Wartime Christmas Pudding

Steve Doyle — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 13:03:46 +0000

Well, it’s been far too long since my last post. Blogging regularly can be difficult, but I’m not going to start making excuses. Better to try to just keep on. And what better way than to highlight this inspirational recipe I’ve just received from the team at the Imperial War Museum. Wartime affected people’s diet to an extent we would find unimaginable today. It’s difficult to even consider the reality of rationing. So this recipe for Christmas Pud (using potato and carrot!) is really rather moving for me. Christmas Pudding is not a necessity item. In fact, nowadays, many people don’t eat it on Christmas Day even for tradition’s sake. But back in the 40s, it would have been more than a pudding. It was a home-made symbol of defiance. Even if the country had barely enough to survive, there would still be Christmas Pudding on December 25th. We’d find a way! Recipes such as the one above were developed by the Ministry of Food. The names of the people who actually created them are largely unknown now and yet recipes like this must have affected literally millions of families. In the bleakest of all British winters, when nobody knew what the final outcome would be, this Pud was a prod of defiance in the eye of the enemy; a small ray of hope strangely true to the real spirit of Christmas. If you try it out, do let me know what your results were like. I hope it’s tasty!

Colcannon

Steve Doyle — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 17:27:28 +0000

Although the main focus of this site is the weekly dinner party, I will also be throwing in the odd random recipe too, and what better place to start than Colcannon? You may have guessed from my name that I have Irish heritage – in fact on my ma’s side too – so I have quite a lot of affection for this cabbage mash. Mash is the perfect winter food isn’t it? So warming and comforting and lovely. And Colcannon makes a nice change from the usual. Traditionally it’s made with kale at Halloween, but in this recipe I’m using pointed cabbage and some leek, sautéd with onion. I also put garlic in the mash because, well, I’m just a garlicoholic, but you can leave it out of course if you prefer. I can eat Colcannon straight from the bowl, plain or with gravy, but it goes perfectly with sausages and winter stews. It’s also brilliant if you have wheat-free friends, as I do – there’s not a hint of a sheaf in sight!

INGREDIENTS (for 2 people)

2 medium Potatoes

1/3 Pointy Cabbage (125g/2 cups)

50g Leek

1/2 medium Onion (75g)

1 teaspoon Garlic Paste or 1 large clove

50g Butter

Possibly some Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

Peel and chop the potatoes so the chunks are substantial but not too big. If you cut them too small, they will cook quicker but dissolve into mush rather than mash. Place in a pan of boiling water for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, pierce one of the potatoes with a knife. The knife should cut through easily but the potato should not crumble and dissolve. This is important for mash because when the potato becomes overcooked, it can get waterlogged and the mash, as I warned before, will just be a sloppy mush – while I’ve still got my teeth, I’ll choose to use them, so I keep my potatoes cooked through but firm.

When the potatoes look like they’re about done, peel and slice the onion and place in a pan on a low/medium heat with half the butter and/or a splash of olive oil. Butter tastes better but olive oil is easier to cook with so it’s up to you. Then remove the potatoes from their pan and place in a large bowl. Don’t drain the water away – we’re going to use that next! Oh, and yes, that is a pink pan I’ve got. I like a colourful kitchen, what can I say?

While the onion is sizzling, chop up the cabbage and leek and place in the potato water – see, there it is! – and boil for about 5 minutes maximum.

Drain the water from the cabbage and leek and place the two in the frying pan with the onion. Give it a stir and then let it sizzle on a medium heat for about 3-4 minutes.

Take a fork or a masher (you don’t need a ricer, it’s just another thing to wash) and press down on the potato as above. Then add the remaining butter and a spoonful of garlic paste. I’m kind of obsessed with garlic paste at the moment because it removes one of the most boring jobs in cooking – peeling and slicing garlic. Of course, it will never be as aromatic or delicious as fresh garlic, but in a recipe like this, it will do the job. Mix all the ingredients in the bowl with a fork quite vigorously. Then add the sautéd onion, leek and cabbage and fold them into the potato more gently.

Here, I’ve served the Colcannon straight onto a simple white plate – that glow is the steam coming off. As I said before though, this dish also goes perfectly with winter stews and sausages. Let me know if you try it and…fingers crossed…if you like it.

Doyle's Kitchen » Vegetarian

Wartime Christmas Pudding

Colcannon