Making Stock

STOCK
Keep your Chicken Carcass, Lamb or Beef Bones to make a stock which may be used as the basis
of a delicious soup.
Making Stock
· Put the carcass into a large pot and cover with water.
· Add chopped onion, carrot, celery.
· Season with salt and pepper.
· Bring to the boil then reduce heat and simmer until reduced.
· Pour through a sieve into a jug keeping only the juices and getting rid of all else.
· Allow to settle and cool.
· Cover and refrigerate.
· When using remove top layer of fat first then add as a stock to meals or use to make soup.

Check out www.cullensbutchers.com for more great tips

Menu Planning

MENU PLANNING

Plan your week’s menu when possible - this will help shrink your spending budget - eliminating impulsive buys, causes less waste and will stop those fast food splurges when you don’t know what to cook and everyone’s over hungry!

Then more you menu plan you’ll get into the habit of using everything up and throw less away

Cooking times

Cooking times for meat vary due to a lot of factors. The type of meat. The method of cooking and your desired result. Sometimes different types of ovens are faster, such as fan assisted.
So when you see cooking times on a recipe on on a label, these are always only guidelines. The best way is to use your eyes, and check the meat by cutting into it slightly. Always ask your butcher if you are not sure.

See some cooking times for roasting here.

http://www.cullensbutchers.com/RecipeFolder/roasts.pdf

Kids lunches

Now that school is back, the familiar routine has returned. If you are cooking a sunday roast, be it chicken, ham, beef or whatever. Just buy a slightly larger piece than you need. The leftovers make ideal sandwich ingredients for school lunches.

We cooked a ham at the weekend and the leftovers provide us with tasty fillings for the lunch roll instead of over processed and over priced packet ham.

Check out our recipe for Marmalade Ham....


MARMALADE & MAPLE GLAZED HAM
Serves 4-6
Ingredients: 1½ Kg (3lbs) Cullens Quality Butchers’ Centre Cut Ham
1 carrot
2 celery sticks
1 teaspoon peppercorns
Glaze:
Orange Marmalade
Maple Syrup
1 tbsp Butter
Toasted Pecan Nuts
COOKING YOUR HAM:
· Soak the ham overnight.
· Wash under cold running water.
· Return the ham to the pot with fresh water and the veg and bring to the boil.
· Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 min per pound (450g) – you could change the
water at this point if you wish. (Try adding some cola or cider for an extra kick!)
· Remove from the saucepan and cut away the outer skin leaving a thin layer of fat.
· Score the fat into diamonds and press some cloves into it.
· Cover the ham with the glaze mixture of marmalade and maple syrup (see below)
· Place in roasting tray and bake at 200 deg C / 400 F / gas mark 6 for 20-30 mins
until glaze is golden.
To Make the Glaze: In a small saucepan combine orange marmalade and maple syrup.
Heat over medium heat stirring until bubbly. Whisk in butter until smooth. Add the toasted
pecans. Add to the roast for the 20 mins baking time. And baste.
This roast is great served with red cabbage, roasted veg and roast potatoes.

www.cullensbutchers.com/recipes

Using Christmas leftovers

Looking for inspiration for your St Stephen’s Day Leftovers?
Try making a pie with store bought puff pastry Simply chop your leftover cooked turkey, veg and gravy into a pie dish.  Cover with the puff pastry and cook into the filling is hot and the pastry is golden.
Use cooked Turkey or Ham leftovers in Quiches.
Combine cooked turkey in a salad with mixed leaves, tomatoes and a dressing.
Leftover Turkey is great in sandwiches when teamed up with stuffing and cranberry sauce.
Make some yummy Quesadilas.
Use your leftover ham with pasta, Simply chop the cooked ham into bite size pieces & add a tin of chopped tomatoes to a pan, heat through, then chop up any fresh herbs that didn’t get used in the stuffing and add to the pan.  Serve with some cooked drained pasta. Easy!

 What to do with Christmas Leftovers?
Christmas Leftovers Pie - download recipe
Stephens Day Quesadillas - download recipe
Leftover Sage & Pancetta wrapped Chicken - download recipe

Cooking the turkey

Another Christmas Theme this week..

Always allow the turkey to rest before you serve.

Do this by covering with tin foil.

Then with a couple of tea towels.

This will ensure the bird can rest without losing too much heat.

This also allows all the juice back into the bird for a moist Turkey.

 

To store leftover turkey – allow to cool.

Remove all the meat from the carcass.

Store in an air tight container in the fridge.

 

Remember to use up the carcass.  Make stock for soup.

 

How do you know your Turkey is cooked?

At the thickest part of the leg the juices should run clear from the bird. 

(You can also use a Turkey pop up timer) 

www.cullensbutchers.com

A Victorian Christmas

Did you know that the dinner we now associate with

Christmas began to take shape in Victorian times.

Victorians transformed the idea that Christmas should feature

around Family Celebrations and the Cooking of a Feast!

A Victorian Christmas Dinner was a feast in all its splendor! Tables were set with the best linens & china. There were a lot of dishes associated with it but A Roast formed the centerpiece of the feast! Taking pride of place on the Christmas table!  A Goose or Turkey (For the Gentry), Rib of Beef on the bone (for the Northern Folk) or a Boar’s Head or Ham was served up with roasted veg, mash, gravy & sage and onion stuffing. Even in a humbler household, Christmas was a very special occasion, people celebrating with the best meal they could afford.  A Game Pie or Rabbit was usually served.  Then, as now, Christmas Dinner was the high point of the day, a carefully planned meal and a real treat! The spirit of the Victorian Christmas is very much part of the Christmas we celebrate today!  A Celebration of Family & Food!!

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