Christmas stuffing – Clinical Alimentary

Is it too soon to be thinking of Christmas? It’s hardly past Halloween and Bonfire night but if you are like me and make your food for Christmas then perhaps we do need to start. I love chestnuts, and they are suitable for the Low FODMAP diet. Although I have used bacon and butter – with a small change to these ingredients the recipe and removing the bacon, the recipe can also be made suitable for vegans, plus it is rich enough to form the centre dish for a vegan Christmas.
As I was writing this recipe it reminded me of the song ‘Are you going to Scarborough fair – parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme’ I had inadvertently used this reverent combination in the recipe. I love this song; it’s a traditional ballad, a melancholy tale of loss and the impossible demands of love steeped in the legend of herbs anthropomorphic emotional properties. Being a scientist at heart, I don’t generally ascribe to flowers or herbs changing someone’s emotions however I am, I think, also a romantic too to some extent – so I can recognise and appreciate the sentimentality of the song. Can you be both? I think so.
This stuffing is not necessarily a healthy recipe, but Christmas is a time where a treat is allowed, it is a time to cook for friends and relatives and flavour is essential.

Ingredients

1/2 tin (200g) of chestnut puree
10 Walnuts
3 Sprigs thyme
130g Grated celeriac
100g Gluten-free bread
1 Sprig of rosemary
2 Tablespoons of parsley
20g Sage
Grated rind of 1 lemon
90g Streaky dry cure bacon
100g cooked whole chestnuts
40g butter
Seasoning

Method

Grate the celeriac
Chop the walnuts, whole chestnuts and herbs
Grate the lemon rind
Using a loaf tin lined with butter and the bacon rind – allow the rashers to drape over the edge – long enough so the slices can be folded back over the loaf when the tin is full.
Warm the oven to 180 degrees C.
Melt the butter in a frying pan and add the celeriac, fry for five minutes then add the chestnut puree. Add the chopped nuts, herbs lemon rind and seasoning and mix well till combined.
When combined spoon the mix into the loaf tin till full, then fold over the rest of the bacon rashers to cover the top of the loaf.
Place the loaf tin in a tray of water to prevent the sides from burning and cook on the central shelf for 10 minutes.
Serves 6-8.

Sage and onion stuffing is a classic accompaniment to Christmas dinner, however for people following a low fodmap diet this is not an option because it does contain lots of onion. Perhaps this recipe might be a good alternative and uses up some of the parts of meat that often go to waste, such as liver. I do save gluten free bread to freeze when I have the odd slice, or perhaps the bread crumbles because it is a little stale. Although freezing and reheating can increase the resistant starch content. Most people who get improvements on the low fodmap diet don’t seem to have problems with resistant starches – but if resistant starch does affect you, it might be better to use fresh breadcrumbs and only have a small piece, perhaps.

Serves 8

Ingredients

1 pack of chicken livers

1 tablespoon of garlic infused oil

1 teaspoon of asafoetida

100g of celeriac (gives a flavour of celery)

100g of chopped white cabbage

200g of gluten free breadcrumbs

4 sprigs of fresh rosemary.

Salt to flavour

Method

Trim the chicken livers (remove the tougher membrane that runs between the livers lobes). Add oil to the pan and fry the asafoetida and livers till cooked. Process the cabbage, rosemary and celeriac till a fine texture is achieved and then add the cooked liver and gluten free breadcrumbs. Process till smooth. Add to a loaf tin and cook for 1 hour at gas mark 5 or you could make stuffing balls or sausages depending on your preference but his will affect the cooking time. This stuffing tastes between a stuffing and pate and goes particularly well with Turkey.

I do not put my stuffing mix in the turkey body as this will not reach the temperature needed to cook either the stuffing or the turkey. Do take care when cooking Christmas lunch – do not wash the turkey and ensure any juices from the turkey run clear. Prevention of food poisoning during the festive season is really important!