Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2023 i Delicious UK

Gochujang devilled eggs Makes 12 Hands-on time 15 min Simmering time 10 min Specialist kit Piping bag with star nozzle MAKE AHEAD Boil the eggs in advance, but don’t peel until you’re ready to fill them or they can become misshapen. KNOWHOW Gochujang is a fiery fermented Korean chilli paste. It’s available in most supermarkets, but the Korean brands are better quality. Kewpie mayonnaise, now available in large supermarkets, is a Japanese brand with more yolks and MSG for a richer taste. Cook 6 medium free-range eggs in simmering water for 10 minutes, then cool under running water. Peel, then halve, wiping your knife between eggs to get a clean cut. Scoop out the yolks, push through a fine sieve into a bowl, then mix in 75g Kewpie mayonnaise, 1½…

STAR EMAIL Subject: delicious. really has made me a better cook! From: Keri Fuller Wow, 20 years of delicious.! I’ve had every one of your issues since December 2003. And over the years I’ve metamorphosed from enthusiastic home cook to professional chef, working in a London restaurant in my 50s (mid-life crisis). Thank you for all the inspiration. MORE 20TH BIRTHDAY FELICITATIONS From: Peter Sadler I wanted to wish you all a very happy birthday. Yours is the best, most helpful and warmest magazine there is – so much more than recipes. I look forward to the end of each month when it drops through my letterbox. Christmas wouldn’t be the same without my delicious. From: Susan Eastham I’m delighted you’re celebrating your 20-year anniversary. I’ve kept all your magazines…

Sally Jenkins Crêpes suzette is an absolute must in our house over the festive period. All that Grand Marnier and flaming brandy – yum. Judy Starling We’re not hosting Christmas this year, but I’ve been asked to make a dessert (or two) for Christmas Day. As soon as I saw the upturned rosemary ‘trees’ on last month’s black forest extravaganza I knew that had to be one. Plus: lemon and amaretti ice cream. Michele Platman We aren’t Christmas pudding or mince pie fans, so we always look forward to a rest after the main course, then we get out the cheese… I'm just about to order it from a wonderful creamery in North Yorkshire. Suzanne Rothwell Rocky road Christmas pudding. Irene Paterson Something light – cinnamon pannacotta with caramelised peaches…

MADHUR'S SPECIAL OCCASION SPREAD A wonderful celebratory recipe in the book is salmon in a green Sindhi sauce – my friend gave me the recipe and it’s one of the tastiest sauces I’ve ever made. But sometimes even simple food like a moong dal can be welcoming and delicious. This year the Christmas festivities will be at one of my kids’ houses and they will cook – maybe a roast, Indian food or Mexican, whatever the family decides. And champagne – we all enjoy that very much! When I was born my grandmother wrote the symbol for Om on my tongue in honey. I think it gave me a taste for all kinds of food and woke up my palate in a wonderful way – I was told I was…

voices in food. Festive Greek biscuits by Irini Tzortzoglou “This recipe takes me right back to my childhood, when sweet treats were mainly limited to big celebrations. My grandfather was a beekeeper, so my mum’s bakes always included honey – and our own extra-virgin olive oil. After the long fast leading up to Christmas, melomakarona were the best gift for us children. When I make these (which I do every year), the aroma takes me back to our tiny home exuding the sweetness of honey and cinnamon! I’ve lived in England for over 40 years and have enjoyed Christmas in other European countries, so I’ve grown to love festive spices like ginger, hence its non-traditional appearance in the melomakarona. Ginger, honey and citrus are a marriage made in heaven and…

make it special. Root vegetable, chickpea, feta and barberry tart Serves 4-6 Hands-on time 30 min Oven time 25-30 min Specialist kit 26cm round ovenproof dish “I created this recipe years ago for a cookery class in the run-up to Christmas when I wanted to give the students a wonderful vegetarian dish that would be perfect as a main course for the festive table. It’s so forgiving because, no matter how you make it, it will look beautiful. This tart is a worthy and substantial centrepiece and, what’s more, it tastes great.” MAKE AHEAD Freeze the tart in its dish, unbaked, for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen for an extra 10-15 minutes until piping hot. KNOWHOW Pul biber (aleppo pepper flakes) are a Middle Eastern staple, with a milder flavour…

1 POMEGRANATE, FIG & MARMALADE GLAZE Three of the most festive fruits come together to create a sweet-yet-tart sticky glaze. It’s a no-brainer for roast ham (see p56), but it’ll work wonders on other Christmas main dishes too, giving meat and vegetables an appealing glossy finish. HOW TO USE IT STIRRED into a tray of roast carrots just before serving BRUSHED over pigs in blankets (and, of course, the ham) for the final few minutes of cooking time MIXED with a knob of butter in a pan, then tossed with boiled parsnips until glossy and caramelised 2 ROSEMARY & JUNIPER CANDIED PECANS The crispest, crunchiest candied nuts you’ll ever taste. I’ve added juniper and rosemary for a wintry aromatic vibe, and while they’re perfect for spontaneous festive snacking, they really come into…

1 MAKE A HASH OF IT Having a restorative festive hash for breakfast is a great opportunity to use up leftover Christmas trimmings. Roughly chop roast potatoes and root veg, then fry in a big pan, adding shredded sprouts and greens a bit later. You could add bacon or chopped pigs in blankets too. Once everything is hot and toasty, scrape onto a plate, then fry eggs in the same pan to top. Serve your hash with any of the usual condiments and a cuppa. 2 BE SAVVY WITH PARTY SERVINGS When cooking for a crowd it’s tricky to quantify exactly how much food you’ll need. No one wants to be a scrooge but large platters can lead to a lot of leftovers. A simple remedy is to use smaller serving plates…

Cocktail of the month A cranberry-spiked spritz makes for a crowdpleasing batch cocktail, given a glow up thanks to a beautifully flavoured ice ring studded with garnishes, which gently release into the punch as the party progresses. Santa's spritz ice ring punch bowl Serves 6 Hands-on time 10 min, plus freezing BE A BETTER COOK Using boiling water helps infuse the ice with the garnish flavours and ensures a clear (not cloudy) ice ring. SCALE IT UP To make more, keep the ratios of the ingredients the same. Make it less boozy by adding more soda. Take a cake tin or bowl that’s slightly smaller than the diameter of your punch bowl and put a small heatproof glass in the centre. Tastefully arrange 1 sliced orange, 80g pomegranate seeds, 3…

Upgrade on a classic Quick chicken dinner The new chip shop dinner Easy as pie Friday night supper Turkey schnitzel, russian salad and cranberry ketchup Serves 2 Hands-on time 35 min (optional overnight chilling) Turkey is the ideal candidate for schnitzel. It’s a lean meat so it’s liable to dry out, but bashing it thinner reduces the cooking time and coating it in breadcrumbs creates a hot steam pocket, keeping the meat seriously succulent. MAKE AHEAD Although it can be eaten at room temperature, we think russian salad tastes best fridge cold, so it’s worth making it the night before. SCALE IT UP All the elements of this recipe will double easily to serve four. AIR FRYER TIP Schnitzels are great for the air fryer as the machine gives a crisp finish…

Here we are on the cusp of festivities a-plenty. Have you made lists and plans yet? I’ve made a few but not enough (best intentions and all that). If I’m truthful, I’m missing family members no longer at the table – but we’ll make it special… And maybe invite surprise guests, too, as it’s easy, amid the flurry of activity and commercialism, to forget that the meaning of Christmas goes beyond gifts and those in your immediate sphere. Talking of commercialism, don’t get me started on the trend for pricey gift-laden Advent calendars. Whatever happened to opening those little cardboard doors and being excited at seeing just a picture? Call me old-fashioned. I’m excited by the cooking in prospect as I flick through the pages of this issue: curried monkfish…

This month’s star email wins a Magimix Le Micro Mini Chopper, worth £60 Small, powerful and easy to use, the mini chopper purées, grinds, blends, liquidises and, of course, chops. With an 800ml capacity, it’s compact and easy to stash away – ideal for smaller kitchens. The durable stainless steel blade makes light work of vegetables, nuts, herbs and spices, while the pulse function allows for control over texture and consistency. magimix.co.uk FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A MAGIMIX MINI CHOPPER… Let us know your thoughts on this month’s issue by emailing us at info@deliciousmagazine.co.uk*…

TOO GOOD FOR SANTA The luxe tin is tempting enough, but inside it’s even better: Christmas pud in spicy, fruity, chocolatey biscuit form. Merrilossus Biscuits, £19.95 for 600g, fortnumandmason.com CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARDS One for the pizza lover in your life, this smart, long-lasting hardwood board is made from FSC-certified acacia wood and comes with matching cutter. Habitat pizza board & cutter, £18, argos.co.uk RAISING A GLASS Sophistication with every sip – that’s the promise with these hand-painted Starry Night coupe glasses by Catherine Martin. £56 for a set of four, anthropologie.com UNDER £15 KEEPING IT FESTIVE Storage gets the unmistakable Emma Bridgewater treatment – and this one’s ideal for stashing a few mince pies. Three French Hens tin, £11, emmabridgewater.co.uk ADULTS ONLY This chocolate clementine is a gourmet-level treat,…

star of the season. A bacon sarnie for breakfast is one of life’s true joys – especially if you overdid it a little at a festive party the night before. Keep a batch of this clementine ketchup on hand in the fridge for a sauce that’ll knock anything red or brown out of the park. The combination of citrus sharp-sweetness and salty bacon is divine… Add a pop of colour to any festive spread with this vibrant and robust salad. Enjoy as a starter or pile it up on a platter as a side dish for a crowd Welcome to one of the easiest and tastiest ways to amp up the flavour of shop-bought mincemeat. Clementine zest and sloe gin add fresh, fruity zing to transform cloying dried fruit into…

Serve 6-10 It’s easy to scale up the recipes if serving more people: increase by half for 12-18 and double for 18+. Cook on a baking tray for about 40 minutes at 180°C fan/gas 6 Sage & onion Mix 450g sausagemeat with 2 finely chopped sage sprigs and 1 finely chopped banana shallot. Pork & chestnut Mix 450g sausagemeat with 2 finely chopped sage sprigs and 120g very finely chopped cooked chestnuts. Prune & brandy Put 110g finely chopped pitted prunes in a bowl with 1 tbsp brandy and leave to soak for 4 hours (or overnight). Stir in 1 heaped tsp soft brown sugar until dissolved, add 450g sausagemeat and combine thoroughly.…

It’s exhausting, isn’t it? All the prepping and cooking and washing up, the list making, the getting ahead, and breathing in and out, trying to make it look effortless while somehow maintaining a home, a job, possibly a relationship and some semblance of family life where ideally the kids don’t go completely feral before they get to hang up their stockings for Santa Claus and the cat doesn’t up and leave in protest at all the palaver. Nobody loves a grand feast and a houseful of people more than me, but like lots of you I suspect, I’m a mixture of dancing on the table and longing to retreat to a quiet corner with a book. Just give me a minute to myself, won’t you? I was thinking of this…

made with love. Yes, it takes three days to complete these candied treats, but it’s so worth it and surprisingly easy: the recipe takes only half an hour of actual hands-on effort; the rest is drying time Marrons glacés Makes about 18 Hands-on time 30 min, plus 3 days cooling and drying MAKE AHEAD The ultimate make-ahead gift, these will keep at room temperature for up to 1 month. BE A BETTER COOK The ratio for the recipe is always 1:1:1 for sugar, water and chestnuts, so you can weigh however many chestnuts you have and just use equal amounts of the other ingredients. The method is always the same. • 350g caster sugar • 350g cooked peeled whole chestnuts 1 Put the sugar and 350ml water in a saucepan and bring…

THE RECIPE Serves 4-6 Hands-on time 1 hour 20 min, plus 2 hours chilling Oven time 20-25 min MAKE AHEAD You can make the sauce and butter up to 24 hours in advance and keep chilled in the fridge – just gently reheat before serving. The assembled wellington can also sit in the fridge for up to 12 hours before baking. • 700g monkfish loin, in one piece (see tips over the page) • 25g unsalted butter, melted • 1 tsp medium madras curry powder • 2 × 320g sheets all-butter puff pastry • Plain flour to dust • 1 large free-range egg, beaten • 2 tsp nigella seeds For the rice • 1 tbsp vegetable oil • 2 tbsp unsalted butter • 1 tsp cumin seeds • 1 tsp black…

A spectacular fish pie is a Christmas Eve tradition for many, but in my house it’s almost a monthly treat – not only for an ultimate bowl of comfort, but also for some therapeutic time in the kitchen. Honing cookery skills is pure pleasure for me and this pie has it all: filleting fish, making stock and a silky sauce, and perfecting the smoothest mash. Let me show you how (and why) I make my fish pie the way I do – it really is the best of the best. THE SAUCE The secret to any good fish pie is the sauce – and the secret to the sauce is the base. A lot of recipes tell you to poach the fish in milk, then use the infused dairy as…

The food we cook at home. voices in food. For us, challah has always signified the coming of the weekend… It’s our bread, the bread of our people, traditionally eaten on Friday nights to bring in the Sabbath, but we now produce it all through the week at our new bakery because it’s so delicious and so in demand. This is a real centrepiece of a loaf, decorated with chives and with caramelised onion and goat’s cheese plaited through the dough. It’s so good! Sarit Packer, Honey & Co Caramelised onion and goat's cheese challah Serves 6-8 Hands-on time 40 min, plus proving Oven time 30 min • 250g strong white bread flour, plus extra to dust • ½ tsp fine salt • 30g caster sugar • 7g fast-action dried yeast…

drinks. GO TRAD Taste the Difference Blanc de Noirs Brut Champagne NV, France 12% A star among own-label champagnes, this is vivacious with citrus and raspberry streaks (it’s not a rosé but is made from red grapes). It could take on light canapés. £23.50 (£20 until 12 Dec), Sainsbury’s CELEBRATION FIZZ BE ADVENTUROUS Bird in Hand Sparkling 2022, South Australia 12.5% This pale pink bubbly is made in the same method as champagne. Fresh strawberries and rich layers of cream jump from the glass with plenty of bubbles. £15.99 (£10 from 29 Nov to 1 Jan), Waitrose GO TRAD The Best South African Sauvignon Blanc 2023, Coastal Region, South Africa 12.5% Sauv blanc from the Cape is often great value. Here’s a young and zesty one, bursting with notes of grapefruit,…

quick puds. “Obviously there is nothing that can beat a proper tiramisu, but this is so quick and so lovely and it really does take just minutes to make” Last-minute cheat's tiramisu Serves 4 Hands-on time 15 min • 150ml whipping or double cream • 250g mascarpone, at room temperature • 50ml Baileys or marsala • 40g icing sugar, sifted • 150ml espresso, cooled • 8-12 sponge fingers (or 4 trifle sponges, halved) • Cocoa powder to dust (or a chocolate flake, crumbled) 1 Whip the cream in a bowl until it’s only just starting to thicken. 2 In a separate bowl, whisk the mascarpone with the Baileys or marsala to soften, add the icing sugar, then fold into the cream. 3 Pour the espresso into a separate bowl. Dip…

JUMBO CROSSWORD PRIZE Win a Flapjackery Mega Box of 12 giant gluten-free flapjacks plus a jute bag, worth over £50. Made in Devon, the array of flavours includes clotted cream fudge and raspberry & white chocolate – all crunchy, crumbly and laden with golden syrup.** flapjackery.co.uk Across 1 Filled pasta from Piedmont, Italy (but not the one in this issue) (9) 8 Religious festival, a harvest blessing, associated with a loaf of bread (6) 9 Invented in America in 1908 – supposedly by accident – and now a popular way to make a brew (6) 12 Strong aniseed flavoured brandy from the Levant (4) 13 The fattiest part of a tuna, prized for sashimi (5) 14 ____-ice: a handheld frozen treat just for one (4) 17 Female followers of Dionysus, Greek god of wine (7) 18 French…

WHAT DO YOU THINK? Is the great British buffet worthy of World Heritage status or should it be consigned to the food-waste caddy of history? Tell us at info@deliciousmagazine.co.uk It’s the Marmite of all food-serving setups, variously sneered at and revered. But for me, there’s no question – buffets are brilliant. Why? Well, let’s start with the boring-butpractical aspects. Big social occasions like Christmas often mean feeding everyone from grandpas to toddlers to neighbours you barely know. People with different dietary requirements, people from different cultures, people who are annoyingly fussy… You’ll never please them all by serving the same meal. And as for individually plating up each one – well, let’s not even go there. But, I hear you complain, it’s such a hotchpotch affair… Well, exactly – that’s…

DREAMING OF A GREEN CHRISTMAS? If you love a real Christmas tree but you’re unsure of their eco credentials, you’ll be cheered by the Soil Association’s announcement that the pine-scented beauties are generally more sustainable than fake ones. Living trees are grown on farms, where they absorb carbon dioxide from the air and help to improve soil health. Once felled, they can be recycled into mulch or compost that’s great for your garden. Fake trees, on the other hand, are made from non-renewable plastics. Their manufacture and transport also produce greenhouse gases. FOR A MORE SUSTAINABLE YULE… 1. Look for a real tree from a local farm 2. Avoid trees that have been treated with pesticides or herbicides 3. Recycle your tree after the festive season Find your nearest sustainable…

Follow us on social @deliciousmag “We always have bread sauce and the trimmings” Most treasured food memory? My mother was very sick and I flew home to New Zealand. She hadn’t eaten in days so I made her blini-style sandwiches. Slowly she ate more and more and recovered. Everyone thought it was a miracle. Go-to cheer-up meal? Grilled lamb chops with creamy mash and runner beans with lots of butter. It reminds me of happy holidays with my grandparents when I was young. Signature recipe? None, but my son would say my sausage rolls are the best in the world. Ever had a cooking disaster? At 19 I tried to impress my sister with chocolate fondue, but the saucepan broke, splattering us and the kitchen in hot chocolate sauce. Favourite…

festive essential. I absolutely LOVE ham. In my eyes it’s the unsung hero that sits back and lets the turkey take all the glory. But what’s always there in the background when you want a betwixtmas snack, a quick dinner or an emergency buffet for surprise guests? That’s right, it’s the big glazed ham: reliable, versatile and crowd-pleasing for days after it’s cooked. This year, we’re tempting you to dress up your ham in the finest of riches; to adorn her in jewels of cranberry and studded cloves; to drape her in a glossy coat of pomegranate and fig glaze; and to wrap her up in a fabulous belt of bay and candied oranges. Let the glam ham steal the show! Before we begin, there are a few things you…

ON THE MENU Antipasto Bagna cauda Primo Tortellini in brodo Secondo Bollito misto Dolce Bonet Digestivo Bicerin A BIT ABOUT CHRIS After making his name as a chef at Petersham Nurseries in southwest London, he went on to open Manteca, in partnership with David Carter, in early 2020. Its menu is rooted in nose-totale eating and focuses on handmade pasta and fire-cooked meat. mantecarestaurant.co.uk Bagna cauda Serves 6 Hands-on time 10 min Simmering time 20 min The dip of Piedmontese cuisine, this simple dish contains heaps of garlic, anchovy and olive oil – three of our favourite things. An easy starter that’s guaranteed to go down a storm. • 250ml whole milk • 50g garlic (about 8-10 cloves), peeled • 100g tin anchovy fillets in oil, drained • 100ml extra-virgin…

Inspired by a milk-soaked Mexican treat and the classic Christmas cocktail, this tres leches eggnog cake is light, fluffy and subtly spiced Layers of coconut cake, pannacotta and cream make this trifle with a twist exciting enough, but the surprise of set raspberry compote in the centre adds a tinge of deep red and a tart contrast to the proceedings Almond cheesecake meringue nests Makes 4 Hands-on time 45 min, plus 2 hours cooling Oven time 1 hour 30 min Specialist kit Electric mixer Scoops of pillowy amarettospiked mascarpone top golden sugar meringue nests for a sophisticated dessert. MAKE AHEAD Make the meringues and store in an airtight container for up to a week. Make the cheesecake filling, then store in the fridge for up to 2 days. Assemble to serve.…

"Over the festive period, I believe every mouthful should be an explosion of flavour; I have no time for under-seasoned parsnips, limp-yet-singed carrots or soggy sprouts. Yet with a kitchen pushed to its limit, every hob in use and the constant oven Tetris to tackle (never mind getting everything to the table before it goes cold), playing around with complex recipes on Christmas morning isn’t something anyone wants to do. The answer? Something I’ve been doing for years: create your own mini-pantry of flavour hacks to give your Christmas dinner the glow-up it deserves. These super-simple flavour-enhancing micro-recipes are packed with festive flavours and designed to be versatile, allowing even the most cautious of cooks some creativity of their own. They can all be made in advance and will keep…

A BIT ABOUT NICHOLAS After making his name with a trio of London restaurants (Salon, Levan and Larry’s), in 2021 he moved to Somerset for a new venture. Holm is a restaurant with rooms, focused on impeccably sourced ingredients. Follow Nicholas on Instagram @nicholasbalfe; holmsomerset.co.uk Spending time with family over the Christmas period brings back so many memories. One I cherish is from when I was about 18, when my dad and I prepped a three-bird roast together. Thinking back, it was one of the moments that started to deepen my connection to food and cooking (I’d been working as a pot washer in a local restaurant before that). In this fast-paced, instant-gratification world we live in, there’s something incredibly comforting about taking your time to make a dish like…

One of the best things to pair with beer is cheese, and that’s because of beer’s great variety of flavours and drinking characteristics. Sweet malts often taste like bread or toast, and we know that’s a complementary flavour with cheese. Light, crisp, bright beers gently match the soft creaminess of fresh cheeses, while darker, stronger beers compare to the salty intensity of aged and blue cheeses. Fruity hop flavour finds the natural fruitiness in cheese (in the same way that grapes or chutney work with it) and beer’s carbonation and bitterness cut through cheese’s fat content. Cheese gives us some of the simplest food pairings too: bitter and a ploughman’s, IPA with mac and cheese, pilsner and a margherita pizza, cherry beer and cheesecake. When the cheeses come out over…