John Torode's make ahead festive sides - including the 'fastest' red cabbage
Celebrity chef John Torode has shared his super speedy methods for stuffing, red cabbage and peas to help make your Christmas Day less stressful.
With so many different dishes to prepare and cook for Christmas dinner, you could end up spending the whole day slaving away in a hot kitchen instead of spending prescious time with your family. So, Masterchef maestro John Torode has perfected some simple side dishes that can be prepared quickly on the day or beforehand and frozen.
To make it even more appealing, John uses ingredients that are readily available or that you will already have in your cupboard or freezer, because as John says: "Trying to be posh doesn't work." Here he shares his methods for his delicious stuffing (that he's been cooking for about 20 years), "fastest red cabbage in the world" and creamy peas.
Ingredients for the stuffing:
- Breadcrumbs
- 2 or 3 grated Granny Smith’s apples
- Sausage meat
- Vacuum packed chestnuts, broken up
- Streaky bacon
- Onions chopped
- Fresh sage
Here's how to make John's stuffing:
Dr Michael Mosley shares exercise that can cut cholesterol and blood pressure
Fry the bacon and onions and put into the breadcrumbs. Add a little water so it stays nice and moist. Add the apples and chestnuts and mix up before adding the sausage meat - mix together. It needs to be quite wet so add more water if you need to. Add some ripped up sage and put the whole mixture into a dish. Lay rashers of bacon and a few sage leaves over the top. Cook in the oven for about an hour and 25 minutes or cover in cling film and freeze until you want it. Defrost thoroughly in the fridge before cooking.
Ingredients for the cabbage:
- Red cabbage, sliced
- Onions
- 2 apples peeled, quartered and cored
- Handful of juniper berries
- Bay leaves
- Good splash of malt vinegar
- Orange zest, grated
- Cup of brown sugar
Here's how to make 'the fastest red cabbage in the world':
Fry the onions in a large oven proof pan and add the apples, then put the red cabbage on top. Add the juniper berries, bay leaves, vinegar and orange zest along with the sugar. You don't have to worry about stirring it as it will cook down. Put a lid on it and shake it up a little. Put in the oven at 160C for an hour and 20 minutes. Once it’s cooked, leave it to cool down and if you want to store it, put it in a bag and freeze until you need it. Defrost in the fridge and heat through in the oven at 160C or on the stove before serving.
Ingredients for the creamy peas:
- Frozen peas
- Onions, chopped
- Horseradish sauce
- Rosemary
- Water
- Crème Fraiche
Here's how to make John's creamy peas:
Fry the onions and add the frozen peas, a couple of tablespoons of horseradish sauce and a rosemary sprig. Mix together in the pan and add a small splash of water and cook in the pan for a little while. Add a tablespoon of crème fraiche and mix in before serving in a dish.
Will you try John’s make-ahead Christmas sides? Let us know in the comments below.
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
