Author: charlottekitto

Here’s a great recipe for free range goose by Neven Maguire that we came across in The Irish Independent.

Free-range geese are now in plentiful supply during the festive period, so if you’ve not tried goose before, give it a go. Save the drained-off fat and use it to make crispy roast potatoes. I normally make my red cabbage the day before — it also freezes well. Serves eight.

INGREDIENTS

2 tbsps redcurrant jelly
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp ruby red Port or red wine
Finely grated zest of 1 orange
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Sprigs of thyme, to garnish
Madeira sauce or red wine sauce, to serve. For the stuffing 2 tbsps olive oil
2 eating apples, peeled, cored and cut into thin slices
1 tbsp chopped thyme
350g/12oz quality sausage meat
75g/3oz fresh white breadcrumbs
100g/4oz dried cranberries
100g/4oz walnut halves, chopped For the red cabbage 1 tbsp sunflower oil
50g/2oz rindless smoked bacon, diced
1 medium red cabbage, core removed and finely sliced
2 tbsps balsamic vinegar
4 tbsps light muscovado sugar
300ml/11fl oz red wine
300ml/11fl oz apple juice
2 cooking apples, peeled cored and chopped
1 tsp each of ground cinnamon, ground cloves and mixed spice

METHOD

1 To make the stuffing, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the apple slices and sauté for three to four minutes until soft and golden. Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool. Once cool, add the thyme, sausage meat, breadcrumbs, cranberries and walnuts, stirring gently to evenly mix. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

2 Pre-heat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6. Place the goose on a rack set over a roasting tin (so that any fat drains off during cooking). Pour a kettle of boiling water over the goose (this helps loosen the fat from the skin), then drain off the water from the tin. To stuff the goose, start at the neck end, where you’ll find a flap of loose skin — gently ease this up and away from the breast to open a triangular pocket. Pack two-thirds of the stuffing in as deep as possible and pat into a neat round shape on the outside, then fold the neck flap back down over the stuffing, tuck it under the goose and secure with a small skewer. Rub the goose all over with salt.

3 Press the remaining stuffing into a 225g/8oz loaf tin and set aside. Weigh the goose and calculate the cooking time, allowing 15 minutes per 450g/1lb, plus 15 minutes — this goose should take about three-and-a-half hours. Place the goose (on the rack over the tin) in the oven to roast, draining off the excess fat every 30 minutes. After an hour, reduce the oven temperature to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Continue to cook, still draining the fat off every 30 minutes.

4 Meanwhile, prepare the red cabbage. Heat the sunflower oil in a heavy-based saucepan over a high heat. Add the bacon and sauté for 30 seconds, then add the cabbage, stirring to combine.

5 Reduce the heat and cook for 15 minutes until the cabbage is well cooked down, adding a tablespoon or two of water if the cabbage starts to catch on the bottom. Add the balsamic vinegar, sugar, red wine and apple juice. Give everything a good stir, then cover with a lid and simmer for one hour over a low heat, stirring occasionally. Stir in the apples and spices and cook gently for another 30 minutes, again stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper to taste and keep warm over a low heat.

6 Remove the goose from the oven 30 minutes before the end of the cooking time. Warm the redcurrant jelly, balsamic vinegar, Port or wine and orange zest in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer, stirring until the jelly dissolves, then cook for four to five minutes until syrupy. Brush all over the goose. Return the goose to the oven, along with the reserved tin of extra stuffing, and cook for the final 30 minutes until the goose is completely tender. Transfer the goose to a serving platter and cover with foil, then allow to rest for 20 minutes. Remove the stuffing from the goose and transfer to a warmed bowl. Turn out the tin of extra stuffing into the same bowl.

7 To serve, garnish the roast goose with the thyme and bring to the table. Carve the goose into slices and arrange on warmed plates, discarding any excess fat. Add some of the stuffing to each plate, and some of the braised red cabbage. Serve the Madeira sauce or red wine sauce in a jug to accompany the goose.

Copyright Neven Maguire and The Irish Independent

Order a top quality free range goose from East Ferry Farm

In season: turkey is now available all year round but I associate this dish with Christmas.

This is my favourite roast stuffed turkey recipe. You may think the stuffing seems dull because it doesn’t include exotic-sounding ingredients like chestnuts and spiced sausage meat, but in fact it is moist and full of the flavour of fresh herbs and the turkey juices. Cook a chicken in exactly the same way but use one-quarter of the stuffing quantity given.

Serves 10-12

INGREDIENTS

(4.5-5.4kg) 1 x 10-12lb, free-range and organic, turkey with neck and giblets

Fresh Herb Stuffing

175g (6ozs) butter
350g (12oz) chopped onions
400-500g (14-16ozs) approx. soft breadcrumbs (check that the bread is non GM) (or approximately 1lb 4ozs of gluten-free breadcrumbs)
50g (2oz) freshly chopped herbs eg. parsley, thyme, chives, marjoram, savoury, lemon balm
salt and freshly ground pepper

Stock

neck, gizzard, heart,wishbone and wingtips of turkey
2 sliced carrots
2 sliced onions
1 stick celery
Bouquet garni
3 or 4 peppercorns

For basting the free range turkey

225g (8ozs) butter
large square of muslin (optional)

Garnish

large sprigs of fresh parsley or watercress

METHOD

Remove the wishbone from the neck end of the turkey, for ease of carving later. Make a turkey stock by covering with cold water the neck, gizzard, heart, wishbone, wingtips, vegetables and bouquet garni. (Keep the liver for smooth turkey liver pate). Bring to the boil and simmer while the turkey is being prepared and cooked, 3 hours approx.

To make the fresh herb stuffing: Sweat the onions gently in the butter until soft, for 10 minutes approx., then stir in the crumbs, herbs and a little salt and pepper to taste. Allow it to get quite cold. If necessary wash and dry the cavity of the bird, then season and half-fill with cold stuffing. Put the remainder of the stuffing into the crop at the neck end.

Weigh the turkey and calculate the cooking time. Allow 15 minutes approx. per lb and 15 minutes over. Melt the butter and soak a large piece of good quality muslin in the melted butter; cover the turkey completely with the muslin and roast in a preheated moderate oven, 180°C/350°F/regulo 4, for 2 3/4-3 1/4 hours. There is no need to baste it because of the butter-soaked muslin. The turkey browns beautifully, but if you like it even browner, remove the muslin 10 minutes before the end of the cooking time. Alternatively, smear the breast, legs and crop well with soft butter, and season with salt and freshly ground pepper. If the turkey is not covered with butter-soaked muslin then it is a good idea to cover the whole dish with tin foil. However, your turkey will then be semi-steamed, not roasted in the traditional sense of the word.

The turkey is cooked when the juices run clear.

To test, prick the thickest part at the base of the thigh and examine the juices: they should be clear. Remove the turkey to a carving dish, keep it warm and allow it to rest while you make the gravy.

The turkey is done when the juices run clear. To test, prick the thickest part at the base of the thigh and examine the juices, they should be clear. Remove the turkey to a carving dish, keep it warm and allow it to rest while you make the gravy.

To make the gravy: Spoon off the surplus fat from the roasting pan. De glaze the pan juices with fat free stock from the giblets and bones. Using a whisk, stir and scrape well to dissolve the caramelised meat juices from the roasting pan. Boil it up well, season and thicken with a little roux if you like. Taste and correct the seasoning. Serve in a hot gravy boat.

If possible, present the turkey on your largest serving dish, surrounded by crispy roast potatoes, and garnished with large sprigs of parsley or watercress and maybe a sprig of holly. Make sure no one eats the berries.

Copyright Darina Allen Ballymaloe Cookery School

This is one of our favourite free range turkey leftover recipes by Rachel Allen. We came across this one from an article in The Daily Mail.

INGREDIENTS

30g butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
275 ml double cream
100ml chicken or turkey stock
450g mushrooms, sliced
1tbsp tarragon or marjoram
675g cooked turkey and ham, cut into 2cm chunks
For the mashed potato:
1.2kg potatoes
Knob of butter
1 fee-range egg yolk
3tbsp milk
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4.
2. In a large saucepan, melt the butter and add the chopped onion. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and cook, without browning, on a gentle heat for 8-10 minutes, until the onions are soft.
3. Add the cream and stock and bring up to the boil and simmer for a few minutes to thicken.
4. Meanwhile, in a separate frying pan, heat the mushrooms with a knob of butter for 3-4 minutes, or until soft and golden brown.
5. Add tarragon or marjoram to the mushrooms and season. Add the meat to the mushrooms and stir well.
6. Meanwhile for the mashed potato, place the potatoes in a saucepan of boiling water and cook until soft. Drain the potatoes and return them to the saucepan. Mash roughly and then add the butter, egg yolk and milk and mash to a thick paste. Season, to taste.
7. Pour the cream, mushroom and meat mixture into a shallow gratin dish and top with the mashed potato.
8. Place in the oven for about 20-30 minutes until the potato topping is golden brown and the filling is hot.

Copyright Rachel Allen and The Daily Mail