Feel Good Food - December 2013 Cranberries Round Up

At the beginning of the month (which seems an age away now!) I asked you to come up with something that was made with cranberries which would fit in with the Feel Good Food philosophy. Thank you to all of you who contributed and commented. Whilst dried cranberries are available all year round remember fresh cranberries can be frozen for some treats later in the year or you may want to bookmark some recipes for making next year.

We kicked off with self-confessed fresh cranberries addict Jen from Blue Kitchen Bakes. Taking advantage of a night to herself she whipped up a gorgeous winter salad of Roast Beetroot, Squash, Feta, Lentil and Cranberries. Proving that salads can be for all year round she even had enough for a tasty lunch the next day.

Roast Beetroot, Squash, Feta, Lentil and Cranberry Salad

There was a touch of far away lands in Deena Kakaya's fabulous Christmas gift creation of Plantain chips, cashews & dried cranberries in coconut, chilli and cinnamon. Deena was inspired by some plantain given to her from neighbours and memories of India and St. Lucia.

Plantain chips, cashews & dried cranberries in coconut, chilli and cinnamon

There is a wonderful range of flours and ingredients now for people who are gluten intolerant but as Elizabeth at Elizabeth's Kitchen Diary has found not all recipes work. However she has created a winner with her Gluten-free Chewy Oatmeal Cran-Raisin Cookies. Very thoughtfully she made these especially for dance instructor to save him from his shop bought 'cardboardy' snacks.

Gluten-free Chewy Oatmeal Cran-Raisin Cookies

A fruit bowl raid by Michelle at Utterly Scrummy Food for Families resulted in her Festive Fruit Pies. A great way of using up some fresh fruit and a terrific alternative to traditional mince pies.

Festive Fruit Pies

I asked you at the beginning of the month for a great Cranberry Sauce and Jean from Delightful Repast presented me with her Christmas and Thanksgiving dinner table favourite. She has infused it with mace and orange.

Cranberry Sauce

Christmas is an expensive time of year for just about everybody and Vanesther of Bangers & Mash gave us a reminder of the Archbishop of Canterbury's recent message about Christmas with her White Chocolate, Cardamon and Cranberry Cookies. Giving presents is still OK but think about what you could make for someone and the love that goes into that effort rather than buying the most expensive item in the shops.

White Chocolate, Cardamon and Cranberry Cookies

If you are looking for an indulgent festive treat but without the fat then look no further than this Cranberry and Cinnamon Swiss Roll. Another wonderful offering from the Cranberry Queen that is Jen from Blue Kitchen Bakes, it is a fatless spiced sponge filled with juicy, fresh cranberries.

Cranberry and Cinnamon Swiss Roll

If I told you the recipe title was Pecan and Cranberry Cheese Log you probably wouldn't expect a vegan recipe but Janet from The Taste Space did achieve this. Her adapted recipe takes a couple of days to make but well worth it at this time of year.

Pecan and Cranberry Cheese Log

I love Christmas food and yes I love a Brussels sprout or two as well on my Christmas dinner plate. To sway non-believers of their goodness Louisa from Eat Your Veg has added a few tasty but healthy extras in her Orange & Cranberry Roasted Sprouts.

Orange & Cranberry Roasted Sprouts

There was also another recipe from Janet from The Taste Space with her Holiday Salad with Cranberry-Orange Vinaigrette. She was challenged to come up with something for her work colleagues that was nut-free, no eggs, gluten-free and vegetarian but managed to please everyone with her refreshing multi-use dressing.

Holiday Salad with Cranberry-Orange Vinaigrette

If you've not planned your New Year's Eve nibbles menu yet then take a look at Caroline's Festive Cheese Ball with Nuts and Cranberries on Caroline Makes.... Full of flavour they also contain red onion, mango chutney, garlic and Worcestershire sauce.

Festive Cheese Ball with Nuts and Cranberries

As your hostess this month I thought it was only right I should give you recipes with both fresh and dried cranberries. My first creation was inspired by an apple and cranberry crumble recipe in the Leon Friends & Family Cookbook but I changed the topping to my own oats and ground almonds for a Spiced Cranberry and Apple Oaty Crumble.

Spiced Cranberry and Apple Oaty Crumble

My second offering was a Christmas Cranberry and Orange Stollen made with dried cranberries but given an extra festive flavour with the zest and juice of an orange. To give it a bit of a feel good factor I reduced the butter and sugar in it and made it alcohol free. It took a time to make but didn't seem to last very long in our house!

Cranberry and Orange Stollen

Thank you to everyone who contributed this month with their wonderful selection of Feel Good Food cranberry recipes and to Victoria for letting me guest host. That's it for December and indeed for 2013 so head over to Victoria at A Kick At The Pantry Door in 2014 for the start of another year of Feel Good Food.

Z is for...Zzzz

It's all over for another year and time to finally relax. Enjoy what you have been given and the people around you. Before you know it Christmas will be here again so enjoy the rest of this year while you can.

Y is for...Yuletide

The presents are wrapped (and probably now unwrapped), dinner is cooking and the crackers are ready to be pulled. So, as that great Surbiton resident Margo Leadbetter of The Good Life said, “Yuletide Felicitations” to you. Thank you for reading the blog over the past year, posting your comments and entering the challenges and giveaways. I hope you all have a happy and peaceful Christmas.

X is for...Xmas

It's simply a modern lazy way of writing Christmas and a way to take the 'Christ' out of Christmas. Or is it? The origin of the 'X' in Xmas does have a significant link back to Jesus. At first glance the 'X' is the symbol of a cross which needs no further explanation. The New Testament was written in Greek and Christ is written XPIΣTOΣ . Clearly the first two letters are X and P. Put together the Greek letters chi (c or C) and rho (r or R) form the chi-rho monogram of ☧. Over the years this has been shortened to just X.

The use of X as an abbreviation for Christ spread over the years. Once Johannes Gutenberg had invented the printing press with moveable type in the 15^th Century the abbreviation to Xmas became a necessity as typesetting was a very long and expensive process. This was approved by the Church for use in religious books and pamphlets and soon this was also used in newspapers and other publications. However, just like the abbreviation Mr is still pronounced Mister, Xmas should be said as Christmas and not X-mas.

W is for...Wreath

A Christmas wreath is a symbol of a welcoming home and therefore is most commonly found on the front door of a house. As with many Christian rituals it pre-dates the birth of Jesus and has it origins in pagan and Roman times. A light surrounded by a circle of evergreens was made in the hope that the dark days would end and the light and life of spring would soon come. The Romans used wreaths as a sign of victory to be worn on the head. Sometimes afterwards they would be hung on a door.

In Christianity a wreath was first used to start the Advent period and the coming of Christ. The evergreen plant and leaves used symbolise the natural world and the everlasting life. A circular shape is used to represent God as stated in Revelation 22:13, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first & the last.” A candle is lit at least each Sunday in the four Sundays preceding Christmas Day with the final white candle, representing the birth and purity of Jesus, is lit on Christmas Day.

As with many Christmas customs wreaths were thought to be too pagan and also too Catholic for the Puritans during Oliver Cromwell's reign and were banned. Once the monarchy was restored wreaths were allowed again at all times of the year. The hanging a wreath on a front door is still popular today. While evergreens are still used, either fresh or artificial, other designs with baubles or pompoms have also become fashionable.

V is for...Victorians

It maybe 2013 but the way Christmas is celebrated owes very much to the traditions and customs that were popularized in the 19^th Century. The establishment of a nationwide postal service and higher literacy rates meant that sending letters became much easier and much cheaper. The first commercial Christmas card is credited to Henry Cole in 1843. Once printing technology improved and the introduction of the halfpenny postage rate the sending of Christmas cards became accessible to everyone.

It is often thought that it was Prince Albert who introduced the Christmas tree to Britain but it is more correct to say that he popularized them. The Georgian monarchs of the 18^th and early 19^th Century had Christmas trees but their German ancestry meant they were not universally popular in Britain and so their customs were not copied among their subjects. Prince Albert would have had Christmas tree when he was a child back in Germany as was the norm. It was an illustration published in 1846 showing him with Queen Victoria and some of their children by a fir tree adorned with candles and decorations that made a Christmas tree a must for every home both in Britain and on the East coast of America.

Giving presents at one time was reserved for New Year but with the Victorians making Christmas more of a celebration gifts started to be exchanged earlier. At first they were just tokens of appreciation, such as fruit, nuts and homemade trinkets, and they were hung on the tree. As the age of commercialization took hold shops started promoting goods especially for giving as Christmas presents which could be wrapped and placed under the tree.

Other Christmas traditions that the Victorians popularized were crackers, mince pies made with fruit rather than meat, eating of turkey rather than goose or beef, singing of carols, Father Christmas, Boxing Day – indeed having any time off at Christmas, and entertaining a large number of relatives. Many people over the next couple of days will probably be blaming the Victorians for these customs rather thanking them.

U is for...Unexpected Guests

You think you have got everything sorted, presents wrapped, cards written and posted, and then comes the knock at the door. Who can it be? You open the door to find them on your the doorstep – they are the Unexpected, Uninvited Guests. So you remembered to send them a card but for some reason they have turned up at your house and worse of all they are banishing a gift and you have nothing to give back in return. Awkward.

Now you could spend the Christmas period with the lights off and car parked round the corner to try and fool people you have gone away but such extreme measures are not required. The solution to this easy – have a couple of spare presents to hand to offer and a selection of gift bags to put them in if needed. Select some items you would be happy to eat, drink or use yourself if nobody turns up. If they come do just pop the bottle of wine or box of biscuits into the gift bag and everything is sorted. No waste and no panic. You don't have to spend a fortune if you don't want to. If you have a stash of homemade jam, jelly or chutney these make perfect little gifts and actually one made with love. If you haven't got time to whip up a batch of preserves perhaps try this recipe for handmade hot chocolate mix from Victoria at A Kick at The Pantry Door.

Remember though, just because Christmas Day may have passed you still may not be safe. Unexpected, Uninvited Guests have nothing better to do between Boxing Day and New Year's Day. This is a particularly dangerous period as they will be on lookout for victims to try and offload their unwanted tat they got given. You have been warned...

Hot Coronation Turkey - T is for...Turkey

Hot Coronation Turkey

The fresh turkeys should be starting to appear in the shops in the next couple of days. It's often thought that eating turkey for Christmas dinner is a relatively new trend in the UK and one adapted from the American custom of having a turkey at Thanksgiving. It is true that turkey is far better suited to mass rearing as they can bred in a similar way to chickens while geese need far more freedom and land. However, there are reports of Henry VIII being the first British monarch to have had turkey as part of his Christmas feast.

Of course one of the attractions of turkey is that it can feed a houseful but there always seems to be leftovers no matter how well you judge the size. For this purpose we like to have this Hot Coronation Turkey which works equally as well with leftover chicken as well.

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 Onion, finely chopped

½oz (15g) Butter

1tbsp (15ml) Mild Korma curry powder

8oz (225g) Mango Chutney (My preferred variety is Sharwoods)

10oz (300g) Greek yoghurt

2tbsp (30ml) Mayonnaise

1½tsp (7.5ml) Tomato purée

About 10oz (300g) Cooked turkey/chicken, diced

Cooked rice to serve

Method

1. In a large saucepan cook the onion in the butter until soft.

2. Add the curry powder, stirring for one minute.

3. Add the chutney and heat through.

4. Stir in the yoghurt, mayonnaise and tomato purée and heat until almost boiling.

5. Add the turkey or chicken and cook gently for about 15 minutes.

6. Serve with the cooked rice.

Cranberry and Orange Stollen - S is for...Stollen

Cranberry and Orange Stollen

Is it a cake or is it a bread? Whatever classification you want to put it in Stollen is full of lovely Christmasy flavours such as dried fruits, nuts, marzipan and mixed spices. Stollen is of course German in origin and there are mentions of it from the 15^th Century. The first Stollen were very unexciting and quite bland tasting. At that time in Germany the Advent period was a time of fasting similar to Lent. No butter was allowed and the recipe of the time contained no fruit or marzipan. Over the years this has developed into the Stollen we like to eat today.

Most Stollen recipes require the fruit to be soaked in rum overnight. Not being a drinker I wasn't sure we had any rum in the house (apparently we do so I've been told) so in order to plump up the fruit a bit I decided to use the juice and zest from the orange we had brought back from a Christingle service. I've also cut down on the amount of butter and sugar used. 

Click here for a printable recipe.

Ingredients

Juice and zest of 1 Orange

2oz (55g) Dried Cranberries

2oz (55g) Candied peel

2oz (55g) Sultanas

14oz (400g) Strong white bread flour plus extra for dusting

½ tsp (2.5ml) Salt

½ tsp (2.5ml) Mixed spice

2oz (55g) Unsalted butter, diced into small cubes

2 tbsp (30ml) Caster sugar

½ oz (10g) Easy-blend dried yeast

7 fl oz (200ml) Lukewarm milk (1 minute in the microwave)

1 Large egg

1oz (28g) Blanched almonds, chopped finely
5oz (140g) Marzipan

Method

1. Put the dried fruit in a bowl along with the orange juice and zest. Stir and then set aside.

2. Sift the flour, salt and mixed spice into a large bowl and then rub in the butter.

3. Add the sugar and the yeast and stir all the ingredients together.

4. In a separate bowl or jug add the egg to the milk and beat well.

5. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture and pour in the milk and egg. With a spoon (I use a soup spoon!) stir all the ingredients until it comes together to form a dough.

6. Flour a smooth surface well and start to knead the dough. The idea is to stretch the dough so don't worry being too heavy-handed. Do this for about 10 minutes – put the radio on or listen to some music as this will make the 10 minutes seem much shorter.

7. Once it is smooth form the dough into a ball and put back into the bowl. Cover and and leave in a warm place for about an hour to rise – I use a warm, damp tea towel and put it in my airing cupboard. You can also lightly oil some cling film and put it next to a window with the sun coming through, next to a warm radiator or next to a pre-heated oven.

8. Meanwhile prepare the marzipan by rolling it out into a sausage shape about 8 inches (20cm) long.

9. When the dough has doubled in size give it a couple of punches to release any air bubbles.

10. Flour the work surface again and knead the dough again.

11. Spread it out on the floured surface and the scatter the dried fruit, orange juice and almonds along it.

12. Fold it in and then knead again so all the fruit is equally distributed. It will be very sticky so keep flouring the surface.

13. Stretch the dough out so it measures about 9 x 7 inches (23x18 cm). Lay the marzipan in the middle and fold over each side to enclose it.

14. Press down lightly on the seam then turn over and place a greased baking tray.

15. Cover again with a tea towel or cling film and return to the warm place for about an hour until it has doubled in size again.

16. Meanwhile pre-heat the oven to 190°C/Gas mark 5.

17. Once the Stollen has risen bake for 25-30 minutes until it is golden and sounds hollow underneath. Leave to cool on a wire rack.

18. Once cool cover with foil and leave at least a day to mature. Before serving dust with icing sugar.