"It seems to be disputed, the Octave of Easter is still Easter Day, so that would indicate 'meat', yet by feria sexta I have surfeited so much on suckling lamb, bacon, peacock brains, sausages, larks tongues, terrines foie gras etc so I tend to eat some really good fish, a plate of roasted truffles, or asparagus, something that is entirely non-penitential, though it is surprising how fickle human nature is that even a plate of anchovies or fried sprats looks good at that stage of the party!"
from his comments on his blog....http://marymagdalen.blogspot.co.uk/
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Peacock Recipe from
Stuffing ingredients
- Bread
- Egg
- Onion – diced
- Apple – diced
- Garlic – diced
- Bacon – diced
- Rosemary sprigs
- Parsley – chopped
- Pepper – freshly ground
- White wine
- Chicken stock cube
Method
Gently sauté onion, bacon and garlic
Allow to cool
Tear bread into postage stamp sized pieces. Combine with other dry ingredients.
Whisk chicken stock cube into a cup of water, then whisk in egg and add glass of white wine
Pour stock liquid slowly over dry stuffing, mixing continually until moisture satisfactory.
Stuff bird lightly – DO NOT PACK TIGHTLY
Insert several sprigs of rosemary into stuffing
Tie legs together
Roasting the bird
(3.5 kg unstuffed weight)
- Pre-heat oven to 165C
- Dust large oven bag with flour
layer onion pieces and celery in bottom of bag - Rub bird outer skin with butter
- Season with pepper and salt
- Drape with rindless bacon
- Place bird into bag, on top of onion and celery layer
- Seal bag, then make four or five small vent holes in top of bag
- Cook for 3 hours
- Open/remove bag (save juices) and brown for 15 minutes
- Remove from oven and let stand 10 or 15 minutes
- Make gravy using oven juices & gravy powder
- Carve and serve
