Cranberry, Orange & Port Sauce

Christmas means different things to different people. For me it means family. My fondest memories of Christmas are when I lived in the North of Scotland and would drive home to my parents’ house on Christmas eve, sometimes through the snow to be met by the delicious smells of pre-Christmas day cooking and the distant hum of computer games being played by my brothers in the games room (which I might add used to be my bedroom until I came home one day to find I’d been moved to the attic and a huge flat screen TV and playstation in place of my bed and desk-although technically I hadn’t been living at home for over 5 years so I couldn't argue too much).

It was around this time that I decided to make my own cranberry sauce and discovered this recipe on a vegetarian Christmas website. The smells which fill the kitchen whilst this is cooking are the smells of Christmas and the end result is so homely and cheerful looking that you can’t help but get that smug glow of a domestic goddess. It also makes a wonderful present.

Unfortunately it’s going to be just me and Mr K for Christmas this year as it’s a bit of a longer drive from Auckland to Scotland but in honour of my parents I am using a bottle of port which they bought for us when they came to visit earlier this year. Cheers!

I struggled to find fresh cranberries at this time of year in Auckland but I did find some lovely organic frozen ones in Wise Cicada in Newmarket which will do the job.

Cranberry, Orange & Port Sauce

Ingredients

This recipe is for approx. 2 cups or 2 jars of sauce. My mason jars  from Stevens can hold just over 1 cup.

·         3 cups (300g) cranberries

·         2 oranges, juice from both and zest from 1

·         1 cup (200g) of castor sugar

·         8 Tbsp. of Port

1.   Add the cranberries, orange juice, orange zest, sugar and half the port to a saucepan.

2.   Bring to the boil and then turn the heat right down so that it is just simmering.

3.   Simmer for about 15mins until the sauce becomes syrupy and the cranberries have popped and become pulpy.

Do not allow it to reduce too much and burn. You can cover for 5 mins to allow the fruit to break down without the liquid reducing too much.

4.   Stir in the remaining port and turn off the heat.

5.   Fill some sterilized jars (I sterilise jars by placing them half filled with water in the microwave for 10mins. I cover the lids with hot water and soak for 10mins). Seal and allow to cool before putting in the refrigerator.

    The jars should keep for a few weeks, although I have usually given them all away or eaten them within 2 weeks so I am not sure of their exact shelf life.

So tell me, what are your favourite memories of Christmas?

dinner (just checking my presents taste good)

Malaysian Style Noodles

In my mid-twenties I decided to quit my job and move to South Korea as an English Teacher.  I was hoping for an adventure and heaps of money, or at least that’s how it was sold to me by my friend who had decided he wanted a life less ordinary. I think I was a little in love with my friend too so the idea of heading off on an exotic adventure together seemed romantic and exciting.

Of course it didn’t work out exactly as I hoped but I did have an adventure and learned some big life lessons on the way.

What does unrequited love and South Korea have to do with Malaysian style noodles? Well nothing really except one of those life lessons learned, courtesy of my friend less ordinary, plays a part in the following recipe.

My approach to cooking is the same as my approach to life- it involves minimal preparation, romantic ideas and an uncertain outcome.

Not for my friend less ordinary, for him cooking was all about the preparation.

There were times when the preparation of a meal took so long I would go out for a snack, take a nap and then get up only to find the cooking had still not started. It wasn’t so much the time taken, although often this was quite extreme, but the number of dishes used in the process that drove me crazy. Every item would be meretriciously sliced, cubed, peeled, washed etc. and placed on its own individual plate and all his recipes seemed to include a ridiculously large number of components, often leading to the use of every plate, bowl, and saucer we owned.

I will never be able to go to the same extremes as my friend less ordinary but for some recipes I try to restrain myself and prepare all the elements before I start cooking. I think my Malaysian noodles taste better for it.

So tell me, do you prepare everything before you start cooking or does it all just happen as it happens? And have you ever quit your job and moved half way round the world for love? did it work out?

Ingredients

Serves 4

Sauce

·         2 tbsp. Chilli Jam or sweet chilli sauce

·         2 tbsp. fish sauce

·         1 tbsp. tomato ketchup

·         2 tbsp. soy sauce

·         2 tbsp. peanut oil

·         2 tsp. curry powder (ready prepared or make your own)

Stir fry

·         2 tbsp. peanut oil

·         Tofu (firm)

·         2 shallots

·         2 cloves of garlic

·         500g fresh egg noodles (and size is ok but I like the thick ones best)

·         Bok Choy

·         Handful of bean sprouts

Garnish

·         2 spring onions

·         2 red chillies

·         lime wedges

·         hard boiled eggs

1.   First prepare the sauce by mixing all the ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.

 

2.   Next prepare all the vegetables and tofu (my friend less ordinary would be so proud).

·         Finely chop the shallots and garlic

·         Cut the tofu into bite sized cubes

·         Rinse the bok choy and separate the leaves

·         Slice the spring onion and chilli for the garnish

3.   Prepare the noodles. If fresh these should only need a quick rinse with boiling water to remove the oil they always seem to be coated in. If using dry then these should be cooked as per the instructions.

4.   Boil the eggs.

5.   Once everything is ready heat the oil in the wok to begin stir frying.

6.   Start with the tofu and stir fry until it begins to crisp.

7.   Next add the shallots and garlic. Stir fry for a minute or two before adding the sauce.

8. Allow the sauce to bubble for a minute or so before adding the noodles. Toss to coat.

9.   Continue to cook for a further 2 min or until the sauce has mostly been absorbed by the tofu and noodles before adding the bean sprouts and bok choy.

10.            Toss gently and once the bok choy has just wilted it’s ready to serve.

11.            Sprinkle the spring onion and chilli slices on top and serve with boiled egg quarters and a wedge of lime.

To make this vegetarian just substitute extra soy sauce for the fish sauce. To make it more substantial you can add prawns, squid or extra veggies such as runner beans.