Fortnum & Mason: Christmas & Other Winter Feasts. Tom Bowles Parker
terrorised the local population’. Lewes still sets alight an effigy of Pope Paul V, an act of remembrance for the town’s seventeen Protestants burned at the stake during the sixteenth century. During this ‘close to the knuckle’ celebration, they also incinerate various villains du jour.
But for the rest of us, it’s the chance to wrap up warm, pray that the rain will hold off, and stare for hours into the flaming pyre. And at this chill, dark time of year, the sort of hearty, belly-sticking tucker that Fortnum’s sent out with intrepid climbers and explorers is exactly the sort of food one craves. Rich venison sausages, jacket potatoes stuffed with all manner of delights, and a very Fortnum’s take on the Cornish pasty … where the steak is replaced by game. ‘Fun food’, in the words of Hugh Ruttledge, that great Everest explorer, to lift the spirits and soothe the soul. Bonfire Night may have its roots in attempted regicide. But these days, it’s more about feasting. With a bang.
SPICY LENTIL AND CHESTNUT CASSEROLE WITH VENISON SAUSAGES
Venison sausages would be ideal, but don’t sweat too much if they’re difficult to find – any decent pork sausage will do fine. The key is to cook them slowly, over a low heat, turning them occasionally in a languorous manner. This could take up to 20 minutes, but the wait is well worth the bother.
& the perfect accompaniment – a glass of Crozes Hermitage
SERVES 4
· 3 tablespoons olive oil
· 8 venison sausages
· 1 onion, chopped
· 25g fresh ginger, grated
· 2 large garlic cloves, chopped
· 1 teaspoon ground cumin
· 1 teaspoon ground coriander
· ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
· 2 teaspoons paprika
· 2 teaspoons tomato purée
· 150g plum tomatoes, skinned and chopped
· 100g cooked chestnuts (vacuum-packed ones are fine), roughly chopped
· 250g Puy lentils
· 650ml brown chicken stock
· 2 teaspoons chopped coriander, to serve
Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large pan, then add the sausages and cook until browned all over. Remove the sausages from the pan and set aside.
Add the remaining oil to the same pan, stir in the onion and cook until tender and lightly coloured. Stir in the ginger and garlic and cook until the aroma rises. Then stir in the spices and tomato purée and cook for 2 minutes longer. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook for a few minutes, until softened.
Return the sausages to the pan and stir in the chestnuts, lentils and chicken stock. Bring to a simmer and cook gently for 20 minutes, until the lentils are tender and the sausages are cooked through. If the mixture gets too dry, add a little more stock or some water.
Season with plenty of salt and pepper, and mix in the coriander to serve.
Now before Cornwall, that great and most western of counties, rises up in abject horror, this is NOT a Cornish pasty. There’s sweet potato in there, for Pete’s sake. Game, garlic, bacon and veal too. No, this is the Fortnum’s game pasty, a fine way to use game of any kind, all wrapped in a golden shortcrust pastry. Hand-held delight at its best.
& try these with Fortnum’s Damson, Blackberry and Apple Chutney and a glass of Barossa Shiraz
MAKES 6
· 300g mixed game (such as venison, duck breasts, pheasant breasts)
· 150g lardo (or streaky bacon), cut into small strips
· 250g minced veal
· 3 garlic cloves, chopped
· ½ teaspoon four-spice powder
· 6 sprigs of thyme
· 1 egg, lightly beaten, to glaze
FOR THE PASTRY
· 500g plain flour
· 1 teaspoon salt
· 250g butter, cubed and chilled
· 150ml milk
FOR THE STOCK
· 500ml good beef or game stock
· 100g sweet potatoes, diced
· 100g swede, diced
· 100g carrots, diced
· 100g onions, diced
First make the pastry. Sift the flour and salt into a bowl, then add the cold butter and rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Gradually stir in enough milk to form a soft but not sticky dough; you might not need all the milk. Wrap the pastry in cling film and chill for an hour or so.
Bring the stock to a simmer in a pan, then add the diced vegetables and cook for 6–8 minutes, until they start to feel tender. Remove the vegetables from the stock and set aside. Boil the stock until it has reduced to a thick, syrupy coating consistency. Set aside to cool a little.
Cut the game into thin strips, then cut across to make small pieces. Place in a bowl with the lardo, minced veal, garlic, four-spice powder and the leaves from the thyme sprigs. Mix well and season generously with salt and pepper. Stir in the reduced beef stock to give a moist mixture, but don’t make it too wet.
Divide the pastry into 6 pieces and roll each one out into a circle about 3mm thick; you could use a plate or an upturned bowl to trim it to shape. Spoon the filling generously along the centre of each one. Brush the edges of the pastry with a little beaten egg, then bring the sides up over the filling and press together firmly to seal, crimping them by pinching between your thumb and forefinger. Place the pasties on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment and brush with beaten egg. Chill for about 20 minutes, then brush again with egg to give a good golden finish.
Place in an oven heated to 200ºC/Gas Mark 6. Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 180°C/Gas Mark 4 and bake for another 20–25 minutes. Serve warm or cold.
BAKED JACKET POTATOES WITH LEMON CRèME FRAîCHE AND CAVIAR
I know, proper caviar is expensive. Ruinously so. Although not, as it once was, ruinous to the environment, because all caviar sold in the UK is now subject to CITES rules, and farmed. Wild is illegal. The quality gets better and better every year, and at Fortnum’s they are obsessed with the best.