Brandied mincemeat filo waterlilies

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If you fancy a change from the traditional mince pie this year, why not try these? I personally prefer filo to shortcrust pasty – try them and let me know what you think!

Serves about eight. 

You will need:

For the brandied mincemeat

This recipe makes enough for 6 x 1lb jars and as an alternative you could try ginger wine or whisky instead of the brandy!

  • 450g apples, peeled and cored
  • 225g suet
  • 350g sultanas
  • 250g raisins
  • 225g currants
  • 225g candied peel (chopped)
  • 3 oranges (grated rind and juice)
  • 1 lemon (grated rind and juice)
  • 50g flaked almonds
  • 4tsp ground mixed spice
  • ½ teaspoon each nutmeg and cinnamon

Mix all the ingredients together in an ovenproof bowl, cover with foil and stand in the oven heated to 120ºC/225ºF/Gas ¼ for about three hours. Take the bowl out and allow to cool, then mix in the alcohol and spoon into clean, dry jars. Cover and seal as usual.

For the waterlillies 

  • Approx 20 sheets of filo pastry
  • 225g (8oz) melted butter 

Using good kitchen scissors, cut the filo pastry into 5 – 5.75cm (2-21/2 inch) squares. Cut a stack at once, don’t do them one at a time or you really will be there until Christmas! Keep the pastry covered with a clean damp cloth as much as possible to avoid it drying out. Butter a nine-hole bun tin and place a square of pastry over the hole. Brush the top of the pastry with melted butter and cover with another square of pastry, placing the second square at an angle. Continue to layer about 5 sheets of pastry, buttering in between and rotating each square a little each time to give a petalled edge effect – see diagram. Fill each pastry case with between 10 – 15g (1dsp to 1tbs) of mincemeat and bake in a pre-heated oven at 160ºC (325ºF), gas mark 3 for 45 minutes.

 

 

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Preserving’s just perfect!

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I adore chutneys and jams, probably due to being brought up on them – my Mother, Diana, is a demon preserver!

Well, it’s certainly been a bumper year for green tomatoes… as they have resolutely refused to ripen in the dismal wet summer we have just endured. So, what better way to use up produce than to make hot and spicy chutneys to see you through the winter months?

Below are two really tasty chutneys for you to try – and they are really straightforward to make. If you’re new to preserving, it can seem a bit daunting, but really, it’s not!

Here are some useful preserving hints and tips to get you started…

  • Jars – Make sure you use sterilised Jars and lids, wash in hot soapy water, rinse and put on a baking tray and put in and warm oven (140ºC) and make sure your jars are completely dry before filling. Also make sure there are no chips/cracks in Jars. You can also sterilise all jars and bottles in a dishwasher.
  • Vinegar – When making chutney and preserving it is important to use a vinegar with 5% acidity and above. Malt, white, cider, red or white wine vinegars can all be used.
  • Equipment – When preserving I like to use different pans and wooden spoons, one for Jams and one for chutneys, this avoids cross contamination of flavours. A slotted spoon is useful for taking the scum off the top while cooking. A thermometer is handy for jams, but not essential. The most useful bit of equipment I have when making jams and chutneys is a funnel to fill the jars – it avoids drips and ending up with worktops covered in jam and chutney!
  • Produce – Make sure that when you prepare your fruit or vegetable for preserving you use only the good fruit and veg and ensure that they have been washed.
  • Sugar – When making jams you will need preserving or jam sugar – it has extra pectin in it to make it set, you can buy this from any good supermarket.
  • Storage – Once jams are made they can be used straight away and can be stored in a dark cupboard for up to 12 months. Once opened, they can be stored in the fridge for about one month. When making chutney it is best to keep it in a dark cupboard for at least a month before opening, to let the flavours develop. Once opened keep in the fridge. Unopened chutney can be kept in a cool, dark cupboard for several years providing they were packed into properly sterilised Jars.

If you’re an ‘old hand’ as this preserving game… why not share some of your own hints and tips?

Spicy Tomato Chutney

This makes about six standard sized jars

  • 1kg (2.2lbs) chopped tomatoes (red, green or mixture)
  • 2 onions peeled and chopped
  • 200g (7oz) raisins
  • 200g (7oz) caster sugar
  • 6 chillies (red, green, purple or mixture) deseeded and chopped
  • 2tsp mustard seeds
  • 2tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1tsp salt
  • 1stp ground ginger
  • 500ml malt vinegar

Put all ingredients into a large pan and cook for about 3 hrs.

The amount of chillies can be reduced or increased depending on how hot you like it. 

Tomato and Apple Chutney

This makes about six standard sized jars

  • 1kg cooking apples
  • 1kg tomatoes (red, green or a mixture)
  • 500ml (18fl oz) vinegar (malt, cider or white)
  • 500g (Ilb) onions peeled and sliced
  • 250g (8oz) dried fruit (raisins, apricots etc.)
  • 500g (1lb) soft brown sugar
  • ½ tsp cayenne pepper
  • ½ tsp mustard powder
  • ½ tsp ground ginger
  • 1tsp salt 

Put all the ingredients in a large pan and cook for 2-3hrs, stirring occasionally. Put in to sterilised Jars and keep for about one month in a dark cupboard before opening, keep in fridge once opened.

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Mushroom and Madeira bake

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This is a delicious vegetarian dish that seems to be as popular with meat eaters as it is with veggies! An excellent warming supper dish for this gloomy time of year…

You will need:

  • 100g 4oz cashew nuts
  • 100g 4oz walnuts
  • 100g 4oz unsalted butter
  • 30ml (2 tbsp) sunflower oil
  • 2 large onions
  • 450g (1lb) mushrooms
  • 450g (1lb) granary breadcrumbs
  • 450g (1lb) fresh tomatoes
  • 60ml (4 tbsp) Madeira
  • Salt and black pepper

Serves 8

Chop or process the nuts and mix them with the breadcrumbs. Melt the butter in the frying pan and gently fry the breadcrumb and nut mixture until it is pale gold in colour. Remove from the pan and set aside. Chop the onions, mushrooms and tomatoes coarsely and fry in the pan with the oil. Once they have softened a little, stir in the Madeira and continue to cook gently. Add plenty of freshly ground black pepper and a little salt to taste.

Lightly grease an ovenproof dish and put a thin layer of breadcrumb mix on the bottom. Carefully pile the vegetable mixture over the top and level it out. Then put the remaining breadcrumb mix on top. Sprinkle the top of the mix with a little extra Madeira and bake in a pre-heated oven at 200ºC (400ºF), Gas Mark 6 for about 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

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Blackberry vinegar for coughs & colds

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This week, it’s a guest blog from my writing pal and foraging guru Julia Horton-Powdrill. Julia’s website is full of useful tips, fascinating facts and lovely dollops of humour as is her Facebook page for her annual Really Wild Food & Countryside Festival.

“This recipe is here to coincide with the blackberry season so that you can stock up on this for the winter. Do use local honey if possible, and cider vinegar rather than any other kind.

You will need:

  • 1 pint of fresh, clean blackberries
  • 1 pint cider vinegar
  • 1lb local honey
  • ½ cup brown sugar

Put blackberries in a jar with the cider vinegar and soak for a week, shaking the jar every so often. Strain through cheesecloth collecting the juice in a pan. Add the honey & sugar and bring to the boil, stirring until dissolved. Allow to cool then bottle and close with a tight cork. Store in a refrigerator or cool place. When a cough, cold or sore throat arises, mix a tablespoon of the mixture with 1 cup of hot water and drink.

PS. This combination of ingredients is so versatile, you needn’t restrict yourself to using it just as a remedy. It makes a lovely warming drink even if you don’t have a cold! You can also use it as a marinade, and if you add olive oil it can be used for a salad dressing!”

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Hot Brie with hazelnuts on a watercress sauce

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Have to say, this is one of my favourite recipes. The warm gooey-ness of the rich cheese is very comforting and, as I feel the inevitable arrival of Autumn (after no summer at all) it seems rather timely… sigh….

I love Brie, but you can make this with another cheese if you prefer. Great as a dinner party starter (as per this recipe), or a delicious veggie main meal perhaps made using two different types of cheese, camembert is another good one… it’s up to you.

You will need:

  • 350g (12oz) ground hazelnuts
  • 225g (8oz) granary breadcrumbs
  • 675-900g (1/2-2lb) small whole Brie
  • 50g (2oz) self-raising flour
  • 4 large eggs, beaten

For the Watercress Sauce

  • 1 bunch fresh watercress
  • 1 handful of fresh parsley
  • 30g (2 tbsp) fresh chives
  • 15g (1tbsp) fresh dill
  • 100g (4oz) plain Greek yoghurt
  • 30ml (2 tbsp) mayonnaise
  • 22ml (12 tbsp) lemon juice
  • Salt and black pepper
  • Sprigs of watercress for decoration 

The Brie

Mix the hazelnuts and breadcrumbs together. Cut the Brie into eight equal pieces. Coat each piece with flour then brush on the egg, or dip the cheese in the egg, and roll in the crumb mixture. Dip the cheese in the egg a second time and roll it in the nuts and breadcrumbs again. Cover a baking sheet with a piece of greaseproof paper and place the pieces of cheese on it until they are needed.

Deep-fry the pieces of cheese for about 1-2 minutes and then place in the oven, pre-heated to 180ºC 9350ºF), Gas mark 4, for another 4-5 minutes. Do not leave the Brie in the fat or the oven for too long or it will run everywhere and look terrible! Serve in a pool of chilled watercress sauce – see below.

Watercress Sauce

Place all the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and process for 20-30 seconds until well incorporated. If you don’t have a food processor or blender you should mince all the herbs or chop them very finely, and mix well with the other ingredients.

To serve, spoon a puddle of sauce on to the middle of the plate, place a hot Brie portion on top and decorate with a sprig of watercress.

 

 

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