Cook once, eat twice!

Christmas leftovers don't have to be complicated, no need to slave away in the kitchen two days in a row to enjoy a good meal! A plate of- cold turkey, ham, chicken liver  pate, gherkins, homemade pickled beets, salami, Dubliner and brie cheese, garlic bread made from a fresh baguette... all washed down with a glass of water (detoxing after a little over consumption of wine)

Peasants Soup, deliciously frugal.

 

Peasants Soup for a cold winters night. A quick and simple soup recipe that I picked up while training in Ballymaloe House in County Cork Ireland. Peasants soup contains ingredients that would have been easily available to agricultural peasant workers, and is still a deliciously frugal meal that is so comforting on a warms winters night.

100 grams of streaky bacon  

1 onion diced 

1 large potato (1/2 inch cubed) 

1 clove of garlic (crushed) 

2 cups of cabbage (shredded) 

1 pint of chicken stock 

1 tin of chopped tomatoes 

In a pot fry your onions, bacon and garlic until browned. Reduce the heat and add your cubed potatoes, fry for a further 2-3 minutes before adding your stock and tomatoes. Simmer on medium heat until the potatoes are tender, add your shredded cabbage last. season with salt and pepper to taste.

Brownies

8 oz unsweetened chocolate
1 cup of butter (diced)
Juice and zest of 1 orange
1 capful of Tia Maria
5 eggs
3 cups of sugar
1 tblsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
1 tsp Salt

Combine the first four ingredients in a bowl over a pot of simmering water so as to melt the chocolate and butter, set aside and leave to cool slightly. In a mixer blend the sugar, eggs and vanilla together to form a cream (aprox 10 minutes). Combine with the chocolate mixture and gently fold in the flour and salt, taking care not to over-work the mixture. Pour the mixture into a greased or lines 9x13 pan. Put in a pre-heated over at 190c for 35-40 minutes. Leave to cool before enjoying!