Delia Smith's sausage rolls, the pastry does well for mince pies as well.

Sausage Rolls

Made with a melting quick flaky pastry, these are one of our major treats at Christmas. They can be prepared well in advance, frozen uncooked and then defrosted and baked from the freezer on Christmas Eve or whenever you need them.

Makes about 24
Ingredients

For the quick flaky pastry:

6 oz (175 g) butter
8 oz (225 g) plain flour
pinch salt

For the filling:

1 lb (450 g) good-quality pork sausagemeat
1 medium onion, peeled and grated
2 level teaspoons chopped fresh sage
1 egg, beaten

Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 7, 425°F (220°C).

You will also need 2 baking sheets, lightly greased.



The butter needs to be rock-hard from the refrigerator, so weigh out the required amount, wrap it in a piece of foil, then return it to the freezing compartment for 30-45 minutes. Meanwhile sift the flour and salt into a mixing bowl. When you take the butter out of the freezer, open it up and use some of the foil to hold the end with. Then dip the butter in the flour and grate it on a coarse grater placed in the bowl over the flour. Keep dipping the butter down into the flour to make it easier to grate.

At the end you will be left with a pile of grated butter in the middle of the flour, so take a palette knife and start to distribute it into the flour (don't use your hands), trying to coat all the pieces of fat with flour until the mixture is crumbly. Next add enough cold water to form a dough that leaves the bowl clean, using your hands to bring it all gently together. Put the dough into a polythene bag and chill it for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

When you're ready to make the sausage rolls mix the sausagemeat, onion and sage together in a mixing bowl. Then roll out the pastry on a floured surface to form an oblong (as thin as you can). Cut this oblong into three strips and divide the sausagemeat also into three, making three long rolls the same length as the strips of pastry (if it's sticky sprinkle on some flour).

Place one roll of sausagemeat on to one strip of pastry. Brush the beaten egg along one edge, then fold the pastry over and seal it as carefully as possible. Lift the whole thing up and turn it so the sealed edge is underneath. Press lightly, and cut into individual rolls each about 2 inches (5 cm) long. Snip three V-shapes in the top of each roll with scissors and brush with beaten egg. Repeat all this with the other portions of meat and pastry.

If you are going to cook straightaway, place the rolls on baking sheets and bake high in the oven for 20-25 minutes. If you want to cook them later, store them uncooked in a freezer box and freeze until needed. Although you can store the cooked and cooled sausage rolls in an airtight tin, they do lose their crunchiness. For this reason I think it is preferable to remove a few at a time from the freezer and cook them as required.

This recipe is taken from Delia Smith’s Complete Cookery Course, Delia Smith’s Complete Illustrated Cookery Course and Delia Smith's Christmas.

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Carpe diem, carpe noctem, carpe pecuniam et exe, celerrime.
A certain edge when she spoke of Mrs Maynard, certainly, but, after all, not everyone could love Joey.
'Life,' said Marvin, 'don't talk to me about life!'

SHORTBREAD

Quantities:

2 oz sugar
4 oz butter
6 oz flour

These quantities can be increased, but keep them in the same ratio.

Oven temp: 150 electric, gas mark 3

Put the flour into a bowl, and put the chopped butter in, rub in the butter until it is in the large crumb stage. Stir the sugar in until well-mixed, then begin to press the mixture together until it is dough-like. Once you reach that stage, press into a tin, smoothe the top and bake for about an hour. the shortbread should be golden brown. Leave to cool for fifteen minutes or so, then cut into slices.

Variations:

Once you reach the large crumb stage, stir in the sugar as usual and then add one of the following, increasing the amount by the amount that you've doubled/trebled, the main ingredients, ie 2 0z, 4 oz, 6 oz of flavouring

2 oz chocolate chips
2 oz washed, dried glace cherries
2 oz chopped pecans
2 oz chopped walnuts
2oz raisins or sultanas
1 teaspoon powdered ginger and the finely grated rind of a lemon
2 0z chopped stem ginger

Then press together as before and put into a tin to cook, or roll out fairly thickly, then cut into shapes as desired and bake on a baking tray. Individual biscuits take a shorter time to cook than a traybake.

Children love helping to make shortbread and eating it. A box of homemade shortbread makes a nice present.

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Carpe diem, carpe noctem, carpe pecuniam et exe, celerrime.
A certain edge when she spoke of Mrs Maynard, certainly, but, after all, not everyone could love Joey.
'Life,' said Marvin, 'don't talk to me about life!'

Does anyone have a good recipe for nut loaf?

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"You know, you blow up one sun and suddenly everyone expects you to walk on water."
Lt. Col. Samantha Carter
Stargate SG1

Haven't made this for a number of years, but I remember it being pretty good - it's from the Cordon Bleu course published in the 1960s:

Mixed Nut Roast

Ingredients
80g [3 oz] margarine
3 large onions (finely chopped)
80g [3 oz] finely chopped/ground pine kernels
80g [3 oz] finely chopped/ground hazel nuts
55g [2 oz] finely chopped/ground cashew nuts
1 teaspoon mixed chopped herbs
110g [4 oz] breadcrumbs
2 teaspoons yeast extract
Salt and pepper

Method
Set the oven to 200°C [400°F] Gas Mark 6
Melt the margarine in a frying pan, add onion and fry until golden-brown and softened. Add remaining ingredients in order, mix well and turn into a greased ovenproof dish or loaf tin. Bake for about 30 minutes.
N.B. A different mixture of nuts may be used, according to your taste preferences.

_________________
to be nobody but yourself - in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else - means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.
e.e.cummings
http://stitchwords.blogspot.co.uk

Excellent! This looks like a combination of flavours I can cope with. Thanks, Ruth.

_________________
"You know, you blow up one sun and suddenly everyone expects you to walk on water."
Lt. Col. Samantha Carter
Stargate SG1

BEEF IN RED WINE

Ingredients (serves 4)

4 pieces lean braising steak
I large onion
8oz mushrooms
bottle red wine
1 oz Butter
1 oz plain flour or sauce flour
2 pieces garlic Or equivalent in minced garlic
two heaped tablespoons tomato puree

Gas Mark 3 or 150 degrees

Marinade the beef in at least half the bottle of red wine for a minimum of two hours.
Peel and slice the onion, and fry in a little sunflower oil until soft but not browned. Place in the bottom of an ovenproof dish, then slice the mushrooms and scatter over the top of the onion.

Drain the beef slices over the dish used for marinading, don't waste the wine., then fry in the oil until sealed. Place on top of the onions and mushrooms.

Make the sauce:
Either make a roux with the butter and flour,then using the red wine in which the beef has been marinading as the liquid. Then stir in the garlic and the tomato puree, and simmer until the sauce is smooth.

Or make beurre manie, by mixing the butter an flour together until very well combined. In this case, heat the wine in a saucepan, and slowly add tiny pieces of the beurre manie. When it is all combined, add the garlic and tomato puree and keep stirring until it is all mixed together.

In both cases, pour the sauce over the beef, making sure that it reaches the bottom of the dish. Cover with a lid or a doubled piece of cooking foil and cook in a slow oven for 3 hours.

There is a third method of making the sauce: tip the lot into a liquidiser or food processor, give it a good whirl, then bring to a simmer in a saucepan before pouring it over the meat. Cook as before.

I serve this with new potatoes and at least one green vegetable.

_________________
Carpe diem, carpe noctem, carpe pecuniam et exe, celerrime.
A certain edge when she spoke of Mrs Maynard, certainly, but, after all, not everyone could love Joey.
'Life,' said Marvin, 'don't talk to me about life!'

German/Austrian Christmas Gingerbread
- for Claire and anyone else who might like to try it, from Santa

INGREDIENTS
225 g butter, softened
440 g packed brown sugar
3 eggs
160 ml honey
60 ml orange liqueur
230 g sour cream
120 ml orange juice
210 g all-purpose flour
120 g whole wheat flour
20 g baking powder
4 g ground ginger
2 g ground cinnamon
0.8 g ground nutmeg
0.5 g ground cloves
145 g raisins
135 g blanched slivered almonds

DIRECTIONS
Whisk together the flours, baking powder, and spices.
In a large bowl, cream the butter or margarine with the brown sugar. Beat in the eggs, then the honey, orange liqueur, sour cream, and orange juice. Beat the flour mixture into the creamed mixture, and then stir in the raisins and almonds. Turn batter into a greased and floured tube pan.
Bake cake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 80 minutes, or until it tests done with toothpick. Transfer to a rack to cool.

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Happy Christmas

A very yummy vegetarian burger.

Bean & kumara (sweet potato) Burgers

http://www.healthyfood.co.nz/recipes/2005/december/kumara-and-bean-burgers

The most dangerous cake recipe ever!


5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE

4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
a small splash of vanilla extract
1 large coffee mug

Add dry ingredients to mug and mix well.
Add the egg and mix thoroughly.
Pour in the milk and oil and mix well.
Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again.

Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts (high).
The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed! Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.

EAT! (This can serve 2 if you want to feel slightly more virtuous). And why is this the most dangerous cake recipe in the world? Because now we are all only 5 minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of the day or night!

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"Logic, my dear Zoe, merely enables one to be wrong with authority." The Doctor, Wheel in Space

my wedding site: www.kirstyandchris.com

HOT PLUM CHUTNEY

2 lb. plums
½ oz. garlic
½ lb. apples
1 lb. seedless raisins or sultanas
½ oz. ground ginger
¾ lb. brown sugar
¼ oz dried small chillies
1 pint brown malt vinegar

Halve and stone plums, pare core and chop apples roughly. Peel garlic and chop coarsely. Chop chillies. Mix all ingredients in large thick pan or preserving pan, bring to boil and cook briskly until thick - about 25 to 35 minutes. Put into jars and cover down when cold.
- from Georgina Horley: Good Food on a Budget (1969)

BTW, be warned that this is very hot - and it really needs keeping until at least Christmas before eating if made in September/plum harvest time, as it needs to mature

_________________
to be nobody but yourself - in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else - means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.
e.e.cummings
http://stitchwords.blogspot.co.uk

Onion Suet Pudding in the Microwave

I can't claim this as my own so am posting the link below. It worked really well tho I tweaked a bit. It would also be great with leeks and/or mushrooms instead of onions.

Although the recipe doesn't call for it, next time I will sweat the onions briefly in butter to soften them a little, same if I were to use mushrooms. I also added a white sauce to each layer (well actually it's an Italian vegetable based cooking cream which I can recommend and which I have seen occasionally in England as well as the CR - called Gran Cucina, but I think white sauce would work just as well)

I used some fresh chicken stock rather than water and granules/bouillon cube and added chopped fresh parsley to the mix

You need a one pint pudding basin.
http://bernieronline.net/blog/?tag=onion-suet-pudding

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Cestina's dolls houses - Heigh Ho! Part Two

Sorry to spree but I was asked to post this and it is ten days since the previous recipe

Chopped Chicken Livers - the quantities are not exact, just done to taste....
One tub of chicken livers (think is is usually about 250grams?
A medium-large sized onion
2 or 3 large hardboiled eggs.
Ground caraway if you have any but optional
Butter - a goodly chunk

Method
Melt the butter in a frying pan, with a splash of oil to prevent burning
Fry the onion gently till soft then toss in the chicken livers and fry for a few minutes till cooked.
Put into a bowl and whilst still hot mash in the hardboiled eggs (also still hot)
Salt and pepper to taste, sprinkle of ground caraway if you like
Press into a dish, making pretty wavy lines on it with a fork if you like and chill.

Lovely on rye bread toasted......

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Cestina's dolls houses - Heigh Ho! Part Two

I hope I am not treading on any toes by posting a recipe. Lately, as per the Doctor's orders, my husband and I have had to switch to low fat no cholesterol cooking. This is one of our favorite recipes and is very suitable for the fall and winter months. I'm sorry but I didn't convert it - hope that's okay.

Black Bean Soup
1 1/2 lbs. black beans (you can also used canned and omit Step 1)
2 lbs potatoes, peeled and diced
3 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced
1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon tabasco sauce
1 Tablespoon sea salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
3 1/2 litres vegetable stock or water (I buy the veg. stock in containers at the grocery store)
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 cup diced onions.

1. Soak beans overnight in water.
2. Drain the black beans and cook with the stock, potatoes, and spices for an hour.
3. Add the diced onion, chopped tomatoes and garlic. Cook for 1 more hour.
4. Puree only 2/3 of the soup using a food process/blender. Leave 1/3 chunky for texture.
5. Add the red wine and tabasco sauce.
6. Heat and serve garnished with freshly diced tomatoes, plain yogurt or minced cilantro of desired.
Serves 8 (small servings)or 4 (very large helpings).
Per serving: 202 calories, 7.3 g. protein, .85 g. fat, 3 g. carbs, 0 mg cholesterol.

Here is the Mars Bar Cake Recipe mentioned elsewhere. Enjoy!

MARS BAR CAKE

This is the basic recipe, but can easily be adapted for larger groups.

3 Mars Bars (or 2 King Size). If you have a Lidl supermarket, they do the same thing at half the price – just get 1 pack of fun size!
300g Crushed Digestive Biscuits
40g Margarine
300g Cooking Chocolate (Plain works best)

1 Break mars bars into pieces and place in a bowl with margarine. Heat in Microwave on high for about 2½ minutes until mars bars are almost melted – larger quantities need longer.
2 Add crushed digestive biscuits and mix well.
3 Press mixture into a suitable tin – I have used a Swiss roll tin and a loose bottomed cake tin for the basic mixture – and leave to cool in the fridge.
4 Melt cooking chocolate and pour over the top. Leave in fridge to set.
5 Cut into pieces and enjoy!

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''He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." Jim Elliot

Povidl/Powidl/Pflaumenmus/Plum Butter
Two links:
http://germanfood.about.com/b/2008/09/2 ... um-jam.htm

http://cook.dannemann.org.uk/sweets/plumjam/

For a proper povidl you really need Switzen plums - German: Zwetschgen, Czech: Švestky. These are the dark oval plums which break evenly - the stone is easily extracted as no flesh clings to it as with many plums. Nice picture here if you scroll down a wee bit. Some strange German though! http://wapedia.mobi/bar/Zwetschge

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Cestina's dolls houses - Heigh Ho! Part Two

Pineapple Cheesecake

I made this for the Leeds Gather on Saturday and it was rather popular. It's very easy to make, can be frozen and contains an awful lot of calories

The quiche dish I used measures 12ins (30cm) across by 2ins (5cm) deep, which is pretty massive, so you may well want to only do half the quantity and use a smaller dish.


Crush approximately 300g of ginger biscuits and add to sufficient melted marg to make a biscuit base.
Lighlty grease the base of the dish and pour in the mix and press firmly in.

750g marscapone
2x 432g cans of crushed pineapple - drain off most of the juice from these (but don't dry it out)
caster sugar (I used granulated as that was all I had)

Mix these together, adding sugar to taste.

Whip 300ml till fairly stiff but not overdone and fold in

Shove on top of biscuit base and level off

If you want to be posh, then pipe more cream and add pieces of pineapple and glace cherry

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"How long does getting thin take?" asked Pooh anxiously
"About a week, I should think" said Christopher Robin

Not gingerbread, but Czech Christmas Ginger Biscuits/Zazvorky

2 eggs
2 egg yolks
250 gr sugar
250 gr hladka mouka (cake flour/plain flour)
teaspoon ground ginger
pinch of baking soda


beat the eggs, yolks and sugar - add the rest - make stiff dough you can roll out

roll out the dough and cut out various fancyshapes
let sit and sort of dry out for two hours (or even overnight)
bake - at a very low temp and slowly until done

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Cestina's dolls houses - Heigh Ho! Part Two

I'm adding my favourite gingerbread recipe for anyone who's interested (this makes about 40 good sized biscuits):

FOR THE GINGERBREAD:

350 g/12 oz plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp cinnamon
100g/3 1/2 oz chilled unsalted butter, diced
175 g/6 oz soft brown sugar (or muscovado for extra treacly-ness)
1 egg, beaten
115g/4 oz dark treacle

FOR THE GLAZE:

1 egg white
3 tsp lemon juice
155g/5 1/2 oz icing sugar

PLUS writing icing, royal icing, silver balls or whatever you want to decorate with...

Preheat oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5. Lightly grease two baking trays.

Sift the flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon and a pinch of salt into a bowl. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs, then stir in the sugar. Make a well in the centre, add the egg and treacle and, using a wooden spoon, stir until a soft dough forms. Transfer to a clean surface and knead until smooth.

Roll out the dough (you may want to do this a bit at a time, depending on how big your work surface is) on a lightly floured surface until apporx 5mm (1/4 inch) thick. Using cutters (or your own creativity - especially if you're adventurous enough to attempt a house!), cut into desired shapes, then transfer to the prepared trays. Bake in batches for approx 8 minutes. Cool on the trays for 2-3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the glaze (optional - but it gives the biscuits a nice frosted effect), whisk the egg white and lemon juice together until foamy, then whisk in the icing sugar to form a smooth, thin icing. Brush a thin layer of glaze over the biscuits and leave to set. You can then decorate them further with writing icing and other decorations if you want.

Glazed biscuits will keep for 3 days or so - they can keep longer if they're not glazed, so I tend to leave this out if I'm making them in advance and just go mad with writing icing instead.

_________________
"All young ladies are accomplished. They sing, they draw, they dance, speak French and German, cover screens and I know not what." (Mr. Bingley, P&P) - Well, I'm half way there; can't dance, but does anyone know how to cover a screen?

Vanilla Fudge (courtesy of my mum's recipe book).

This is so easy to make and although I can't eat it myself, everyone I've made it for has loved it so it must taste good

1 small tin evaporated milk
2 tablespoons water
1 lb granulated sugar
2 level tablespoons golden syrup
1 oz butter
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Put milk and water into a heavy based saucepan and bring to the boil.
Add sugar, syrup and butter, lower the heat and stir constantly until the sugar has dissolved.
Bring to the boil again and boil briskly, stirring occasionally, for 10-12 minutes until soft ball stage/238 degrees on a sugar thermometer.
Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla essence
Leave to cool slightly, then beat until the fudge loses its gloss and becomes creamy.
Spread into a shallow buttered tin (I've been using a silicone loaf tin which has worked really well)
Mark into squares when not quite cool and leave until cold.
Cut up and store in an airtight tin.

Baked Camembert

One camembert cheese in a wooden box.
Garlic
Rosemary
Chiabatta bread

Spike the cheese with sliced garlic and rosemary, bake in the oven for app 15 - 30 minutes depending on your oven - mine is fierce! Dip the chiabatta in the cheese.

It's like fondue, but so much easier!

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You're scared of mice and spiders, but oh-so-much greater is your fear that one day the two species will cross-breed to form an all-powerful race of mice-spiders, who will immobilize human beings in giant webs in order to steal cheese.