The hip new time to throw a party these days is to gather everyone around at the end of a heavy evening's shopping. What better time to shove a big gin and tonic or a glass of mulled wine or a wham-bam Chardonnay into someone's hand, followed by a plate of succulent food? Well, here is what to cook for the shoppers - food that kicks everyone into festive mood in five minutes flat.
Everyone who shops is a sucker for juicy, moreish, finger-lickin' ribs or wings. The easiest way to cook chicken wings is to marinate them in Soy Vey Teraki Sauce (these are available from www.fifthsense.com) for an hour and then put them in a hot oven for about 20 minutes. Make plenty.
Ribs make a more substantial snack. This recipe is inspired by a dish I ate recently in Cayenne, the Belfast restaurant formerly known as Roscoff, where Paul and Jeanne Rankin have effected the most stunning transformation, creating a sublime space with knockout fusion cooking. Chilli jam is widely available - good labels to look out for are Dibbles and Bunulun 160, both sold in Tesco, and the Gourmet Ireland brand, available from the Internet address above. Make sure to get back ribs, the rib section which is close to belly of pork, with plenty of meat on them.
Nutty Barbecued Pork Ribs
2 racks ribs (approximately 1kg in weight each) white wine vinegar, soy sauce and water for roasting the ribs
The basting marinade: 1 dessertspoon peanut oil
1 red onion, minced 3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon mustard
1 jar chilli jam (approx 200g)
2 dessertspoons sherry
2 dessertspoons soy sauce
salt and pepper
cayenne pepper 1 dessertspoon
Worcester sauce 2 dessertspoons
three-nut butter (eg Whole Earth nut butter, widely available) or crunchy peanut butter
To make the marinade: heat the oil in a pan and saute the onion. When it is soft, add the garlic and saute for a minute before adding the mustard, chilli jam, sherry, soy sauce, seasonings and Worcester sauce. Simmer for 10 minutes to let the flavours infuse, and then stir in the nut butter completely and remove from the heat.
Put the ribs into a large saucepan and cover with water. Add a generous splash of white wine vinegar and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the ribs and discard the water.
Place the ribs in a preheated 350F/160C/Gas 4 oven on a rack over a baking tray. Sprinkle the baking tray with a little water and a few splashes of soy sauce. Roast for 30 minutes. Then take out of the oven and baste all over with some of the marinade. Roast for a further hour, turning over and basting with the marinade every 15 minutes. The ribs can be prepared in advance to this point. Warm up in the oven, and then slice before serving.
To make a meal of these ribs, serve them with noodles and this Asian Slaw recipe which comes from Schlesinger and Willoughby's book, Thrill of the Grill. It is important to slice the red cabbage as thinly as possible.
Asian Slaw
1lb green or red cabbage, julienned in very thin strips 1 red bell pepper, julienned in long, thin strips
2 scallions, cut thin on a sharp bias (at an angle)
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted in a single layer
1 tablespoon sesame oil salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
In a large bowl, combine the cabbage, red pepper, and scallion. In a separate bowl, vigorously mix together all the remaining ingredients. Just before serving, combine the cabbage mixture with the dressing and mix well.
Orange and Almond Cake
There isn't a more perfect seasonal cake than this exquisite orange and almond cake, which comes from that most personable and talented young chef, Barry Smyth, who cooks in The Yellow Door in Gilford, Co Down. Perfect with a whiskey, a cup of tea, or a glass of mulled wine. At the Yellow Door they serve with fresh orange compote and homemade vanilla ice-cream.
250g flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt
200g icing sugar, sifted
250g butter
fine zest of 3 small oranges
juice of 1 orange
3 tablespoons Cointreau
4 eggs
250ml milk
125g polenta (fine corn meal)
100g ground almonds
Cream together the butter and sifted icing sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs slowly, a spoonful at a time.
Sift together the dry ingredients and very gently fold in by hand. Add the milk, orange zest, orange juice and Cointreau, again folding the mix very lightly. Lastly, add the polenta and ground almonds.
Pour the mix into a greased and floured cake tin or springform tin. Bake in a medium oven for approximately 40 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Remove from the oven, allow to cool for five minutes, turn out onto a wire rack.