18 December 2011

The way to a man's heart...

Kholly asked for a recipe, Mycroft is helping me get organised, I defy even sprout-haters amongst you not to like sprouts cooked the way I'm going to cook them, and I still haven't found a decent panettone.

Yes, this post is almost all about food.



Kholly first:
Crème fraîche, butternut squash and sage mash.

You need 60g of butter, 10+ sage leaves, chopped up, 1.5 kilos of squash, peeled with no seeds and cut inti 1 inch pieces, 40g parmesan, grated, 6 tbsp crème fraîche, and salt, ground black pepper and chilli flakes to season.

It's dead easy. Melt the butter over a low heat, in a heavy pan with a lid. Once the butter is foaming, throw in the sage. After a minute, throw in the squash and chilli if you want it, cook for 15-20 mins, until your squash is tender. Give it a bit of a mash, chuck in the parmesan, crème fraîche, salt and pepper. Done. That amount would serve about six. I'm doubling it - well, just seeing what the squashes I buy yield, really.


Sprouts, gratin with bacon, parmesan, cream and almonds. Delicious. - Just go here, far easier! Sorry these are all British, therefore not in cups and...whatever.

Panettone - I could try making one, but...I've got enough to do. So I'm going to try and head to an Italian deli on the 23rd, I think. Hope they've still got one.

Christmas morning just isn't right without it. Sherlock might demand it done as eggy bread. Not sure he's entirely convinced it's 'proper breakfast' otherwise.

And Christmas really wouldn't be Christmas without this song. First heard it when I was 8. Never could have guessed it would still climb the charts every year, even nearly forty years later. But I defy anyone in the UK to say it's Christmas until they've heard this song.



I mean...you can see why I wanted to be a rockstar, right? The hair, the clothes, the glamour... um. Yeah. Still, Noddy. What a legend.

22 comments:

REReader said...

I had to go look up panettone--it looks and sounds quite yummy. :)

Heh, yes, glamour! But it's a fun song, and I don't think I've ever heard it before.

Anon Without A Name said...

I must admit, I prefer my sprouts roasted with a little garlic, or roasted with sesame. But then, I prefer simpler flavours for food I'm going to smother in gravy :-p I've never tried butternut squash mashed, might give that a go. It's got parmesan and butter in it, it's got to be good, right?

You know that Noddy Holder has a star on Broad Street in Birmingham? Up there with Jasper Carrott and The Archers, oh yes...

Was Jimmy Saville really wearing a Womble costume at the start of that video?

Small Hobbit said...

You are my hero for posting that. Listening to Slade makes me smile every time.

And yes, Nameless, Jimmy Saville was wearing a Womble costume.

Greg Lestrade said...

RR - it is very nice. And It is a brilliant song - which is why it's stood the test of time.

Nameless - roasted with garlic is also very fine. But knowing a lot of people aren't too keen, this way sort of 'hides' sprouts more! (I'll probably keep some back for those who prefer a plainer sprout.) The butternut squash is lovely.

And...yes. He really was. Which is less hard to believe than it probably should be.

John H. D. Watson said...

The sprouts do sound delicious, but of course with bacon, cream, and parmesan almost anything would be!

Greg Lestrade said...

well quite. Even Nicky's kids eat sprouts that way.

Speaking of...I presume Mycroft and Carla have arranged the entire Christmas trip by now? They seem far better at us than us grown ups.

John H. D. Watson said...

I think they might have an itinerary. Possibly a map with marked points of interest.

Greg Lestrade said...

Hah. With ice skating, I presume. Although I imagine Carla will want to hit the sales...

I'll get a day or two off in the midst of it all.

Mrs Hudson has offered her oven for cooking all the meat in, and possibly some other bits once the meat is resting. Mycroft has written a schedule. Cooking is going to be brilliant. I can't wait.

John H. D. Watson said...

We should do this at some point too. Sherlock would love it.

http://www.nhm.ac.uk/visit-us/whats-on/daily-events/spirit-collection-tour/index.html

Greg Lestrade said...

Wow, that does look amazing. He would be in Things In Jars Heaven. We'd have to pat him down at the end, just in case.

(It says you have to be over 8...we could get around that, I'm sure. He can flash his Scotland Yard ID card...)

KHolly said...

Thanks for the recipe. I wonder if I'll be able to convince people to let me add it to our menu for Christmas. I'm not even sure yet whose house we're having Christmas dinner at and that makes a very big difference on what the food will be like.

John H. D. Watson said...

I think he'd be able to talk them into it. Especially with his increasing use of logic over stamping his foot and shouting.

Greg Lestrade said...

If he wrote a letter explaining his interest, I reckon they'd invite him in. Otherwise you'd just have to rely on someone on the day.

REReader said...

A letter from Sherlock explaining his interest would probably yield a guided tour from a curator, if not the head of the department.

mazarin221b said...

That sprouts recipe looks a lot like the cauliflower one I'm cooking tonight, to go with our roast beef. Tasty, tasty stuff. I love cooking big meals, it's such fun coming up with new and interesting things. Have a fantastic time! May your goose be gorgeous and the gratin perfect.

Back to the stove for me! One pan of white chocolate peppermint bark down, one pan of glazed, spiced pecans to go!

REReader said...

(I meant a private tour. It's definitely worth trying!)

Greg Lestrade said...

RR - I sort of think they'd be too busy for that. But I'm sure he'd be allowed in. And possibly, depending how busy they are, someone might invite him back if he has a lot of questions - once he's proven his interest. As you say, worth a try.

Mazarin - sounds amazing! I was tempted to do roast beef...but Goose is so traditional. And a good size for us.

Ro said...

Very timely recipe - I've spent the last day discussing the different ways the workd uses pumpkin (and we, in Australia, call it Butternut Pumpkin, not Squash). I was amazed to discover from an American that savoury pumpkin dishes are seen as 'upmarket' food. At the other end of the spectrum, a friend tells me that in Russia it is solely feed for livestock. The American I was talking to had never had a savoury pumpkin dish, only sweet. I remember, too, when I was in England the people I was staying with were amazed at the idea of pumpkin on a pizza - or, in fact, in anything other than soup. So, go the pumpkin mash! And you've made me hungry. Morning tea time, I think. Cup of coffee and some pumpkin seeds!

Amy said...

Mmmmm, panettone is a definite must! I'm sure it would make decadent eggy bread. :) I like to toast any leftover bits and slather them with butter.

Ro said...

Hooray for Christmassy Lestrade pictures!

Anon Without A Name said...

You look... adorable in that photo. Definitely :-p

And I don't know why I was even slightly surprised that Jimmy Saville would have been wearing a womble costume. A little less outrageous than his normal outfits...

Greg Lestrade said...

Ha! True. He was one of a kind.

And thanks. I think.

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