Cooking for a community charity outfit is challenging, exhausting, and frustrating along with being good fun and very rewarding. This past week, Christmas dinner was on the menu. British Christmas dinner, that is. (Or, shall I say English? Well, that's a debate for another time, I suppose). My fellow volunteer (a Slovakian) gazed wide-eyed at the array of dishes in process, asking for the recipes as she -- for the first time -- is to cook a Christmas dinner here in the UK. 'Hmmmmm. Well,' I said, 'I wouldn't trust what I I am doing to be the right way; you don't know what you'll get when you let an American cook your British Christmas dinner.' To this, another worker piped up in frustrated tones, 'but how is an American Christmas dinner any different?' To that I replied, 'I'm Sicilian and Polish, by origin,' (as if this explained everything). I went on to explain that while Thanksgiving dinner is rather like what many Brits eat for Christmas (turkey, stuffing, buttered vegetables), American Christmas dinner is nothing of the sort for most. Heavily influenced by people's roots and US regionalism, American Christmas dinner, is, well, whatever you eat on the 25th of December! Sure, there are food histories that detail what the fashion of the day was through time, and much of that (particularly on the East Coast of the US) is based on British heritage. However, this is simply one of range of influences that determine what people now eat in the US of A on Christmas Day.
In the snowy and cold North, my family (sans moi) will be sitting down to a dinner of lasagne, caponata (made, incidentally, by my Polish father!), Italian sausages cooked in Chianti, Italian cheeses and olive salads. Is this 'traditional' Italian, Sicilian, or even Sicilian-American? Probably not, but it is simply what we do. A breakfast of eggs and Polish sausages and possibly potato pancakes or dumplings will also be on the Christmas menu.
Around the US, people will be eating beef roasts, seafood, ham, venison, game birds -- you name it. Mexican tamales for some and lutefisk for others -- or quite possibly both dishes in the same household. Christmas dinner is a testament to the many, many heritages of the American people -- old and new, traditional and blended.
So, to my British friends and colleagues, I am sorry that I can't tell you what American Christmas dinner is -- or even what it isn't. (Never say never, as no doubt some in America will be eating a British Christmas dinner).
As for me, I will be sitting down to a tasty Christmas dinner in London prepared by my mother-in-law. Oh -- and so much for traditional turkey -- she makes beef.
Have a lovely Christmas, everyone.
Tuesday, 23 December 2008
What you get when you let an American cook your British Christmas Dinner
Sunday, 14 December 2008
Crispy Duck Legs with Chinese Pancakes
I love food that is moorish and comforting but at the same time light and fresh. A good Pad Thai is all of these things. Crispy duck can be, as well. I can't claim this to be authentic, but it is easy and excellent and does a good job to fill the need for this British favourite. Americans don't know this delicacy. I am sure that there are Chinese in the US that have crispy duck on the menu, but it's not ubiquitous as it is in the UK.
I use free range duck legs for this recipe. The legs are relatively inexpensive and far easier to handle than a whole duck. I suppose you could use breasts as well as legs, but I think that the breast meat (off the bone) is better used for other recipes. The pancakes might take a bit of practice; the key is to liberally dust the dough with flour throughout the process.
If you shop in a Chinese market, look for a bag of five spice mix (whole spices). If you can't find this, you can use the ground version or prepare it yourself using whole peppercorns, fennel seeds, a cinnamon stick, star anise and cloves.
Crispy Duck Legs with Chinese Pancakes
Serves 4 (if served with other dishes)
For the duck:
4 free range duck legs
1.5 tbsp Chinese Five Spice powder, or 2 tbsp whole spices, ground
1 tbsp oil
1/2 an onion, roughly chopped
1 small carrot, cut in a few chunks
1 6-inch piece of celery, but into a few chunks
2 cloves garlic (leave skin on, but give them a press with the knife)
1 bay leaf
a good splash of white wine
200ml hot water or chicken stock
For the pancakes:
200g plain flour
160g boiling water
1 tsp sugar
seasame oil
For the trimmings:
1 cucumber, cut into thin strips (you can peel and/or de-seed if you prefer)
1 small bunch spring onions, cut into very thin strips (use white and green parts)
1 jar hoisin sauce
Heat the oven to 200 degrees C (180 for a fan oven). Trim any large pieces of excess fat from the duck legs if necessary. Lightly season the legs, and rub the spices into each leg (both sides). Heat a large oven-proof pan with oil to medium-high. Place the duck legs in the pan, skin side down. Cook them to a golden brown and turn over for a few minutes. Remove legs from pan and set aside. Drain off all but a tablespoon of the fat. Saute onion, carrot and celery for 5 minutes. Add garlic and bay leaf and cook for a further 2 minutes. Add the wine, scraping any cooked bits from the bottom of the pan and let reduce slightly. Add the stock or water to the pan and bring to the boil. Take the pan from the heat, add legs back into the pan, cover and braise in the oven for one hour.
In the meantime, prepare the trimmings and pancakes. For the pancakes, mix flour and sugar in a large bowl. Add the boiling water and mix with a fork in the first instance. Using a wooden spoon, continue to combine until you begin to have a soft dough. Knead the dough on a floured surface for a few minutes (dusting with extra flour as you go). When you have a smooth, non-sticky dough, cover with a tea towel and leave for about half an hour. Divide dough in half. Again on a floured surface, roll out each piece of dough with a rolling pin until it is about 1/4 inch thick. Cut out small circles with a pastry cutter (a 3-4 inch one works well). Remove excess pastry (you can re-roll this later). Brush circles of dough with seasame oil. Pair them by putting two together, oiled sides together. Cover and let rest for 15-30 minutes. Roll each pair until very thin. In a hot, dry pan, cook on each side until slightly charred. Set aside a a plate under a tea towel as you continue with the rest. Carefully pull apart the pairs of pancakes. You can re-heat (steam) these in the microwave later if necessary. To do this, place them on a microwave-safe plate, add a 1/2 tsp of water, cover with cling film and pierce. Microwave for about 1 minute. This will make around 20 pancakes, depending on the size of your disks.
When the duck is cooked, remove legs from pan and discard the cooking liquid and vegetables. (At this stage, you can cool the duck and refridgerate until ready to use). Turn on the grill. Place the legs on a rack over a roasting pan, skin side up. Grill the legs for about 10 minutes or until the skin is crisp but be careful not to burn them.
Using two forks (or your fingers), remove skin and thinly slice. Pull the meat from the legs with the forks and shred. Serve the duck meat, skin and trimmings with the pile of warm pancakes. Let guests fill the pancakes themselves, spreading a thin layer of hoisin sauce, a generous portion of duck, spring onions and cucumber. Roll and enjoy.
I use free range duck legs for this recipe. The legs are relatively inexpensive and far easier to handle than a whole duck. I suppose you could use breasts as well as legs, but I think that the breast meat (off the bone) is better used for other recipes. The pancakes might take a bit of practice; the key is to liberally dust the dough with flour throughout the process.
If you shop in a Chinese market, look for a bag of five spice mix (whole spices). If you can't find this, you can use the ground version or prepare it yourself using whole peppercorns, fennel seeds, a cinnamon stick, star anise and cloves.
Crispy Duck Legs with Chinese Pancakes
Serves 4 (if served with other dishes)
For the duck:
4 free range duck legs
1.5 tbsp Chinese Five Spice powder, or 2 tbsp whole spices, ground
1 tbsp oil
1/2 an onion, roughly chopped
1 small carrot, cut in a few chunks
1 6-inch piece of celery, but into a few chunks
2 cloves garlic (leave skin on, but give them a press with the knife)
1 bay leaf
a good splash of white wine
200ml hot water or chicken stock
For the pancakes:
200g plain flour
160g boiling water
1 tsp sugar
seasame oil
For the trimmings:
1 cucumber, cut into thin strips (you can peel and/or de-seed if you prefer)
1 small bunch spring onions, cut into very thin strips (use white and green parts)
1 jar hoisin sauce
Heat the oven to 200 degrees C (180 for a fan oven). Trim any large pieces of excess fat from the duck legs if necessary. Lightly season the legs, and rub the spices into each leg (both sides). Heat a large oven-proof pan with oil to medium-high. Place the duck legs in the pan, skin side down. Cook them to a golden brown and turn over for a few minutes. Remove legs from pan and set aside. Drain off all but a tablespoon of the fat. Saute onion, carrot and celery for 5 minutes. Add garlic and bay leaf and cook for a further 2 minutes. Add the wine, scraping any cooked bits from the bottom of the pan and let reduce slightly. Add the stock or water to the pan and bring to the boil. Take the pan from the heat, add legs back into the pan, cover and braise in the oven for one hour.
In the meantime, prepare the trimmings and pancakes. For the pancakes, mix flour and sugar in a large bowl. Add the boiling water and mix with a fork in the first instance. Using a wooden spoon, continue to combine until you begin to have a soft dough. Knead the dough on a floured surface for a few minutes (dusting with extra flour as you go). When you have a smooth, non-sticky dough, cover with a tea towel and leave for about half an hour. Divide dough in half. Again on a floured surface, roll out each piece of dough with a rolling pin until it is about 1/4 inch thick. Cut out small circles with a pastry cutter (a 3-4 inch one works well). Remove excess pastry (you can re-roll this later). Brush circles of dough with seasame oil. Pair them by putting two together, oiled sides together. Cover and let rest for 15-30 minutes. Roll each pair until very thin. In a hot, dry pan, cook on each side until slightly charred. Set aside a a plate under a tea towel as you continue with the rest. Carefully pull apart the pairs of pancakes. You can re-heat (steam) these in the microwave later if necessary. To do this, place them on a microwave-safe plate, add a 1/2 tsp of water, cover with cling film and pierce. Microwave for about 1 minute. This will make around 20 pancakes, depending on the size of your disks.
When the duck is cooked, remove legs from pan and discard the cooking liquid and vegetables. (At this stage, you can cool the duck and refridgerate until ready to use). Turn on the grill. Place the legs on a rack over a roasting pan, skin side up. Grill the legs for about 10 minutes or until the skin is crisp but be careful not to burn them.
Using two forks (or your fingers), remove skin and thinly slice. Pull the meat from the legs with the forks and shred. Serve the duck meat, skin and trimmings with the pile of warm pancakes. Let guests fill the pancakes themselves, spreading a thin layer of hoisin sauce, a generous portion of duck, spring onions and cucumber. Roll and enjoy.
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