Christas time cranberry sauce with a flavour of oranges and gingerbread spices

Christmas preparations are almost finished. One of the last things I did this year is the cranberry sauce, which I will serve with pate and cold meat ( just before the moment I took the pork loin stuffed with cloves, garlic and apricot glaze from the oven – it smells insanely !)
To make the sauce ( or maybe “jam”) it takes just a few minutes, and it tastes sensational – sweet with a hint of bitterness.

Ingredients
1 ½ cups frozen cranberries
orange juice of 1 big orange
1 cup brown sugar (or less if you prefer savoury sauce)
1 big apple
5 g cloves
1 cinnamon stick
orange zest of 1 orange
pinch salt
lemon juice – to add taste
optional a little bit of water if the sauce is too thick


Method
Peel the apple, cut in small cubes. Together with cranberries, orange juice, sugar and spices put the apple cubes in the sauce pan. Cook over low heat for about 10 min., until most of the fruit will fall apart ( you can help fruit with potato masher). Add some lemon juice to add some sourness. Hot sauce you can put in jars and bottled. Served cold taste the best!

Honey and garlic vinaigrette

Today we’ll start with the basics: the recipe for ‘my vinaigrette’. Few simple ingredients: oil, vinegar plus favourite additions – sometimes chopped shallots, today: garlic! The easiest way to make this vinaigrette is to shake all ingredients in a sealed jar. Now, step by step, from the beginning….

Ingredients
3 tbsp oil
1 tbsp vinegar
1 garlic clove
½ teaspoon honey
salt, pepper


Method
Pour the oil and vinegar into the jar. Add slightly crushed garlic clove, honey, pinch of salt and pepper. Close the jar and shake it well until all ingredients combine. You can keep ready vinaigrette in a sealed jar in a fridge, just remember each day the garlic flavour will be stronger! Before using this vinaigrette with your favourite salad, shake it well. Serve with salad or other vegetables.

Ketchup

The end of summer is the best time of the year to make tomato preserves. It is a time you can buy ripe, red beautiful tomatoes. After seeing Jamie Oliver making the ketchup I wanted to try this recipe and make my own ketchup. I was waiting 6 months and finally I made it – the addition to everything!?

The natural ketchup is more orange than red. If you want to have more red home-made ketchup you can add beet roots concentrate- red colour guaranteed!

Ingredients
1 big red onion
½ celery root
1 piece ginger
2 garlic cloves
½ fresh or dry chilli pepper
1 bunch basil
1 tbsp coriander
2 cloves
1 teaspoon pepper
18 oz (500 g) ripe tomatoes
brown sugar*
vinegar
salt
* in the original recipe it’s said to add 200 ml vinegar and 60 g sugar, I added 5 tbsp vinegar and 5 tbsp sugar, it’s a matter of your preferences)

Method
Sauté chopped onion, garlic, celery, basil stalks and spices; simmer covered for about 10 min. Add tomatoes and 12 fl oz /350 ml water. Cook on a low heat until the sauce gets thick and ½ of it evaporate. Add basil leaves, puree everything in a food processor. Liquidise twice through the sieve. Season with salt, sugar and vinegar. Again heat the mixture on a low heat until half evaporate, so the sauce will look like the real ketchup! Pour into prepared jars. Keep sealed.

Nuts in honey

I’m not going to surprise you saying that the best are the presents that you think over! My favourites are those handmade, that someone had to put his heart into: inventing and preparing!

These nuts are sweet appetizer, which will be perfect for sweets fans! Also healthy and looking beautiful. I can hardly resist the sweetness closed in a jar.

Ingredients ( the proportions depend on what size jars you will use):
nuts (almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts or other your favourite)
honey

Method
Hazelnuts have to be peeled from the dark skin: put them in a heated pan, you should start to smell the hazelnuts and see the skins beginning to pull away from the meat. Remove the hazelnuts from the pan and place them on a kitchen towel, gently rub them between your palms. This will pull of the skins.

Put almonds in a hot water, after 10 min. peel them.

Remove the shells from walnuts.

All nuts put in a jar, pour honey in. Close lid tightly. Put the jar in a pot lined with kitchen towel and filled with water up to ¾ high. Boil on low heat, after 20 min. put the jars aside upside down to cool.

About candied ginger

Two in one: sticky sugar sweetness of sauce with a spiciness of ginger slices. Great addition to the tea, the fruit cake or the Christmas gingerbread. Or to eat straight from the jar.

Here are some examples of 3 jars filled with golden ginger.



Ingredients
18 oz (500 g) ginger roots
29 oz (800 g) sugar (white or raw)
4 cups water
pinch salt


Method
Peel the ginger, slice it (2 mm slices). Put the ginger in a pot, pour as much water as to cover the ginger. Cook until boiling, reduce heat and keep cooking for about 10 min. Strain the ginger, again pour the water and cook. Add sugar, water and salt. Keep on a low heat until the syrup gets thick.

Ready ginger put in jars.

Home-made BBQ sauce – the best

I’m a big fan of all kinds of sauces and such additives to the meat. The better of course when they are homemade. I already tried to make the ketchup, now is time for a BBQ sauce. I must admit: BBQ sauce was more tasty for me. It combines flavours I do like very much. It is a sweet and spicy mixture that even today I had for a breakfast. Honestly!

Ingredients
1 tbsp oil
1 onion
3 garlic cloves
½ teaspoon salt*
½ teaspoon dried chilli*
½ teaspoon ground coriander
big pinch dried rosemary
750 g (25 oz) tomato puree ( I used homemade tomato juice)
1/3 cup molasses
1/3 cup wine vinegar ( I used tarragon flavour one)
2 tbsp dark sugar*
1 tbsp mustard ( I added only ½ teaspoon)
* these ingredients you should measure according to your taste and preferences


Method
Onion and garlic mix in a food processor or chop very finely. Fry onion (just vitrify) heating it for a few minutes in a pan. Add the rest of the ingredients ( without mustard), cook for 30 min., stir from time to time. When the sauce is well combined and thick, cool it slightly – taste it and if needed add more spices. Pour it into the jar, you may pasteurized it – it will allow you to store a sauce on a cool place even for a few months.