‘I made mincemeat first week of October and it is maturing. I stopped adding suet to mincemeat last year when I made two batches, identical, except that one was with suet and the other without. When I served the two batches of mince pies separately, nobody could detect the difference in both batches of mince pies.  Therefore no more mince pies with suet for us’

For my mincemeat you will need:

 200g apples
 200g soft brown sugar
 2 teaspoons mixed spice
 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
 a pinch of ground cloves
 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
 grated zest of 1 orange
 grated zest of 1 lemon
 grated zest of 1 tangerine
 juice of 2 lemons
 juice of 1 orange
 6 tablespoons brandy

 50g almonds
 50g hazelnuts
 200g raisins
 200g sultanas
 200g currants
 200g candied peel
 100g cherries

Method:

Chop the almonds and hazelnuts.  Grate the apples and place in a large bowl with the citrus juice.  Add all the other ingredients.  Mix all the ingredients and store in sterilized jars for up to a year.

And today I made mincemeat turnovers.  You just need some filo pastry and olive oil.

Cut the filo in pastry length ways into strips depending on what size you want the turnovers.  Place a teaspoon on mincemeat at one end of the strip.  Lift the corner of the filo and fold diagonally over the filling enclosing the filling at the same time.  This forms a triangle.  Fold again until you reach the end of the strip.  Brush the turnover with olive oil.  Place them on a baking sheet covered with baking paper and bake at 200C for 15 minutes.  Turn over and bake them for another 5 to 10 minutes depending on how crusty you like them.

I did not like the filo pastry I used during today’s tv show.  It was a big let down!

Trade Enquiries
Soft Brown Sugar by Silver Spoon and Billingtons at Borg & Aquilina
Nuts, dried fruit and spices by Lamb Brand
Filippo Berio Olive Oil and Fry Light Spray by Rimus Group
Fruit and Vegetables by Big Fresh Mosta, Oscar’s Fruit and Vegetables Paola and Barbuto [organic]

36 hours in Malta