Bite Me!

People are always asking me what I eat for Christmas dinner - well, maybe not always, but fairly often around Christmas time!  So here's the answer for this year - roast potatoes, mashed potatoes, carrots, peas, honey & mustard parsnips, stuffing and veggie gravy.  OK, so it's not the most sophisticated-looking plate of food, but it's reeeaaalllly good.  And (ssh!) surprisingly healthy.

I'm especially proud of the vegetarian gravy, which has a really intense flavour and is very easy to make.  You will need:

boiling water

marigold vegetable stock

Marmite

Tabasco

red wine or sherry

Worcestershire sauce

soy sauce

porcini (optional)

Method

 Very easy - simply mix a dollop of everything together in a saucepan and gently reduce down for about ten minutes.   I haven't put amounts down since I just chuck everything in and then see how it tastes.  If using the porcini, soak them in a mug of warm water for ten minutes before you start, and then add both the mushrooms and the water to the saucepan.  Sieve the mushrooms out before serving.  If you want thicker gravy rather than a jus, add a little flour or cornflour to the mixture and whisk to get rid of lumps. 

This is so good my sister even prefers it to normal gravy...

Mmm, Marmite. I’m most definitely in the love camp on this one – I can eat the stuff by the spoonful (and now they do squeezy tubs! How exciting!). Yes, it’s good on toast, and in jacket potatoes (trust me, just mash it all in with some butter, great stuff) but probably my favourite Marmite recipe is one that I used to love when I was little (and still eat now, if I’m feeling indulgent). It’s easy to make – lightly toast a pitta bread, slice in half and open up the pockets, spread with Marmite and fill with grated cheese (quite bland Cheddar works well here). Then put in the microwave for a minute or so (until all the cheese has melted), stand to cool for another minute, and then eat. And immediately afterwards make another one. The standing period is important as it brings the cheese to the right texture – eat it too hot and the cheese will all run out down your arms and probably give you scalding burns to boot. Similarly, don’t leave in the microwave for too long or they will go all crispy, which is just wrong. Squidginess is key here.