The Night Before Christmas (26 page)
Read The Night Before Christmas Online
Authors: Scarlett Bailey
Method:
- Preheat an oven to 200°C. While the oven is heating, spread each fillet with the pesto, lay on the lime and orange slices and reassemble the fish.
- Measure and combine the egg whites with the salt and finely chopped herbs. Mix until ingredients are thoroughly combined. Place one-third of the mixture on the bottom of a lined baking tray. Spread the mixture out to form a bed for
the salmon to rest on. Place the stuffed salmon on top of this mixture and gently press down. - Place the remaining two-thirds of the salt mixture over the salmon to completely cover the entire fish. Do not crush or smash the fish.
- Place the entire pan into the oven and bake for approximately 50–60 minutes, or approximately 10–12 minutes per 500g of raw fish. Remove from the oven and carefully peel away the outer layer of salt. The crust will be a light golden brown and should peel away in sections.
- Transfer onto to a serving platter, slice and serve immediately.
Don’t worry; despite being cooked in a salt crust this isn’t an overly salty dish, it’s a great method for keeping fish moist – and a nicely dramatic way of serving the results of your labours!
Stuffed Pork Belly with Parmesan and Herbs
This recipe is very easy, but the results look impressive. It is perfect for a special dinner, or family lunch. The trickiest bit is probably the rolling and tying up of the belly but don’t worry you don’t have to have a brownie badge in knots to be able to keep your dish together!
Preparation time: 30 mins
Cooking time: 1.5–2hrs mins
Serves: 8
Ingredients:
3–4.5kg belly boneless pork, skin removed (but keep hold of it – this will be the crackling – the best bit!)
5 tbsp olive oil
Juice and zest of 2 lemons
2–4 cloves of garlic, chopped
Large bunch of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
Handful of fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
4 tbsp of ground Parmesan
Method:
- Mix together the parmesan, herbs, oil, garlic
and lemon juice and add salt and pepper to taste. Mix to a stiff paste and put into the fridge to solidify – this makes it easier to use. - Heat the oven to 220C/Gas 7
- Dry the pork skin thoroughly and rub with salt. Cut into 5cm squares. Pop it in the oven on a baking sheet. (Keep an eye on it!)
- Lay the belly out, with the fattier side down (this is probably the skin side). Tuck lengths of kitchen string underneath, so it can be pulled into a roll.
- Spread the Parmesan and herb stuffing into the centre of the roll.
- Roll up the belly, using the strings to secure the roll. Try to place the strings at about 3cm intervals as this will make serving easier.
- Rub the outside of the pork with salt and pepper and pop on a baking sheet in the oven.
- After 30 minutes turn the oven down to 180 C/Gas 4 and cook for another 40 minutes, or until the juices run clear when poked with a skewer.
- The crackling is done when it is puffy, crispy and golden brown – don’t let it burn! If your crackling is slow to crisp, you can ‘cheat’ by putting it in a frying pan.
- Cut the pork roll into portions using the string as a guide. Top with a square of crackling.
Stephen’s Boy Scout’s Baked Beans
Serves: 8
Ingredients:
2 tins of baked beans
4 fresh tomatoes – chopped
2 onions – roughly chopped
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
A quantity of grated mature cheddar cheese
Method:
First, heat the beans over a medium heat, until they are simmering but not boiling. Then add the tinned tomatoes, fresh tomatoes and onions. Simmer for five minutes. Finally finish with a generous handful of grated cheese and serve on fresh crusty toast immediately.
Will’s Shovel Fried Eggs
Serves: 8
Ingredients:
8 free range eggs
1 relatively clean coal shovel
A little oil or butter
A very hot fire (take care with your fingers!)
Method:
Lightly grease the shovel and allow it to get hot in the flames. Remove from the fire and, if you are very dextrous – like Will – use your free hand to crack an egg onto the shovel. If not, get a friend to do it. Being careful to hold the shovel level, hold it over (not in) the fire until the egg is cooked to taste. This method is fast, so you if you like a runny egg don’t leave it on too long.
And finally, a local Cumbrian Christmas recipe for you. The ports on the Cumbrian coast were historically very active in the rum and spice trade, which has led to the popularity of these ingredients in traditional Cumbrian cooking.
Cumberland Rum Butter
Cumberland rum butter is traditionally served at Christmas, melted over Christmas pudding. It is also delicious on hot mince pies, baked apples, pancakes, or just spread on toast. Yum!
Soften and cream 170g low salt butter with 170g soft brown sugar. Beat in 6 tablespoons of dark rum. Put in a pot or glass bowl to chill in fridge. Use as required – put a generous knob of the butter on your hot Christmas pudding. It’s delicious!
Cumberland Rum Nicky
Ingredients
170g shortcrust pastry
28g preserved ginger
14g caster sugar
54g chopped dates
28g butter
1 tbsp rum
Method:
- Line a buttered pie dish with half the pastry and cover with the dates and ginger.
- Beat the butter, sugar and rum and pour over the filling.
- Cover with the remaining pastry and bake in a moderately hot oven for 10–15 minutes.
- Then turn down the heat and bake for approximately 30 minutes.
- Serve with crème fraiche.
You can combine rum, dried fruit and brown sugar with Cumbrian varieties of apple (such as Forty Shilling, Carlisle Codling and Keswick Codling) to make a different, but equally delicious, Rum Nicky.
Scarlett Bailey has loved writing stories since childhood. But before coming a novelist she worked as a waitress, cinema usherette and bookseller.
Passionate about old movies, Scarlett loves nothing more than spending a wet Sunday watching her favourite films back-to-back with large quantities of chocolate. Currently she lives in Hertfordshire with her dog and a very large collection of shoes. Scarlett Bailey is also the author of MARRIED BEFORE CHRISTMAS.