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RSSThursday, July 24, 2008
The Delayed Christmas Story- Part 2: The Stuffing Story
Till late in the evening before a scrumptious dinner of (greasy) but really really good and traditional fish and chips, (or was it after, can't really recall) we were already on our way to making that big Christmas Feast we were planning for 25th December. Auntie Laila decided that Nadia and I would be of help with the Bread Sauce and the stuffings for the Turkey (!!!).
To make bread sauce, we started of by sticking cloves (lots if u like) into a ball (?) of skinned onion and boiled it on milk. You would think at first whaaa?? but you wouldn't believe if I tell you how much the uncut onion with sticking cloves in it is able to infuse its tastes and spicy twang flavour into the milk.
With Auntie Laila's lush sprigs of fresh bay leaves (which has an awesome! smell) and ground nutmeg, I was loving how something as "dairy" and "sweet" as milk has turned spicy and savoury.
To make bread sauce, we started of by sticking cloves (lots if u like) into a ball (?) of skinned onion and boiled it on milk. You would think at first whaaa?? but you wouldn't believe if I tell you how much the uncut onion with sticking cloves in it is able to infuse its tastes and spicy twang flavour into the milk.
With Auntie Laila's lush sprigs of fresh bay leaves (which has an awesome! smell) and ground nutmeg, I was loving how something as "dairy" and "sweet" as milk has turned spicy and savoury.
The thing about western cooking I love is how distinctly (from Asian cooking) the spices are prepared. Asians LOVE mincing and dicing and knocking and chopping up onions and garlic and ginger so as to ensure flavour seeps through into the cooking while sticking up dried spice items into a ball of onion and throwing leaves into a concoction does nothing less than just the same thing. (Please note that this is very much an amateur level observation, merely from my minimal unprofessional experience)
Again, I ripped off Delia's recipe for bread sauce ;)
Again, I ripped off Delia's recipe for bread sauce ;)
Cut the onion in half and stick the cloves in it – how many you use is a personal matter; I happen to like a pronounced flavour of clove. If you don't like them at all, you can use some freshly grated nutmeg instead. Place the onion – studded with cloves – plus the bay leaf and the peppercorns, in a saucepan together with the milk. Add some salt then bring everything up to boiling point. Take off the heat, cover the pan and leave in a warm place for the milk to infuse for two hours or more.
When you're ready to make the sauce, remove the onion, bay leaf and peppercorns and keep them on one side. Stir the breadcrumbs into the milk and add 1 oz (25 g) of the butter. Leave the saucepan on a very low heat, stirring now and then, until the crumbs have swollen and thickened the sauce – about 15 minutes. Now replace the clove-studded onion, the bay leaf and the peppercorns and again leave the pan in a warm place until the sauce is needed.
Just before serving, remove the onion and spices. Reheat gently then beat in the remaining butter and the cream and taste to check the seasoning. Pour into a warm serving jug.
And so we started off rolling the sage and onion stuffing and raspberry (if I recall correctly) into balls. As I learned, they weren't even stuffed at all (I thought we would chuck these into the body of the bird). Anyhow, courtesy of Mr Paxo, we didn't have to get our hands dirty making these from scratch ;) (A classic, "just-add-water story!) Well, ok, we did get them dirty MAKING the round balls, but hey it was good good fun! Well worth the sticky hands.
We then glazed the stuffing balls with melted butter. This, as I later discovered while eating them on Christmas day, gives the crunchy golden "fried" effect to the stuffings after they are, well not so literally of course, "thrown" into the oven.
Gorgeous, gorgeous little things aren't they?
Next, the day before Christmas in Part 3! ;)
We then glazed the stuffing balls with melted butter. This, as I later discovered while eating them on Christmas day, gives the crunchy golden "fried" effect to the stuffings after they are, well not so literally of course, "thrown" into the oven.
Gorgeous, gorgeous little things aren't they?
Next, the day before Christmas in Part 3! ;)
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3 comments (+add yours?)
hey farhana! a little bit of a strange time for me to be reading up about xmas, lol.. but just wanted to drop a comment and let u know you have a very neat and colourful blog here!
love the pics, layout and catchy frontpage song. keep it up =)
Farhanaaaaa!
I didn't know you blogged, and about my most favourite thing in life: FOOD! yayyy.
i linked you:)
Salam Farhana!
Lived in The Hague for 2 years after 5.5 years in London.Only the chicken pieces in all KFCs in NL are halal. There is a KFC on Damrak opposite Bijenkorf(departmental store). Most kebab places are halal as well. Feel free to email me, anzed1@yahoo.co.uk if u have any other q's. Ams is really easy to get around esp on foot.
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