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What's on the menu?

Posted: Thu Dec 24, 2020 7:09 am
by Stravaig
I'm making (Desperate Dan inspired) cow pie for tomorrow's main meal. We've never been keen on the traditional turkey.

What's everyone else having?

Re: What's on the menu?

Posted: Thu Dec 24, 2020 11:52 am
by oldherbaceous
I'm just waiting for Lizzie to text, to see if my Swan is ready.... :wink: :)

Turkey crown here....everyone seems to have gone off the darker meat, so was ending up wasting some, from a whole Turkey.

Re: What's on the menu?

Posted: Thu Dec 24, 2020 1:05 pm
by Primrose
Only two of us here and neither terribly keen on turkey so having roasted stuffed chicken breasts wrapped in bacon with all the trimmings. . Normally do an extra one to have for sandwiches (with pickled onions and celery sticks which my OH deems a weird combination). Fresh Goose fat an absolute essential for those crispy golden roast potatoes though

We tend to try and avoid roast meals in December in the run up to Christmas so that a roast lunch feels more of a treat. Steak and chips a traditional Christmas Eve meal!

Re: What's on the menu?

Posted: Thu Dec 24, 2020 1:08 pm
by Primrose
Massive queues outside our village butcher yesterday as virtually everybody who,d ordered a Turkey was asked for it to be chopped and mostly saved for the freezer.

Re: What's on the menu?

Posted: Thu Dec 24, 2020 2:08 pm
by vivienz
Sister in law is roasting a goose over at mother in law's, then a bacon wrapped turkey breast for just me and hubby on boxing day. Christmas pud all around, of course, and plenty of other treats. Yum yum yum!

Re: What's on the menu?

Posted: Thu Dec 24, 2020 2:21 pm
by Stravaig
The filling for the pie is now made. You could cut it with a spoon.

My tip for this is a cheap cut of meat, remove boingy bits, cut into large cubes, brown in the frying pan (to get the Maillard effect), and chuck it in the slow cooker, along with a pint of IPA. (You can easily get great beer in Ukraine.) It's a wee bit more complicated than that, of course.

As for the pastry, which I'll cook tomorrow, I accidentally discovered a big chunk of home-made croissant dough in the darkest depths of the freezer. If that doesn't work then I have a Jus-Rol block as a back-up. (Any Ukrainian supermarket puff pastry I've tried so far has been like tasteless cardboard, so I'd rather make it myself if I haven't brought supplies from the UK.)

What a shame for all these folks who'd planned a Christmas thinking they'd be allowed to socialise, only to be put into Tier 4 at the last minute. Mind you, given the govt's record on U-turns, I don't think it was really all that surprising.

Re: What's on the menu?

Posted: Thu Dec 24, 2020 2:46 pm
by Stravaig
If people aren't keen on turkey then why do so many subject themselves every year to "celebrating" by eating such a meal?

We decided years ago to have whatever we fancied instead. Tomorrow it'll be an Oriental brunch to start with, and then steak and ale pie with chips for the main meal later in the day. I've given no thought whatsoever to dessert but it wouldn't surprise me if I could excavate an unwanted Christmas pudding from a previous year out of our store cupboard. We dutifully bought these darned things every year but very rarely got around to actually eating them.

I do have a box of After Eights, though. Essential!

Just as well we don't usually go in for presents either as apparently our mail is currently stuck in Poland. :lol: That said, I do feel sorry for those who are disappointed by thwarted plans.

Re: What's on the menu?

Posted: Thu Dec 24, 2020 4:18 pm
by snooky
An omelette :lol: :lol:

Re: What's on the menu?

Posted: Thu Dec 24, 2020 5:47 pm
by robo
A couple of tins of cider for starters a bottle of malt for the main course followed by my cobb nuts and cheese for the sweet with a drop of port you can keep your turkey not a nice meat to dry

Re: What's on the menu?

Posted: Thu Dec 24, 2020 7:19 pm
by Monika
Just a small turkey crown for the two of us, but with lots of veggies and all the usual accoutrements, followed by brandy-soaked Christmas pudding and cream. Then nothing for the rest of the day ........

Re: What's on the menu?

Posted: Thu Dec 24, 2020 9:02 pm
by Westi
Turkey crown for us, with all allotment veg. Starter is a goats cheese & smoked duck little puff pastry tarts & we have plum pudding & custard but not for me, I find it a step too far with all the other stuff. Absolutely no shopping for meat stuff for the next couple of weeks while I use up what's in the freezer to make room for things I will make with the leftovers to ensure no wastage.

Mind it is a stressful day, not the actual cooking, but the critter supervision is pretty intense as they all get some turkey as well, & all but one has had many a Christmas with us so they know the drill - cats stare through the window all through the prep & cooking, dogs wander in occasionally to monitor the basting but kicked out for the serving. Then it's pet bowls down & us out for peace to eat ours while they all get overexcited forgetting whose bowls is who's & trying to lick the silver off the metal!

Re: What's on the menu?

Posted: Fri Dec 25, 2020 9:55 am
by Primrose
Christmas Day resolution!

I will not eat so many peanuts and crisps I can't finish my lunch!
I will not eat so many peanuts and crisps I can,t finish my lunch!
I will not eat........

Oh well, just one more crisp & peanut then ! (Which Is why I don't make New Year's resolutions !)

Re: What's on the menu?

Posted: Fri Dec 25, 2020 10:06 am
by Stephen
Lunch will be soup & bread after a walk.

I'll cook in the evening, it seems silly to cook when it is light outside.
Beetroot, feta & chestnuts in puff pastry.
Radicchio, beetroot & walnut salad. (yes, we have lots of beetroot!)
Roast potatoes, parsnips, onions & jerusalems.
-
Ice cream bombe pudding

Re: What's on the menu?

Posted: Fri Dec 25, 2020 11:11 am
by Colin2016
Turkey for Er indoors, Sea bass for me...Turkey and Sea bass for the dog plus giblets.

Re: What's on the menu?

Posted: Fri Dec 25, 2020 5:27 pm
by Stravaig
The best laid plans...

It's no real surprise that nothing actually worked to plan. Yesterday evening we got into watching rubbish on the telly, and so stayed up late and ended up eating the lovely South-East Asian food which was intended for today's brunch.

Then today we got up so late and hungover we didn't fancy steak pie and chips for lunch. I quickly made a tom yum soup instead. And then we played a computer game for hours and still don't fancy a hefty steak and ale pie. Mr Stravaig has now gone out to get a takeaway pizza. :lol:

This is very typical of our Christmas days. What the heck? We did what we felt like doing and the steak and ale pie will still be there tomorrow.

I hope you all had a good day even if it wasn't exactly how you might have planned for it.