Saucy Dressings aims to complete this post – four weeks’ menus and recipes, plus a few spare by the end of 2021.

Every year an additional week’s menu, with the links to the individual recipes, is added.

For food in season in January, follow this link.

For music to listen to while cooking in January, follow this link.

You might also be interested in these posts:

• Wise man Gaspar’s surprisingly excellent thrice-gold cocktail
• Preserved quince on St Agnes’ Eve

Week’s menu for January: number one

“All the doors in this spaceship have a cheerful and sunny disposition. It is their pleasure to open for you, and their satisfaction to close again with the knowledge of a job well done.”

Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

January’s name is derived from the Latin, ianua, meaning ‘door’. It’s the month that opens onto the New Year, you want the first person who comes through your door after midnight to be bringing salt (symbolising money – people used to have their earnings paid in salt, hence the word ‘salary’), or bread and wine (symbolising plenty).

This is the month to take advantage of the scallops, the rhubarb, and the oranges in season.

Saturday lunch:

• coleslaw (why make your own? this one is special), ham and
• best ever baked potatoes

OR

• prawn Tom Yum soup; solution to all problems

OR

• a lively cherry tomato salad for the depths of winter with warm, crusty bread

FOLLOWED BY

• leftover, light-as-air brandy butter biscuits

Sunday evening pasta:

• spaghetti with best ever tomato sauce

Monday evening meat:

• Moroccan lamb tagine with
• Brussels sprouts and mandarin winter salad

Tuesday evening:

• leftovers or night out!

Wednesday evening poultry:

• poulet de Bresse with
• wonderful wedge potatoes and
• roasted translucent vegetables

Thursday evening dinner party:

• starter: scallops with rum and lime

OR

• starter: chicken mousselines with an orange and cardamom sauce
• main course: hog’s back, crispy-skinned, all day and night, pork
• vegetable: with spicy aubergine
• pudding: elegant Nutella cake with rote grütze

OR

• pudding: warm panettone and butter pudding with hot whisky or rum syrup and cold ice cream

Thank God it’s Friday drink:

• Revolver
• serve with Russian roulette pimientos de Padrón

Friday evening fish:

• Persian blackened salmon

OR

• Judith Hann’s sorrel and salmon fishcakes
• with cumined cauliflower

Week’s menu for January: number two

Saturday lunch:

• cheesy-quichy-souffly – a sort of tart/souffle hybrid, a souffle in a pastry case, light, puffy, very cheesy – which is also good when eaten cold the following day. It becomes solid and intense, easy to eat in your fingers, good for picnics and lunch boxes

OR

• dead-quick asparagus ‘souplé… an asparagus souffle made with a tin of soup

Sunday evening pasta:

• with Tuscan (or Lincolnshire) cavolo nero and spicy Spanish chorizo – the creaminess comes from yoghurt so it’s healthy – or as healthy as pasta can be…

Monday evening meat:

• French boeuf bourgignon with English dumplings umpired by Swiss chard. A warming winter stew

Tuesday evening:

• leftovers or night out!

Wednesday evening poultry:

• lime-glazed chicken with peppery rocket and crushed potatoes. The fresh, zingy chicken and the peppery rocket are balanced by the mellow, comforting potato

Thursday dinner party:

• starter: Chamonix winter salad with beetroot crisps
• main course: pomegranate venison
• vegetable: celeriac dauphinois with accents of red onion

OR

• vegetable: a warm red radicchio salad
• pudding: whiskied orange brioche

Thank God it’s Friday drink:

• Fine and Dandy cocktail

WITH

• smoked salmon canapés (use up any leftover smoked salmon from Christmas)

Friday evening fish:

• happy-go-lucky hake: this is a very simple dish of hake, bacon and mushrooms

WITH

• Asian Cabbage and Cashew Salad, or what to do with leftover cabbage

Week’s menu for January: number three

Saturday lunch:

• Chard, flageolet and Job’s tears salad

OR

• Verdi’s poached eggs on a bed of spinach or chard with white truffle sauce

OR

• a salad of blue cheese, grapes, walnuts and celery – food pairings galore

FOLLOWED BY

• Tangy chocolate cranberry cake

Sunday supper:

• Gammon
• Red cabbage,
• Mustard and oregano fried bread

Monday evening meat:

• Venison steak with chocolate gloss

Tuesday evening:

• leftovers or night out!

Wednesday evening poultry:

• Traditional Family roast chicken
• Broccolini 
• Sublime roast potatoes
• Bread sauce

OR

• marvellous mustard glazed chicken with
• Mrs H’s quick travelling spinach with a secret
• and crushed lemony potatoes

Thursday evening dinner party:

• with drinks: married-all-along chipolatas with mustard mayonnaise
• starter: special and Spanish stuffed aubergine starter
• main course: circus pork pie
• pudding: lemon meringue pie

OR

• pudding: bright blood oranges winking through a marmalade glaze over wintry warm steamed puddings
• after dinner: sweetmeat lovechild between Ferrero Rochas and Nutella

Thank God It’s Friday drink:

• Gaspar’s gold drink…..

OR

• an espresso martini

and to eat with it:

• Chicken liver bruschetta

Friday evening fish:

• Lighthouse keeper’s Dover sole with
• just-boil-a-kettle spinach

OR

• whole cauliflower with a magical mushroom and vinegar butter sauce 
• crushed lemony potatoes

Week’s menu for January: number four

Saturday lunch:

• cabbage forc’d with ham and other goodies 
• homemade Maryland hybrid shortbread chocolate chip cookies

Sunday supper:

• Sausages with chutney sauce

Monday evening meat:

• Country Thatched Pie

Tuesday evening:

• leftovers or night out!

Wednesday evening poultry:

• Red Rooster Fried Yardbird
• Aloo Palak (spinach with potatoes)
• Garlic and cucumber raita

Thursday evening dinner party:

• With drinks: pesto palmiers…. or other palmiers
• starter: stuffed portabello mushrooms
• main course: Brazilian style fried chicken  with elephant garlic
• vegetable: Portuguese punched potatoes

AND

• vegetable: zesty carrots
• pudding: holy heavenly trinity of caramel, rum, and chocolate – Angel Delight!

Thank God It’s Friday drink:

• Alpine eclipse….. and to eat with it:
• Houmous with sausages

OR

• Judith Hann’s salami and herbed cheese rolls

Friday evening fish:

• Christian Taylor’s sea trout
• Hearty, healthy grain and green salad