What do you have for Christmas dinner? The turkey? The goose? Something fancy from your butcher, like a three bird roast? Or perhaps the most traditional of all – roast beef, which used to be eaten at Christmas long before turkeys ever surfaced on board of Santa Maria with Columbus in tow. Or with one William Strickland, most probably a pirate.
No matter – the bird roast Christmas tradition might well be not so ancient, evidently going back only to 16th century, and becoming common Christmas fare as late as 19th. But birds roasted inevitably evoke the spirit of Christmas, especially when paired with disputably fragrant aroma of cooking Brussels sprouts. I must admit I’m not a sprout lover but once or twice a year, cooked with bacon, like below – they’ll go down okay.
I like game birds though – wild duck being my favourite, followed by wood pigeon which tastes like a cross between beef and liver, and pheasant. As long as it’s not dry.
Brining does the trick. This is the first time I’ve tried brining a bird before roasting and man, does it make a difference. The next time a rooster comes my way, I’ll give it the witch trial treatment again - drowning first, before the ordeal of fire.
The inspiration for the brining came from Hank the Hunter, Angler, Gardener, Cook. Unlike me, he’d probably shot the bird himself – before cooking it…