Turkey Turkey Turkey

The Christmas Party
Venue: The Clubroom, St John Stone House
Date: 7 December 2004, Tuesday
Time: 8pm
Number of Guests: 100+++
Chef de Cuisine: Alex Yam
Sous Chef: Reverend Peter Geldard

The event of the year. The made event of the year. Décor, drink and turkeys! Christmas is in the air!

Fast Cook Traditional Turkey
Chef’s Notes: Turkey is not my favourite bird but it is a feature of our Christmas dinners. There are many who dread the long cooking times and the drying out of the flesh but here’s a little secret to get the turkey cooked real quick and real tender!

Ingredients:
9kg whole bronze turkey
250g butter
6 cloves garlic, crushed
8 tbps salt
½ tbps pepper
1 tbps dried mixed herbs
2 tsp olive oil

Instructions:
1. Clean out turkey and remove giblets and neck (use for stock). Pre-heat oven to Gas mark 6
2. Ensuring that the turkey skin is pat dry, spread salt, pepper and ½ tbps of herb on skin and inside turkey cavity. Set on lightly oiled baking tray.
3. Melt butter in olive oil in pot and ad garlic and remaining herb.
4. Using brush, spread melted garlic herb butter all over turkey.
5. Set turkey breast side down (NOTE: This is very important. Turkeys have most of their fat deposit in their back and by cooking it with the breast in the pan allows for the superheated fat to help speed up the cooking time and ensure that the meat maintains its moisture, it also reduces the number of times you need to baste turkey)
6. On Gas mark 6, seal turkey in oven for 30 minutes.
7. After 30 minutes, turn heat down to Gas mark 4 and leave for 2½ hours, basting every 50 minutes.
8. Return oven temperature to Gas mark 6 and if you wish to have the turkey browned all over, flip turkey carefully onto its back and leave for further 30 minutes.
9. Remove from oven and rest for at least 20 minutes before carving.
10. Add half glass of red wine and 1 pint of boiling water to pan to dissolve juices and to use as gravy.
11. Serve with Brussels sprouts, roast potatoes, sausage, mixed vegetables, stuffing and gravy.

Fare thee well sweet friend

Sunday Lunch
Venue: The Clubroom, St John Stone House
Date: 28th November 2004, Wednesday
Time: 1pm
Number of Guests: 22
Chef de Cuisine: Ms Clara Benac Earle
Sous Chef: Mr Victor Orive Martin

Spanish Oranges
Chef’s notes: Clara’s final Sunday with us before she returns to Spain was made extra special by her provision of a wonderful recipe for dessert. This as really simple to make and students simply fell in love with it.

Ingredients:
11 sweet oranges
6 eggs
6 tbsp corn flour
1 can whipped cream
3 tbsp chocolate flakes

Instructions:
1. Slice oranges in half and remove juice using a manual juicer. Set aside 6 cups of juice. Reserve oranges halves in trays.
2. Pour orange juice into pot. Whisk eggs and add to pot with flour. Gentle whisk over a low flame till mixture thickens. Remove from heat.
3. Fill orange halves with the mixture and allow to set in fridge.
4. Serve with whipped cream and sprinkle of chocolate flakes.

Showing lots of thigh

Dinner Experiments
Venue: Student Kitchen, St John Stone House
Date: 26th November 2004, Wednesday
Time: 7.30pm

Chicken Stew
Chef’s notes: Though many shy away from the sell-by meat in the discount section, I for one find it an amazing source of mature meats for stews and casseroles. Yes, they need to be cooked immediately, but it does not mean they can’t be frozen after cooking. This stew is simple to make and packs a little punch for the cold weather.

Ingredients:
6 large chicken thigh portions
6 firm tomatoes
4 medium size onions
18 large white cap mushrooms
1 red pepper
5 cloves garlic
1 dried chilli
1½ tsp ginger powder
1½ tbsp dark soy sauce
½ pint water
1 tsp corn starch
1½ tbsp oil

Instructions:
1. Heat oil in non stick. Pan fry chicken skin-side down till brown. Add whole chilli, garlic cloves and quartered onions.
2. Slice mushrooms, dice red pepper and quarter tomatoes before adding to pot. Add ginger powder, soy sauce and water. Let simmer on medium heat for 3 minutes before turning to low. Simmer for further 10 minutes.
3. Mix corn starch with some water and stir into sauce to thicken.
4. Serve with steamed rice or pasta and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.

Between a Chicken and a hard place

Chaplain’s Dinner
Venue: The Clubroom, St John Stone House
Date: 21st November 2004, Sunday
Time: 8pm
Number of guests: 9
Chef de Cuisine: Mrs Judith Geldard
Executive Chef: Alex Yam
Sous Chef: Fr Peter Geldard

The Chaplain’s Dinner is one of the occasions that are arranged on a regular basis to get to know students better and a jolly good excuse to have some good food and wine.

Entrée
Smoked Salmon on Brown Bread with Salad
Chef’s notes: This simple starter is a breeze to make and, like many of the salads you have seen on this blog, offers a lemony tartness to kick start the appetite.

Ingredients:
400 g smoked salmon
1½ fresh lemons
1 tsp ground black peppercorns
1 iceberg lettuce
1 cucumber
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
½ tbsp balsamic vinegar
½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Instructions:
1. Thinly slice smoked salmon and place into mixing bowl. Squeeze juice of lemons into bowl and mix in with ground black peppercorns. Set aside for 5 minutes.
2. Dice cucumber and peppers and shred lettuce into salad bowl. Add oil and balsamic vinegar and mix well.
3. Serve salmon on buttered thick-slice brown bread with salad on the side.

Le Plat Principal
Alex’s Salt Baked Chicken with Mixed Vegetables
Chef’s notes: This is my variation on the popular Chinese dish of Yim Gok Gai using grease proof paper and the simple dough mixture. Baked in the oven rather than the usual wok baking, the additional time required for cooking allows the chicken to absorb all the flavours of the seasoning.

Ingredients:
2 whole chickens (1½ kg each)
4 tbsp dark soy sauce
8 cloves garlic
50 g fresh ginger
1 stalk fresh lemon grass
1 fresh red chilli
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 tsp pepper
24 tbsp salt
12 tbsp flour
24 tbsp water
1 roll Greaseproof paper
1 roll Baking paper

Instructions:
1. Place garlic, ginger, lemon grass, chilli, sesame oil, pepper, and 2 tbsp of dark soy sauce into electrical blender and blend into a fine paste. Divide into two equal portions.
2. Stuff each chicken with a portion of the spice mixture, making sure that the insides are evenly coated. Then coat skin with 1 tbsp of dark soy sauce each and set aside to marinate for an hour.
3. Preheat oven to Gas Mark 7.
4. Mix flour water and 12 tbsp of salt to form a sticky dough. Divide into two portions.
5. Wrap chicken in two layers of greaseproof and a layer of baking paper. Seal the baking paper with the dough mixture before applying a final layer of baking paper.
6. Spread remaining salt on the bottom of baking tray and rest wrapped chickens above. Bake for 1 hour 20 minutes of Gas Mark 5.
7. Crack baked dough with wooden mallet and unwrap, ensuring that none of the juices are spilled. Serve with boiled new potatoes, sugar snaps and Brussels sprouts.

Winter soup for an autumn night

Dinner Experiments
Venue: Student Kitchen, St John Stone House
Date: 17th November 2004, Wednesday
Time: 6.30pm

Brussels Sprouts & Chestnut Soup
Chef’s notes: This is an absolutely lovely winter soup that I simply adore. Simple to make and with the heavenly aroma of chestnuts, this is an irresistible soup for those cold nights. With Christmas round the corner, turkey bones make a wonderful stock base for this recipe.

Ingredients:
250 g fresh Brussels sprouts
250 g pre-cooked chestnuts
1 ½ pint meat/vegetable stock
6 cloves fresh garlic
3 dried pequin chilli
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Boiled chicken or turkey breast
3 sprigs fresh parsley

Instructions:
1. Lightly grill chestnuts and then roughly chop.
2. Roughly chop sprouts and set aside.
3. Heat olive oil in saucepan and fry crushed garlic till golden brown. Add sprouts and fry on low heat till softened. Add chestnuts and mix well.
4. Add stock and let simmer for 10 minutes. Crush pequin chillis into soup and simmer for further 5 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and let cool. Transfer to food processor and blend till smooth. Salt and pepper to taste.
6. Serve with shredded chicken or turkey and garnish with curly parsley. Toasted bread.

Variation:
1. Pequin chilli is one of the hottest chillis around and I love its smoky and nutty flavor that goes well with stews and especially with bean or chestnut based soups. However, it has what scientists call a Scoville Heat Unit reading of about 40000 which translated into layman’s terms is hot, hoT, hOT, HOT! So if you still want to a kick to your winter nights but don’t want a scorcher, reduce number as required or substitute with mild chilli powder.
2. Instead of can or bottled chestnuts which tend to be slightly sweeter, you can substitute with freshly roasted chestnuts. For the average joe like me in the Southeast of England, a bottle of the best St Dalfour’s Classic Chestnuts serves me just fine.

Where art Beckett's Bones?

CathSoc Meeting
Venue: The Clubroom, St John Stone House
Date: 16th November 2003, Tuesday
Time: 8.30pm
Number of Guests: 36
Chef de Cuisine: Alex Yam

With the weather turning cold and with many of the students probably feeling the “heat” of essay deadlines in week 8 of term, did not expect too many members to come round. Again, me of little faith, over 30 students came to hear Prof John Butler’s presentation on the ‘conspiracy’ behind St Thomas’ missing bones in Canterbury Cathedral. Luckily, had made enough fresh soup to feed everyone. Lots of fresh toast and cheese to go along as well.

Spicy Tomato & Mixed Bean Soup
Chef’s notes: To be honest, this was a complete chance invention of a soup under desperate circumstances. To my great surprise, this unlikely merger of tomato soup and Tuscan bean soup recipe was wildly popular with the students and all 40 portions flew off the servery before you can say “more soup”. Addition of chilli powder to help warm bodies on a crisp autumn night.

Ingredients:
3 kg tomatoes, chopped
250 g tomato puree
1 can flageolet/haricot beans
1 can butter beans
1 can cannellini beans
1 tbsp chopped basil
3 tsp chilli powder
2 bay leaves
12 cloves garlic
½ glass red wine
½ pint water
2 tbsp olive oil
200 g fresh flat leaf parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
1. Heat 1½ tbsp oil in large stock pot and fry 2 cloves of crushed garlic, bay leaves, basil and chilli powder till fragrant.
2. Add chopped tomatoes and tomato puree to pot and mix well. Bring to boil then lower flame and allow to simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Process butter beans in food processor till smooth and add to pot with whole cannellini and haricot or flageolet beans. Stir well.
4. Add water and red wine and season to taste. Simmer on low heat for 10 minutes.
5. While soup simmers, slice remaining garlic into thin slivers. Heat remaining oil in shallow frying pan and then gently fry garlic till golden brown. Drain oil and sprinkle ½ tsp of kitchen salt on garlic. Let stand to crisp.
6. Serve soup with slivers of fried garlic and garnish with chopped fresh parsley. Toast and cheese go well with this winter warmer

Variations:
1. Spoon crème fraiche into middle of bowl and swirl design using cocktail stick before adding garlic and parsley.
2. For the more adventurous or those with a taste for the spicy, replace chilli powder with 3 tsp of sambal olek.

Lunch Excusions

Lunch Excursions
Venue: Student Kitchen, St John Stone House
Date: 16th November 2004, Tuesday
Time: 12.30pm

Spaghetti Bolognese
Chef’s notes: Bolognese must be one of the most well-known of pasta dishes the world over. Yet, like so many recipes, the making of Bolognese sauce has undergone great variation and change. To complicate things a little further, here’s a variation of mine, which incorporates both the traditional and a little of the avant garde, using the wonderfully cheap chicken livers available at this time of the year as well as an Asian touch of spiciness.

Ingredients:
4 oz lean beef mince
2 oz chicken liver
1 small onion
3 fresh tomatoes, chopped
2 oz tomato puree
½ sprig fresh rosemary
1 tsp ground oregano
1 tsp ground paprika
1 tsp chilli powder
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp Worchester sauce
50 ml red wine
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste.

Instructions:
1. Heat olive oil in saucepan and add minced garlic. When garlic turns golden brown, add onions and fry till transparent.
2. Mince chicken liver and add with beef mince to saucepan.
3. Finely chop ½ of the rosemary and add to saucepan with oregano, paprika and chilli powder. Add chopped fresh tomatoes, tomato puree and red wine.
4. Season with Worchester sauce, salt and pepper to taste.
5. Serve on spaghetti al dente and garnish with rosemary. If preferred, grate fresh parmesan before serving.

Remembrance Sunday

Spice Heaven
Venue: The Clubroom, St John Stone House
Date: 14th November 2004, Sunday
Time: 1.30pm
Number of Guests: 33
Chef de Cuisine: Gabor Nagy
Sous Chefs: Mrs Judith Geldard, Rev. Peter Geldard, Alex Yam
Chef de garde manger: Mrs Judith Geldard
Pastry Chefs: Rev. Peter Geldard, Alex Yam

It was a fitting meal for a wonderful crisp Remembrance Sunday afternoon after the student Mass at the Franciscan International Study Centre’s Chapel on campus. Gaby’s Hungarian Gouslash sure got everyone hungry (no pun intended) for seconds and thirds and even the occasional fourth and fifth serving. A historic first for our Sunday lunches.

Entrée
Prawn Salad
Chef’s notes: Judith made a beautiful salad for dinner the previous week and with some fresh lettuce and cucumber in the larder, this wonderfully simple salad was whipped up in a giffy and was well received by the students.

Ingredients:
500g cooked medium-sized prawns
2 heads iceberg lettuce
3 mixed peppers
½ cucumber
3 tbsp prawn cocktail sauce

Instructions:
1. Wash lettuce leaves and drain. Hand shred into smaller pieces
2. Dice peppers and cucumbers.
3. Place lettuce, peppers, cucumber and prawns into salad.
4. Top with prawn cocktail sauce and mix well.
5. Serve with bread.

Le Plat Principal
Marhzgulyas – Hungarian Beef Goulash
Chef’s notes: Everyone is familiar with goulash but we have almost never had proper Hungarian goulash as cooked by a Hungarian. However, I must point out that the recipe I provide here is not strictly in accordance with the recipe we used to make the Goulash you see below, but rather, I have used my own recipe that uses more widely available ingredients. If you do want the original recipe, do leave a comment and I’ll try to have it posted.

Ingredients:
5 kg lean braising beef, in chunks
20 large onions
5 tbsp tomato puree
10 large potatoes
5 cloves garlic
5 tbsp paprika powder
1 tbsp chilli powder
2 bay leaves
3 tbsp cumin
3 dried parprika
2 large fresh chillis or paprika
2 pints vegetable or meat stock
1½ tsp corn starch
5 tbsp vegetable oil
500g orzo/rosa marina pasta
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
1. Heat oil in large stockpot and fry chopped onions till soft and transparent. Add crushed garlic.
2. Add beef chunks and allow to braise over medium heat for 20 minutes.
3. Peel potatoes and cut into large cubes. Boil in separate pot till soft. Set aside
4. Add tomato paste, bay leaves, paprika powder, chilli powder and stock. Turn heat to high to bring pot to boil. Then return to low heat and allow to simmer for 2 hours.
5. Add potatoes and further braise for an hour. Crush dried paprika into pot. Salt and pepper to taste
6. Allow to stand over night.
7. Bring goulash to simmer on low heat. Add cumin and braise for 10 minutes.
8. Thinly slice fresh chilli or paprika and add to pot.
9. To thicken sauce, add 1½ tsp of corn starch to cold water and stir into pot.
10. Serve over cooked orzo al dente or other soup pastas like stelle or seme de melone.

Chicken Balti
Chef’s notes: The Balti served for the afternoon was made for the vegetarians using Quorn chicken. This recipe here uses real chicken chunks which can easily be substituted with pork or even vegetarian alternatives like Quorn.

Ingredients:
500 g chicken breast, cubed
½ red pepper
½ yellow pepper
1 small onion
½ tbsp olive oil

Homemade Balti sauce:
2 onions
2 cloves garlic
20 g grated ginger
1 tomato
1 tsp chilli powder
½ tsp tumeric powder
2 tsp paprika powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
20 g fresh coriander
½ can thick coconut milk
2 tbsp vegetable oil
Salt to taste

Instructions:
1. To make sauce -
i. Heat oil in large saucepan and fry crushed garlic and grated ginger till golden brown. Add onions and try till soft and transparent.
ii. Chop tomatoes and add to saucepan with chopped coriander. Mix in all powdered spices.
iii. Pour in coconut milk and lower heat to simmer for 2 minutes.
iv. Remove from heat and transfer to food processor and blend till smooth.
2. To make dish –
i. Heat olive oil in frying pan. Add chicken cubes and brown.
ii. Cube peppers and onions and add to frying pan.
iii. Add blended Balti sauce to pan and toss well.
3. Serve with basmati rice and garnish with fresh coriander.

Douceur
Palacsinta – Hungarian Pancakes with Lemon Curd and Chocolate Sauce
Chef’s notes: Palacsinta is traditionally a Christmas treat in Hungary made with layered crepes and cottage cheese with vanilla flavouring. Here is a English variation on the theme with lemon curd. This recipe makes 12.

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1 whole egg
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
1 ¼ cup fresh milk
¼ cup soda water
2 drops vanilla essence
1 jar lemon curd
1 jar chocolate fudge sauce
Butter

Instructions:
1. Mix flour, egg, salt, sugar, milk, vanilla essense and soda water into fine batter. Process with hand whisk or on slow speed with machine whisk till smooth. Let stand for 10 minutes
2. Heat lemon curd and chocolate sauce in microwave. Set aside.
3. Grease small non-stick skillet with butter and make palacsinta pancakes using prepared batter.
4. Serve by spreading lemon curd on palacsinta and roll before drizzling hot chocolate sauce over surface.

Variation:
1. Sprinkle icing sugar before serving.
2. Squeeze of lime or lemon over pancakes.

Bon Fire Night & Good Morning America

CathSoc Party
Venue: The Clubroom, St John Stone House
Date: 2 November 2004, Tuesday
Time: 7pm
Number of Guests: 98
Chef de Cuisine: Reverend Peter Geldard
Sous Chef & Grill Master: Alex Yam

Our annual Guy Fawkes feast has been made ever more interesting by the once in four year occurrence of Super Tuesday in America. Vote Americana was an amazing gathering of students, staff, and many friends to debate, analyse, and just generally have fun watching the American elections unfold.

Mulled Wine
Chef’s Notes: A wonderful and easy to make drink for the cold late autumn and a great Christmas staple. Can be made in copious amounts with cheap red wine and helps warm up guests.

Ingredients:
6 bottles red wine
1½ pint orange juice
1¼ pint water
48 oz caster sugar
8 oz cinnamon powder
4 oz ground nutmeg
2 oz ground cloves

Instructions:
1. Heat wine in large pot on low flame. Do not boil.
2. When wine begins to steam, add caster sugar, cinnamon powder, ground nutmeg and cloves.
3. Add orange juice and water and continue to heat on low flame for 10 minutes.
4. Serve in pre-warmed wine glasses.

Baked Potatoes
Chef’s Notes: The traditional compliment to Guy Fawkes or Bon Fire Night. This easy recipe can be prepared in advance with the salt helping to crisp the skin.

Ingredients:
80 russet or baking potatoes
10 oz kitchen salt
5 tbsp vegetable oil

Instructions:
1. Turn oven on to Gas Mark 5 to pre-heat.
2. Score potatoes with large cross on one side and coat with oil and salt.
3. Bake on middle tray until tender when pierced with sharp knife, about 1½ hours
4. Serve with butter, or cheese, coleslaw, or tuna.

Alternative Notes: To make Salt Baked Potatoes, use russet potatoes brushed with beaten egg whites, and crust the potatoes in kosher or coarse sea salt before baking. To serve, crack off as much salt as desired.

American Beef Burgers
Chef’s Notes: The usual suspects for any good old BBQ. Padre’s brand new gas grill was a great time saver and made the preparations a whole lot more fun.

Ingredients:
Beef patties
Burger buns
Lettuce
Tomatoes
Various condiments

Instructions:
1. Thinly slice tomatoes and lettuce, set aside.
2. Pre-heat gas BBQ to medium heat.
3. Cook beef patties on grill, turning over after 2 minutes. Ensure patty is thoroughly cooked before serving.
4. Slice buns in half and lightly toast on grill for 10 seconds.
5. Sandwich cooked patties with layer of lettuce and tomatoes between toasted buns and condiments.