Bananas

How have we got to Friday already?! This week, for Family Friendly Friday, I am sharing a recipe by Marco Pierre White for Knorr for a very fruity Christmas Turkey Curry, which is perfect for the whole family, or for entertaining, or for Boxing Day as long as everyone wears a silly jumper.

It took a huge leap of faith for me to add two apples, a banana and half a pineapple into a savoury dish, but it does work. I used the leftovers of a wonderful Kelly Bronze Turkey, very kindly sent to me by Forman and Field and also threw in some leftover roast potatoes and you can even see some of the bacon bits in there too from the trimmings. It hardly needs rice, but of course, if you are feeding a crowd, it will stretch even further served with rice and perhaps some naan bread. 

I actually made double the quantity of the sauce and used it again the next day for a king prawn curry (I always have a bag in the freezer) and it was just as good. Chicken would work well too, just remember to blitz the sauce before adding the turkey or whatever you want to add to it. You could also use coconut milk instead of the dessicated coconut and double cream, I think it would give the same flavour but the sauce would be even smoother. I also like a good dollop of natural yoghurt over the top too.  

Marco’s Christmas Curry

Recipe courtesy of Knorr and Marco Pierre White

Serves 10

Prep time: 40 mins

Cook time: 45 mins

Ingredients:

• 25g plain flour
• 2 Knorr chicken stock pots
• 25g unsalted butter
• ½ a large pineapple, peeled and chopped into chunks
• 2 Cox apples, peeled, roughly chopped
• 1 banana
• 1 small onion, finely chopped onion
• 3 tbsps mild or medium curry powder
• 25g unsweetened desiccated coconut
• 75ml double cream (optional)
• 1kg leftover cold roast turkey, taken off the bone and chopped into chunks (you can also add in chunks of cooked ham or leftover veg like roast potatoes, parsnips or carrots, chopped into chunks).

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 220˚C/ 425˚F/ Gas Mark 7. Sprinkle the flour in an even layer in an ovenproof frying pan and place it in the oven for 12–15 minutes until lightly browned.
2. Meanwhile, as the flour browns, begin cooking the curry. First, take the 2 Knorr Chicken Stock Pots and mix them with a litre of boiling water, stirring until thoroughly dissolved. Set aside.
3. Now, heat a large, heavy-based casserole dish on the hob. Add in the butter. Once melted, add in the pineapple and sliced apple. Peel and slice in the banana. Add in the chopped onion.
4. Fry stirring with a spatula over a low heat for around 10 minutes until the fruit begins to break down.
5. Add in the curry powder, mixing it in well. Cook, stirring, for 2–3 minutes over a low heat. Add in the desiccated coconut and mix in.
6. Remove the lightly browned flour from the oven and add it into the curry paste mixture, mixing it in thoroughly.
7. Pour in 250ml of the Knorr Chicken Stock, stirring it so that the paste dissolves into the stock.
8. Gradually add in the remaining stock, 250ml at a time, stirring in thoroughly after each addition to make sure the sauce is free from any lumps.
9. Bring to the boil, simmer for 8–10 minutes, stir in the double cream if using.
10. Use a stick blender or a food blender to blitz the sauce or use the back of a ladle to press it down and pass the curry sauce through a fine sieve.
11. Return the sieved or liquidised curry sauce to the casserole dish. Add in the cooked turkey chunks, bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes until the turkey is heated through.
12. Serve and enjoy!

I hope you do try this curry at home, if not over Christmas then perhaps in the New Year. We love it and it is this week’s Family Friendly Friday recipe.

Note: The ingredients for the curry were sent to me by Knorr and Foreman and Field. Many thanks again.