BB FANS

The christmas season is nearly upon us so the mag needs a food/drink section. Recipes for Xmas morning breakfast & dinner. Boxing day lunch and recipes for all the left over food we all need to get rid of.
News on the best booz deals at the local supermarket.

Eggnog is a festive drink that many an Americans adult will enjoy over the christmas season. Here is one recipe for eggnog that you might like to try.

Rich Eggnog!
6 Large eggs
3/4 c Sugar
1 1/2 c Brandy
1/2 c Rum
4 c Milk
4 c Cream
1/2 c Icing sugar
Nutmeg to sprinkle

Separate the yolks from the whites of the eggs. Beat the yolks slowly while simultaneously adding the sugar; do this until the mixture is pale and golden. Now slowly add in the brandy and rum, then beat in the milk and half the cream.

Set aside until just before serving, then whisk the egg whites until stiff and fold them into the eggnog mixture. Whip the remaining cream and icing sugar until thick. Top each glass of eggnog with whipped cream and a shake of nutmeg. This yields eight servings.

Sainsbury's party drinks with link to the 12 drinks of Christmas:

sainsbury's

45p a can… we’ll drink to that

SUPERMARKET giants have stepped up their bitter booze price war - with one store selling beer at 45p a bottle. It all adds up to a very merry Christmas for drinkers with even more special offers on the cards.

In the latest move prices have been slashed to a bargain-basement 45p per 33cl bottle at Sainsbury’s. It is offering two cases of 20 bottles for just £18. The special offer, which also covers favourite tipples Guinness, Stella Artois, San Miguel, Carlsberg and Foster’s, ends today.

Other supermarket chains have also been slashing the price of booze in a bid to attract shoppers in the run-up to the Christmas period. Tesco is offering 20 44cl cans of Stella for £9.99 until today. And Morrisons’ current bargain offers include 20 Budweiser’s for £9.99.

The Sainsbury’s deal is £2 cheaper than a similar offer from Asda which was unveiled last week. Asda has also brought pre-Christmas cheer by slashing the prices of 150 spirits. Its top offers include £4 off a litre bottle of Bailey’s at £10.87. There’s also a £2.50 saving on Smirnoff Vodka and £3 off a litre of Bell’s whisky, now at £12.84.

Sainsbury’s beer buyer Ben Wheeley yesterday described its beer deal as: "A great opportunity for customers wanting to stock up in time for the Christmas period."

But the undercutting is likely to cause concern in the brewing industry according to trade magazine The Grocer. It says that brewers were outraged earlier this year when supermarket chain Somerfield announced a price promotion which was believed to be the lowest ever.

It offered two packs of Carling, Stella Artois or Carlsberg Export for £14. That deal meant the price of Stella was just £1.06 a litre. Mike Regnier, general manager for Asda beer, wines and spirits, said: "Our latest round of price cuts will ensure our shoppers don’t pay any more than they have to when it comes to stocking up on booze this Christmas."

dailysnack

VERY IMPORTANT ARTICLE ON msn FOR MEN:

Guys, isn't it annoying that all the healthy news and diet tips seem to be geared for the ladies? Well, we have decided it’s about time we paid you a bit of special attention for a change. We know that you all like to pamper yourselves occasionally (go on, admit it!) and you need to look after yourself and your health too!

So I present to you my Top 10 Foods for Men (in no particular order)…and don’t worry, it’s not all boring old cabbage and lettuce – you might find a few surprises in there!

Garlic
This smelly little number is literally packed full of goodness! It has anti-cancer compounds, antibacterial and decongestant properties to keep coughs and colds at bay, and phytochemicals, which help lower cholesterol and prevent blood clots. You can add it during cooking to practically any savoury dish, or, if you’re not mad about the distinctive taste (or smell), pop a whole clove of garlic in the oven while you’re cooking a pizza. Roast garlic is soft and can be spread like butter but has a much more mellow flavour.

Tomato Ketchup
Tomatoes are rich in the antioxidant lycopene. Research has shown that lycopene may be important in preventing heart disease and many cancers, especially prostate cancer. Unusually for a nutrient, lycopene is even more potent in cooked tomatoes than raw ones, so adding a dollop of ketchup to those fries isn’t the worst thing in the world. However, because of the salt and sugar content of commercial ketchup, look at including other rich sources of lycopene into your diet – add tomato puree to a stew or casserole, tomato soup, tomato-based pasta sauce or Bolognese and even top pizza with extra tomato slices.

Broccoli
It’s not only pregnant women who need this to boost their folic acid intake. Men need folate or folic acid too as this can lower the levels of an amino acid in the blood called homocysteine. High homocysteine levels are associated with increased risk of heart disease and stroke. Broccoli is also loaded with vitamin C, beta-carotene, potassium and a phytochemical called sulphoraphane, which helps reduce the risk of cancer. If you just can’t face a big pile of broccoli at the side of your plate, mix it into pasta sauce (see above), cover it with chilli sauce and have with noodles or even put it on top of pizza (again, see note on tomatoes!) It’s important to eat a wide variety of vegetables as they are all packed with antioxidants and other disease-fighting compounds.

Oily Fish
Fish such as salmon, tuna, mackerel and herring contain essential fatty acids, like Omega-3 and Omega-6, which have been proven to be beneficial in preventing heart disease, some cancers, arthritis and depression. Mackerel is an especially rich source of selenium. Research at Cornell University found those taking selenium supplements (200 mcg daily) had 63% fewer prostate cancers and 39% lower cancer rate overall. So try to have oily fish at least twice each week, whether it’s tuna sandwiches, a nice grilled salmon steak with a mound of mashed potatoes (think fish and chips, but healthier) or a rice dish such as kedgeree.

Steak
Red meat is a great source of zinc, vitamin B12 and iron. Zinc is involved in hundreds of body functions, from producing DNA to the sense of taste. Vitamin B12 also has many functions including energy release and iron is essential for carrying oxygen from the lungs all around the body. If you’re a bit of an athlete or enjoy working out, you need to get these nutrients. But choose leaner cuts of meat and avoid cheaper products such as burgers and pies as these are very high in saturated fat. Remember you should try not to eat red meat more than 3 times a week.

Milk
What more could a body ask for? Milk is one of our main sources of calcium and low intakes of calcium have been linked with heart disease, colon cancer and osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is not just a disease that affects older women - 1 in 12 men now suffer from osteoporosis so it’s vital to have an adequate calcium intake. Choose semi-skimmed or skimmed milk for a low fat source of calcium, with protein too.

Nuts and Seeds
All you tough nuts out there, take note! These little goodies are crammed full of vitamins and minerals. Brazil nuts are especially high in magnesium and selenium – an antioxidant that helps prevent heart disease, cancer and protects prostate health. Sprinkle seeds such as linseed or flaxseed over your cereal to pack in more goodness, snack on a small handful of nuts instead of crisps or top your toast with peanut butter.

Bananas
This crazy fruit will boost your energy as well as boosting your potassium levels. You need potassium to regulate your nerves, heartbeat and blood pressure. Bananas can also be useful hangover cures after a night on the town!

Potatoes
Good old spuds! Cheap and cheerful, boiled or baked, they never fail to fill you up. They’re also packed full of vitamin C, along with lots of other vitamins and minerals. Eat the skin for fibre and go easy on the chipped variety!

Beer
That’s right! Beer contains phytochemicals that have been shown to help prevent heart disease. It may also aid digestion by encouraging acid production in the stomach and moderate (yes, moderate) alcohol intake as part of a healthy diet is associated with lower incidence of heart disease. BUT WAIT! This doesn’t give you licence to become a lager lout! Remember that these effects are only seen in moderate drinkers – that’s no more than 2 units per day (1 pint of beer). High intakes will undo all the goodness so try not to get carried away!

Amber nectar: Skye Gyngell adds a drop of maple syrup to dishes from curry to ice-cream

Skye's hot, sweet chickpea curry © Lisa Barber


The warmer days and freezing nights of February and March are the key harvesting months for maple syrup, which means it's never fresher than right now.

The warmer days and freezing nights of February and March are the key harvesting months for maple syrup, which means it's never fresher than right now.

Originally used by Native Americans as both a foodstuff and a medicine, 80 per cent of the world's maple syrup now comes from Canada, where sap is drained from maple trees then boiled to make the viscous liquid.

A dash or 10 of the beautifully rich syrup is the perfect way to impart an earthy sweetness to more dishes than you might imagine, which is why I always have a large supply in my kitchens at work and home. It's perfect on pancakes, of course, but also good in salad dressings or folded into yoghurt and served with fruit for breakfast. I even use it in ice-creams and curries.

What's more, it contains fewer calories and more minerals than honey – it's full of zinc and manganese, which are great anti-oxidants – so there are even health reasons to take a glug or two of this rich nectar.

Skye Gyngell is head chef at Petersham Nurseries, Church Lane, Richmond, Surrey, tel: 020 8605 3627

Chickpea curry

Serves 4

600g/21oz dried chickpeas
1tsp bicarbonate of soda
1tsp mustard seeds
1tsp fennel seeds
1tsp cumin seeds
1tsp coriander seeds
5 cardamom pods
1tbsp vegetable oil
2 red onions, peeled and sliced
1 small bunch of coriander, roots included
1 red chilli
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
4 carrots, peeled and diced
3tbsp maple syrup
The juice of two limes
3tbsp soya sauce
Two jars of good-quality tomatoes
50g/2oz unsalted butter

Soak the chickpeas overnight. Drain and place in a large pot of cold water. Add a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda. Cook over a medium heat for around 45 minutes or until tender. Drain and set aside.

To make the base of the curry, warm up the spices in a small pan, being careful not to burn them, as this will result in a bitter taste. Grind using a pestle and mortar.

Add the vegetable oil to a pot large enough to hold all the ingredients comfortably and place over a medium heat. When the oil is warm, add the onions and cook for five minutes to soften them. Chop the coriander and the chilli very finely and add to the pot along with the garlic and the spices.

Add the diced carrots and cook for 10 minutes. Then add the maple syrup, lime juice and soya sauce, stirring well to combine the flavours, and cook for another few minutes. Add the tomatoes and turn up the heat slightly. Cook for 15 minutes to thicken the sauce.

At this point it should taste hot, sweet and slightly sharp. Keep the pan over the heat until the carrots are cooked through but still firm. At this point, add the chickpeas and the butter.

Baked maple-syrup custard with rhubarb

Rhubarb makes a lovely pudding with this baked custard or even simply folded through soft vanilla ice-cream.

Serves 6

For the custard

1 litre/35fl oz double cream
1 vanilla pod, split in half lengthways
The peel of one lemon
The yolks of 12 organic free-range eggs
4 whole organic free-range eggs
150g/5oz caster sugar
200ml/7fl oz maple syrup
150ml/5fl oz marsala wine

For the rhubarb

5 sticks of rhubarb
180g/6oz sugar
1 cup of water or verjus
1 vanilla pod
The peel of one lemon

To make the custard, start by placing the cream, vanilla pod and lemon peel into a saucepan, place on the hob and bring to just below a simmer. Remove from the heat and set aside for around 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas4. Beat the whole eggs and yolks together until well combined. Add the sugar and continue to beat. Add the maple syrup and marsala and stir well. Strain the infused cream through a colander into the egg mixture. Stir and pour into a baking dish. Gently lay the baking dish in a bain marie – in this case, a roasting tray filled with warm water. You need to make sure that the water comes no further than halfway up the side of the pan. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for around 30 minutes. The custard should be golden-brown on top but still wobbly in the centre. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Place the sticks of rhubarb on a baking tray and sprinkle with the sugar. Drizzle with the water or verjus and tuck the vanilla pod and lemon peel among the sticks. Roast on the middle of the oven at 180C/350F/Gas4 for 20 minutes or until soft. Remove and allow to cool before serving with the custard. '

Sweet potato with spiced yoghurt

Serves 4

For the potatoes

2 sweet potatoes, peeled
The juice of half a lime
2tbsp of maple syrup
1tbsp soya sauce
1 dried chilli

For the spiced yoghurt

200ml/7fl oz good-quality Greek yoghurt
The juice of one lime
2tsp Tabasco
3tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
A pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas4. Slice the potatoes into generous chunks. Place in a mixing bowl and spoon over the maple syrup, soya sauce and lime juice. Crumble over the chilli and combine well. Place in a roasting dish and roast, uncovered, on the middle shelf for 20 minutes. Remove and baste with the juices. Return to the oven for a further 20 minutes or until soft.

While the potatoes are cooking, place the yoghurt in a bowl and add the lime juice, Tabasco, olive oil and a good pinch of salt. Stir well to combine.

Remove the potatoes and place in a warm serving bowl. Spoon the yoghurt over them and serve immediately (pictured here with roasted chicken – but they work with almost anything, or on their own).

Maple syrup and pecan ice-cream

Serves 8

500ml/17fl oz whole milk
1 vanilla pod, split in half lengthways
10 egg yolks
100g/31/2oz caster sugar
11/2tbsp maple syrup
300ml/10fl oz double cream
20 pecan nuts

Place the milk and vanilla pod in a saucepan and bring to just below the boil. Remove from the heat and leave to infuse for at least 15 minutes. Remove the vanilla pod and set aside.

Place the egg yolks and caster sugar in a bowl and whisk together thoroughly.

Return the milk to the heat and again bring it to just below the boil. Remove and add the maple syrup. Pour over the egg and sugar mixture, then return to the saucepan and place over a very low heat. Stir in a figure of eight motion until the liquid coats the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely. Once cool, stir the cream through the mixture, then churn in the ice-cream maker. When the ice-cream begins to set, fold in the nuts and continue to churn for another 10 minutes. Transfer the ice-cream to a tub and place in the freezer for at least two hours before serving. You can serve it, as I do, with a few more chopped pecans and a drizzle of maple syrup.

The Forager by Wendy Fogarty

Petersham's food sourcer on where to find the best maple syrup...

The highest-quality syrup – light in viscosity and colour — is graded A or 1 and is the syrup of choice for pancakes. The slightly thicker and darker syrup is graded B or 2 and is ideal for glazing.

Shady Maple Farm, Quebec: The most commonly found maple syrup in the UK, this is sourced from the Shady farm as well as 1,500 producers in Canada. It is widely available from health-food stores and delicatessens

Selfridges: The department store's food halls sells Epicure Pure Canadian Maple Syrup Grade A and Highland Sugarworks Pure Maple Syrup (http://www.selfridges.co.uk)

Whole Foods Market: sells syrups from Shady Maple Farm, TerraSana Organic Syrup, Meridian Organic and its own label, Fresh N Wild Everyday Maple Syrup (http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com)

For further information: get a hold of The Maple Syrup Book by Janet Eagleson and Rosemary Hasner (£15.95, Boston Mills Press), which is filled with culturally distinct recipes, folklore and the history and traditions of its manufacturing
Independent

Mince imperial


When a queue in the butcher's drove him to distraction, Nigel Slater left with a bag of mince. A handful of herbs and spices later, he was having a ball


The Observer

A queue at the butcher's counter gives me time to think. The dithering of the shoppers in front offers me the opportunity to ponder the more unusual bits of burgundy flesh and creamy-white fat of the butcher's display. I get a few minutes longer to dream about sweetbreads with mustard sauce, rabbit stew with young carrots or the possibility of a piece of ham hock lovingly simmered and served with new broad beans and parsley sauce. It stops me asking for the knee-jerk pork chops or lamb cutlets and begs me to question my usual order of a nice bit of rib-eye for the grill. It is also how I came to return home clutching a bag of mince.


I almost never buy mince. I like to see the full, unbutchered shape of the meat I buy, its bones and the road map of fat that runs through its flesh. The days when hanging carcasses of meat disappeared from most butcher's shops was a sad one, forcing us to separate the meat on our plate from the animal it belonged to. I am rarely tempted by anything minced. It seems anonymous and a bit lost, somehow not part of the animal.

In anything but the best butcher's I would also consider its provenance somewhat questionable. But this is good stuff - bright and flecked with a little bit of fat, a shocking, glistening red, and it looks like it left the mincer barely minutes before - so why not?

Meatballs, possibly the least romantic term for the kofta, keftedes, frikadeller and albondiga enjoyed by the rest of Europe, appeal more to me than the many-layered thing that is the usual use for minced meat. The summit of the meatball mountain is, for me, one made from pork, seasoned with lime leaves, ripe chillies, ginger and nam pla. Close behind is the Italian version, with minced but quite discernible pancetta, grated pecorino and oregano. Even the plainer versions such as those passed over the marble counters in Sweden, with their tongue-prickling cucumber pickles and sweet-sour lingonberries, have much to commend them. But for some reason I cannot fathom, I have come home with minced lamb - the least inspiring mince of all. (That queue was obviously just a bit too long.)

Minced lamb is happiest in Greece. There it is given the opportunity to rub shoulders with wild marjoram, fresh mint and young garlic; it is where it can take a paddle in shallow pools of sun-scorched tomato sauces or be tucked up in bed with layers of aubergines and a duvet of white sauce. But I also believe Greek food is best eaten under the shade of a fig tree with sand between your toes. It's a bit early for that.

The shaping of a meatball is entirely pleasurable: a gentle squeeze of the seasoned flesh, then a slow rolling in the palms of your hands will produce spheres of flesh that you can shape or flatten at will. I do it with my fingers pointed upwards as if in prayer. What we are about to receive is a plate of sizzling balls rippled with a deep red of grated beetroot and fresh dill, glistening with a slick of yogurt, more dill and capers. An initial attempt at half meat, half young roots refused to hold together without egg, but I prefer not to bind meatballs, to keep them light and open-textured. So I find they work best with about two-thirds meat to grated beets.

I have given you my favourite European meatball recipe before, but several readers have asked for the pork, lemon and Parmesan one, too, so here it is. Happy rolling.

Pork and lemon meatballs

Delectable little balls, these. You probably wouldn't mind a few wide and slithery Italian noodles on the side, or perhaps some rice. Or maybe just a plate of greens, such as sprout tops or purple sprouting. Serves 4.

70g fresh white breadcrumbs

500g pork

a lemon

a large handful of parsley leaves, chopped

about 6 bushy sprigs of thyme

2 tbsp grated Parmesan

8 anchovy fillets, chopped

to cook:

2 tbsp olive oil

40g butter

200ml chicken stock

Put the breadcrumbs and pork into a mixing bowl. Grate the lemon and add the zest to the pork, then halve and squeeze the lemon. Add the lemon juice to the pork with the parsley and the thyme leaves stripped from their stems. Tip in the Parmesan then the anchovy fillets. Season the mixture with a little salt, then more generously with black pepper. Mix thoroughly.

Make about 18 small balls of the mixture, using a generously heaped tablespoon of pork for each one. I shape them into a rough ball, flatten them slightly, then put each one on to a floured baking sheet.

Warm the oil and butter in a heavy-based non-stick pan. Roll the patties lightly in the flour then fry them, about eight at a time, for 4-5 minutes until they are crisply golden on each side. Lower the heat and leave to cook through to the middle - a matter of 6-8 minutes more. I tend to turn them no more than once or twice during cooking so they develop a crisp, slightly sticky exterior.

Tip the fat, or at least most of it, from the pan, then pour in the chicken stock. Leave to bubble for a good 2 or 3 minutes, scraping up and stirring in any pan stickings. Let the stock bubble down a bit, then divide the patties between four plates and spoon over the juices from the pan.

Lamb meatballs with beetroot and dill

Makes 12-16 (enough for 4 or more)

75g fine or medium cracked wheat

250g raw beetroot

a small to medium onion

400g minced lamb

2 large cloves, or even 3, of garlic

2 heaped tbsp of chopped dill

parsley - a small handful

for the dressing:

cucumber - about a third of a medium one

mint - the leaves from 4 or 5 sprigs of mint

1 tbsp capers

200g yogurt

Put the cracked wheat in a bowl, pour over enough boiling water to cover, then set aside to swell. Peel the beetroot and the onion then grate them coarsely into a large bowl. Add the minced lamb, the peeled and crushed garlic, the dill, parsley and a generous grinding of salt and black pepper.

Squeeze any water from the cracked wheat with your hands and mix into the meat. Mix everything together thoroughly, then squidge the mince into little patties about the size of a flattened golf ball, cover with clingfilm (tight, to stop the garlic infusing the fridge!), then chill for at least an hour.

Set the oven at 180C/gas mark 4. Make the dressing by grating the cucumber coarsely and leaving it in a colander, lightly sprinkled with salt, for half an hour. Squeeze it dry then mix it with the chopped mint, capers and yogurt. Season with salt and black pepper.

Heat a non-stick pan, brush the patties with a little groundnut oil and fry till golden on both sides. Try not to move the meatballs around very much when they are cooking, otherwise they may fall apart. Once they are lightly browned on each side, carefully lift them into a baking dish and finish in a hot oven for 15-20 minutes. (You can only tell if they are done by tasting one, as the beetroot gives them a rich red colour, making it impossible to gauge by sight whether they are cooked.) Drizzle with the cucumber dressing and eat.

nigel.slater@observer.co.uk

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