Wish upon a star

A few weeks ago, well before the main event, I wrote about Stir up Sunday for Christmas puddings and cakes. I used a new recipe this year, published in the Waitrose magazine. Well, my wish was actually for the cake to turn out well and be moist, tasty and attractive. If I do say so myself, the cake has been a great success. I chose to make it starry rather than their suggestion of decorating with a wreath of fondant balls but otherwise followed the recipe to a tee. 

If you want to plan ahead for next year you may find a copy of the November Waitrose magazine or google Waitrose fig, sherry and almond Christmas cake.

Christmas Candy

Candy is the North American word for sweets or confectionery. We tend to think that candy canes come from America with the first recorded Candy sticks dating from 1837. They were white to begin with and later the red stripes were added as well as peppermint flavouring and were referred to as candy canes in 1866.

In 1874 they were connected to Christmas and since then have been given different interpretations, ie the "J" shape stands for Jesus with the white representing his purity and the red his blood.

Another story connects the canes to Germany in 1670 when a choirmaster gave them to the children attending a nativity service. The shape was meant to symbolise the shepherds crooks.

Whatever the truth is, they make good Christmas decorations, stocking fillers and sweet treats. Whilst okay for vegetarians, they are not recommended by dentists!

Most chocolates are suitable for vegetarians but you need to check sweets as marshmallows and anything gummy contain gelatin.

Check these out. If you shop around there are plenty of non-gelatin sweets out there - just as tasty without being nasty.

Short Cuts

 Such a busy time of year - shopping, cooking, baking, wrapping, decorating and, of course, socialising - sometimes there is no time for the simple things.

This is when a short-cut meal comes into its own. Something warm, comforting and quick. Here is one of my easy-peasy cheats teas.

A vegetable and bean chunky chilli soup strained
+
A packet of quick-cook rice
+
A tub of plain yogurt or sour cream
+
A few tortilla chips

Warm through, cook, dollop & place on the side.

Not the healthiest but definitely convenient and okay just occasionally.

Now, time to write those Christmas cards.

Causing a stir

Today is the last Sunday before Advent, aka Stir Up Sunday. It's time to make Christmas pudding and  so, let's kick off with a prayer;

 Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord,
The wills of thy faithful people,
That they plenteously bringing forth
The fruits of good works, may
be of thee plenteously rewarded

This is the prayer for the 25th Sunday after Trinity and was synonymous with the cry to rally the troops into getting on and stirring up the pudding in advance of Christmas. Very much a case of sowing now (and allowing the fruit to mature in the alcohol) to reap your reward.

Traditionally the pudding had 13 ingredients to represent Jesus and his 12 disciples. One should gather the whole family into the kitchen and get each person to give the mixture a stir and make a wish, stirring from east to west to represent the journey of the 3 wise men. Trinkets might then be added to the mixture; a silver coin for wealth, a thimble for the spinster and a ring for a forthcoming wedding. These should be thoroughly cleaned before adding to the mixture and everyone should be given a warning so there are no poisoning nor choking incidents!

Gosh, there's a lot of traditions and superstitions to remember.

I have also taken the opportunity to get cracking with my Christmas cake today and the jewel-like fruit soaking in sherry and orange juice has certainly put me in a festive mood. If only photos of food could be scratched and sniffed! Maybe that should be my wish ...

Taking Stock

Batches of vegetarian stock go a long way to making all the difference. Use homemade stock in soups, sauces, stews, gravy, risottos and biryani.

A very basic stock would include onions (or another member of the onion family ie leeks/shallots) plus carrots and celery. Then just go ahead and pimp it up. It's so easy to do and, best of all, uses up all your left-overs. Raid your fridge, pantry or vegetable rack. Vegetable leaves, peelings, stalks, tops and trimmings can all be thrown in the pot along with those droopy herbs. Go to the kitchen cupboard and maybe add a bay leaf and some peppercorns or a rinse out of your marmite, ketchup or mustard jar.

Chop everything up. If you have time to sweat off your vegetables in the pan or roast them in the oven before adding to the water they will give even more flavour.  Add hot water to the mixture, enough to cover. Once it comes to the boil, turn the heat down and simmer for up to an hour on a low heat. Strain using a fine colander or sieve.

The liquid is ready to use immediately or can be cooled and refrigerated for a few days or frozen for up to three months in airtight boxes, freezer bags or ice cube trays. Literally stock up on stock!

Sunday Girl

Who doesn't love a Sunday Roast? Originating in England it was traditionally eaten after church on Sunday. Served with beef in the 15th Century it has gone on to be a popular meal with other meats and, for we vegetarians, nut roast. Accompaniments include roast potatoes, vegetables, gravy and a Yorkshire pudding.

A Yorkshire Pudding was originally known as a dripping pudding and was a simple meal or starter made with flour, eggs and milk and served with gravy. The intention was to fill up on this basic meal when meat was not abundant. In America a similar dish is called a popover.

Fire-cracker-bang-bang

Whilst writing this I can hear the screams and screeches of fireworks followed by pops and bangs as our skies are fleetingly alight. Crowds will gather around bonfires eating pies, chillis and jacket potatoes followed by parkin and toffee apples. A seasonal variation could be this delicious meal I ate recently - jackfruit and peanut bang-bang salad.

This vegetarian dish consists of chayote (Mexican pear squash) Chinese leaf (Chinese cabbage), mooli (long white radish), crispy wonton, peanuts and coriander and was served at The Ivy, Leeds. It was absolutely delicious.

You can probably add the bang-bang effect (firecracker sauce) to almost any plant/plant based food. It can be used as a dipping sauce or, more frequently, to coat the food. There are numerous recipes online but if you want a quick and easy sauce which gives that same creamy, sweet and spicy flavour, the recipe below is a sure-fire winner.

Easy Firecracker (Bang-Bang) Sauce

Sriracha sauce
Sweet chilli sauce
Greek yogurt or mayonnaise

Mix the ingredients above to taste and add to ie stir-fried cauliflower, red onion and spring onions. Garnish with finely sliced fresh ginger and coriander.

The bang come from the explosion on your tastebuds.