Individual Christmas Puddings

V does not have a sweet tooth, and normally I don´t either, but Christmas puddings are another matter.

I´ve been reading about these tiny pies in mason jars and thought the same thing might be applicable to plum puddings, and then just keep in the pantry for however long required - properly dosed with brandy, of course.

via

So this year I used a modified version of Nigella Lawson´s Ultimate Christmas pudding.  We are in full austerity mode, so  limited myself to purchasing a bottle of brandy and tried to use only what we had on hand.  This meant raisins, prunes and dried apricots soaked in brandy, lard for suet which I can´t get here, and molasses for honey.

 via

Making puddings was shown to me without mysterious stirring traditions or tokens to hide in the batter.  But the heady smell of the macerated fruits and hearty spices is something I look forward to every year.

I halved her recipe and got 3 lovely pint jar sized puddings. I used baking paper covers under the screw-on lids and steamed for about 4 hours in the slow cooker, since it took forever to get to simmering.  Once cooled, I changed out the damp papers, dosed with more brandy, screwed the lids on firmly and put 2 away in the cupboard.  The remaining one steamed for another hour and a half and got eaten in it´s entirety, with lashings of brandy hard sauce.  It was delicious! Ho, ho, ho.

Felices Fiestas

Celtic Christmas

This is simply delightful - I´ve been listening to it all day while making my modified Nigella´s Ultimate Christmas Cake.

Maybe next year I can listen while decorating a tree. . .

Available at Amazon here.

Score

via

We´ve been looking for a woodstove for a while, so when we saw one advertised on segundamano we were on pins and needles to see if it was still available when we went up to Galicia.

 I´m wondering if I should just throw myself in

We drove to the beautiful village of Redes, after the GPS sent us on a hair-raising route through the vertical and very narrow streets of old Pontedeume, to see it.  Once we had a deal, the owner had to run down to the corner bar to get a couple of guys to help get it into the van, and once secured with sailor knots, we were off.

We did have to stop a couple of times to check on the load.  And after eating an amazing tortilla española in Betanzos, I almost had a heart attack trying to get the van up the corkscrew exit ramp of the parking garage.  But we got safely to the builder´s warehouse and had a couple of guys help unload.

A stunning, cast iron Hearthstone Craftsbury.  It´s a lovely chocolate brown color and weighs a ton! At 11,5  kW and over 80%  efficiency, we hope it will do an excellent job to help heat the house from its designated corner of the living room, at about a third of what it would cost new. 

via

House Update

Rented another van and drove up a load of 3 doors, 2 bathroom sinks, a kitchen sink, 2 porcelain shower bases, and while we were up there we bought and fetched a wood burning stove.  It was quite a couple of days.

A very chilly drive. We detoured a bit in Castilla y Leon to buy a stoneware sink for the kitchen near Arévalo.  Then straight to Galicia to the house.

Repointing is DONE.  Can´t tell where what we did back in August stops and what they did starts.

Cement plastering of the brick is DONE (sort of).  They left parts of the bathroom and kitchen walls rough, assuming that we would be tiling, a lot, in the traditional Galician manner.  We aren´t, because it reminds me of operating theatres and insane asylums, so they will have to put on a thin layer of the white smooth finish.  Biggest difference in the kitchen, and the little laundry and half bath look so much bigger!

We´re especially pleased with the wood window frames.  Next to do are floors, a layer of insulating foam, cement finish and then slate in the baths, laundry and under the stoves and wide oak plank everywhere else.

Also pulling cable for the electrical installation can now begin.

And we hope that with the stuff we hauled up there, the plumber should have something to keep him occupied for a while, too.

RIP Nelson Mandela

July 7, 1918 to December 5, 2013

 via 

Red Pepper Chorizo Chicken

 No Thanksgiving turkey here, but with the plunge in temperatures, something comforting on the menu is always welcome.

This is an easy recipe that hits all the targets for comfort food.

2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion chopped
3 cloves garlic chopped
2 med red peppers sliced or chopped
Salt and pepper
Thyme
2 Chicken thigh/legs
4 chorizos
1 cup dry white wine
Chicken stock to cover
1/2 to 3/4 cups rice

Heat the oil and brown the chicken pieces in a deep pot.  I usually separate the legs from the thighs so they´re easier to turn.  Remove chicken and sautee the garlic and onion salt and pepper, later adding the red pepper, thyme and cooking until just soft.  Deglaze with white wine, or just the chicken stock, scraping the bottom of the pan for the brown bits.  Add the chicken back into the pan making sure there´s enough liquid to just cover, and bring to the boil.  Immediately reduce to a simmer.  Simmer for 30 minutes.  Add the chorizos.  Simmer 1 hour.  Half an hour before serving add the rice, less for more broth, more for a more substantial dish.

Simmering times are approximate, they can certainly be extended.  I also play around with the spices, depending on what I have on hand.  We think this gets better the next day.