Nigella Christmas: Food, Family, Friends, Festivities (20 page)

• Put the sprig of holly on top of the dark, mutely gleaming pudding, then heat the vodka in a small pan (I use my diddy copper butter-melting pan) and the minute it’s hot, but before it boils – you don’t want the alcohol to burn off before you attempt to flambé it – turn off the heat, strike a match, stand back and light the pan of vodka, then pour the flaming vodka over the pudding and take it as fast as you safely can to your guests. If it feels less dangerous to you (I am a liability and you might well be wiser not to follow my devil-may-care instructions), pour the hot vodka over the pudding and then light the pudding. In either case, don’t worry if the holly catches alight; I have never known it to be anything but singed.

• Serve with the Eggnog Cream, next recipe, which you can easily make – it’s the work of undemanding moments – while the pudding’s steaming.

MAKE AHEAD TIP:

Make the Christmas pudding up to 6 weeks ahead. Keep in a cool, dark place, then proceed as recipe on Christmas Day.

FREEZE AHEAD TIP:

Make and freeze the Christmas pudding for up to 1 year ahead. Thaw overnight at room temperature and proceed as recipe on Christmas Day.

EGGNOG CREAM

The traditional sauce for Christmas pudding is a “hard sauce”, that’s to say, brandy butter (and do make either the brandy butter, rum butter or, even better here, the bourbon butter) but I can’t help feeling that this corner-cutting Eggnog Cream, devised for my Express festivities last year, is best of all.

Actually, Dom, my long-suffering TV director, does a version of this with brandy, which also hits the spot (I think the cool cream factor is key), though you will need to whip in a tablespoonful or two of icing sugar – no more – as you go. And, you know, you might well consider the Cointreau Cream to dollop alongside the pudding as a variation, too.

350ml double cream

125ml advocaat liqueur

• Put the cream into a bowl and, using an electric whisk, start whipping to aerate and thicken. While it’s still floppy, whisk in the advocaat, and once the yolk-yellow, eggnog-flavoured liqueur is combined and the cream thick but still soft, stop and spatula into a generous bowl and serve with the pudding.

CHOCOLATE PUDDING FOR CHRISTMAS PUDDING HATERS WITH HOT CHOCOLATE SAUCE

Christmas pudding isn’t for everyone and, even though I have faith in my pudding’s ability to convert, there’s no point nagging or, indeed, fighting against real, die-hard antipathies. Besides, I have never met a child who likes Christmas pudding, and it seems unfair not to give a treat to everyone. The joy of this is that you can mix it all up in a processor while the Christmas pudding’s in mid-steam (I dash into the kitchen in the middle of lunch to do just that, with ingredients measured out and ready, and basin prepared) then put it into the top part of the steamer, while the Christmas pud steams in the bottom part. Obviously, you can steam it in a separate pan if you want.

Whatever, don’t be put off by having to steam another pudding. It’s easier than trying to juggle to find oven space, and, actually, what makes the chocolate pudding Christmassy is that it looks like the traditional pud (I’ve never gone in for those round, cannonball moulds). Steaming 2 puddings is really no harder than steaming one. But if you feel you can’t be doing with making 2 puddings, keep children happy by providing good shop-bought vanilla ice cream and red-white-and-green seasonal sprinkles to be scattered over at gleefully garish will.

Serves 10–16 as part of the Christmas feast, or 8–10 if not

FOR THE PUDDING:

175g plain flour

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

40g cocoa powder

175g caster sugar

175g soft butter

60ml plain yogurt

3 eggs

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon bicarbonate soda

1.7 litre/3 pint heatproof plastic pudding basin with lid

FOR THE SAUCE:

125g milk chocolate, chopped

125g dark chocolate, chopped

250ml double cream

75g golden syrup

4 teaspoons vanilla extract

• Butter your heatproof plastic pudding basin, remembering to grease the lid, too. Make sure you have adequate boiling water in a pan (or a conventional steamer) on the hob to steam the chocolate pud.

• Put the flour and cocoa powder into a processor and blitz to get rid of any lumps.

• Add all the remaining pudding ingredients to the processor and blitz, for longer this time, to mix. Take the lid off, scrape it down, then put the lid back on for 3 more long pulses, scrape the chocolate batter into the prepared basin, smooth it down (the batter will come only halfway up the basin) and put on the lid. Wrap the basin tightly in foil, so no water could possibly get in, and steam in the boiling water in the pan or steamer for 1½ hours (by which time the pudding will have risen to about 4cm below the lid). To cook it for longer will do no harm.

• To make the sauce, which can easily be done before you eat, and reheated just before you serve the pudding, put all the sauce ingredients into a saucepan and place over a gentle heat to melt, stirring every now and again and then whisking, off the heat, at the very end, to combine smoothly.

• When the pudding is ready, remove it carefully from the pan or steamer without burning yourself, then unwrap from its foil casing, unclick and remove the lid. Put a plate, or a stand, with a slight lip, on top, flip both upside down, so plate and pudding are the right way up, and wiggle off the basin.

• Pour some hot sauce over the pudding, so that it just covers the top and falls in glossy, licking drips down the side, and pour the rest of the sauce into a jug or bowl to be served with a spoon.

MAKE AHEAD TIP:

Weigh all the pudding ingredients the day before, ready to whizz together. Make the chocolate sauce up to 1 week ahead, then cool and chill until needed, reheating gently on the hob or in the microwave.

FREEZE AHEAD TIP:

Make and freeze the chocolate sauce for up to 3 months, and reheat as above.

THOUGHTS FOR TURKEY LEFTOVERS

TURKEY PILAFF WITH POMEGRANATE AND DILL

WILD RICE, TURKEY, CRANBERRY AND PECAN SALAD

TURKEY AND GLASS NOODLE SALAD

ED’S VICTORIOUS TURKEY HASH

I have already greedily mentioned your options for leftover Christmas pudding; though the chocolate pudding is frankly good for nothing – unless you’re truly desperate – once it’s grown cold.

But with the turkey, and all those gorgeous bits that go alongside, the possibilities for fabulous leftover meals bring joy to my heart. My first suggestions are obvious, but I can’t ignore them all the same. (And remember that your turkey – the carcass or the remaining meat stripped off it – must go in the fridge as soon as possible after Christmas lunch.) There are few things that can beat a leftover Christmas lunch sandwich: cold stuffing, cold turkey, cranberry and bread sauces, with some English mustard, and perhaps mayonnaise for those who can’t contemplate a sandwich without it, or mango chutney for me, pressed between 2 slices of proper, white bread.

In fact, I relish any meal that’s made up of cold cuts: I’ll take turkey with ham (hence my insistence on the ham for Christmas Eve supper) and an array of chutneys, a jar of cornichons, some strong cheese, fresh bread and any of the salads from Seasonal Support or simply some astringently dressed green leaves and a bowl of tomatoes, for people to pluck and slice as they go; and maybe bake some potatoes to go with them, should alcohol consumption seem to demand more carbohydrates. Of course, you can provide one of the soups of the same chapter to start with, to ring the changes or to make the meal feel more like a dinner; or produce a sprightly lunch by doing a turkey version of the Tortilla Soup (using chicken stock just the same, or making turkey stock if you prefer), complete with its easily assembled accompaniments.

However, there are some recipes – the first new, the others older standbys which have appeared before but can’t be missed out here – that I feel I have to suggest less sketchily. Please don’t feel bound by the measurements or, indeed, the additional ingredients, in any way: leftover-sourced meals are by their nature provisional.

TURKEY PILAFF WITH POMEGRANATE AND DILL

Serves 4–6

275g brown basmati ric

200g shredded cooked turkey

125ml strong chicken stock (not needed if eating cold as a salad)

4 × 15ml tablespoons chopped dill

seeds from 1 pomegranate, or 75g pomegranate seeds from a tub/packet

2 teaspoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive, or Mellow Yellow rapeseed oil (see

Stockists

)

50g salted and herbed seed mix (I use The Food Doctor original seed mix, see

Stockists

)

salt and pepper

• Cook the rice either in a rice cooker or in a saucepan according to the packet instructions.

• Put the shredded turkey in a generous-sized pan with the chicken stock. Bring to the boil and bubble gently for 1–2 minutes until piping hot.

• Drain the rice and transfer to a large bowl or dish, add the contents of the turkey pan and fork through to mix.

• Add the chopped dill and most of the pomegranate seeds, reserving some to sprinkle over the finished dish, and fork through again.

• Dress with the lemon juice, and a little oil, then scatter with the seeds, fork through again, and check for seasoning.

• Sprinkle with the remaining pomegranate seeds to decorate.

• If you happen to have leftover rice, this makes a great salad, but obviously you won’t need the stock component: just mix all the other ingredients, cold, in the same ratio (when cooked, brown basmati increases its volume by 2¼, if that helps with the rough maths), and serve. Incidentally, this is a perennial possibility if made with leftover chicken; there’s not a week I don’t roast at least one.

WILD RICE, TURKEY, CRANBERRY AND PECAN SALAD

Serves 6–8

500g wild rice

75g dried cranberries

500g cold cooked turkey, diced or shredded

2 × 15ml tablespoons cranberry sauce or jelly

2 × 15ml tablespoons lime juice

60ml olive oil

75g halved pecans or pecan pieces

handful of parsley, chopped

• Cook the rice according to the packet instructions, and let it go cold. Always cool rice quickly; the best way is to turn it out into a large shallow dish.

• Add the dried cranberries and diced turkey to the cold, cooked rice.

• Make a dressing by whisking together the cranberry sauce (or jelly), lime juice and oil.

• Toss the dressing through the rice, cranberries and turkey. Add the halved pecans (or the pecan pieces) to the salad with most of the parsley, turn out onto a plate or into a serving dish, fork again to mix, then sprinkle with the remaining parsley.

TURKEY AND GLASS NOODLE SALAD

Serves 4–6

FOR THE DRESSING:

2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed

2 fresh long red chillies, deseeded and finely diced

2 × 15ml tablespoons finely minced ginger

4 × 15ml tablespoons fish sauce (nam pla)

juice of 1 lime

60ml water

2 × 15ml tablespoons caster sugar

FOR THE SALAD:

250g cold turkey, cut into fine strips

175g glass noodles (also called fine rice vermicelli)

125g sugar snap peas

125g beansprouts

3 spring onions, sliced into thin circles

2 teaspoons groundnut oil

1 teaspoon sesame oil

small bunch of coriander (approx. 20g), finely chopped

• First make the marinade/dressing by mixing all the dressing ingredients together. (This is very useful as a dipping sauce, or just as a dressing even if you’re not going in for the glass noodles and so forth.)

• To make the salad, marinate the turkey strips in 125ml of the dressing; while this is going on soak the noodles in freshly boiled water (from a kettle) and, once re-hydrated (see packet instructions), refresh the noodles in cold water, then drain.

• Put the sugar snaps and beansprouts into a colander and pour some more freshly boiled water over them.

• Rinse them with cold water and drain – by shaking the colander – so they’re not dripping wet.

• In a large bowl, mix the marinated turkey strips, and the dressing they’re in, with the drained noodles, spring onions, sugar snaps and beansprouts.

• Dress with the oils and taste to see if you want to add more dressing.

• Sprinkle the chopped coriander over and toss everything together well before arranging on a large plate.

MAKE AHEAD TIP:

The dressing can be made and kept in a tightly sealed jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

ED’S VICTORIOUS TURKEY HASH

This turkey hash recipe, given to me by my friend and agent, Ed Victor, and in charmingly bossy letter form, has been a recurring feature in my books. Why drop it now of all times? Not least, of course, because it is a real winner.

I’ve given it here as an actual recipe but, as with all these notions for leftovers, the quantities are meant to be a guide only. They are more of the “a handful of this, a handful of that” school of cookery, and that’s how it should be.

Anyway, this is my adaptation of the Victor Original: I’ve fiddled a bit, but remained essentially faithful, as, indeed, I will always be to him.

Serves 2 hungry people as a main course, or 4 with a baked potato and a green salad to go alongside

50g flaked almonds

15g butter

2 × 15ml tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, peeled and chopped

2 red peppers, deseeded and chopped into approx. 1cm × 2cm pieces

1 clove garlic, peeled and minced

250g shredded cold turkey

75g pitted black olives

2 × 15ml tablespoons soured cream

2 × 15ml tablespoons leftover turkey stock

1 egg

few dashes of Tabasco sauce, or to taste

75g flaked Parmesan

1–2 × 15ml tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley to garnish (optional)

• Toss the flaked almonds in a hot, dry pan over a medium to high heat until toasted. Remove to a plate for a while.