Christmas lunch no. 2. Same as no.1 really. Not the most attractive looking dinner and I'm sure some cheffy type would coin it as a 'busy plate', but that's Christmas for ya'! Over-indulgence is not an option.
I had the good foresight of buying a big piece of pork to cook and feast on for several days after the goose had long faded into memory and the meagreness of it not even enough to warrant any leftover type meals. So, this was cooked on Monday and lasted us for 3 more meals. I roasted it with carrots, onion, celery, leeks, garlic, rosemary and thyme laid out like a bed at the base of the dish and they created the most gooey, meaty, savoury juices which were reduced down with cider and cream to create a gorgeous gravy, rich and tangy to complement the meat. Mmmmm.
The pork was roasted at 375oF for 5 hours, after which it could easily be pulled apart with two spoons or forks. The highlight, though, was the crust that was formed through the heat of many hours roasting. It was chewy, crunchy and intensely flavoured, easily the prize of a long, slow roast. I never really noticed how many of these typically British roast dinners I seem to cook before, maybe it's the fact that my local supermarket sells pieces of pork like this for $8, or maybe living in a different country to where you grew up invokes some need for comfort of the old life; and what's more comforting than food?
You can see how many side dishes I prepared for Christmas day itself as this is Monday and we still have all the vegetables from Saturday. I always say 'next year we'll have less' and then find myself scribbling down ideas and pouring over cookbooks and magazines just before Christmas!
Onion soup with pork
Neil got the beginnings of a cold on Monday. Tuesday he was quite bad. Onion soup always seems to be a good cold beater being pretty hearty, robust and flavourful, real winter cooking. So, I chopped three large onions and 1 clove garlic and sauteed them for 1 hour in a tbsp oil and 1 tsp butter until they were soft, caramelized and brown. Then I added 1/4 cup marsala and 1/4 cup red wine and let them simmer together over medium heat until slightly reduced and not so boozy. Then 3 cups strong beef stock went in along with 1/2 cup shredded roast pork and some salt to accentuate the sweetness of the onions. Some parsley was added at the end to brighten and freshen. It was really good and I think it went some way to helping Neil recover, if only because of the fact that it made him sweat.
I didn't have any suitable bread to give this the full 'French' treatment, so I just put lots of cheese straight onto the soup surface and let it melt.
I've never been able to get those deeply brown roasted onions you see on TV or in cookbooks. Do you cover the onions or not? Does it matter what fat you use? Do you need a little sprinkling of sugar? No matter how long I saute them, they always stay relatively pale, although they do get very soft. Some scientific research may be needed here.
Chicken Tandoori for New Year's Eve lunch.
New Year's Eve has always been hit and miss for me. I've had incredible times, boring times and downright miserable evenings. I suspect most people feel the same. From what I've heard from other people, NYE can be a real letdown after the promise and mounting excitement of what is always supposed to be a really exciting night. Last night, we went to an apartment party with Madmen as the theme, easy enough for the men, they just wore suits, but a bit of a dilemma for ladies. I thought the women would be dressed appropriately in 1960's office attire to complement the men. So I wore an original 60's dress complete with neck scarf, gloves and an up do. Of course, I forgot where I live, so all the girls turned up in their 'interpretation' of a Madmen look, which basically means lots of very short skirts and hair newly tousled at the salon, some of them looked like they were going to a prom. Not so much Joan or Peggy, but more Hollywood starlet on the red carpet, I felt decidedly dowdy all evening. Anyway, I digress. We didn't know how much food there would be, so I made Tandoori chicken for lunch.
The chicken had been purchased the day before at a permanent market just on the other side of the ocean in North Vancouver, called Lonsdale Quay. Just two legs and thighs, not much but enough for a lunch.
To one cup of plain yogurt I added 2 tbsp tandoori paste, 1/2 tsp salt, the juice of half a lemon and mixed well until combined. I slashed some cuts into the chicken and slathered on the marinade. Ideally, the chicken should have been immersed in the sauce, turned well to coat, covered and left to marinate for 8 hours. I gave it 10 minutes so it wasn't exactly an intense flavour.
Roasted for 30 minutes at 420oF and then grilled (broiled) at the end to crisp the skin.
This was served with a salad consisting of leaves, avocado, peppers, cucumber, tomatoes, onions and some cheese with a raspberry and balsamic dressing (shop-bought). My last cooking adventure of 2010.
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