Sorry for the absence of posts but I am in New Zealand travelling. I have been in the North Island for two weeks and I have loved every minute of it. From the giant sand dunes of Opinoni to Waimangu Volcanic valley near Rotorua with it's amazing steaming fumeroles and hot water lakes. I like it all.
We have been to some cities too. Aukland was impressive and now we are in Wellington which we will explore tomorrow. But one thing has struck us. Christmas in New Zealand looks very different from Christmas in the UK. For one it is warm here and the sun is shining so all the twinkly lights are redundant. They are only needed when the sky is dark and grey and we need sparkly lights to make us feel better.
I am not sure a heavy Christmas meal is the right thing for a hot day either. There is a lot of nostalgia attached to Christmas food which is tied up with feelings about the motherland and keeping some of the traditions alive. And of course commercial rather than religious interests are a driving force.
Just before I left I did make some mincemeat - with a twist. I reduced the amount of vegetable suet and added some toasted pistachios and dried cranberries for colour and taste. It tasted great. I might make the next batch without any suet at all. There is plenty of fat in shortcrust pastry.
Nothing beats making your own mincemeat and it is really easy to make. Just weigh, mix and bottle.
How to make mincemeat......
Makes 3 x 300g jars
Ingredients
- 130g Bramley apple
- 170g soft brown sugar
- 80g sultanas
- 80g dried cranberries
- 100g raisins
- 70ml brandy or sherry
- juice of ½ orange
- zest of 1 orange and lemon
- 65g vegetable suet
- a pinch of ground nutmeg
- a pinch of cinnamon
- 1 tsp mixed spice
- 50g pistachio nuts, dry roasted and roughly chopped
- 35g candied peel
Method
Peel and core the apple and dice into small cubes. Place in a pan without any liquid and cook on a low heat for 5 minutes or until soft. Leave to cool. Place all the ingredients into a large bowl and mix well. Place the mincemeat into sterilised 300g jam jars and place a disc of silicone paper over the top and seal and label with the date. Store your mincemeat in a cool cupboard for a month.