Christmas Recipes - Chicken/Turkey and Ham Loaf Recipe

Ingredients

• 240 g cooked skinned and diced chicken or turkey

• 1 crusty sandwich loaf

• 900 g butter

• 2 finely chopped onions

• 200 g thinly sliced mushrooms

• 1 tbsp chopped parsley

• salt and black pepper

• 240 g sausage meat

• 180 g lean bacon, diced

• 240 g cooked diced ham

• 2 tbsp dry sherry or rice wine (optional)

• 1/4 tsp each sugar and thyme

Serves 6-8

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Method:

1. Cut a 1/2 in. slice off the top of the loaf and carefully pull out the soft bread inside (use for making bread crumbs). Leave 1/2 in. inner lining of bread to preserve the shape.

2. Melt half the butter and brush this on to the loaf, inside and out. Replace the lid and put the loaf on a baking tray in the centre of a pre-heated oven, at 400 F/200C (mark 6).

3. Bake for 10 minutes or until crisp and golden. Leave to cool. Cook the onions in the remaining butter until soft, add the mushrooms and cook for a further 2 minutes.

4. Stir in the parsley and season with salt and pepper. Mix together the sausage meat, bacon, ham and 3 heaped tablespoons of bread­crumbs, stir in the sherry and herbs and season to taste.

5. Press half the sausage mixture well down into the loaf case; cover with half the onion and mushroom mixture.

6. Arrange the chicken on top and cover with the onion and a final layer of sausage meat. Replace the lid and wrap the loaf in foil.

7. Bake in the centre of the oven, 375F/190C (mark 5) for 1 hour. Serve the loaf hot or cold, cut into thick slices.