Haggis nachos, haggis leftovers

It’s a crazy world. Our 2009 German calendar that I bought for $12 is being sold for $85 on Amazon. A poll has found that Australians buy more and then waste more food at Christmas than during the rest of the year. And the Scots celebrate Hogmanay with a sheep’s stomach full of offal. They call it haggis. Even meat-lovers cringe at the idea. Fortunately there is a vegetarian alternative that is much better. And I have finally found a great way to serve it. Would you believe, haggis nachos!

E and I have been eating home made vegetarian haggis on New Year’s Eve for the past 6 or 7 years but this year I finally found inspiration in serving it. For those who are unaccustomed to eating haggis, it tastes a bit like minced meat and the vegetarian haggis is a great substitute for minced meat for those like me who dislike TVP and other veggie mince.

In the past I have found that serving haggis with mashed neeps (turnip or sweet or rutabaga) and tatties (potatoes) as unsatisfactory as serving meat and three veg. After some searching I have hit gold. Haggis nachos was just the beginning. With the leftovers, I made haggis neeps and tatties pasties and then haggis neeps and tatties crepe stack. So I present to you three ways to serve haggis. New Year’s Eve has passed but you might like to keep these ideas in mind for Burns Night on 25 January.

New Year’s Eve was a hot day and the idea of putting on the oven was repugnant so I cooked these in the microwave. I made a few changes to my usual recipe so I have written what I have done below.

This year the house seems even more disorganized than usual. No matter how much cleaning I do I just can’t get on top of it. Sylvia does love to spread her toys, our CDs and any papers she can get her hand on, over the floor.

Usually I set a festive table for New Year’s Eve but this year with E being poorly and Sylvia keeping me busy, I didn’t have the energy to set the table. We just ate on the couch. Haggis nachos are excellent for a casual meal on a hot night. They could even be gluten free if you had gf oats and yeast extract (and I am not sure about whisky)

It is ages since I have made nachos. I love them but need them to be substantial enough for a meal. I often add a chilli non carne or vegetables. I think these were among the best nachos I have ever made. E is already asking me to make them again. Though it was no surprise that he loved them, given that he hadn’t eaten all day.

The inspiration for the nachos came from my favourite pub in Edinburgh, the Last Drop. I shared nachos there with friends, Yarrow and Mindy, on our trip there in November. Mindy was horrified at the fusion of cuisines but I loved it. In fact, I wonder if next time I might try some Mexican seasoning in the haggis such as smoky chipotle chillis, cumin and oregano. (Sorry Mindy.)

I based my salsa on the pico de gallo one I made a couple of years back. Unfortunately for the guacamole I had the perfect avocado, bought that day – what are the odds – but I overdid the lemon juice and then overdid the salt so it wasn’t my finest guac. Reminder to self: go slowly with seasoning. However, the haggis was underseasoned and in the final mix, it all tasted fine.

When I had a quick look at the internet to see how others had done nachos I found that salsa was often served after the nachos were cooked. But I preferred it in the mix when I cooked the nachos and found it melded with the haggis and cheese pleasingly. Quite a few did their nachos under the grill (broiler) but once I had mine together the pile was too large and reluctantly I turned on the oven. I had a bit of a problem with my timing to get them warmed right through. Next time I might do them longer or even spread them thinner in a bigger tray to help them cook quicker.

There is nothing like the delight of pulling at hot corn chips which are crisp at the corner and soggy with haggis and salsa which are held together in a clump with melty cheese and topped with cooling guacamole and yoghurt (or sour cream if that is your preferene). In an ideal world I would just put the hot tray of nachos in the middle of the table to dig into but Sylvia chose the moment when I was serving to wake up and it all became too impractical. So I used tongs to scoop some into a small bowl and spooned some guac and yoghurt over them. So so so good! Even more delicious with some raspberry punch.

It seems like a good place to end the post here but I must tell you how I used the leftovers. My next inspiration came from MangoCheeks. One of my favourite places for lunch in Edinburgh is the baked potato shop at the top of Cockburn Street. They do a great haggis on baked potato. I was tempted to go in on our recent trip but the palaver of getting the stroller into the small space was too much and we gave it a miss. Imagine my jealousy to see that MangoCheeks on the same weekend had gone there and got vegetarian haggis samosas. I wanted one.

I am intimidated by the idea of making samosa but I can easily knock up a pastie. You may have noticed that my non-traditional use of haggis on New Year’s Eve went as far as omitting neeps and tatties. Here was my opportunity to make amends. I boiled some very well seasoned neeps and tatties and made them into a pasty with the haggis.

I used the hot water pastry I had made previously. It worked even better this time than my first try. I decided against using an egg to glaze it because it just seems a waste of an egg and used soy milk instead. I also worked out how to make them look more professional. Delicious with tomato sauce.

My final reincarnation of the haggis was in a crepe stack. This was inspired by my recent pumpkin and ricotta crepe stack. It was my first success with crepes and left me wanting to try more, especially savoury versions. This stack wasn’t as successful. I made a cheese sauce to help it stick together but I think the fillings were too chunky and it didn’t really hold together when I served it. While it didn’t look great once cut into pieces, it tasted good and even my mum enjoyed a little taste.

I am going to try more savoury crepe stacks. It wasn’t a bad first attempt but I hope they will improve. I think a thinner sauce would be good. I love the way the blog seems to develop organically with meals morphing and inspiring me with new ideas and leftovers.

Once all the haggis was finished, I asked E which dish he enjoyed the most. He emphatically chose the haggis nachos. I agreed. They were superb but all these meals were great. Many pubs will do haggis in Edinburgh but I find it quite dull with mashed neeps and tatties. I hope these ideas will help do away with the sorry reputation of the haggis. The vegetarian version will upset the purists but it is really so good you must try it.

Vegetarian Haggis
adapted from recipe I posted in January 2008
Serves 4-6

⅔ cup (65g) rolled oats
⅔ cup (65g) oatmeal (I chopped up some rolled oats)
generous ½ cup (65g) mixed nuts, finely chopped (I used almonds, pecans, pine nuts)
65g margarine
1 small carrot
1 small onion
70g mushrooms
½ red capsicum
½ x 400g can white cannelini beans (a generous ½ cup)
½ tsp promite or other yeast extract
2 tbsp whisky
Juice of ½ lemon

Melt half the margarine and cook oats, oatmeal and nuts for about 3 minutes over medium heat in a large frypan. Transfer to a large bowl

Finely chop carrot, onion, mushroom, and beans. It is easiest to use a food processor so the mixture is very fine but I just used my chef’s knife, a chopping board and a good dollop of patience. Melt remaining margarine in the frypan and fry the vegetables and beans for about 2 minutes.

Return oats and nut mixture to the frypan with the vegetable mixture. Mix in the remaining ingredients and cook another 5 minutes.

NOTE: I had a visitor at this point and forgot the dried herbs and pepper and this was a little under seasoned but that was fine in the below dishes. But if you are not using in those dishes, you might want to check seasoning and also if it moist enough as the recipe suggests some extra melted margarine or veg stock if it is a little dry.

Place in a 13 x 22cm silicone loaf pan (ungreased). Press down and smooth with the back of a spoon. Cook 5 minutes in the microwave on high. Cool in the pan. It can be kept in the fridge for at least 3 days and reheated in the microwave.

Haggis Nachos
serves 2 as a hearty main or more people as a snack

Half a serve of above vegetarian haggis, crumbled
200g packet of salted corn chips
250g cheese, grated
yoghurt to serve

Guacamole:
1 avocado, mashed with a fork
2-3 tbsp lemon juice (I used ½ lemon which was too much)
pinch salt (I used too much)
small garlic clove, finely chopped
few drops Tabasco

Salsa:
3 tomatoes, diced
1 spring onion, finely sliced
1 red chilli pepper, finely chopped
juice of half a lime
1 garlic clove
pinch salt,

Firstly, make the guacamole but mixing all ingredients together – start with just a little lemon juice and salt and add more according to taste – and make the salsa by mixing the ingredients together.

Now take a large oven proof tray. (Mine is about a 25cm round ceramic dish) Layer ⅓ corn chips, ½ haggis, ⅓ salsa, ⅓ cheese. Repeat layering and then finish with corn chips, salsa and cheese.

Heat in oven at 180 C for about 20-40 minutes. I only did 15 minutes and it was not enough to heat through but it depends on your oven. Serve with guacamole and yoghurt.

Haggis Neeps and Tatties Pasties
pastry from recipe I posted in September 2008
makes 4

Hot water pastry
125g margarine
150ml hot water
1½ cups plain white flour
1 cup plain wholemeal flour
½ tsp salt
soy milk, for glazing pastry

Filling (This will make twice what you need for the pasties)
½ serve of above vegetarian haggis, crumbled
330g turnip (aka swede), peeled and diced
430g potato, diced
salt

To make filling, boil potatoes and turnip in well salted water until soft. I cooked them together but I think the potatoes took about 20 minutes and the neeps took about another 20 minutes before they went soft, so you could cook them separately. Mix with haggis.

To make pastry, pour hot water over margarine in a medium saucepan and bring to the boil. Remove from heat and stir in flours and salt. It will be stiff and a little crumbly but once you use your hands to press it together it should come together into a smooth ball.

Cut ball into four pieces. I found that the outside hardened a little on remaining pieces while I used first piece but they still rolled out fine. Use a rolling pin to roll pastry out to a circle of about 20cm diameter (about ½ cm thick).

Place two to three dessertspoons of filling towards the bottom of the circle, leaving about 1cm pastry around the edge. Use your fingers to press the filling into a neat half circle.

Use a brush or your fingers to moisten the edges of the circle with water or soy milk. Turn over the pastry to cover the filling and use your fingers to press together to seal the filling in. Now if you want your pasties to look good, I found that it was best to moisten the edge again and fold it over once more and use two index fingers to press together quite firmly to make indents along the edge. Brush with soy milk. Make a few slits with a knife to let steam out while baking.

Bake at 200 C for 10 minutes and then at 180 C for 30 minutes. (Or if you get confused like me, at 180 C for 10 minutes and then 200 for about 20 minutes.) The pasties are ready when they are golden brown.

Haggis Neeps and Tatties Crepe Stack
Crepe recipe from post in December 2009
serves 4

Crepes:
1 cup plain flour
2 eggs
1 cup milk
30g margarine, melted
extra margarine for frying

Filling:
about half the haggis neeps and tatties filling from above pasties

White sauce:
1 dessertspoon margarine
1 dessertspoon wholemeal plain flour
about 1 cup soy milk
about 100g grated cheese, or to taste

To make the white sauce, melt margarine in a small saucepan. Stir in flour and mix over low heat for a minute or two. Gradually whisk in milk to make a smooth thin sauce. Bring to the boil so it thickens slightly. Stir in cheese until melted. This will make the sauce thicker so you might need a bit extra milk if it is too thick.

To make crepes: Whisk together eggs and milk in a small bowl. Place flour in a large bowl and gradually whisk in egg and mix mixture. Add butter. Leave to stand for about 30 minutes. Fry quarter cups of batter in buttered frypan over medium heat for about 30 second each side till just golden brown. Stack cooked crepes on plate under foil to keep warm.

To assemble, place a pancake on a serving plate, spread thinly with a spoonful of warm cheese sauce. Top with a spoonful or two of warm haggis filling. Repeat until you have used final pancake. Top with remaining cheese sauce and haggis. I would have liked thinner cheese sauce that might have trickled down the side but it wasn’t to be. Serve in wedges.

On the stereo:
Victory for the Common Muse: Divine Comedy

Potluck in Prinny Park

Ah blogging! Isn't it wonderful! Not only do I meet lovely people through blogs but last week I got to share food with them and when I was too late to know who made what, I was able to find out later by reading Steph's post on the vegan potluck picnic. I will tell you about the quiches and truffles I made but I recommend you check out Steph's gorgeous foodie photos if you want to know about the full meal.



Cindy kindly invited me and I was happy when I was able to go. It was to start at 6 or 7pm which was when we would be feeding and bathing Sylvia, plus E had a cold, so I went alone. Although I have met with bloggers on a few other occasions, this was my first experience of cooking for other bloggers, and it had to be vegan. It felt a little scary but I have read enough to know food bloggers are forgiving people who make great food and the odd mistake. Besides, I make plenty of vegan food.



However, I will readily admit to being one of the food bloggers who makes the occasionally mistake. We all know that when cooking for others, we should stick to recipes we know are failproof. But where is the fun in that?



I chanced upon a recipe from FatFree Vegan Kitchen for Mini Crustless Tofu Quiches. It is one I have wanted to make for ages because I thought it might be a good idea for my sister with celiac disease. They might also suit those on a low-carb diet.



I was hopelessly disorganised. The day before the potluck I went to the local health food store because I had run out of nutritional yeast flakes but they were closed for the Boxing Day holiday. Fortunately I had also fancied trying Ricki's Egg-Free Quiche with Millet Crust (luckily I had bookmarked it because I couldn't find it on her index - must be the one that got away!).



So I created the quiches with inspiration from these two recipes. I suspect I might have had better luck following either recipe closely because mine were a little more moist than I had planned. You can see above that half of them stuck to the silicone moulds. They tasted good but next time I would like them firmer. Perhaps more cornflour, less milk or firmer tofu might help. I did like the cute little cherry tomato slices on top. I have written what I did below but it is a work in progress recipe.



Concerned about these mini quiches, I decided I needed another dish. Fate directed me to Kristy's Almond Fudge (she is formerly of Kblog but now at a new home called In the Mood for Noodles). Dates and almond butter rolled into truffle-like balls, these were a cross between Ricki's Chocolate Cashew Truffles and her Cocoa Nibbles. I then saw the dates should soak overnight in soy milk. Bah to that on the morning of the picnic! I decided to gently heat my dates in cranberry juice and add some dried cranberries. I was tempted to also add some orange zest and cinnamon but didn't have the time for hard decisions on flavourings.



These cranberry almond truffles were excellent. Lots of chocolate flavour, a little fruity and lots of coconut and nut texture, they were like a grown-up vegan gluten-free version of grubs. I can give no higher praise. I took some leftovers to Geelong the next day and my mum and sister Chris loved them but they were quite rich for my sister Susie and for E, so you have been warned.



Cindy had suggested the starting time was between 6 and 7pm. To me that means I can leave at 7. Sylvia decided to be on a late schedule and slept at 5pm. I had tried to get her to sleep earlier but it took me, E and Zinc all sleeping on the bed with her (and a bit of guitar and feeding) to get her down. When I rose I decided we were so low on bread I should make scones and that I needed to make a quick pumpkin and lentil puree for Sylvia.



I wanted a quick scone recipe with oats. The one I found said to soak the oats for 30 minutes but I only did it for about 15 minutes and the scones were a tad heavy. Sylvia cried when we tried to feed her the puree so I might as well have skipped the scones and puree and got there earlier but you can only try.



By the time I arrived at the picnic it was after 7 and the feasting had already been going for some time because most people had started eating at 6pm.When I arrived, Cindy kindly served me some of her amazing combination of savoury avocado and tomato icecream with corn chips (nacho sundaes?). I enjoyed sampling Bec's nutty filled vol au vents, Toby's sushi and polished off Kristy's amazing chickpea and smoked tofu pate. By then desserts were calling me. Lisa's hedgehog, Danni's version of these oreo truffles, Kristy's cheesecake truffles and Tahn's chocolate banana bread filled me with chocolate happiness. I was grateful for Tahn's fruit platter to give my arteries a breather. Sadly, I didn't even get to the drinks and the corner with Carla and Vicki's food. Never let anyone tell you that vegans can't eat well!



It was great to meet the people behind the blogs I love to read. I find a large group overwhelming and didn't manage to talk to everyone but I had some good conversations and felt very welcome. Even Lisa's cute little dog Kimba came over for a snuggle. It was a lovely balmy summer's evening for meeting up in Princes Park, my old stomping ground. I managed to leave my sunglasses behind, almost destroyed Toby's ipod speakers and left with a few mozzie bites but I really enjoyed spending time with fellow foodies and bloggers.



Almond, Date and Cranberry Truffles

adapted from In the Mood for Noodles

makes lots (at least 30)



½ cup dates

¼ cup dried cranberries

½ cup cranberry juice

250g jar of almond butter

½ cup cocoa

1 cup dessicated coconut

extra coconut for coating truffles



Finely chop dates and cranberries. Place in small saucepan with cranberry juice and bring to boil. Simmer gently for about 3 minutes or til fruit is softening and most but not all juice is absorbed. Cool slightly if you have time. Stir in almond butter, cocoa and coconut to make a stiff mixture. Roll into balls about the size of walnuts and toss in extra coconut.



Mini Tofu Crustless Quiches

inspired by Diet, Dessert and Dogs and FatFree Vegan Kitchen

makes 12-20 depending on size



1 tsp olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

kernels of 1 corn cob

1 tsp fresh thyme leaves

100g baby spinach, finely chopped

300g silken tofu

10 sun dried tomatoes, chopped

1 tbsp tahini

2 tsp white miso (though 1 might be enough)

1 tsp tamari or soy sauce

¼ tsp smoked paprika

dash of cayenne pepper

1 tbsp cornflour

3 tbsp soy milk

sliced cherry tomatoes, for decoration



Heat oil in a frypan and fry onion on low heat for about 10 minutes. Add garlic, corn and thyme and fry for another 10 minutes. Add spinach and cook another 2 minutes or until it is just wilted.



Meanwhile blend tofu, sun dried tomatoes, tahini, white miso, tamari, smoked paprika and cayenne in a food processor until smooth and creamy. Taste to check seasoning and adjust if necessary. Tip into a large mixing bowl.



In a small bowl or mug dissolve cornflour in soy milk.



Add vegetable mixture and cornflour mixture to the tofu mixture and stir to combine. Spoon into mini muffin trays. I made about 20 but you can make them a bit bigger and have less. My mini muffin trays are silicone so I didn't grease but as they stuck to one tray I wonder if I should have lined them with paper cups. Push a cherry tomato slice into the top of each quiche so the sides of the slice are submerged in the mixture and only the top can be seen.



Bake for about 30 minutes at 190 C. You can eat them hot but they will need to sit for 10-20 minutes and even then will be very soft. I put mine in the fridge overnight and found they held together a bit better that way. We ate them cold but I think they could be rewarmed in the oven.



Oat and Barley Scones

from Richmond Hill Cafe and Larder (also in Cuisine 26/2/2007, Fiona Smith, Issue 121)

makes 16



½ cup pearl barley

½ cup rolled oats

200ml milk plus a little extra if needed

1 cup wholemeal flour

1 cup white flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

75g butter



NOTE: I didn't have time to soak barley so I used another ½ cup rolled oats but would like to try this with pearl barley. Instead I used ½ cup barley flour instead of the wholemeal flour. I also used margarine and soy milk (getting in the vegan potluck vibe). I only soaked the oats 15 minutes and the scones were a bit heavy but will report back if I get to try these again.



Soak barley in a bowl of cold water overnight. Before making scones, drain barley and rinse with cold water. Then place soaked and drained barley in a bowl with oats and milk for 30 minutes.



Preheat the oven to 200°C. Sift together the flours, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs (this can be done in a food processor). Using a knife, gently mix in the barley mixture to form a ball of dough (add a little more milk if the dough doesn’t come together easily).



The less this dough is handled the better. Turn out on to a floured board and gently roll out to a 1.5cm thickness. Cut out circles using a 6cm scone cutter. Gently knead the off-cuts together and roll out again to cut more scones until you have used all the dough.



Place on a floured baking tray (I greased mine). Bake for 10-12 minutes until cooked. Cool on a wire rack.



Serving suggestion: Serve with creamy blue cheese and raspberry jam.



On the Stereo:

From the Witchwood: the Strawbs

Spiders, Banavacado and Tradition

I wanted to post separately about the lime spiders that we drank on Christmas eve because they have a special meaning to me regarding tradition. We often talk about tradition as something that has been done since time immemorial. However, traditions come and go. One Christmas eve, lime spiders taught me the joy of creating our own traditions.

With seven children in my family, you will understand that Christmas is a busy time for my mother. She was always in charge of the cake, the pudding, the turkey, the presents, gift wrapping, herding us to mass, all while keeping an eye on seven children. (Meanwhile my dad was in charge of esoteric but important tasks like checking all the light globes on the Christmas tree lights and drilling holes in lifesaver lollies to make presents.) The older I get, the more I admire her for making this look so effortless.

Many years ago, though I am not sure exactly how many, we managed to convince my mother that we had lime spiders every Christmas eve. I am not sure why or how. My dad had given us a love of lime spiders, which he talked about as a special part of his past. For the uninitiated, they are a scoop of ice-cream in a glass of fizzy sweet lime drink. Even the name is fun. When you pour in the lime lemonade, it froths up. For a child this is magical and exciting. To convince my mum of a tradition gave us a sense of power that could only come at a time when she was too flustered to argue (or maybe she just wanted a lime spider as much as we did).

So now every Christmas I love to have lime spiders and mince tarts and to feel like so much is possible. I spent a Christmas in Dublin with my sister Chris one year and we spent quite a bit of time searching for lime lemonade. I think we ended up with coke spiders but plain lemonade and green cordial would do just as well.

You may have noticed on this blog, that I am not afraid to mess with tradition. Being vegetarian has meant that I have parted ways with many meaty traditions, but I have found ways to create new meaningful traditions without meat. Perhaps this is all because we convinced my mum to create a lime spider tradition many years ago.

So today I will share a quick dip I made on the weekend after hearing the Coodabeen Champions discussing a 1970s beauty contest cookbook on the radio. They mentioned a curried banana dip that took my fancy. But I was not so keen on adding dry biscuit crumbs. I was thinking about making guacamole with a half avocado I had in the fridge but I remembered this idea and decided to try it with avocado instead. I also omitted chutney, cayenne and mustard powder but added lemon juice. Here is the version I made to nibble with crackers.

Curried Banavocado Spread

½ an avocado, mashed
2 inches of banana, mashed
good shake of curry powder
juice of ¼ medium lemon

Mash with a fork and serve with crackers. It is strangely pleasing.

On the Stereo:
Introspective Fragments, Part 1: Lebensessenz

Festive roast and punch

Today is the chaos that they call Christmas Eve. Most sane bloggers are probably too busy to even glance at the computer but I need a bit of down time. It has been a busy morning with Sylvia being a rascal: throwing every bit of food she can off the high chair, mercilessly chasing Zinc and rushing over to grab the beer every time I open the fridge door. So while she is sleeping I thought I would share a few christmas pics and simple ideas for christmas.

Last Sunday, after decorating our own tree the previous day, we headed down to my mum and dad's place to help decorate their tree. It is much bigger than ours as they have more space. At the top is a photo of both old and new decorations. The angel is one of my favourites from when I was a child. The ball with 'Sylvia' written on it is one of nine that my sister organised to be made with each of my parents' grandchildren's name written on it. What a great idea!

Of course there was lots of food. Here are some of the cute shortbreads that my sister in law Erica made. My sister Fran made some great gluten free chocolate cupcakes. I was too busy to take much down, apart from some cheese pastries that my mum had left in our freezer when she kindly stocked my kitchen for when we got home from Scotland.

I also took some juice as I had been curious to try Delia Smith's suggestion of equal amounts of red grape juice, cranberry juice and ginger ale. While waiting at Glasgow Airport, I had time to flick through her Christmas book and I happened to read that this was her favourite non-alcoholic combination. My mum had a cranberry and pomegranate mix which was nice in the punch but I have since experimented further and it is better with just cranberry.

I also had my first glimpse of the new chook house that my mum had just had put up. She will be getting chickens in the backyard once they are in stock. Did you know that even live chickens sell out at Christmas. Stay tuned for some fresh eggs on the blog! Thanks to Grace for taking this photo for me. Not bad for a 5 year old.

Mum and dad's garden is looking beautiful with lots of roses in bloom so I can't resist a photo.

Back home, I decided to try a recipe for Oat and Onion Roast from Nic at Nip it in the Bud. It is a good simple alternative to nut roast for those who have nut allergies. I have also been searching for ideas to use some of my sage while it is thriving and before the cruelty of summer's heat hits it.

The recipe called for mixed herbs and didn't specify if they should be dried or fresh. I don't think it really matters which you have, especially as the measurement is a dessert spoon which is much more flexible than tablespoons. I am sure Nic would appreciate my handful of fresh herbs straight from the backyard because she is keen on her allotment gardening.

The roast was delicious with lots of salad for dinner when we got home from decorating the tree. We were able to watch a Very Speccy Christmas. Both E and I were pleased to see a great Aussie Christmas show as we purchased the Radio Times at Glasgow Airport and E has gone over every detail of every show as he missed the British tv at this time of year. Our favourite show title is Cardigans at Christmas. How very British. I also love Santa Dalek on the cover.

Well, Sylvia is awake and creating mischief once more. E is finished work early and has been dispatched to the shops for swiss cheese and cherries, despite telling me that going to a supermarket cramps his style. The Christmas nut roast is cooked but I am avoiding making pastry for some mince pies. I should go and face them.

There will be more festive recipes after Christmas. But until then, I wish all my readers, family and friends a very merry Christmas and much fantastic festive feasting.

Oat and onion roast
adapted from Nip it in the Bud

• 4 oz (125g) oats
• 4 oz (125g) grated cheese (I used a smoked vintage cheese but any cheddar will do)
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 onion, choppped
• 1 handful of fresh chopped herbs (I used sage, parsley, thyme and rosemary but Nic used a dessertspoon of mixed herbs which I presume were dried)
• 1 heaped tsp of promite (Nic used marmite - any yeast extract or stock paste will do)

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C. Grease and line a tin. I used a slice tin 18 x 28cm which made it very thin so next time I think I will try a loaf tin - 13cm x 22cm.

Mix all the ingredients together then tip into prepared tin and smooth on the top with the back of a spoon.

Bake for about 30-45 minutes, depending on how big your tin is. I think 30 minutes was enough for the slice tin. Serve with a nice chutney or gravy.

Delia's Festive Punch (non-alcoholic)
from Delia Smith

125ml cranberry juice drink (I used Ocean Spray which has sugar in it)
125ml red grape juice (I used Extra Juicy juice)
125ml ginger ale (I used Schweppes)

Mix and drink. It serves 1-2 people but can be scaled up depending on how many you are serving. Delia suggests serving it with lime slices. I would fancy trying this with orange slices too.

On the Stereo:
A dark noel: the very best of excelsis projekt: various artists