Special completely un festive meals for this season.

[Joanbunting Profile]

I have a couple of meals to cook between now and New Year for friends. I don't know about you, but I get tired of the usual "festive" offerings.

What are your non-seasonal, seasonal standbys?

Next Sunday it is to be prawn and smoked sausage Jambalaya - one pot, no hassle, followed by already made pavlovas decorated with fresh pineapple and preserved ginger

[strictlysalsaclare Profile]

I think my non-festive, seasonal standbys would be a casserole of some kind, either a meat or root vegetable one would do. I am just about to start my practice Christmas Dinner roast tonight.

[patpoyntz Profile]

My standbys are also casseroles...perhaps chicken or pork rather than beef, or a lamb tagine. I also like doing a tray bake of chicken or duck legs with nice herbs and vegetables. Perhaps a seafood paella.

[DEB Profile]

I have a number of stand by recipes,
Beef bourguignon

Coq au vin

Pot-roast pheasant with cider & bacon

Baked side of salmon

Tray baked chicken thighs with either root veg or med veg

A good lasagne meat or llentil

Venison cassrol

Choclate tart
Lemon tart

Hope this helps

[Wordsworth Profile]

I often do a venison cottage pie type thing.
It's venison casserole topped with sweet and regular potato mash and grated cheese.
It started as a Gordon Ramsay recipe but nowadays it contains whatever is in the fridge.
Very satisfying and only needs something green with it.

[Alexandria Profile]

The 24th is always " 7 Fish Dishes " at my parents apartment up on the northern Costa Brava.

The 31st is always " A three course Fondue " ( The Gruyere with Kirsch, The Filet Mignon and then the Chocolate ) at my Inlaws ..

The 25th or the 1st: ( Vary from year to year ) ..

A shellfish Paella ..

A shellfish Fideaù ( a Paella with vermecelli ) ..

A shellfish Risotto ..

A shellfish Lasagna ..

Roast Suckling Piglet ..

Roast Lamb ..

Beef Wellington ..

Venison ..

Some lovely ideas here ..

Just returned from the Madrid Capital after a 5 day 4 night trip ..

Shall wish all a very happy holiday season ..

[Joanbunting Profile]

It's funny but things like coq au vin and beef bourguignon are not exstrodinary or special at all here. Perhaps a tagine.

I wouldn't thank anyone for a lasagne however good and M would pull a face at the thought of a side - or any sized bit of salmon.

Fresh fish is so expensive although most fish or shellfish would be my first choice.

I am hoping a friend might offer me some wild boar or a hare but boar is very traditional old English Christmas isn't it? M has asked for Partridge for 31st. I think he has some old Chateau Neuf hidden to have with it.

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

Hi Joan.

Porchetta.
I stuff mine with a finely chopped mushroom and herb filling.
Served with cipollini red wine and balsamic onions. Plus trimmings of choice.

Brisket.
With red cabbage.

I made a trio of wrap dish for New Year. The vegan aubergine wrap was received particularly well by the meat eaters.

My go to pudding is Jose Pizarro's (mate's) basque apple pie, the custard is phenomenal.
Tony's asked for it again this year for Boxing Day:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrin ... e-pie.html

[Stokey Sue Profile]

Yesterday we had a cassoulet washed down with Beaujolais Nouveau

Did the trick

[Joanbunting Profile]

This morning I had a delivery of a box full of curry making goodies from a firm called Rafi's Spice Box in York. If you need it for any Indian or other far eastern food they sell it and will send it.

So as M said, that's solved the problem of at least one meal. Now the only problem is exactly which dishes to make.

https://www.spicebox.co.uk/

[Badger's Mate Profile]

Gosh, some lovely stuff on here. Must try that apple pie

We quite like game dishes now, so venison casserole, pheasant au vin, hare bourguignon or any suitable game/booze stew combo. Fish pie works for us, Mrs B tells me I don't make it sufficiently often. I had a nice roast partridge in the Fox & Hounds last Friday


Cassoulet is a go-to dish early in the New Year, I make it with home-grown beans, use odd scraps of goose, a stock from the carcass, various porky comestibles and some of the goose skin on top.

[Joanbunting Profile]

How were the partridges cooked?

[Badger's Mate Profile]

My partridge was roasted just nicely, not pink, not dry, and came up as two legs and two breasts, with the first wing bone in. All with skin on. It was served as a roast dinner, with roast potatoes, roasted root veg and a thin gravy.

[Joanbunting Profile]

I'm thinking of pot roasting them with red cabbage and juniper.

[Alexandria Profile]

Perdiz Rojo or Red Patridge, is very common freshly hunted feathered game in many parts of Spain, especially in Toledo, 50 km. south of Madrid.

It can be prepared oven roasted, stove top in a Dutch Oven or Casserole and / or marinated ( eschebache ) as the Catalans tend to prepare it.

My mom prepares it in October, November during the hunting season with:
4 Red Partridge
Onion 200 Grams
garlic 2 cloves
bay leaves 2
Evoo
Boletus Mushrooms 200grams
Black Truffles 15 grams
Salt & Black Pepper
White wine 1 dl.
fresh thyme swigs
mineral wáter ( 2 bottles )
Partridge broth from stock ( the bones )

We prefer roasting as the treatment.

[cherrytree Profile]

Why on earth does that recipe need mineral water?

[Joanbunting Profile]

Puzzled me too Cherrytee. We simply don't use bottled mineral water so presumably not a recipe for us. I would be tempted to replace with a bottle of red Cotes du Rhone! I also wondered where the truffles would come from in the autumn. Very much a winter thing here.

I prefer most game bird braised not plain roasted.

[Badger's Mate Profile]

I generally braise or casserole mine too. Mrs B is much more enthusiastic about pheasant since I took to slow cooking them (in the IP on a bed of veg with the gravy from the previous bird). She prefers breast meat so I tend not to cook partridge at home (I think of them as one bird each) but take the opportunity when I see it on a menu. It was always a winter staple at the White Horse in Wareside (who also used to do a magnificent rabbit pie), but the landlord (who used to shoot the game) has moved on.

[Lusciouslush Profile]

Why on earth does that recipe need mineral water?

Absolutely! let alone two bottles...…….. with you on the red wine Joan to inject some flavour - I wondered about the truffles too and tbh you won't get any stock out of tiny partridge bones unless you stock-pile a mass of them in the freezer! That looks like a tasteless recipe & certainly not something I'd want to eat!
Each to their own...………..

[Joanbunting Profile]

I suppose one should ask what size bottles ? I'll still go with red wine!