Christmas Curry

Haven't blogged many recipes recently, Liz has been away and with Christmas and guests visiting I've been busy cooking traditional seasonal food. As usual there has been lots of leftovers and salads of cold ham and turkey with slaws made from cabbage, apple, onion and home grown beetroot have been a staple. However after a while I start to crave something spicy and so here is my version of something my mum used to make. She used to make this after we had a roast chicken on a Sunday for supper on a Monday. I've tried many different versions and have eventually been able to get close to the taste of her curry. These quantities made enough for three generous portions and three smaller portions for lunch the following week! The chickpeas are my addition I don't think I had heard of them back in the seventies!

Ingredients:
Two large onions sliced finely
4 medium carrots grated
2 eating apples grated
1 chilli finely chopped
2-3 tablespoons of malt vinegar (I use the vinegar from a jar of good pickled onions as it has a bit more flavour)
Cold roast turkey or chicken or beef or lamb cut into chunks
1 can of chickpeas, drained
1 can of chopped tomatoes
1 bunch of coriander
A thumb sized chunk of root ginger grated 
1 stick of cinnamon
2 fresh tomatoes, quartered
Handful of frozen peas

Spice blend:

1/2 a teaspoon of peppercorns
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of coriander seeds
1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
1/2 a teaspoon of cloves
The seeds from 8 cardamom pods
1 teaspoon of turmeric



Method:
Fry the onion in a little vegetable oil until softened and starting to brown at the edges. Add the carrots, ginger and chilli and fry for a few more minutes. Add the apples and fry briefly. Grind the ingredients of the spice blend together and add to the pan and fry for a few minutes (add a little water if the spices start to catch) then add the vinegar, turkey and chickpeas. Stir then add the tomatoes, the cinnamon stick and a can and a half of water.
Simmer for 30 minutes then add the chopped fresh tomatoes, frozen peas and 2 teaspoons of garam masala. Simmer for 5-10 minutes stir in the chopped coriander and serve with rice.

For a non-meat alternative use a firm fish cut into large chunks and add after the rest of the curry have been simmering for 20 minutes, cook for 10 more then add the tomatoes etc. You could also replace the meat with a cauliflower or more chickpeas.

Turkey and Vegetable Soup

Yes we are still working our way through the Turkey - despite the best efforts of our three cats. This soup is refreshingly light and tasty. Serves 2 generously.

Ingredients
Large handful of cooked turkey chopped into bite sized pieces
1 parsnip, pealed, cored and diced
1 carrot, pealed and diced
1 clove garlic, crushed
A small bunch parsley chopped
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
750ml vegetable or chicken stock

Fry the onions and vegetables in a little olive oil for a couple of minutes. Add the turkey and tarragon. Add stock, bring to the boil then simmer for 20 minutes or until the vegetables are soft but not collapsing.
Add the parsley and check the seasoning. Serve with crusty bread.

Leftovers - Sweet and Sour Turkey

Fancied something with a bit of zing this evening. Serves three or 4 at a stretch depending on how much turkey you have. I cook this in a large (and very cheap) Ikea wok that now has a very nice patina.

Ingredients

1 Medium Onion - Finely sliced into half-moons
1 Large Red pepper - sliced
3 sticks of celery - chopped
2 cloves garlic - finely chopped
Thumb sized chunk of garlic peeled and finely sliced into matchsticks
1 small can of pineapple chunks
1/2 hard white finely sliced
Shredded leftover turkey
1 teaspoon of cornflour
1 tablespoon of tomato purée
2 tablespoons of vinegar
2 tablespoons of soy sauce
1 tablespoon of chilli sauce (or more if you like it hot or add fresh green chilli)

Fry the onion garlic and ginger in a glug or two of vegetable oil until starting to colour. Add the pepper and celery and stir fry for a few minutes until they start to colour. Add the turkey and stir fry. Drain the pineapple and add the chunks, vinegar, soy sauce, tomato purée and chilli sauce. Stir. Mix cornflour into reserved pineapple juice and add to the pan and stir to thicken the sauce. If the sauce is too thick add more pineapple juice or orange juice or vinegar depending on the sweet/sour balance you want.

Serve with boiled rice.

Xmas Lunch

Glad that the snow has gone and the ice has melted - it made digging the vegetables for lunch a lot easier! Couldn't find many potatoes - not surprising as I hadn't planted any this year but there were still some that had self seeded from last year. Instead I harvested some Jerusalem Artichokes instead. Pearly white and of a good size I will roast these with the turkey. I also picked a trug full of Brussels Sprouts and pulled a trio of leaks from the heavy soil as accompaniments to the turkey. The turkey (crown only) has had lemony garlic butter and bay leaves stuffed under the skin and the juice of the lemon over the top before streaky bacon was applied.

Bread and cranberry sauces are now being produced (I like to add orange juice, orange zest and star anise to the latter giving it a warm mulled wine sort of feel).