Darina Allen: Comforting family dinners that are perfect for Christmas Eve

And my mince pie recipe for after 

Soothing comfort food is what is needed ahead of the rich extravaganza of Christmas.

Tick, tick, tick - it's such a joy to be able to cross off some of the ‘must-dos’ off my interminable list.

How come Mummy somehow managed to arrange her life so that virtually everything was organised by Christmas Eve (and there were nine of us!). The tree decorated, paper chains looped from corner to corner across the ceiling, holly tucked coyly behind picture frames, Christmas cards on every mantelpiece, log baskets filled, candles primed and the pantry bursting with Christmas goodies. 

Mincemeat, plum puddings, brandy butter, cranberry sauce… the stuffing was made, the ham glazed and several batches of soda bread weighed up ready to just mix and pop into the oven when we needed freshly baked loaves over Christmas. The Christmas cake took pride of place on the sideboard, simply decorated with a snow scene embellished with a scattering of silver dragees and Christmas decorations that re-emerged every year from where they were stored in the old Jacobs biscuit tin box.

Mummy’s legendary trifle laced with oodles of sweet sherry, hidden well away so the boys couldn’t demolish it on their return from midnight mass on Christmas Eve.

In later years, we’d all travel back home from far and wide on Christmas Eve and gather around the fire while Mummy cut the aforementioned Christmas cake. We’d catch up with each other’s lives over many cups of tea and moist crumbly cake with a thick layer of marzipan – that’s what memories are made of… And then there was supper…

Somehow, simple comforting nursery food is just what’s needed for Christmas Eve supper. How about a delicious dish of bubbling mac and cheese or fish pie also hits the spot. Maybe add a few prawns or shrimp for an extra ‘lux’ version and don’t forget lots of creamy mash on top or could be scrunchy filo. Good juicy sausages in a sweet chilli and mustard glaze or Ballymaloe relish and mayo in a soft bun are also a crowd-pleaser. It’s good to cook and glaze your ham (or loin of bacon) on Christmas Eve or even the day before. It will keep brilliantly and be a super standby for snacks, sandwiches. Slice or dice to add to ‘mac and cheese’ or a St Stephen’s Day pie. 

Here are some recipes for standby dishes to have ready to pop into the oven. Pour a glass of fizz for yourself, give thanks for the many good things during the year and share the joy with your family and friends.

Everyone’s favourite mac and cheese

Mac and cheese is a bit like apple crumble, simple fare but everyone loves it, plus you can add lots of tasty bits to ‘zhuzh’ it up. Maybe a few cubes of smoky bacon, mackerel, chorizo or a layer of melted leeks to the sauce.

Servings

6

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 45 mins

Total Time

 55 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 225g (8oz) macaroni or ditalini

• 50g (2oz) butter

• 150g (5oz) onion, finely chopped

• 50g (2oz) plain flour

• 850ml (scant 1 ½ pints) boiling whole milk OR 700ml (1 1/4 pints) milk and 150ml (¼ pint) cream

• ¼ teaspoon Dijon or English mustard

• 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley (optional)

• 225g (8oz) freshly grated mature Cheddar cheese or a mix of Cheddar, Gruyère and Parmesan

• 25g (1oz) freshly grated Cheddar or Parmesan cheese, for sprinkling on top (optional)

• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Bring 3.4 litres (6 pints) water to the boil in a large saucepan and add 2 teaspoons of salt. Sprinkle in the macaroni and stir to make sure it doesn’t stick together. Cook according to the packet instructions until al dente. Drain well.

2. Meanwhile, melt the butter over a gentle heat, add the chopped onion, stir to coat, cover and sweat over a gentle heat for 6–8 minutes until sweet and mellow. Add the flour and cook over a medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 1–2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Whisk the milk in gradually, season well with salt and pepper, then return to the boil, stirring constantly. Add the mustard, parsley, if using, and cheese. Add the well-drained macaroni and return to the boil. Season to taste and serve immediately.

3. Alternatively, turn into a 1.2 litre (2 pint) pie dish and sprinkle the extra grated cheese over the top. Bake at 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4 for 15–20 minutes.

4. Good things to do with leftover Mac & Cheese:
   Mac & Cheese Fritters
   You can’t imagine how sinfully delish this is…Heat olive oil in a deep-fat fryer at 180°C (350°F) or a deep saucepan with 5–7.5cm (2–3 inch) depth of oil. Roll the leftover mac and cheese into ping-pong-sized balls. Roll in seasoned flour, beaten eggs and fresh white or panko crumbs to coat. Fry for 4–5 minutes until crisp on the outside and melting in the interior. Remove with a slotted spoon, drain on kitchen paper and toss in freshly grated Parmesan. Serve with spicy mayo made by mixing 110ml (4fl oz) homemade mayonnaise with teaspoons of sriracha, 2 teaspoons of sambal oelek or harissa and lemon juice to taste. Alternatively, allow the baked mac and cheese to get cold in the gratin dish. Cut into fingers or squares, dip in seasoned flour, egg and breadcrumbs and shallow-fry in olive oil for 3–4 minutes until crisp and golden on both sides. Serve with a dipping sauce or with the spicy mayo.
   Smoked Salmon or Smoked Mackerel or Chorizo
   Add 225g (8oz) smoked salmon or smoked mackerel or chorizo dice to the mac and cheese before serving. Add lots of chopped parsley too.
   
   Darina Allen: How to Cook The 100 Essential Recipes Everyone Should Know is published by Kyle

Fish pie with saffron

recipe by:Darina Allen

I love to cook up a big batch to make several pies, which can be covered and popped in the fridge or frozen and reheated another day. Omit the saffron if you don’t have any. A chopped hard-boiled egg and 110g (4oz) cooked peas add extra deliciousness and

Servings

6

Preparation Time

 30 mins

Cooking Time

 30 mins

Total Time

 60 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 1.1kg (2 ½ lb) cod, hake, haddock or grey mullet fillets, or a mixture

• 15g (½ oz) butter, for greasing

• 600ml (1 pint) whole milk

• a generous pinch of saffron stamens

• 1 tablespoon water

• approx. 20g (¾ oz) Roux (made by blending 10g (⅓ oz) softened butter with 10g ⅓ oz) plain flour - melt the butter and cook the flour in it for 2 minutes on a low heat, stirring occasionally)

• ¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard

• 150–175g (5-6oz) grated Gruyère or Cheddar cheese OR 75g (3oz) grated Parmesan cheese

• 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

• 110g (4oz) shelled cooked mussels

• 110g (4oz) peeled cooked shrimps

• ½ tin of chopped anchovies, approx. 4 fillets (optional)

• 900g mashed potato

• melted butter, for brushing

• flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

• a little extra saffron if you have it to spare

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4.

2. Soak the saffron in a tablespoon of hot water.

3. Skin the fish and cut into 6-8 portions. Season well with salt and pepper. Lay the pieces of fish in a lightly buttered 26cm (10 ½ inch) sauté pan and cover with rich milk and saffron. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 4–5 minutes until the fish has changed from translucent to opaque. Remove the fish to a plate with a slotted spoon.

4. Bring the milk back to the boil and whisk in enough of the roux to thicken the sauce to a light coating consistency. Stir in the mustard, grated cheese and chopped parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the cooked fish together with the mussels, shrimps and chopped anchovies, and stir gently to coat with the sauce.

5. Pipe a layer of fluffy mashed potato over the top.

6. Bake in the oven for 15–20 minutes until the pie is bubbling and the potato topping is crisp and golden. Drizzle a little saffron here and there over the top for an extra treat but it will still be gorgeous without it. I sometimes save a few whole shrimps or mussels in the shell for garnish too.

Sausages with honey and grainy mustard and variations

recipe by:Darina Allen

Cocktail sausages are a brilliant product to have on standby. Everyone loves them, even if there are lots of other fancy bites.

Servings

8

Preparation Time

 5 mins

Cooking Time

 20 mins

Total Time

 25 mins

Course

 Side

Ingredients

• 450g (1lb) good-quality cocktail or breakfast sausages

• 2 tablespoons Irish honey

• 2 tablespoons Irish grainy mustard (such as Lakeshore wholegrain mustard with honey)

•  

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180˚C/350˚F/Gas Mark 4.

2. Prick the sausages and cook in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, shaking occasionally, until cooked and golden. Baste several times during cooking.

3. Mix the honey with the mustard. Toss the sausages in the honey and mustard mixture and serve hot or warm.
   Why not try?
   Sesame and Honey Sausages
   Add 2 tablespoons of sesame seeds to the above recipe and omit the mustard.
   Honey and Rosemary Sausages
   Add 2 tablespoons of freshly chopped rosemary to 4 tablespoons of honey.
   Sweet Chilli Sauce and Lime
   Add 4 tablespoons of sweet chilli sauce and juice of 1/2 to 1 lime, depending on size.

Ballymaloe mince pies with various toppings and whiskey cream

recipe by:Darina Allen

We have so much fun with mince pies and do lots of variations.

Servings

24

Preparation Time

 1 hours 10 mins

Cooking Time

 20 mins

Total Time

 1 hours 30 mins

Course

 Baking

Ingredients

• For the pastry

• 225g (8oz) plain flour

• 175g (6oz) butter, chilled and cut into 1cm (1/2 inch) approx. cubes

• 1 dessertspoon icing sugar, sieved

• a pinch of salt a little beaten egg or egg yolk and water to bind

• 450g (1lb) Ballymaloe Mincemeat

• egg wash

• For a meringue topping:

• 2 egg whites, preferably free-range and organic

• 110g (4oz) caster sugar

• For an almond crumble topping:

• 110g (4oz) self-raising flour

• 75g (3oz) caster sugar

• 75g (3oz) chilled butter

• 25g (1oz) flaked almonds

• For whiskey cream:

• 1 tbsp Irish whiskey

• 1 tsp icing sugar, sieved

• 225ml (8fl oz) softly whipped cream

Method

1. Sieve the flour into a bowl. Toss the butter into the flour and rub it in with your fingertips. Add the icing sugar and a pinch of salt. Mix with a fork as you gradually add in the beaten egg (do this bit by bit because you may not need all the egg), then use your hand to bring the pastry together into a ball: it should not be wet or sticky. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 1 hour.

2. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4.

3. Roll out the pastry until it’s quite thin - about 3mm (1/8 inch). Stamp out into rounds 7.5cm (3 inch) in diameter and line shallow bun tins with the discs. Put a good teaspoonful of mincemeat into each tin, dampen the edges with water and put another round on top. Brush with egg wash and decorate with pastry leaves in the shape of holly berries, etc.

4. Bake the mince pies in a preheated oven for 20 minutes approx. Allow them to cool slightly, then dredge with icing or caster sugar.

5. To make the meringue, check that your mixing bowl is spotlessly clean and free from grease. Put the egg whites and caster sugar into the bowl and whisk until the mixture forms stiff dry peaks. Pipe a blob of meringue on top of each pie with a large start nozzle. Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes. Turn off the oven and allow the meringue to cool in the oven.

6. To make the almond crumble, mix together the flour and sugar and then rub in the butter with your fingertips to make a coarse crumble. Add the flaked almonds. Sprinkle a generous teaspoon of crumble on top of each mince pie. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

7. To make the whiskey cream, fold the whiskey and sugar into the whipped cream.
   
   From ‘A Simply Delicious Christmas’ by Darina Allen, published by Gill Books

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Sandor Katz’s Fermentation Journeys

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