AVIES HOME MADE CHRISTMAS

BREAKFASTS AND BRUNCHES


No one wants to spend ages in the kitchen on Christmas morning cooking a large breakfast and with a little forward planning you won't have to.

POTATO CAKES

Make these over the next few days and freeze them in batches,use any left over mashed potato if you gave it otherwise cook a few extra next time you do spuds.

1 lb mashed potato

2 oz plain flour

pinch of salt

a little milk

butter for frying

Put the mashed potato in to a ;large bowl and sift in the flour and salt. Add a little milk and mix in to a workable dough.

Heat a heavy bottomed frying pan or a griddle and grease with a little of the butter. Roll out the potato dough on a floured surface to a quarter of an inch thick and cut in to rounds using a pastry cutter. This amount of mixture will make around a dozen large cakes or two dozen small ones.

Place the cakes into the hot pan and cook until golden brown on one side the turn over and brown the other side. Transfer to a wire cooling rack.

To prepare them for freezing unroll wrap in cling film,with a slip of grease proof paper between each one.

To re heat toast under a hot grill for a few minutes on each side, serve with butter.

These tasty little cakes can also be used as part of a larger meal, try then with a rasher or two of bacon and and egg,lovely.


CRANBERRY PIKLETS

These too can be made well in advance as they freeze well.

Half a pound of self raising flour

2 oz caster sugar

Pinch of salt

Enough milk to make a thick pouring batter(the amount can vary depending on the type of flour)

2-3 oz of dried cranberries

Butter or lard for greasing

1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda

2 tablespoons of boiling water

Sieve the flour in to a bowl with the salt, add the caster sugar and mix with the flour. Whisk in the milk until you have a thick pouring batter then stir. Mix the bicarbonate with the boiling water then stir in to the mixture thoroughly.

Grease a heavy bottomed pan or griddle them pour on a enough of the mixture to make a saucer sized pancake. Sprinkle on a few of the cranberries, as the Piklet cook bubbles will appear on the top,reduce the heat and wait until the bubbles begin to pop then flip the piklet over and brown on the other side. Keep warm in the oven until all are cooked then serve with a little butter.

Raisins or sultanas may be used instead of cranberries in which case serve them with maple syrup and butter.

To freeze use the same method as for the potato cakes.


IRISH SODA BREAD

This one you have to make on the day but it is so quick to do and there are so many variations that it is worth knowing about just in case you run our of bread over the holiday.

Pre heat oven to190oC

8 oz plain white flour

8 oz wholemeal flour

extra flour for dusting

1 tspn salt

2 tspn bicarbonate of soda

2tspn cream of tartar

one and a half oz butter or lard

1tspn caster sugar

12-13 fl oz milk or buttermilk

Pre heat oven to 190oC and lightly grease a baking sheet. Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl,add the bicarbonate of soda and the cream of tartar then rub in the butter or lard. Stir in the sugar.

Pour in sufficient milk to mix to a soft dough. Do not over mix of the bread will be heavy and tough Shape in to a round on a lightly floured surface.

Place on a greased baking sheet and mark a cross on the top with a sharp knife cutting deep in to the dough.

Dust lightly with whole meal flour and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the bread is well risen and sounds hollow when knocked on the base. Serve warm.

For breakfast try with some crispy bacon and roast cherry tomato, For lunch add some chunks of sundried tomato and a pinch of Italian herbs to the dough mix before cooking and serve with a tasty soup or a mozzarella salad. For tea add a few chunks of cheese to the mixture before cooking then split and butter when still warm.