Happy New Year

Keeping things simple in the Kitchen

After the energetic culinary juggling of the festive season, it's good to get back to basics.

I emptied the fridge of the last of the vegetables last week to make 'fridge soup'. Half a dozen carrots, a lonely onion, celery hearts and a couple of rather sad looking parsnips were boiled in a light chicken stock.

The hand blender made light work of the softened combination which were drained through a colander into another pan. A good spoonful of Stokes Chilli Jam, another of Cranberry & Orange Sauce with Ruby Port and the juice of half a lime put a fruity depth into the soup with a bright chilli and citrus finish.


Not going out - with Cheese on Toast

On dark winter nights we prefer to stay in at the weekend. After chores and a pub lunch we bolt the doors and relax.

When the stomach rumbles a little later on we slice some bread, grab a strong cheddar and reach for the relish for cheese on toast. Stokes relishes with the cheese grilling on top, lift a simple cheese on toast supper to new mouth-watering heights.

 

With any of these relishes you can create taste combinations from chilli kicks to the sweet back tastes of Bramley apples. The horseradish or our English Mustard add subtle lingering heat. For a tangy fruit lift spread Stokes Red Onion Marmalade or Burger Relish on the bread then grate the cheese on top - please let us know and share your favourites on Twitter here or Facebook here.


What else have we got in the larder for January?

The first big foodie occasion is on 25th January as we celebrate the life and works of Rabbie Burns - Burns Night.

Haggis neeps and tatties are not everybody's cup of tea but personally - I love it, particularly with a wonderful Scottish gravy - a glass of single malt.

Here's an idea from Mr@StokesSauces (as Rick Sheepshanks is now known on @StokesSauces) for a veritable cocktail of a gravy to go with your haggis. First, from a nice rich beef stock, build your gravy. Then whilst it is simmering, reducing to intensify the flavour, add a desert spoon of Stokes Chilli Jam and the same amount of Stokes Cranberry Sauce and blend them into the gravy with a wee (though not insignificant) dram of whisky. Finally, grate a cube of dark, high cocoa content chocolate into the gravy to further enrich the flavours.

Thank you Rabbie for this reason to eat and thank you too for your words - what a treat.

 
Happy Chinese New Year

The Year of the Rooster begins on 28th January and offers an excuse for all sorts of tasty treats - even if it's a take away and chilled prosecco to cock-a-doodle-do the celebrating.

Here is a fairly simple but amazingly tasty idea that all the family will enjoy.  Home made duck with hoisin sauce wraps. Two breasts of Gressingham Duck will serve up to 6 people easily.

Cook the breasts to your liking then slice thinly once rested. Finely slice long sheathes of cucumber, spring onions and red peppers, perhaps some red chilli too.

Pour boiling water into a bowl containing a couple of good handfuls of rice noodles, drain and set aside.

Now, the assembly. Warm tortillas in a dry frying pan, then set them on a plate and spoon a generous swipe or two of Stokes Hoisin Sauce on each.  Now add the duck, vegetables, a portion of noodles and wrap - simply delicious.

And don't forget Stokes Sweet Chilli Sauce - it turns a simple stir fry into a really tasty platter.


Cheaper cuts and flavoursome leftovers

January is usually a time of temporary austerity after our festive frivolities. So here are some ideas for flavouring cheaper cuts and stretching the culinary purse strings.

Pork Fillet with Cider & Mustard 

A fillet of pork is great value but needs help in the flavour department. Dice a medium sized onion and a cored, pealed eating apple and fry in olive oil and butter until soft or translucent. Add a good spoonful of fresh thyme leaves, a crushed chopped clove of garlic and an inch of grated ginger. Meantime, cut the fillet in half lengthways then the two lengths into 1cm slices. Coat well in seasoned flour and brown in handful batches in a separate pan, adding them to the onion mix when ready.

Pour in 400ml of dry cider and a chicken stock pot and stir gently to form the sauce, which the flour will thicken. Now for a desert spoon of Stokes Cider & Horseradish Mustard and two spoons of creamy Philadelphia Cheese. Simmer covered for 25 minutes, add a punnet of button mushrooms and simmer for a further 10 minutes uncovered. This works really well with seasonal greens and mashed potatoes.

For a twist though - add some heat with a couple of chopped chillies in the onions and serve with rice.

Leftover Lamb Tagine

This is a simple way to turn leftover lamb (particularly shoulder cuts) into a delicious Moroccan tagine. Cut your leftover lamb into one inch cubes and set aside. In a casserole, soften a medium sized finely chopped onion until translucent (I prefer butter but you might use oil).

Add 2 cloves of garlic (grated), one desert spoon of Ras el Hanout (available in most supermarkets - always in the larder) and two similar spoons of Stokes Spiced Apricot Chutney.

Pour a tin of chopped tomatoes and the same volume of hot water with a chicken stock pot into the mix. Stir in half a dozen dried apricots (diced) and bring to a rolling simmer to blend all the ingredients.

 A tin of chickpeas and the seeds of a pomegranate, together with the diced lamb now go into the simmering casserole. Heat thoroughly then, if you have time, let it rest for an hour or so to let the flavours marry. When you're ready to eat, add a handful of fresh chopped mint and parsley, re-heat and serve on a bed of couscous - ya salam!

Simple,  honest,  delicious

 FOOD MADE BETTER 

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