Fiona Egan from Cloughan Farm and Cookery School spoke to the Joe Finnegan Show about the Christmas Dinner and she gave a recipe and spoke about preparing the meal on Christmas day.
Stuffed Pork Fillet with Brandy & Mushroom Sauce
Stuffed Pork is absolutely delicious. Very quick to prepare and suitable for 2 people or double up for a large gathering. Can be stuffed and wrapped and left prepared in the fridge for up to 2 days before cooking
Ingredients:
600g (approx) pork fillet
220g pancetta
4 sprigs thyme
Rapeseed oil & few knobs of butter
For The Stuffing
65g breadcrumbs
4 ready to eat roughly chopped pitted dates
1 lemon/orange zest
2 teaspoons thyme finely chopped
4 tablespoons lightly toasted & roughly chopped Walnuts/Hazelnuts or Nibbed Almonds
For The Sauce:
250g mushrooms sliced
2 tablespoons brandy
2 sprigs thyme
250ml double cream
Seasoning
Method:
Preheat the oven to 170oC.
For the pork fillet, use a good sharp knife. Make an incision and cut down along the side of the fillet opening it like a book but not cutting all the way through the meat.
Slightly overlap the pancetta along a parchment lined tray roughly the length of the pork fillet. Place the fillet on top.
To make the stuffing, add the breadcrumbs into a bowl along with the dates, lemon or orange zest, thyme and nuts. Season with salt & pepper and mix well to combine.
Along the centre of the butterfly of pork fillet, lay the stuffing and press gently with your hand to firm up. Next, at one end, bring together each side of the fillet to meet in the middle followed by overlapping the pancetta until you come to the other end of the fillet. With brown string, wrap it around the fillet to secure the pancetta in place.
Heat a pan over a medium heat with a glug of oil. Place the fillet on the hot pan along with the a good knob of butter and the sprigs of thyme. Brown the fillet on all sides. Transfer the pork onto the parchment lined tray and place in the oven to roast for 30-40 minutes. Remove and allow to rest for 10 minutes before carving.
For the sauce. In the same pan you used to brown the meat, place it over a medium heat with a glug of oil and a knob of butter. Add the mushrooms, brandy and sprigs of thyme. Sauté until just cooked. Add the cream and allow to simmer for a few minutes until lightly thickened up. Season to taste.
To Serve, carve the pork and place on a warm serving platter. Garnish with some thyme and rosemary sprigs. Place in the centre of the table with the brandy & mushroom sauce alongside in a bowl with a spoon. Enjoy served with creamed potatoes and roast vegetables
Preparation for Christmas Day Dinner
*Start making a list
*Decluttering the kitchen worktops & cabinets makes cooking and baking far more enjoyable.
*Making space on kitchen worktops.
* Clean out kitchen presses & drawers
*Try to use up foods in freezer
Foods that can be prepared for Christmas Day & in the freezer
*Stock (local butcher)
*Stuffing
* Vegetables
*Bread
*Chicken Liver Pate
*Ice Cream
*Trifle Sponge
*Frozen Berries
*Frozen Desserts (cheesecake
Christmas Eve
* stuff turkey/ streaky bacon etc
*Boil ham
*prep veg
*Make dessert
Set table (if you can)
On The Day
*Cooking the Turkey/times/temp
*Resting turkey
*Bake the ham
*Cooking vegetables & keeping warm
*Making gravy
*Leftovers
Take a listen to their conversation here:
