HOLIDAY COOKING

Stress-free holiday cooking has been a goal of mine for years. I used to devour every article and blog that I could find, giving advice on getting organized, planning ahead, staying relaxed, and enjoying the holiday. Frankly, the best advice on relaxed holiday preparations is purely psychological: not minding seems to be the healthiest way of coping with all of the annoying, niggling, and sometimes catastrophic events that life can throw your way.

I've tried every possible method of stress-free holiday cooking: elaborate do-ahead charts with tick-boxes; oven-ready meals provided from posh shops with fool-proof instructions attached; plain and simple "I don't care" meals with nothing to do but microwave, etc. The fact is: I love cooking, and love family feasts, but if I do too much I get stressed and fractious, and if I do too little I feel sheepish and a little guilty.

My advice for stress-free holiday cooking? Pick your battles wisely. Concentrate on your favourite element on the menu: something you can cook really really well, in your sleep, with your eyes closed, and with your hands tied behind your back. I'm rubbish at baking: I don't go there. Putting enormous stuffed poultry in the oven at 4.00a.m. just plain worries me: I don't go there either. Sliding things under poultry skin and anything involving basting regularly rarely gets my attention as that's just the problem: paying attention. I have the attention span of a very young child, and get distracted easily by things like opening Christmas stockings and hunting for Easter eggs.

SO: the following is my contribution to the challenge of holiday cooking. This Easter I personally will be preparing the most beautiful bung-in-the-oven roast Bronze Turkey Crown (www.gressinghamduck.co.uk ), with braised leeks, ginger & brown sugar-glazed baby carrots, and the following magical stuffing casserole. Woolley Park Farm (www.woolleyparkfarm.co.uk) is a fantastic local supplier of poultry in Bradford-on-Avon.

Stuffing casseroles don't go in the bird. Treat them like a side dish (big plus, here: you can re-heat a sausage casserole, whereas you shouldn't re-heat stuffing that's been inside a bird, because of bacteria issues). These casseroles can be made well in advance and re-heated gently, covered with foil and spritzed on top with a little spray cooking oil to prevent sticking. They incorporate sausage, and fruit, and veg, and bread, all together in one dish. The Midnight Fridge Raiders will thank you, as they make the most marvellous leftovers when sliced thickly and stuffed into a turkey sandwich. If you are visiting friends or relatives, and are asked to bring something, bring this. It travels really well, chilled and covered, all in one dish, and doesn't take up too much room in somebody's else's busy kitchen, when you reheat it.

The origin of this particular recipe came from THE SILVER PALATE NEW BASICS COOKBOOK, and was an elegant dish involving dried sour cherries, hazelnuts, port, and all manner of good things. I've streamlined my stuffing over the years, and it changes every time I use it, based on where I am and what looks good in the shops.  (I've actually lost the recipe now, as I tore the pages out of the cookbook and brought them to Tivoli in my luggage, from whence they did not return). I personally don't use nuts, as my son is allergic; they do add a nice bit of crunch. So, without further ado:


MOVEABLE FEAST CATERING COMPANY STUFFING CASSEROLE (Serves 6)

PRE-HEAT OVEN TO 190C.

Ingredients:
2 chopped yellow onions
1 stalk of celery, chopped finely
1/2 c. dried apricots, chopped
1 tart red apple, unpeeled, cored and chopped
fresh or dried thyme, to taste
6 cups stale bread, cubed into 1" cubes
6 pork and herb sausages, skinned (or equivalent bulk pork sausage meat) broken up into bits
1/2 c. chicken stock
olive oil for frying
(1/2 c. chopped walnuts or pecans)

Method:
Fry onions and celery gently until wilted.
Add  sausage meat and brown, breaking up into smaller pieces with a spoon
Place ingredients in a large bowl, add bread cubes, fresh and dried fruit, nuts if using, and herbs
Gently stir to combine and add stock as needed to moisten, if your bread crumbs are really stale.
Lightly grease a casserole dish and add the stuffing mixture. Cover with foil and refrigerate until ready to use, or:

Bake, loosely covered, for 30 minutes, uncover, and cook 15 minutes more. This is a very forgiving recipe if you've timed your bird wrong: it can rest happily. Make sure it is piping hot when you serve it.

HAPPY EASTER!