Corn Bread

INGREDIENTS

 

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

650g cornmeal, Anson Mills is the best (Yellow Coarse)

or if you can’t get hold of that buy the best organic cornmeal you can find, don't leave it til the last minute to buy either!

4 tablespoons plain flour

6 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

750ml buttermilk

4 eggs

2 teaspoons honey

4 tablespoons vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS

Mix the salt, cornmeal, flour, baking powder and cinnamon in a bowl.

Whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, honey and oil in a jug, and then stir into the dry ingredients, mixing to make a bright yellow batter.

Option 1. Pour the cornmeal batter over the chilli con carne, or blob it over to cover the top as evenly as possible. Don’t worry if some of the chilli seeps through.  Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until the cornbread has risen and is golden, and the chilli underneath is bubbling.

Option 2. Bake separately in the oven until puffy, golden brown, and just set, for about 35 minutes at gas mark 4, about 180°C

Let the chilli stand for about 5 minutes once out of the oven before cutting the warm cornbread into squares or slices to serve with a helping of chilli underneath.

Moose Milk

INGREDIENTS

1 litre dark rum

1 litre white rum

1 litre Kahlua® or Baileys® or similar

3 litres vanilla ice cream (softened)

3 litres semi skimmed milk

grated chocolate  this is the added secret moose poo garnish

nutmeg

The dark and white rum, the Kahlua® and the ice cream are the four staple ingredients, but there are many, many variations of this drink.  Some people substitute vodka for the rum, vanilla vodka is really yummy.  Others may eliminate the Irish cream liqueur and add Butterscotch Schnapps instead.  Before your party you can always experiment with a few different ingredients to see which version of the drink you like best.

DIRECTIONS

Start by adding the vanilla ice cream into a blender.  Then, one by one, add your Kahlua®, rum, Irish cream liqueur and any other alcohol into the blender.  Mix until you achieve a milkshake like consistency. 

Serve in a large glass and enjoy.  Make sure to refrigerate this beverage if you are preparing it in advance.    Some popular toppings and garnishes include grated nutmeg, cinnamon, grated chocolate or even berries.

Moose Milk is so tasty that it goes down very easily.  It’s one of those drinks that sort of sneaks up on you if you have even one too many.  So make sure any guests who take a liking to your Moose Milk have a spot on your sofa on which to sleep or get home with a designated driver, taxi or even dog sled!

Oxtail Stew with Horseradish Dumplings

INGREDIENTS (serves 18)

6 tbsp plain flour

6 whole oxtail (jointed into roughly equal sized pieces, ask your butcher)

150 ml sunflower oil for frying

4 large onions, finely chopped

6 large carrots cut into small chunks  

6 celery sticks, cut into small chunks

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

6 tbsp tomato purée

bay leaves and thyme sprigs, tied together

1 bottle full-bodied red wine

200ml port

chopped flat leaf parsley to garnish

FOR THE DUMPLINGS

450g shredded suet

450g self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting

12 tbsp freshly grated horseradish

300 ml cold water

DIRECTIONS

Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4.

Season the flour with salt and pepper, then toss the oxtail in it until evenly coated.

Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole.

Working in batches, brown the meat really well on all sides.

Remove from the pan, then add the veg and garlic and fry for 3-4 mins until starting to colour.

Stir in the tomato purée and herbs.

Tip the meat back into the pan, pour over the wine and the port.

Season, cover the pan and braise in the oven for at least 3 hrs until the meat is meltingly tender.

This can be cooked up to 2 days ahead, some say it tastes even better prepared this way. If you make it ahead, chill in the fridge and lift any fat off the top before reheating.

To make the dumplings, tip the flour, suet and horseradish into a food processor with a generous pinch of salt, then mix until the ingredients are combined.  Add the water gradually until a firm consistency is reached. On a floured surface, roll the dumplings into small, walnut-size balls, then cover with a tea towel until ready to cook.

Place the dumplings around the edge of the stew after about 1 hour of cooking.

Serve a few chunks of meat in a soup bowl with a few dumplings, drizzle with olive oil and scattered finely chopped flat leaf parsley.

Northumbrian Pan Haggerty

INGREDIENTS

1 large potato per person

melted butter to coat first layer of potato

seasoning

1 medium onion per person

4 tablespoons grated cheddar cheese per person

tub of crème fraîche or double cream if you are feeling naughty

DIRECTIONS

Peel potatoes and onions, cut into very thin slices.

Dry the potatoes in a cloth.

Melt the butter in a hot pan so it is foaming but not going brown.

Take off the heat.

Add a layer of potatoes, then of onions, then cheese and another layer of potatoes.

Season each layer with pepper and salt.

Top with Very Easy Cheese Sauce if you want but this is not traditional. I had some left over in a pot in the fridge, or more grated cheese.

Place in oven at about 180º for about 40 mins if you’ve made a lot, then either grill or turn oven up to 200º so the top browns.

Traditionally served straight from pan.