Nigel Slater Christmas Chronicles Read Along 2023 - Part Two

[RainbowZebraWarrior]

Continuing from Part 1

For anyone who has not already had the pleasure, the annual Nigel Slater Christmas Chronicles read along is a real time annual MN tradition.

The book began on 1st November, however there is still time to fully appreciate Nigel in All His Splendour as it takes us to Christmas and beyond.

Most of us already have the book (or Audio book) For anyone who doesn't, it's a challenge to see of you can pick up a bargain. WH Smith has come up trumps in the past, as has ebay. A rare and precious charity shop find is the holy grail and adds a certain special-ness that simply extends that warm, fizzy Nigel feeling (and some well earned smugness)

I shall continue to make a post each day and we can share our thoughts and feelings on the days recipes, sentiments and indeed Dear Old Nige himself.

Pull up a chair and a cosy blanket and join in. Twinkly lights are optional, but candle light is definitely recommended. Regulars and newcomers are welcomed like old friends.

I made the Hummel und Erde - black pudding, baked apples and celeriac and mustard mash. It was really good and I would make again. I did half and half sausages and black pudding as DS not really keen on black pudding, really the only tweak would have been to brown the sausages first.

It struck me that if you used Nigella's make ahead mash technique this could feed loads of people at bonfire night or similar - it's just trays of roasted things apart from the mash.

I fancy a home made stollen might be the only thing I could adjust so that my hatred of currants, raisins and sultanas could be accommodated... it's certainly a thought...

29 November

Tinsel, cheesecake and a windy night

There is tinsel and there is tinsel. The original silver strands - lametta - were single, fine, and possessed some of the shimmering character of the precious metal from which they were made. First produced in Nurenberg in the early 1600s, they reflected and amplified the light given by candles on the tree, giving the impression of icicles caught by the moonlight under a clear winter sky. The name is derived from the old French word estincele, meaning to sparkle.

I thought it had snowed in the night. It's thick with white frost here and -2. Good job I scattered grit last night while putting out the bin.

Thoughts for today from me are that I don't like lametta, and a good stollen has to be made with home made marzipan. The shop bought stuff is often too hard and doesn't 'melt' into the bread slightly.

I was wrong (and half asleep!) I've just been outside.

It has snowed!!!

<does a little snow dance and heads off to get boots on>

How wonderful Zebra 🌨️☃️

Woohoo! HVN! Do take pics of snow on holly branches etc!

It's snowed up here too! ⛄

On the way to work in a snow flurry. I've packed Yak Trax in case it gets worse later.

Very excited to wake up to snow this morning - we’re so near the sea it often falls as boring old sleet here instead of the lovely fluffy stuff! It’s starting to melt now but against a sunny blue sky, looks beautiful while it lasts.

I've never made marzipan. Has anyone got a recipe they'd recommend?

This has always worked for me. Recipe from the (good old!) Be-Ro recipe book:
300g (12oz) ground almonds; 150g (6oz) caster sugar; 150g (6oz) icing sugar;
1 egg; juice of half a lemon.
Place dry ingredients in a bowl. Add lemon juice, then just enough beaten egg to make a pliable paste.

I've never made marzipan either (but I do have the Be-Ro books, which I think Nigel would approve of). I am partial to Lidl mini stollen, which are definitely NVN.

I am all behind, my dad has been in hospital since Sunday so lots of extra driving to visit (90 min round trip) but it is nice seeing the lights starting to appear on the houses in the evenings. We don't have any on our actual house, just put battery operated fairylights on the hedge in the front garden.

I am salivating at the thought of that cheesecake. I’ve never come across anything like that before- the filo and the candied peel. It’s a hard pass on the artichoke soup though. I won’t touch the things due to the wind problem that Nigel refers to.
Sorry to read about your Dad @EversoDisorganised. If you do get the time home made marzipan is delicious.

I tried to make marzipan a couple of years ago for my Christmas cake. NEVER again. The stickiest substance known to man. Everyone says 'just add more icing sugar' but it just gets worse and worse until you're clawing it off your fingers, growling like the 3 headed dog in Harry Potter.

Thank you for the recipe. I used to have a Be-Ro book. I wonder what happened to it.

After almost a month I have finally caught up with both the book AND the threads!

Although I have had the book for a few years and tried to start reading it I’ve never managed it until now. I’m quite enjoying it although I find old N a wee bit patronising. It’s still all very enjoyable to read though. As are the threads obviously!

We had our first Nigel CC recipe last night - the sausages with leeks and cannellini beans. DH cooked it and we decided not to purée the leeks. And DH did mashed potatoes too. We used M&S fennel and chilli sausages. It was really nice. I made the left over veg into soup today for lunch mixed with left over barley risotto from the night before and it was delicious and really filling.

I have to say I am surprised at N liking lametta. I used to love it and am tempted to order some. I love the twinkle it gives in the tree.

Almond paste/marzipan - I think the secret to stopping it getting sticky is to handle it very gently and knead it together as little as possible so the almonds don’t start releasing their oil. When that happens adding more icing sugar will just make it sticky. Worth making it through, it’s much nicer than the bought stuff.

Those of you who have made your own Stollen, did you find it a long and difficult process? My DSis made one and told me "never again".

You have to prove it twice, so yeah, it's not a quick process in that way. If you have a lazy day at home planned then it's pretty easy to mix up the dough, prove it, add all the good stuff, prove it again, bake, while going off and doing other things in between times.

I make my own bread and cinnamon rolls so it's not that far removed from normal for me (nowadays), but if it's not your usual way of cooking I can see it could seem ridiculous.

(Just remembered that even after baking up have to paint it with melted butter and then cover your entire self and kitchen the stollen in icing sugar. Come to think of it, yes, your Dsis is right and it is a right faff, but the results are so good.)

I do fancy making one of my own. Bread's not my real forte though.

@Nothingbuttheglory I was surprised that Nigel said stollen keeps well if wrapped, although I’ve always found the stollen I’ve tried tastes like it’s been hanging around too long. Do you tend to eat your home made stollen straight away?

I totally agree @EversoDisorganised, Lidl mini stollen are definitely not very Nigel but they are very yum with a coffee, looking out at a frosty landscape when you're inside and toasty warm (due to wearing three layers of thermals and a bobble hat).

@narniabusiness I was a bit surprised by that too. Imo stollen is best eaten still warm from the oven, and I think that homemade, preservative-free bread is past its best at 48 hours old. So at the end of the first day I slice it all up and freeze it. (I find microwaving a slice of stollen takes about a minute and is very similar to fresh-out-the-oven stollen)

I do the same with bread as well - slice and freeze. I eat a lot of toast as a result. I suppose that, at least, is VN.

Although I love marzipan and am hoping to make it this year I don’t think I love stollen enough to try making that. Although maybe it’s because I’ve never had a home made one?