It was the night before Christmas Eve, and the oceans were worryingly empty and devoid of life....

I really was hoping to post something well before the Solstice but I on top of the stress and the season (so much drinking but somebody's got to do it, right?) I have been suffering from a cold-like bug that is manifesting itself like a leaden weight within - it is extremely unpleasant but I am soldiering on regardless.

This Solstice we treated our Watford nephew and nieces to a rather delightful Christmas Party held by the firm that I work for in London.  It was such a tremendously good time - our three took one look at the tables laden with confectionery (literally overflowing!!!) and the youngest was heard to exclaim "It's Sweetie Heaven!!!".  We even met Santa, who it turns out is a really nice bloke.

Santa's nice, not naughty!

So I finally made a menu plan for the Festivities - most of the recipes are from Nigella's Christmas.
As for the "Get-Ahead Gravy Recipe" - I did promise to pop the instructions on how to complete this.  Here are the remaining steps which I've pinched from Jamie Oliver's very own website:

1. If frozen, take the gravy out to defrost when your turkey goes into the oven. When the turkey’s perfectly cooked, remove it to a platter to rest for up to 2 hours, covered with a double layer of tin foil and a clean tea towel.
2. Skim away most of the fat from the tray, cool, and place into a jar in the fridge for tasty cooking another day. Pour your Get-Ahead gravy into the tray with the rest of the turkey juices.
3. Bring to the boil over the hob and scrape up all those sticky bits from the base. Have a taste, then stir in some cranberry sauce to balance the flavours.
4. Once your gravy is piping hot, carefully strain through a coarse sieve into a pan, then leave it on the lowest heat until you’re ready to serve.
5. Skim away any fat that rises to the top, and add any extra resting juices from the turkey before serving.

Another dish that has been in the freezer awaiting a defrost is our Christmas Eve meal, Nigella's  Nursery Fish Pie.  I have modified this recipe from her FEAST cookbook, which is very similar to her Christmas Cookbook, apart from all the other holidays she has crammed into this massive tome. 

No, I don't have a dutch version of this book,
I just couldn't find an image of the cover that I own.

Now oddly enough, this recipe is actually from her Funereal section - but I have made this dish many times before for many occasions other than funerals (although I'm certain it would go down a treat at these events, it really is not a requirement at all).  What I wanted for Christmas Eve was a dish that was comforting, but at the same time adhering to some vague tradition of our ancestors (my past life as being a Roman centurion perhaps?).

A fortnight ago both David and I spent a weekend watching John Pilger documentaries with John Pilger at the British Library.  Now this man is truly exceptional.  Unafraid to ask the real questions about how the great wheel of war crushes and affects the most vulnerable of our species - and how often we let that happen.

John Pilger - a brave man not afraid to ask the hard questions

One documentary he introduced (not one he had made) was The End of the Line.  This documentary, since its screening in 2009 has brought much awareness to the plight of our oceans and how we have pushed the ecosystems within our oceans to the brink of collapse - through over fishing and some really ridiculous methods of fishing - it has recently been estimated that industrial fisheries are responsible for dumping 10 million tons of perfectly good fish back into the ocean each year.  This is enough to fill 4,500 Olympic-sized swimming pools.  These fish are dead.

Suddenly finding the cheapest source of fish for my pie was not my top priority anymore.  I wanted to ensure that what we were eating was sustainable.  Unfortunately this meant that it could not be from a farm (what, no smoked salmon?) because farmed fish are fed over twice their weight in fishmeal that is made from.... fish caught from the ocean.

Now there is sustainable fish out there - look for the MSC certification below.  Do not fall for the various supermarket's attempts to fool you with their own type of certification, which of course they will try to do.  Also, you're going to have to avoid a tremendous amount of produce that is not certified - and no doubt they will sell these unsustainable sources at reduced prices to try and tempt you back to the dark side.... but do try not to give in.  I know, hard to do when you are on a budget but you do what you can.

Nigella says to use Haddock - 1 kg of it smoked and 750g of it not.  David managed to find to buy approximately 1 kg of Pollock from Tescos.  This is a really great white fish alternative to Cod and/or Haddock.  I had to pop into Waitrose to purchase 550g of Smoked Haddock (it is essential to have smoked fish in your pie).  The Haddock came from Iceland (the country, not the store) where they obviously still have a supply of the fish (unlike the UK which has fished away its Haddock now to near extinction).  I also picked up 250g Canadian prawns.  All of this was frozen, so overall we spent about £20 to make this, but it is a rather massive dish.

I tried to defrost the fish as much as possible once I got home - then I got distracted with Netflix for a few hours, and suddenly I was making fish pie at 10pm.  I put all the fish (but not the prawns) into a large wok and then poured in about a litre of coconut milk (any type of milk will be fine I'm sure).  Nigella says use 500 ml but I've done this dish enough times to know I want a bit more sauce by the time I come around to making it.  Into this I add 4-5 Bay Leaves (Nigella says 3) and I scatter  white peppercorns liberally into the mix (Nigella says 1 tablespoon).  I do not always do this but this time I threw in a few chopped chillies from our plant that grows in the kitchen.  I bring this to the boil, then turn the heat to low and simmer until the fish is cooked but not mushy - about 20 minutes usually.

I use this time to peel about 1.5 kg of potatoes.  Ours were from the allotment of course, where we still dig up a steady supply for our use.  I chop them into same size pieces and then microwave them until tender, adding a little boiling water prior to popping them in the microwave.  However you cook them, once they are tender, drain, add about 100g butter and a dash of milk or cream and mash till fluffy.  Then season to taste and set aside.

Using a fabulous item I purchased in Mumbai, I scoop out the fish from its fishy milk (the coconut milk often separates and it looks pretty manky but worry not, once your sauce is made you will be delighted at its texture and its look).  I pop the fish to one side on a plate.  It is usually really hot but I often use this time to peel off any skin from the fish, as it does come off nice and easily when it is steaming.  Unfortunately I pretend to have asbestos fingers but I really do not, so I'm often heard exclaiming obscenities around this time.

I then discard the Bay Leaves, and strain the milk through my mesh scooper from Mumbai.  It allows all the peppercorns to remain, which is what I want.  Nigella says to discard them but I just love biting into a peppercorn when I'm eating the pie, so in they stay.  I also do not care if the chilli pieces end up in there either.

I use the same wok that I cooked the fish in to make the sauce - maybe give it a wipe but after that I throw in about 100g of butter and then I add about five tablespoons of all purpose gluten free flour.  I stir this into the melted butter, and then gradually add the fishy milk mixture (a little at the time and always whisking the mixture in the wok as you do - I often remove the wok from the heat while I whisk out any lumps that may be trying to form).

Once you have added all the milk and the sauce is nice and thick and silky smooth, stir in as much grated cheese as you want (Nigella recommends 75-100g, I tend to double this...).  Stir it until it is all melted and the sauce tastes delicious.  I often sprinkle in a little salt at this point, but sometimes I find it is not necessary - I think it really depends on how much smoked fish you have in the mix.

Now it is time to construct the pie.  Layer your fish in the dish (I split this into one really big casserole dish which I intended to freeze for Christmas Eve and one smaller one that we were going to eat the following evening for supper).  I mix in the prawns and some frozen peas (Nigella says to defrost them first, 125g of them).  You want the fish in small chunks but not too flaky. Then you pour the sauce over it and then you spread the potato mash over the top, sealing it all nicely.

If your fish is going into the oven, sprinkle over more grated cheese first and cook for 20-40 minutes (depending on if it's going in warm or cold).

Do you recognise Nigella's hands?

We snapped the lid on the large dish once it had cooled (no sense in adding grated cheese if your freezing the pie first) and into the freezer it went.  On Sunday we will defrost it in the morning, grate over a tremendous amount of goats cheese, maybe toss over some gluten free breadcrumbs to give it some extra crunchiness, and then cook it Gas Mark 5 (190 degrees) for 40 minutes.