Turkey, stilton & broccoli burgers

Ingredients 400g turkey mince, 200g white stilton with apricots, 1/2 head of broccoli

Serves: 6 preparation: 40 minutes


Since I made The Boy my turkey and stilton meatballs he has been completely addicted to the combination (and to making jokes about eating balls with his friends on Facebook...) so I decided to treat him and make him a meat version of the plantain, stilton and broccoli burger I created recently.


1) Steam or boil the broccoli for about 20 minutes - this recipe needs it to be soft rather than al dente but there should still be some nutrients left in there!


2) Drain the broccoli and pulse in the blender until it resembles breadcrumbs, add the crumbled cheese and turkey mince and pulse until it has come together into a ball.


3) Divide into 6 patties, pressing firmly into your hands and rolling into a ball - these need to be relatively solid or when they cook, the turkey juices and steam will separate.


4) Sear the outside in a pan with a little olive oil before baking in the oven for about 20 minutes

Turkey orange & stilton meatballs

Ingredients 400g turkey mince, 170g white stilton with orange, 1/2 small white onion, passata tomatoes, juice and zest of 1 orange, linguine

Serves: 3 Preparation: 20 minutes

This recipe evolved as a result of a twitter conversation. I was asked what kind of sauce I'd serve with a stilton-based meatball, creamy or tomatoey and I explained that stilton LOVES fruit. Whether cranberry, orange, apricot or ginger - the more tart the flavour, the better. So for me, the only solution would be a simple sauce of orange juice, zest and the rich warmth of tomato. I made these meatballs with lean turkey mince, all the better to balance the naughty addition of cheese!

1) Peel and slice half the onion and add to a blender. Pulse for a few seconds and then add the turkey mince and crumbled stilton.

2) Keep pulsing until the mixture is thoroughly combined - you will see it form a large ball in the blender when it is ready. Remove and form into meatballs.

3) Using a little splash of oil, fry off the meatballs in a hot pan for about a minute - tossing them to ensure they keep their shape and are evenly coloured. Transfer to an ovenproof dish and set aside.

4) Zest the orange and squeeze out the juice. Add the juice and zest to a pan with about 250g passata and warm through. Season and pour over the meatballs, then transfer to the oven and bake for about 20 minutes at 180 degrees.

5) Boil the linguine in salted water for about 10 minutes and strain. Add the meatballs and sauce to the linguine and toss until the sauce has coated the pasta. Serve with black pepper and a sprinkle of basil or parsley.

Turkey risotto

Ingredients    Roast turkey, turkey carcass, water,  risotto rice, double cream, brandy, butter, leek

Serves: 2 Preparation: 30


Perfect for leftover Christmas turkey, this is a great way to use up your meat and use the carcass too for making stock. All risottos (no matter what the ingredients) can be made in 3 simple stages. The first is called tostatura - coating the rice in fat, the second involves cooking off some alcohol (in this case brandy to give it that extra Christmassy flavour) and the third involves releasing the starch from the rice one ladle of stock at a time.


1) To make the stock: Pick the meat from the turkey carcass and set aside, then add the carcass into a stock pot and cover with water. Allow to boil for 1-2 hours, strain away the turkey and allow to cool. Skim off the fat from the surface and then the stock is ready to use. If you don't want to make turkey stock, you can use chicken stock instead.


2) To make the risotto: Finely dice the like and sautee in a little butter until soft. Add the risotto rice and stir until the rice becomes transparent, revealing a white dot in the centre and pour in a glug of brandy.


3) Once the brandy cooks off, add the first ladle of stock and stir through.


4) Continue adding the stock, one ladle at a time, adding the turkey with the final ladle of stock.


5) Finish with a little cream and freshly grated black pepper and serve.

Christmas Turkey

Ingredients   Turkey or turkey crown, 1 tbsp allspice, 1 tbsp cinnamon, 150g salt, 100g sugar, star anise, caraway seeds, honey, butter, bacon

Serves: an army... Preparation: 2 days

So this is Christmas... and we're all exhausted from the shopping and the wrapping and the decorating and wondering how in the hell we're going to fit everything in the fridge, in the oven and on the table.
With this recipe I promise that your turkey will be absolutely delicious and hassle free - all it takes is a little preparation! I use a brine bath and I'll tell you why; here comes the science bit... the salt in the brine bath breaks down some of the proteins in the meat which allows water to enter all the little cells. It's important to add this extra liquid because when you roast a turkey, the proteins contract which forces out the natural liquid and can leave you with a dry, stringy turkey instead of this lovely juicy beast.

(PS I will update the image on Christmas Day once I've roasted my bird!)

23rd DecemberUsing a stock pot (if you have a small turkey or turkey crown) or a large bucket big enough to fit the turkey in fill it 1/2 full of the salt, honey, sugar, spices and water and chuck in your turkey.

You need to cover this well and keep it somewhere cool until Christmas morning, cool enough to stop the meat spoiling (the cellar or even outside) but for god's sake don't leave it out in the snow or your turkey will freeze!

25th December1) Get up early and remove the turkey from the brine bath, ensuring all the liquid drains from the cavity, then pat it dry and pop it in the roasting dish.

2) If you're stuffing the turkey (I recommend my chai tea loaf, pancetta, pear and leek stuffing), do this first and then get to massaging and pinching the skin of the turkey so that it's loose enough for you to work two tablespoons of butter under it and press and massage until it's evenly distributed under the skin.

3) Lay strips of bacon over the top of the turkey and it's ready to pop in the oven! The magical thing about brining the turkey first is you don't have to faff about with covering it and uncovering it to baste it and cover it back up again... the only thing you really need to get right is the timings for cooking which really depends on the weight of the turkey/turkey crown.

Once it has cooked, remove it from the roasting tin and put it on a serving platter, covered with foil to keep it warm and allow all the juices to settle back into the turkey. If you press the skin you will see how they have risen to the surface in an attempt to escape as steam - by allowing the turkey to rest, they do work their way back down so you don't lose any of that essential juiciness. This 30 - 45 minutes resting time is also very useful because you have space in your oven to do your roast potatoes or other trimmings!

4) To make gravy, skim off most of the fat from the roasting tin and then whisk in a teaspoon of flour. If you add the flour first, it will mix well with the fat to form a sort of roux and you will never get lumpy gravy. Add the flour last and you risk getting chunks of flour and a cloudy gravy rather than a lovely, rich, clear liquid. To the roux, add stock or wine - whichever you prefer and give it a good stir as it warms through.

Boxing day soup

Ingredients     Turkey, 1 carrot, 1 small potato,    100g cranberries, 1 pint ham stock, 1 white onion, butter, rosemary.

Serves: 4 Preparation: 30 minutes


This winter I have created 10 new soups to warm you through on a cold day;

• Maple glazed carrot
• goats cheese & pancetta soup
• Honey roast parsnip & cider soup
• Leek, potato & lavender soup
• Spinach & nutmeg soup
• Spinach, pear & gorgonzola soup
• Watercress, pear & gorgonzola soup
• Cauliflower & almond soup
• Courgette & feta soup 
• Roast butternut squash & pancetta soup
  This final soup in the series is what I call Boxing Day soup - created from Christmas turkey and Cranberries - just the thing to use up your leftovers.

1) Peel and finely dice the onion and sautee in a little butter with the cranberries and some chopped rosemary.


2) If you are using fresh vegetables, peel and dice them and add to the pan with the stock and turkey meat. If you are using leftovers, pulse them in a blender first. Season to taste with salt and pepper.


3) Allow the soup to simmer for 20 minutes and serve. (if using fresh vegetables, pulse the soup in the blender first)

Turkey roulade with apricot & cashew

Ingredients  Turkey steak, cashew nuts, hazelnut  butter, dried apricot, black pepper, basil oil, dried basil.

1) Crush a few handful of cashew nuts in a blender (or using a mortar and pestle), stir in a teaspoon of hazelnut butter to bind into a paste and set aside.


2) Grind some black pepper, dried basil, a pinch of salt and stir through some basil oil. Give your turkey steaks a good pounding with a meat mallet and then spread the pepper and basil oilto one side.


3) Flip over the turkey steak and add a tablespoon of the cashew nut mixture and a dried apricot. Roll the turkey steak around the filling. Repeat for each turkey steak and bake in the oven for 15 minutes, basting with the juices after 7 minutes.

Turkey roulade with apple & cranberry

Ingredients  Turkey steak, braeburn apples, dried cranberries.

1) Peel and de-core 2 apples and dice the apple flesh


2) Give the turkey steak a good bashing with a rolling pin, then spread a layer of diced apples and cranberries over them.


3) Roll up the turkey and bake in the oven for 15 minutes.

I served this with parmeggian mash and honey roast parsnips.