is ideal for a yearly treat. A scattering of sweet vegetables in a non-metallic baking tray creates a contrast to the seasoned meat and excellent juices for a sauce. In simple cooking terms, marinade the


meat overnight in whatever you fancy – olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon juice is a good combination – and transfer it to the oven, preferably on a rack over the roasting tray. Cook at 220°C / gas mark 7 for 20 minutes, lowering to 150°C / gas mark 2. Cook for 10 minutes per 500g if you want the meat to be vividly pink (medium-rare). Cook it for 15 minutes per 500g if you prefer it medium to well-done.


Beef Christmas is as good a time as any to get in touch with your local butcher and order in a massive, marbled joint of beef on the bone. Because it is perhaps viewed as a Sunday lunchtime meal, beef might well meet a little resistance, so an extra special cut might sway the doubters. Don’t skimp on cost either, so ask


your butcher for the cut – sirloin or rib - which will suit your party’s size, but do make sure it has been aged. Cooking is by roasting – pre-heat the


oven at 220ºC. Massage some olive oil or dripping into the meat with some salt and pepper. Cook in the high heat for


half an hour, then leave it for another half an hour with the oven door open. Then, lower the temperature to 180ºC and allow 15 minutes per pound of meat, for a medium-rare. Once out of the oven, allow to “relax” under tin foil for at least half an hour before serving.


Goose The tradition of cooking one’s goose stretches back some 500 years, even before the turkey started to appear in the 16th century. The bird’s size, availability and cheapness were all important factors for its popularity. Today, many Kentish farms sell geese for the festive table and are in prime condition for eating by December. Roast at 180ºC, gas mark 4, after smearing the bird with goose fat,


bought separately, taking most care over the legs. Cook for 15 minutes per 500g after which place on a rack and prick the skin all over before scattering salt on the outside. Place back into the oven covered in foil after about 20 minutes and pour over fat from the bird to baste at regular intervals for the next 30—45 minutes. Remove the foil and allow the bird to stand for at least 20 minutes.


…..and why not try? Bird within a bird – ask your butcher to place game and fowl, deboned, inside one another. There can be any number of combinations of chicken, duck, pheasant, guinea fowl, pigeon etc, depending on your tastes. Cooking depends on the size.


  


         


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       


      


             Mid Kent Living 39


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