FREE INSIDE PRUE LEITH’S PERFECT XMAS

Bake Off judge’s fabulous festive recipes

YESTERDAY, Prue Leith shared some of her favourite recipes for a Christmas Day feast in a sumptuous supplement in the Magazine. Today, she’s bringing you more brilliant ideas. So if you fancy a change from turkey this year, here are some delicious alternatives, ranging from roast pork with crackling to salmon en-croute . . . JOHN’S SLOW COOKED BEEF BRISKET WHEN I first met my husband, John, he asked if I’d written a recipe for brisket. Of course, I said, handing him Leith’s Cookery Bible. He thumbed through the index. No brisket. So here you are, John, six years late. And you must admit that as my chief taster, you did declare it worth the calories.

SERVES 6

M 1.3kg beef brisket, boned and rolled, or ask your butcher M 400g tin chopped tomatoes M Small can Guinness or other stout M 1 tbsp dark brown sugar M 2 heaped tbsp tomato puree M 1 mild or medium-hot chilli, de-seeded and chopped M 4 large onions, sliced M 2 cloves garlic, crushed M Oil for frying M Salt and pepper SET the oven to 140c/fan 120c/gas 1. Grease the bottom of a large frying pan with a little oil and brown the brisket all over. Transfer to a lidded casserole. Pour off any fat from the frying pan and pour a dollop of the tinned tomatoes into the pan and loosen any brown stuck bits with a wooden spoon — you don’t want to waste the flavour. Then add the rest of the tomatoes, stout, sugar, tomato puree and chilli. Tip over the meat in the casserole. Use the same pan to fry the onions in 2 tbsp oil. Stir frequently to get the onions an even pale brown. Add garlic and fry two minutes more. Then tip on top of meat. Make sure the lid fits well (if it doesn’t, cover the casserole in foil) and slow cook in the middle of the oven for 4 hours, turning meat over and mixing up onions and sauce after 2 hours. When the time is up, test with a fork — the meat should be soft and falling into shreds. When done, lift the meat onto a deep serving platter, pour off any visible fat from the sauce and onions, and check the seasoning. Spoon over the meat and serve.