Don’t overdo it as the whole lot is going to get baked in a couple of paragraphs time.

Mix the cooked ingredients all together and place in an over-proof dish. Spray a little oil on the top, then stick in the oven at 180°C (That’s 350°F or Gas Mark 4) for about 25 minutes.  It’s done when you think it is done – I like it to be a little crispy on the top, but maybe that’s just me.

The Cranberry Sauce

• Cranberries – one pound
• Shallots – about a heap tablespoonful once minced
• Ginger – a thumb-sized piece, peeled and minced
• Lime – juice of one
• Brown sugar – heaped tablespoon, or more if you like it sweet
• Salt & pepper to taste

Finely mince the ginger and shallot. Sweat in a little butter until soft and translucent. Add the cranberries and a couple of glugs of water.  Gently simmer until all the cranberries have popped. You can encourage this by mashing with a potato masher or otherwise squishing the few hold-outs.  Add the lime juice and the sugar and simmer for a while until you have a nice gloopy mess that stains your wooden spoons bright red.  Add salt and pepper to taste (and more sugar if you like your sauce sweeter).  Feel free to blitz it with one of those magic wand things, but I like mine quite rough-textured.  Add more hot water if it is too thick. Let it cool a bit and stick it in a jar.

There you go – some things to go with your roast whatever dinner. Enjoy!  And, as ever with any of my cooking, feel free to add, subtract, and modify ingredients according to availability or taste. I promise I won’t cry too much.