...and the goose is getting fat....

Last year I started to write about how to organise the perfect Christmas without all the cheffy rubbish and was planning a gloriously simple Christmas feast for the Beautiful wife and I. Alas my Christmas fell apart and I was unable to finish blogging up to the big day. This year's Christmas will be a very quiet one and hopefully, one without any unpleasant issues.
My Father lost his battle with Leukemia early in November so there will not be wild celebrations this year. He was a truly great man in all the small but very important ways. He was, however, the hardest man on earth to feed. This was a man who "hated" ginger in anything yet his favourite tipple was Whisky and dry ginger! He hated fish, but loved salmon or prawns. He detested garlic but would steal a slice of garlic bread before it left the kitchen. We all miss him very much.
As I sit here on this chilly Sunday evening our little house is filled with the warm winter smell of braising red cabbage. Get this done now as it freezes perfectly well and its another job you don't have to do on the day. The cabbages came in the veg box we get from Abel and Cole - one of them came last week and was the size of a football. Four or five batches of cabbage will soon be in my freezer! (Recipe below)
Now I began to talk about this last year but is stands repeating - On the way home from work tomorrow you need (and I do mean "NEED") to buy your chestnuts - you will not feel at all full of Christmas cheer when on the eve of the big day you are charging round every shop and supermarket trying to find some.
The other thing I must nag about is ordering your meat. It doesn't really matter how many you are feeding on the 25th but it is important to make sure you have the meat you want. On this note why not try something different this year: A rib of beef perhaps, a roast goose might be nice (fine roasties here) or a loin of pork, maybe a leg of lamb, you could even go completely of script and poach a salmon! If you are having turkey please, please make sure it is Free Range and preferably raised to very high welfare and feed standards too. Yes, yes I know times are hard but this is a once a year meal - shouldn't we head towards 2012 with good intentions and actions.

Braised Red Cabbage
1 medium sized red cabbage, shredded
1 large white onion, sliced
1 large apple (Bramley ideal, but any really) peeled, cored and chopped
Glug of Cider vinegar
Wine glass of Dry cider
Butter
Salt and pepper
Melt a large knob of butter in a large casserole on the hob and add the onions and apple. As the apple is softening, add the cabbage and stir to give a fine coat of butter on everything. Pour in the vinegar and the cider and stir some more. Place the lid on and pop the dish into a pre-heated, medium oven for about 45 minutes. Take out the casserole carefully and give the cabbage a really good stir. Add more cider if needed; it doesn't need a swimming pool in the bottom but neither should it be dry. Pop it back in the oven for another 45 minutes. Remove and season to taste. Serve immediately or allow to cool and freeze in bags, portioned according to your family size. This dish happily re-heats in the oven or in the microwave, simply add a little butter to give a gloss before serving. If you want to be a bit or adventurous add some cloves or a stick of cinnamon during cooking.