ALCHEMIST KITCHEN RECIPES

Steps:

• Cook time: 2 hours plus cooling.

  Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4. Wash the squash, then carefully quarter it lengthways and remove the seeds, placing the squash in a roasting tray, skin side down. Peel, quarter and scatter over the onions, drizzle with 1 tablespoon of oil, add the cinnamon, ground coriander and a pinch of sea salt and black pepper, finely grate over half the nutmeg, then toss together. Roast for 40 minutes, then remove from the oven. Pick and roughly chop the sage leaves with the cranberries and pistachios, toss with a light drizzle of oil, then scatter over the squash and onions. Roast for another 5 minutes, then remove and leave to cool.

  Tear the bread into a bowl, pour over the milk and leave to soak for a few minutes. Squeeze out any excess milk, then pich and tear the bread into the tray of cooled veg. Using your hands, really squash and squidge everything together with another pinch of sea salt and black pepper until well mixed.

  Line a 1.5 litre pudding bowl with a scrunched-up sheet of wet, oiled greaseproof paper (or you can use a baking dish to give you a greater surface area for a crispy top, if you prefer). Pack in the stuffing and drizzle with 1 more tablespoon of oil, then cover with greaseproof paper, tying it in place with string. Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes, or until golden and gnarly. Use the greaseproof paper to help you lift it out of the bowl, then confidently flip it on to a plate and serve.

  Get ahead: Make this in advance up to the stage where it’s ready to bake. You can use 250g of this stuffing in your turkey, should you so wish.

  CALORIES 295kcal FAT 14.5g SAT FAT 4.7g PROTEIN 14.8g CARBS 27.8g SUGARS 5.5g SALT 1.6g FIBRE 1.8g

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 150°C/130°C fan/Gas 2.

  2. Sit an enamel plate or a small trivet in the base of a deep ovenproof pan. The gammon should fit into the pan tightly on top of the trivet. Pour in the orange juice and add enough water to completely cover the gammon with liquid. Bring to the boil, skim the surface, then cover with a lid and transfer to the oven. Simmer gently for 20 minutes for every 500g (1lb 2oz). Remove from oven and leave to become cold in the cooking liquid.

  3. For the orange glaze, put the sugar and 100ml (3½fl oz) of water  into a saucepan. Stir gently over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved, then bring to the boil. Add the thin slices of orange to the syrup, then cover and simmer for 10–12 minutes until the orange slices are soft but still holding their shape. Lift out the orange slices, then continue to boil the syrup over a high heat until it has reduced by about half and thickened. Remove from the heat and leave to cool. It will thicken further.

  4. Line a baking tray or roasting tin with foil and sit the ham on top. Remove the skin from the ham and using a sharp knife, score the fat. Brush the fat with a little of the syrup. Arrange the orange slices in a neat row over the top, then brush with more syrup. Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/Gas 7.

  5. Cover the lean meat sides of the gammon with foil to protect the ham, but leave the orange-covered top open. Roast in the oven for about 30 minutes or until the top is glazed and lightly browned, or brown with a blowtorch.

  6. To make the salsa, mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and season well. Carve the ham and serve with the salsa alongside.

  Prepare ahead: Can be cooked and glazed up to 3 days ahead and served cold.