Christmas Lamb supper & Capon method - Succulent & Tastier Than Traditionally Dry Turkey

Why is Christmas evening meal causing problems for you and your family if you don`t like turkey. Okay, and yes Turkey is a traditional meat eaten on Christmas day however, it does not mean you have to force feed yourself and others to eat something not pleasing to the palette. Christmas evening meal is about tasty food that is standard for those sat round the evening meal table. If peoples belly rumble due to emptiness then Christmas evening meal was not to their required taste, however if their bellies should bloat then this therefore proves that the sitting filled all - and it was all down to you.

Now established that Turkey will not grace the table this year, it is time to look at other succulent meats to take its place. Some habitancy although not a lover of eating turkey still buy poultry produce because they think the table looks odd without a roasted bird sitting in the centre.

Meat Casseroles

Listen up if the right joint of meat lays claim to the middle of the Christmas evening meal table - Turkey will not be given a second thought. Although a dry meat it does not stop folk purchasing one because of tradition. Some habitancy still cook Turkey and after serving its purpose of looking Christmassy it is removed to make way for Lamb, Beef, Pork, or Chicken. The Turkey is never wasted and used to make tasty sandwiches fillings. Beat dry Turkey down with beetroot, pickles and flavoured sauces. Use it for casseroles and stews. It also makes tasty burgers and good in green salads; it can be used in stir fry dishes also. Turkey bits flavour omelettes.

Christmas Roast Leg of Lamb Dinner

Full leg of lamb, (5lbs, 2.25 kilos)
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Chopped thyme and Rosemary
Bottle of burgundy
8 oz carrots
8oz white turnips
2 lbs potatoes
1 lb parsnips
10 shallots
4 garlic cloves
Sprigs of rosemary and thyme
2 Bay leaves
1 tablespoon of redcurrant or apple jelly
Sea salt and black pepper
Parsley to adornment and add color

This is a busy time for the chef so allow time for ingredient preparation and other. Christmas Eve is a good time to sort things out so you are not rushed off your feet on the day.

Using a skewer pierce the leg of lamb some times. Insert sprigs of rosemary into piercings. Lightly dribble olive oil over the lamb, cover and leave to stand till on work top ready for cooking.

Cooking Instructions

Pre-heat the oven to Gas Mark 8 (450°F, 220 °C.) Pour olive oil into roasting tin then rest on top shelf to heat the oil - leave for 15 minutes. Wash and peel root vegetables and cut into quarters. Shallots can be peeled and left whole. Peel your garlic cloves if you prefer, but not necessary.
Dry vegetables with kitchen towel and add to hot oil in the roasting tin, turning the vegetables over to coat. Add whole garlic cloves. Put in the oven for 30 minutes turning once. Take off the vegetables and put aside.

Now rub sea salt and powdered black pepper into the leg of lamb and place in the roasting dish for 30 minutes. Then take out and place on top of the cooker on a medium heat. Now pour in the wine. Be true with spitting hot oil. Baste lamb while adding chopped thyme and rosemary. When the wine begins bubbling, - cover the tray with tin foil. Lower oven climatic characteristic to Gas Mark 3, (325 °F, 170 °C), Cook for 1 hour 30 minutes.

When cooked baste lamb joint with meat juice and return vegetables with two bay leaves added. Place back in stove for a further hour and a half. Don't forget to Take off the sprigs of Rosemary before serving. Leave roasted leg of lamb aside to cool for 30 minutes.

Still using juice from the lamb and vegetables add jelly and simmer to thicken. Squeeze cooked garlic cloves into the mixture. Dress vegetables with parsley and sit the leg of lamb on a serving dish..

Capon Dinner

Not quite as big but yet as tasty like the traditional bird is the Capon or as some folks say the "castrated rooster." The capon is a large poultry bird bigger than a chicken. Capon as the centerpiece for Christmas lunch is an ideal substitute.

Capon cooking and ingredients:

4 to 6-pound capon
1/2 cup melted butter
salt and black pepper
4 tbsps basil
4 tbsps thyme
4 tbsps tarragon
2 tbsps rosemary, finely chop as with the 3 above
3 tbsps minced garlic
2 medium onions, quartered
2 sticks of celery, sliced
Cube 2 red apples
Dice 2 green apples
1/2 cup white wine
3 cups chicken stock

Fresh is always best, however if your capon comes freezing thaw in refrigerator for 48 hours. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F. Swill capon wholly with cold water and kitchen towel dry. Place poultry in middle of a roasting dish and season with salt and pepper. Using a small basin mix melted butter with the chopped herbs and garlic to make a paste. Rub this under the breast skin and over outer skin. Circulate capon giblets along with diced vegetables and apples into the dish. Pack tightly over with tin foil and roast like this for 2 1/2 hours. Check for tenderness at 2 hours. Take off foil and allow skin to brown. When cooked Take off capon from roasting dish and keep warm. A tasty sauce is undoubtedly made from dish drippings.

Discard as much of the fat as possible from the dish without upsetting the natural drippings. Be true while in the process of making the sauce to avoid burns. Place dish over high heat to caramelize juice. Deglaze drippings with wine, scraping the dish with a spatula. Add chicken stock, and allow it to simmer. Do not boil and sell out to almost 1 cup. Strain and season - then serve the sauce with sliced capon.

I bet throughout the whole time while you followed both recipes given here not once did Turkey come into mind. Just proving a point that's all. Tradition or not, if it tastes as good as it looks then you are onto a winner

Christmas Lamb supper & Capon method - Succulent & Tastier Than Traditionally Dry Turkey

lodge logic pre seasoned 15 inch cast iron skillet circulon 2 12 piece cookware set

Tips For Not Gaining Weight On Thanksgiving Or Christmas

On feast days, it's especially important not to skip a healthy breakfast. We tend to over eat and choose more fattening and sugary foods when we've gone too long without eating. A healthy breakfast might include two or more of a whole grain cereal or oatmeal, eggs, vegetables, yogurt or milk, and fruit. Try to eat healthy food every four hours throughout the holidays, but eat small meals. Make sure you drink a lot of water, particularly on feast days.

Often staying lean during the holidays is hardest on the cook. Here are a few tips for cooking a more healthy weight-friendly meal:

For a stuffing that is less fattening and even more delicious, start with whole wheat bread or whole grain rice. Use half or less of the amount of butter and oil. Double or even triple all the healthy ingredients such as celery, onion, mushrooms, nuts, and dried fruit. This will lower the fat and increase the fiber of your stuffing. It will also make it more flavorful. Your traditional recipe can be adjusted in this way.

Use a rack to roast meats. Domestic duck and goose should be pricked all over the skin prior to roasting, to allow the fats to escape. Cover your roasts until the last to keep them moist, instead of using butter. Then remove the cover for the last twenty to thirty minutes to allow the skin to brown.

Purchase an inexpensive gravy separator. These are small plastic pitchers with the spout located at the bottom of the cup, much like a garden watering can. Before making gravy, ladle the meat juices into the gravy separator and allow a minute for the fat to float to the top. Carefully pour the juices into the pan you will use to make gravy until the fat reaches the bottom and then stop. Then continue to make the gravy. Your gravy will be much more lean but just as flavorful.

In the first part of this article, we looked at how we can make stuffing that is not heavy and will not add weight. We also talked about how to make less fattening gravy. Let us discuss more.

Learn how to make especially delicious salads. To mixed greens you might add sliced pear, apple, beets, orange slices, nuts, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, and dress the salad with a raspberry vinaigrette.

If you are going to serve rolls, try a whole grain roll.

Find side dishes that are both healthy and particularly delicious. Make larger batches of the healthy dishes and smaller batches of the less healthy ones. This will gently encourage you and your guests to want more of the healthy vegetable side dishes.

Eating a healthier holiday meal, even if you are not doing the cooking, is easier if you follow certain guidelines. Half your plate should be vegetables, no more than a quarter of the plate should be meat, and no more than a quarter of the plate should be starches and breads. Fill at least half your plate with salad, green vegetables, baked sweet potato, carrots, squash, brown or wild rice, cranberry sauce, and fruit. If you are eating meat, choose a lean portion about the size of a deck of cards. Select only a small portion of stuffing, mashed potatoes, casserole vegetables, vegetables in heavy sauce, cheese, or breads. Avoid butter, do not use extra salt, go easy on the gravy, and avoid cheese sauces. Wait on what might be second helpings for another small meal a few hours later.

There is no need to deny yourself dessert, just use common sense. Always eat healthy food before dessert, and then take a small portion if you see something you like. If you have filled up on healthy food first, you will be less tempted to overeat dessert.



Users of myspace, friendster, hi5, orkut, etc, click for myspace comments and myspace graphics. Add christmas myspace layouts to your profile.

Visit : t fal 10 piece cookware kitchenaid 12 inch cast iron grill pan

Recipe For Meat Loaf - Presulta - Christmas Traditions to Start With Children

Most families serve traditional food that pertains to their heritage during holidays. I am Scandinavian so we serve Scandinavian fare. Scandinavians are known for their smorgasbords and that is what I remember most as a child. Christmas traditions, to start with children in mind, is ialways the best reason for making a fine meal that they will remember and carry on through generations. Presulta is a recipe for meat loaf in a way and I share it here below with you.

Christmas recipes and traditions for Germans have similar meals so this recipe could be considered for them as well I think.

I usually serve smorgasbords on Christmas eve, keeping it light for digestion and the following day. My Mother-in-Law serves a wonderful Scandinavian dinner on Christmas day. One of the thngs she prides herself in is "Presulta", a meat mixture, kind of a recipe for meat loaf. It is put into a wooden form and served with vinegar. Yup, It's true, vinegar.

The recipe for this meat loaf called Presulta has veal in it. Ahh me, I must confess that bothers me a lot! I have boycotted veal for forever. I just don't like the way they raise those little calves, ya know? I confess though that on Christmas day I do not refuse this holiday fare for which my Mother-in-Law works so hard to prepare. Can it be make without the veal and replaced it with regular beef? I don't know. I think it is worth a try and maybe someday I will.

"Presulta"

2 pounds Pork butt
2 pounds Veal Shank
2 pounds Veal

Seasonings:

1/2 TBls. peppercorns
3 large bay leaves
1/2 TBls. allspice
4 tsp. salt

Boil meat together in a large pot with the seasonings. Water should be enough to cover the meat. Bring to a boil and simmer for two hours or until tender. Let cool in liquid. Cut into one by one inch pieces. Leave some fat on the pork but not the veal. Line loaf pans with muslin which is large enough to completely cover top of meat once folded over. Divide meat and juice into the pans, (there should be enough juice to just cover the meat) cover the top with the muslin. Place heavy weight on top to press and compact this recipe for meat loaf called, Presulta.

This should be made several days before serving.

Serve cold. Cut into slices and serve with a dish of white vinegar to sprinkle over the top. It is the vinegar that makes the true difference.

~~*~~

ABOUT Kathy Ostman-Magnusen

I paint and sculpt female fantasy art and map faery tale adventures. I dream of beautiful women on canvas and art of exotic women.

I have illustrated for Hay House Inc.,"Women Who Do Too Much" CARDS taken from Anne Wilson Schaef's book. I also illustrated for Neil Davidson, who was considered for the Pulitzer Prize in feature writing, and several other publications. My paintings are collected worldwide.

Giclee canvas art work, greeting cards & posters are available for sale on my website:

http://www.kathysart.com

Sign up for my mailing list FREE ART GIFTS: Drawings of whimsical angel pictures, legends of mermaids & fairies in art. Tiny angels & mermaids for shrink art, or coloring pages. Also a "Letter From the Tooth Fairy". Ya just never know when you might need one!

Check out my Squidoo about creativity: Unlock Creativity|Critical Thinking Creative Writing Active Reading=Great Art http://www.squidoo.com/createart/

~~*~~

My Links : kitchenaid 12 piece cookware set staub 9.5 inch saute pan simply calphalon nonstick 14 piece set