ESPRESSO KETTLE RECIPES

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4.
  2. Place the venison bones in a large, deep roasting tray. Peel the onion, wash the carrot, then roughly chop with the celery, add to the tray with the flour and toss together.
  3. Roast for 1 hour, then use tongs to transfer everything to a big pot. Add enough boiling kettle water to the tray to scrape up the sticky goodness from the base, then pour that into the pot with the wine.
  4. Just cover with boiling water, then simmer on a low heat for 2 hours, skimming the surface and topping up the water occasionally, if needed.
  5. Carefully remove the bigger bones, then strain the sauce through a coarse sieve into a pan. Simmer on a low heat to the consistency of your liking, then turn the heat off.
  6. Get your meat out of the fridge and up to room temperature before you cook it.
  7. Crush the coffee beans and peppercorns in a pestle and mortar until fine, pick and pound in the rosemary leaves, then peel and crush in the garlic to make a rough paste.
  8. Finely grate in the orange zest and muddle in the balsamic. Cut each venison loin in half to give you four pieces, then rub the paste all over the meat.
  9. Divide the prosciutto between two large sheets of greaseproof paper, slightly overlapping the slices.
  10. Place two pieces of venison on top of each other on each one, spooning the meat so the thick and thin ends even each other out. Roll up in the prosciutto, tucking in the ends, tie with string at regular intervals to secure the prosciutto in place, then put on a roasting tray.
  11. To cook, drizzle the loins with a little oil, then roast in a preheated oven at 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4 for 30 minutes, turning every 10 minutes. Remove and rest for 10 minutes.
  12. Meanwhile, bring the sauce back up to a simmer, snap in the chocolate, add the butter, and whisk until smooth. Leave for a few minutes, then season to perfection.
  13. Remove the string from the venison, then carve and serve with the sauce. Delicious with celeriac mash and steamed seasonal greens.

Steps:

• GET AHEAD 1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4. 2. Peel the onions, wash the carrots, then roughly chop with the celery and bacon. Put the veg, bay leaves, sage, rosemary and star anise into a sturdy high-sided roasting tray, then scatter the chopped bacon on top. 3. Break the chicken wings open, bash with a rolling pin to help release extra flavour as they cook, then add to the tray. Drizzle with oil, season with sea salt and black pepper, toss, then cook for 1 hour, or until tender. 4. Remove the tray from the oven and transfer to a low heat on the hob. Really grind and mash everything with a potato masher, scraping up all the goodness from the base of the tray (the longer you let it fry, the darker your gravy will be). If you want to add sherry or port, now’s the time to do so; just leave it to cook away for a few minutes. 5. Gradually stir in the flour, then pour in 2 litres of boiling kettle water. Simmer for 30 minutes, or until thickened and reduced, stirring occasionally. 6. When the gravy is the consistency of your liking, pour it through a coarse sieve into a large bowl, pushing all the goodness through with the back of a spoon. Taste and season to perfection, cool to room temperature, then pour into containers or bags and pop into the fridge or freezer, ready to finish off on Christmas Day. ON THE DAY 1. If frozen, take the gravy out to defrost when your turkey goes into the oven. 2. When the turkey’s perfectly cooked, remove it to a platter to rest for up to 2 hours, covered with a double layer of tin foil and a clean tea towel. Skim away most of the fat from the tray, cool, and place into a jar in the fridge for tasty cooking another day. 3. Pour your Get-ahead gravy into the tray with the rest of the turkey juices. Bring to the boil over the hob and scrape up all those sticky bits from the base. Have a taste, then stir in the Cranberry sauce to balance the flavours. 4. Once your gravy is piping hot, carefully strain through a coarse sieve into a pan, then leave it on the lowest heat until you’re ready to serve. Skim away any fat that rises to the top, and add any extra resting juices from the turkey before serving.