My childhood (and beyond) cookery notebook
Ye Olde Recipe Booke
Judging from the childlike scrawl I must have been about 5 when I started writing this notebook.
Or drunk.
Possibly both.
It's just a small notebook of recipes I've collected along the way, some of them my Mum's,
some of them from Niel's Mum - my best friend at university (the first time anyway),
and some of them my own.
I make no apologies for its random ramblings.
From the Raha stable
Curry à la Raha
curry main meat fowl
Heat oil and fry:
5 Cardamoms (split)
5 cloves
1 stick Cinnamon (broken)
When spitting add and fry onions, chilli and salt
When onions glassy add garlic and ginger and fry lightly
Seal Chicken/Beef/etc in mixture
Add water, simmer 1 hour
eat
From the Raha stable
Banana Malpu
dessert veg
Mix plain flour, water, banana, [sugar] to paste.
Leave to stand.
fry shallow as for Scotch Pancakes.
Ingredients:
- banana
- flour
- sugar
- coconut
- yoghurt
From the Raha stable
Potato Curry
curry veg vegan
Chop
into ½" cubes (wash off starch, fry now maybe).
Heat oil with
When oil is hot add onions and fry till soft.
Put in
- 1 flat teaspoon turmeric ()
- 1 flat teaspoon ground cumin ()
- 1 flat teaspoon coriander ()
- ½ flat teaspoon chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
add potatoes.
Fry spuds till cooked. Add
- green chillies
- water
- tomato purée
Simmer
From the Raha stable
Cabbage Curry
curry veg vegan
Heat oil, into hot oil put
- 4 cardamon (split)
- 2 sticks cinnamon
- 5 cloves
Fry for 30 seconds, add
followed by
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- little chilli powder
- little ground coriander
If pan goes dry add a little water, when properly mixed add a little water and simmer.
From the Raha stable
Chicken/Potato Curry
curry main fowl
Make chicken curry whilst washing and sealing spud.
Add spud to simmer in chicken and simmer further 10-15 minutes.
From the Raha stable
Cabbage/Potato Curry
curry veg vegan
Cook with cumin and bay leaves
then add cabbage and continue with
cabbage recipe.
From the Raha stable
Egg Curry for 4 people
curry veg
4 eggs - hard boiled and shelled
1 large onion - chopped
1 large tomato - sliced
3-4 red chillies
2-3 Tblsps oil (sunflower)
1 teasp haldi (turmeric)
½ teasp chilli
1 teasp salt
½" to ¾" creamed coconut - sliced or grated
Choose a tallish small saucepan. Heat the oil until quite hot (small bubbles rising) and throw in red chillies.
Then add onions and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes on high heat.
Lower heat and simmer very gently until soft with a lid on.
Raise heat and fry tomato slices till pulpy.
Reduce heat and add salt, haldi, chilli. Mix well.
Raise heat and add enough boiling water to come 1½" up the pan. Stir and bring to boil.
Pierce eggs with knife to let flavour in and add to pan,
covering with gravy, cook gently for 15 minutes or so
(you can also stir in 1 teasp of paprika to improve colour)
Then remove from heat and sprinkle creamed coconut on top
leave to melt then serve.
The aim is to make it hot (Chilli), sweet (Coconut) and sour (Tomato).
Ghee
ingredient veg
Melt block of (unsalted or slightly salted) butter in heavy pan,
then turn heat right down and leave butter just hot (do not boil).
A crust of curds will form on top, when this turns brown
sieve through muslin and store (best in fridge).
Ghee should have a toffee smell.
Some Notes
- Paprika burns easily - best added late
- 5 spices () is:
- Fennel seeds(),
- Cumin seeds (),
- Fenugreek seeds (),
- Onion seeds (),
- Mustard seeds ()
- Boots The Chemist is good for muslin (nappies), rosewater and dried full-fat milk.
From the Raha stable
Carrots and Mustard Oil
side curry veg
Boiled carrots mashed with butter and mustard oil.
From the Raha stable
Raha's Beef or Lamb Curry
curry main meat
Serves 4
1 x 5oz pot yoghurt
1½ - 2lbs Braising or Chuck steak or Lamb, cubed, no fat
½" green ginger grated
1 large Spanish onion chopped
5 cardamoms
5 cloves
2" cassia stick
2-3 Tbsps oil (sunflower is good)
1 teasp salt
½ teasp haldi
½ teasp chilli
¼ teasp dhaniya
1 teasp jeera
1 clove garlic, crushed
Mix the powders into the pot of yoghurt in a bowl, add ginger and garlic, stir in meat, mix well and cover.
Heat oil and fry the cardamoms, cloves and cassia to get aroma.
Add onion, fry until soft, add salt and mix well.
Raise the heat, put in meat and fry until sealed.
Lower heat and cook very gently with lid on.
Some juice should be in the pan at this stage.
If pan goes dry later add a little water, but with luck this will not be necessary.
Cook until tender (1-1½ hours).
By Aunty Dawn
Aunty Dawn's Tuna Fish Casserole
main fish cheese
3-4 medium potatoes
1 large onion finely chopped
3-4 grated carrots
1 tin 200g tuna steak in oil
1 tin Campbell's condensed mushroom soup
grated cheese
Finely chop the onion, grate carrots and mix with the tin of tuna and condensed mushroom soup
in a casserole dish. Season with a little salt and a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper.
Cover with the potatoes thinly sliced
.
Cover and cook in microwave for 15-20 mins or low oven (Gas Mark 4) til the potatoes are tender.
(~60 min)
Grate cheese on top, raise temp (Gas 6-7) and bake until the cheese is golden (~10min).
From the Raha stable
Cauliflower and Potato Curry
curry side veg vegan
Serves 4-6 People
1 cauliflower (firm) - cut into heads and halve the heads
2-3 potatoes - cubed 1½"
½ teaspoon 5 spices (panch feran)
1 teaspoon haldi (turmeric)
1 teaspoon salt
½-1 teaspoon chilli powder
¾ teaspoon Garam Masala
little water
2-3 Tablespoons oil
Heat oil and fry 5 spices till they spit.
Add pots and fry, then cauli heads and fry
Add haldi and salt (chilli if required), stir in well,
pan will probably go dry so add just a little water to almost cover bottom,
stir and put lid on.
Cook gently, about 15 mins until tender.
Turn off heat, sprinkle in Garam Masala, mix well and let pan stand with lid on.
Quick & easy Raha curry for 2 people or 1 hog!
Tinned Mackerel Curry
curry starter main fish
1 tin of mackerel steaks in Tomato sauce
1 good-sized onion, roughly chopped
1 Dessertspoon tomato purée
1 teaspoon onion seed or black mustard seed
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Haldi
2 Tablespoon oil
2/3 red chillies
Heat oil and fry seeds and chillies until aroma comes out.
Fry onions till soft, add salt and haldi
Add tomato purée, then the mackerel steaks, stir and fry, add a little water for gravy
Cook gently for about 15 mins.
From the Raha stable
Onion Bahji
starter curry veg vegan
2-4 People
2 heaped Tablespoons gram flour
½-1 teaspoon salt
¼-½ teaspoon chilli powder
½ large or 1 small onion thinly sliced
Put Besam in a bowl with all the powders (incl. salt), add 3 Tablespoons cold water, mix well till smooth.
Stir in onions well, deep fry in 1-1½" of
very hot oil
(oil should be beyond bubbling stage and have current layers in it. Batter should rise and bubble)
Add teasps of batter mix then turn heat down a little. Fry till golden brown.
Dry on kitchen paper.
Can use instead of onions:
- Aubergine slices
- Cauliflower ½ heads
- Pumpkin slices
- Swede slices
From the Raha stable
Fish Curry
curry main fish
2 small Mackerel
1 large onion finely chopped
2 green chillies finely sliced
2 teaspoons mustard powder mixed with little cold water
1 teaspoon haldi
½ teaspoon chilli
1 teaspoon salt
Cut 1 large, or preferably 2 small mackerel into 1" steaks
Coat open cuts in mackerel with Haldi and salt.
Heat oil almost covering bottom of a pan and fry onions and green chilli till soft.
Sprinkle powders on and mix well.
Keeping pan hot, fry fish pieces till sealed, cover (add a little water if necessary) and simmer 10-15 mins till cooked.
Turn heat off, add mustard and stir well, leave briefly and serve.
If using coriander leaves instead of mustard
cook for a little after adding leaves.
From the Raha stable
Spinach Curry
curry side veg vegan
1 lb spinach, wash, discard stalks, thinly slice leaves
½-1 teaspoon onion seed
1 green chilli finely chopped
1 Tablespoon fresh coriander leaves finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons oil
Heat oil, fry onion seeds until they fizz and aroma is released.
Keep pan hot, add greens, chilli and coriander, stir briskly.
Sprinkle on salt, stir and fry high heat for 3-5 mins till all water expelled and volume deteriorates
Curry Mayonnaise
sauce curry
Melt
- 2 oz butter
- 1 Tablespoon oil
Sauté
Stir in
- 1 level Tbsp curry powder
and cook for further few mins to bring out flavour.
Add
- ¼ pt. chicken stock
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon tomato purée
- 2 Tablespoons apricot jam
Stir until boiling and simmer 5 mins. Draw off heat and strain or put through food processor.
When cold, stir in up to
Quantity depends on consistency required.
can be added if desired.
Rum and Raisin Ice Cream
dessert veg
3 oz seedless raisins
4 tablespoons dark rum
3 egg yolks
4 oz soft brown sugar
½ pt. single cream
½ pt. double cream - whipped
Place the raisins and rum in a bowl and leave to soak.
Place the egg yolks and sugar in a heatproof bowl and whisk, using an electric mixer,
until thick and mousse-like.
Bring the single cream to just below boiling point and stir into the egg mixture.
Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water and stir until thickened.
Strain and cool.
Fold the double cream into the cooled custard mixture.
Transfer to a rigid freezerproof container, cover, seal and freeze for 2-3 hours
until there is an inch of solid ice cream around the sides.
Mix well until smooth then stir in the rum and raisins.
Return to the freezer until firm.
From the Raha stable
Potato and Onion Curry
curry side staple veg vegan
Fry
- tsp panch puran
- 2 bay leaves
- whole red chillies
in
Add
fry
well until sealed.
Add
- 2 large onions roughly chopped
fry until slightly frizzled
Add
- 1 tsp turmeric
- ½" ginger, finely chopped
- salt
- ¾ tsp chilli (or to taste)
- paprika
fry slightly, stir well.
Add small quantity of water until curry steams in pan.
Cover and simmer until soft.
Naan Bread
bread veg curry
7 oz plain flour
5 oz pot plain yoghurt
Mix to soft dough (dry - not wet), leave in fridge overnight.
Tear off into balls 1-1½" in diameter.
Roll into squares, fold into triangles, roll and fold into triangles several times.
Grill or fry on Griddle.
Red Velvet Casserole of Beef
main meat stew
Serves 6-8
½ lb cooked beetroot, chopped coarsely
grated rind and juice of 1 large orange
1 Tblsp sugar
2-3 cloves garlic
½ pint water
1¾-2lb best stewing steak
1 oz butter
2 Tblsps olive or sunflower oil
2 rounded tsps ground ginger
1 Tblsp plain flour
5 fl oz (150g) carton fresh soured cream
salt and black pepper
Put in a liquidiser the chopped beetroot, orange juice and rind, sugar, garlic and water.
Whizz to a smooth purée (poss in 2 goes).
Cut up stewing steak into largish slices.
Melt butter and oil together in a flameproof casserole or large saucepan on top of stove.
Stir meat in the melted fat and sprinkle on the ground ginger.
Remove from heat and stir in the flour.
Heat beetroot purée and stir into the beef.
If already using casserole, put on lid and cook in preheated oven
Gas Mark 1 (275F, 140°C) for 2-2½ hours or until tender.
I started in pan, transfer to casserole.
Check for seasoning and add salt and pepper.
Just before serving, spoon soured cream over top.
Spiced Okra
curry side
Wash and trim
without puncturing it.
Put into a pan with
- 1½ medium tomatoes, skinned and chopped
- 1½ Tblsps lemon juice
- 1 Tblsp ghee
- 1½ Tblsps beef stock
- 1 rounded dessertspoon brown sugar
- 1½ rounded teaspoon fennel seeds
- ½ rounded teaspoon turmeric
- 1 rounded teaspoons ground coriander
Cover and simmer for 40 minutes.
Serve garnished with rings of
- green, yellow and red pepper.
From the Raha stable
Spiced Cucumber
side curry veg vegan
1 or more large cucumbers cut lengthways in ¼s and chopped
½ tsp mustard seed
2 tsp Colman's English mustard powder
salt
finely chopped ginger
Fry mustard seeds in oil, add butter (keeps veg. soft), fry cucumber well,
simmer for some time with lid on.
When soft add ~tsp salt and ginger. Simmer ~5 mins.
Turn off heat and stir in mustard mixed with a little water.
From the Raha stable
Spiced Cauliflower
curry side veg vegan
Simply fry chopped cauliflower in five spices (panch puran), cover and simmer until soft.
Ingredients:
- cauliflower
- five spices (panch puran)
From the Raha stable
Pourris
bread veg vegan
Serves 4
4 oz plain white flour
4 oz wholemeal flour
2 Tblsps sunflower oil
½ tsp salt
up to 4 oz cold water
Mix dry things together, rub in sunflower oil, add water until dry and plastic.
Knead for 10 mins, form dough into a ball,
put drop of oil into palm of hand, cover ball of dough with oil,
put in polythene bag, leave in warm place ~½ hr.
Knead 2 or 3 mins, twist off to make ~16 little balls then cover them on a plate with polythene.
Deep fry in 1½" oil - dough should rise and bubble.
Roll out the little balls into circular flat pancakes,
drop into oil, push under and tap . Cook until light brown, turn over and drain in kitchen paper.
From the Raha stable
Yoghurt Pud
dessert veg
2x5 oz pots plain yoghurt
5 Tblsps sugar
1 large can evaporated milk
Stir or blend well together, place in oven at lowest temp for ~ 1 hour.
Take straight out of oven into fridge.
From the Raha stable
Aubergine Bahji
curry starter veg vegan
Cut aubergine into large 3" pieces, salt open cuts and then wash to remove some bitterness.
Dip in wholemeal salted flour
and fry in shallow oil.
Ingredients:
- aubergines
- wholemeal flour
Aniseed Chicken
curry main fowl
4 lb chicken
¼ tsp aniseed/fennel
1 tsp mint
½ tsp ginger
1 tsp wine vinegar
3 dates finely chopped
1 cup chicken stock
¼ tsp mustard seed
2 tsp olive oil
½ cup white wine (reduced from twice this quantity)
1 tsp honey
ground pepper
Take the whole chicken and braise in water for ~20 mins. Drain, reserve stock and wipe dry.
For sauce, combine the remaining ingredients (except pepper) and heat to boiling point and simmer gently for 20 mins.
Score chicken's skin and pour aniseed sauce over it. Roast in a 300F oven for 2 hours,
basting frequently with liquid from roasting pan.
Sprinkle with mild pepper before serving.
Grilled Spicy Chicken
starter main fowl curry
1x3½lb chicken or chicken drumsticks
1x5oz plain yoghurt
ginger, grated
garlic, grated
1 tsp Haldi
½ tsp Chilli
½ tsp Dhaniya
1 tsp Jeera
1 tsp Paprika
1 tsp salt
a little oil
Joint and skin the chicken. Put the yoghurt in a bowl and stir in all the powders, ginger and garlic.
Mix the chicken pieces in, making sure they are covered. Leave for 3-4 hours (overnight is best).
Put a little oil in a grill pan and grill ~15 mins each side.
A Karl special
Baked Stuffed Cabbage
main veg cheese
Hollow out a cabbage, removing all the stems and stalks.
Stuff (e.g. with the Roux Bros.
Stuffed Tomatoes And Butter Sauce
filling,
but using bacon and brie instead of goat's cheese) and bake in oven, gas 6
for 1½ hours surrounded with red wine and olive oil covered tightly with foil.
Ingredients:
- cabbage
- butter sauce
- bacon
- brie
- red wine
- olive oil
A Karl special
Potato Gratin
side staple veg
Make a potato gratin with double cream mixed with brie?
Courgette & Tomato Bake
main side veg
Fry courgettes until browned (salt and drain first).
Fry onions and garlic then sliced (peeled) toms until pulpy.
Stir in courgettes, bake covered in fresh breadcrumbs dotted with butter ~½ hr gas 6.
Ingredients:
- courgettes
- onions
- garlic
- tomatoes
- breadcrumbs
- butter
A Karl special
Steamed Stuffed Cabbage
main veg
Blanch cabbage for 1 minute.
Cut out heart (may need to tie up with string or foil).
Mix double cream and brie to paste, add grated nutmeg, few whole green peppercorns.
Season cabbage, stuff with mixture.
Steam 15 mins. The sauce runs into the cabbage, so fill well.
Ingredients:
- cabbage
- double cream
- brie
- nutmeg
- green peppercorns
- cumin
Just lika Mamma useda to maka
A really tasty Greek soup recipe we inherited from my father.
From Baked Potatoes(!)
Potato Skins
ingredient veg vegan
If you bake them, heat gas 6 until skins are warm (a few mins)
then serve or they will dry out and go hard.
Creamed Leeks/Aubergines
side veg
Fry/sweat sliced leeks in butter until soft.
Add a thick white sauce .
Season .
Ingredients:
- leeks or aubergines
- butter
- flour
- milk or cream
- white pepper
- mustard
- epazote
Cherry Brie
starter dessert veg
Heat creamy Brie in oven until soft/just runny.
Pour over hot cherries in Amaretto syrup.
Ingredients:
- brie
- cherries in Amaretto syrup
Strawberry Mayonnaise
sauce veg
Crush straws through a sieve, touch of lemon juice, garlic too.
Nice with avocados
Ingredients:
- strawberries
- lemon juice
- garlic
- mayonnaise
A Karl special
Wild Garlic
side veg vegan
Just throw the leaves into a salad.
Or make them into a pesto.
Or mash them into a flavoured butter.
Wild garlic tops/leaves - yum!
Steam as spinach - slightly slimy and collapses a great deal.
As served at Fishers restaurant on the Shore:
Chop raw wild garlic tops finely. Mash into potatoes. Probably needs some basil too. Maybe basil oil?
By Karl from the Kalpna
Baingan Bharta
curry side main veg
Roast
(in oven, in oil), peel, mash and cook with
- onions
- plenty garlic
- cashew nuts
- tomato
- spices
- yoghurt
[Maybe bake the aubergines?].
Very nice, pricked and roast in a little ghee.
Some Random notes...
Goose eggs boil for ~13 mins.
Try roasting potatoes from raw in olive oil (with garlic and rosemary).
Add plenty of salt to the oil and add chicken fat (e.g. from a roast) for the perfect flavour
at mark 2 for 1 hour.
Slightly nicer texture and poss. flavour v. nearly 4 oz semolina per size 1 egg.
Chestnuts and pots! Milk from soaked chestnuts mashed with pots.
...and random mini-recipes...
By Karl
Steamed Cauliflower
veg side
Steamed cauliflower dressed with (~4oz) beurre blanc is nice
By Karl
Milk Poached Potatoes
veg staple side
Slice pots and poach in milk,
strain off, add a little milk and finish in oven or grill.
By Karl
Cabbage in Black Beans
veg side vegan
Fry chopped salted black beans and
crushed garlic,
add shredded cabbage, sprinkle with lemon juice.
By Karl
Pan-Fried Turnip & Pear
veg side
Boil/steam whole turnips until soft - slice,
peel hard large pears - slice
pan-fry pears in hot butter, add turnip, season.
By Karl
Tofu Dip
veg sauce vegan
Blend
tofu with flavourings
(e.g
soy sauce,
vinegar,
olive oil...).
Like these.
By Karl
Grilled Chicken
main side fowl
Marinate
chicken pieces
in
Greek yoghurt with
- chopped garlic
- a dash of Lea and Perrins
- pepper
- honey
- desiccated coconut
sprinkle with a little
cumin and grill
slowly.
By Karl
Beef Casserole
main meat stew
Casserole beef
with root veg
plus beetroot.
Use straight Czech Budweiser as cooking liquid
and add strawberries ½ way through.
A Karl special
Baked Stuffed Cabbage II
side veg
Blanch cabbage (couple of mins), remove centre, stuff into tight earthenware pot.
Pour in (& over) Rose Elliot's
coconut sauce
and bake at gas 4 for 1 hour.
Creamed Coconut
sauce ingredient veg
You can make your own creamed coconut from puréeing some fresh coconut with milk
and then boiling them up (for a while) straining out the coconut
and reducing the coconut-flavoured milk to a paste consistency .
This produces a pleasant, if sweet, result but it is a lot of hassle.
Baked Goods
starter side veg cheese
Bake large flat mushrooms (stalks removed),
heads of garlic, tomatoes (20-30 minutes) and
aubergines (40 minutes).
Squeeze the garlic cloves when they are soft, crush the tomato flesh, slit open the aubergines.
Smear the mushrooms with the garlic and tomatoes,
and mash garlic and soft goat's cheese into the aubergine.
Viennese Tartlets
sweet veg
6 oz butter or margarine
2 oz caster sugar
6 oz self-raising flour
¼ teaspoon vanilla essence
Cream the fat and sugar, add essence and flour, beat well with a wooden spoon.
Pipe the mixture into bun cases (or whatever).
Bake in moderate oven (325-350°F, gas Mark 3-4) for 20-25 minutes.
Add some jam (or whatever you fancy) when cool.
Viennese Tartlets Alternative
sweet veg
8 oz butter
2 oz icing sugar
7 oz plain flour
1 oz cornflour
Cream butter and icing sugar til smooth.
Work in flour and cornflour with wooden spoon until soft and light.
Pipe into bun cases.
Leave in fridge for 30 minutes.
Bake for 15-20 minutes at Gas Mark 4 (350°F).
Cool, dredge in icing sugar and add jam (or whatever).
A Karl special
Stuffing for Roast Goose
ingredient veg vegan
Soak some prunes for a day in Armagnac.
Chop Onions, Celery, Garlic, alcoholic Prunes.
Grate a couple of carrots.
Grind a handful or so of pistachio nuts.
Grate the peel and squeeze the juice of a couple of tangerines.
Chop a bunch of Parsley and a handful of Thyme.
Stale breadcrumbs.
Salt & Pepper.
Mix everything together with an enormous quantity of stale breadcrumbs and stuff the goose.
I have a memory of parboiling and chopping some parsnips, potatoes and sprouts, but I'm not sure if they went into the stuffing or something else.
It's a thought I suppose.
Sweet And Sour Turkey
main fowl
serves 4
8 oz cooked turkey cut into bite-sized pieces
1 onion, chopped
1 pepper, chopped
1 small can pineapple chunks
½ pint pineapple juice and water
4 tablespoons vinegar
2 teaspoons vinegar
2 teaspoons dry mustard
2 oz brown sugar
1 oz cornflour
salt and pepper
Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
Heat oven to gas mark 4
Layer the vegetables and turkey in an oven-proof casserole
Place all the sauce ingredients in a pan and bring to the boil, stirring continuously.
When the sauce has thickened, pour over the vegetables and turkey.
Cover and bake for 35 minutes.
Serve on a bed of boiled rice.
Rich Shortbread
sweet veg
9 oz plain flour
3 oz caster sugar
6 oz butter
Mix flour and sugar in a bowl, rub in the butter
Knead well to form a smooth paste.
Make into 2 x 7" discs, 1" thick and bake in a moderate oven
(325-350°F/Gas Mark 3-4) for 25-30 minutes until pale golden
Or
Make into fingers and bake in moderate oven (as above) for 20-25 mins.
Basic Short Pastry
BeRo
ingredient
Originally a Be·Ro recipe. From about 1930.
These days you might substitute something less cancerous than margarine :)
8 oz recipe
8 oz self-raising flour
½ teaspoon salt
2 oz lard
2 oz margarine
cold water, about 8 teaspoons
1 oz caster sugar (optional for sweet pastry)
Mix flour and salt in basin, lightly rub in the lard and margarine until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs
(aerate by dribbling the mixture through your fingers).
Using a knife to cut and stir, mix with just enough very cold water to make a stiff paste.
Turn the dough on to a floured board or worktop and roll out.
Butter Tartlets
sweet veg
6 oz of
short pastry
1 oz butter
4 oz currants
4 oz demarara sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
Roll out the pastry and line patty tins.
Melt butter in a pan, add all the other ingredients and mix well.
Put a teaspoonful of mixture into each case.
Bake in a moderately hot oven (375-400°F/Gas Mark 5-6) for 15-20 minutes.
When cold, decorate with a little
glacé icing and cherries.
Glacé Icing
ingredient veg vegan
to cover a 6-7" cake
4 oz sieved icing sugar
1 tablespoon warm water
flavouring and colouring
Place the icing sugar in a basin and add the water.
Stir until smooth, add flavour and colouring as desired.
Use at once.
By BeRo
Butter Icing (or Butter Cream)
ingredient veg
From my Mum's fine collection of old Be·Ro recipe books
sufficient to sandwich a 6-7" cake
- 2 oz margarine or butter
- 4 oz sieved icing sugar
- half teaspoon vanilla essence
- half teaspoon almond essence
- finely grated rind orange/lemon and a teaspoon orange/lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons coffee essence
- 1 oz melted chocolate
- 2 teaspoons cocoa and half teaspoon vanilla essence
- chopped walnuts
Cream the fat, gradually add icing sugar and cream together.
Add any flavouring and colouring.
Rum Butter
ingredient veg
8 oz butter
16 oz soft brown sugar
wineglass rum
nutmeg to taste
Thoroughly cream together the butter and sugar, then gradually add the rum.
Cream well to get a very smooth texture.
Add grated nutmeg to taste.
Put into small pots or cartons and serve with hot or cold Christmas puddings.
Chocolate Truffles
sweet veg
4 oz plain chocolate
1 oz icing sugar
3 dessert spoons condensed milk
rum flavouring
chocolate vermicelli
Melt the plain chocolate very gently in a basin over a saucepan of very hot water,
then add the icing sugar and the condensed milk.
Stir well together off the heat.
Add the rum essence - about ¾ of a teaspoon.
Leave for an hour or so to cool and harden slightly, then roll into small balls and roll each one in the chocolate vermicelli.
Hot Spot Pork
main meat
The 'hotness' depends on the quantity of cayenne pepper used.
serves 4
1 small onion
1 small green pepper
2 level tablespoons cornflour
1 level teaspoon paprika
1 rounded teaspoon ground ginger
salt and pepper
cayenne pepper
4 pork chops or steaks
2 tablespoons oil
1 chicken extract cube
boiling water
2 rounded tablespoons tomato ketchup
1 tablespoon soy sauce
8 oz long grain rice
Peel the onion and slice finely.
Cut the pepper in half, discard the seeds, core and white pith, slice the pepper.
Place cornflour, paprika, ginger, 1 level teaspoon salt and a grind of pepper on a plate.
Add cayenne pepper: ½ level teaspoon for a hot sauce, a pinch for a mild flavour.
Coat pork in the seasoned cornflour.
Heat oil in a large frying pan.
Fry pork quickly on both sides until lightly browned.
Remove from the pan and place on a plate.
Add onion to the pan and fry until lightly browned.
Place on a plate.
Crumble the chicken extract cube into ¾ pint boiling water.
Stir until dissolved then add to the pan, a little at a time, stirring.
Stir in tomato ketchup and soy sauce.
Bring to boil, replace meat in pan, cover with a lid or foil and cook over a low heat until pork is tender - about ½ hour.
Meanwhile cook rice in a large saucepan of boiling salted water.
Test by pressing a grain between thumb and finger.
Drain in a sieve or colander and rinse with boiling water.
Place on a serving dish, arrange meat on top and keep warm.
Blend remaining seasoned cornflour from the plate with a little water and stir into the sauce in the pan.
Replace the onion and bring to a boil.
Place sliced pepper in a saucepan, cover with cold water and bring to the boil.
Drain and add to sauce in the pan.
Taste sauce and add more seasoning if necessary,
then pour over the meat.
Serve with a green vegetable.
Malt Loaf-Type Cake
sweet veg
serves 4-6
2 cups self-raising flour
2 cups fruit
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup cold coffee or tea
Use extra coffee for a malt-like cake.
Cook for ¾-1 hour at Gas mark 3-6
Cauliflower Stir-Fry
main veg vegan
Cauliflower florets, julienne carrots, sliced red onion and sliced garlic
stir-fried in olive oil is a surprisingly tasty combination.
Mostly Mum's Recipes
Mum's traditional* family recipes.
Recently slightly updated after
our family's reunion
for Mum's remembrance at
Kaguy Samye Ling in the Scottish Borders,
where we discovered that brother Kurt had been hiding Mum's secret recipe book
that she'd written out for him when he moved out of her house and had to start cooking his own dinners.
By Mum
Mum's Short Pastry
ingredient
6 oz self-raising flour
3 oz lard
⅔ tsp salt
cold water, about 6 Tblsps
Mix flour and salt in basin, lightly rub in the lard or shortening until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs.
Using a knife to cut and stir, mix with just enough very cold water to make a stiff paste.
Turn the dough on to a floured board or worktop and roll out.
By Mum
Mum's Cheese Pastry
ingredient veg cheese
6 oz self-raising flour
3 oz Trex, lard, or vegetable shortening
2-4 oz cheddar cheese, grated
water
Mix the flour and the Trex with your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs, then add the grated cheese.
Gradually add a little water and mix with a knife until it holds together as a dough, then roll out the pastry.
By Mum
Suet Pastry
ingredient
8 oz self-raising flour
4 oz suet
1 tsp salt
8 Tblsps water
Mix the flour, salt and suet.
Mix in the water using cutting movements with a knife until you have a thick dough.
Use as required.
By Mum
Mum's Philadelphia Cheese Cake
dessert sweet cheese
4 cups (crushed) sweet biscuits (Digestive)
4 oz butter (real)
1 lemon jelly
½ cup boiling water
1½ cups evaporated milk (chilled)
8 oz Philadelphia cheese (softened room temp)
1 cup Castor sugar
1 teaspoon lemon essence and 1 large lemon to give:
¼ cup lemon juice
Dessert spoon grated lemon rind
Mix biscuit crumbs with melted butter and press into tin. Chill till set.
Dissolve jelly in boiling water. Add lemon rind and juice. Cool slightly.
Beat evaporated milk till thick. Beat cheese till soft. Add sugar and lemon essence and add to milk.
Fold in warm jelly. Pour into crumb base and chill overnight or cover and freeze.
Fills 3 sandwich tins.
By Mum
Mum's Speedy Orange Cheese Cake
dessert sweet cheese
1½ margarine
4 oz digestive biscuits (crushed in a polythene bag)
1½ oz caster sugar
1 packet orange jelly
8oz cream cheese
¼ pint whipped cream
juice of 1 large orange
fresh orange segments and a little grated chocolate for garnish
Melt the margarine in a saucepan and add crushed biscuits and sugar.
Mix well and press into the base of an 8" flan tin (with a loose base).
Make up the fruit juice to ½ pint with water.
Heat and dissolve the jelly in this and cool until on the point of setting.
Soften the cream cheese and beat into the jelly
Fold the jelly mixture into the whipped cream.
Pour onto the biscuit base and allow to set.
Peel the remaining orange carefully and cut into segments.
Decorate the cheesecake with the orange segments or grated chocolate.
By Mum
Lemon Sponge Surprise
dessert veg
Serves 4-6
1 oz margarine
6 oz sugar
2 oz (plain ) flour
2 eggs, separated
rind and juice of 1 lemon
8-10 tablespoons of water
Sift the flour and sugar into a bowl.
Using a large fork work in margarine until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Add the yolks, rind and juice of the lemon.
Mix to a paste with the fork and then add the water and mix until it is combined with the mixture.
Whisk the egg whites until they are stiff and fold carefully but thoroughly into the mixture.
Pour into a greased 2 pint pudding dish.
Bake for approx 40 minutes at 375°F (Gas 5).
Dust with icing sugar to serve.
By Mum
Suet Pudding
side
8 oz self-raising flour
4 oz suet
1 tsp salt
8 Tblsps water
1 small onion, sliced
Mix up the dough as for
suet pastry, add the sliced onion,
put into a baking dish and bake in the oven at Gas Mark 6 (or whatever you happen to have it set to)
for 20-40 minutes until it's cooked through, you can see bubbling fat separating, and browning on top.
Goes nicely with roast lamb.
By Mum
Mum's Fish Slop
(Or Pie)
main fish cheese
I believe Mum actually called this Fish Pie, or just Fish in Cheese Sauce
but if you've tried it I'm sure you agree my title is much more apt.
My sister calls it Fish Fricassé - the pretentious git :)
- 1lb haddock or cod, skinned and boned
- ½-¾ pint milk
- 1 tablespoon cornflour
- cheese, grated
- 3 tomatoes
- 2 slices fresh breadcrumbs
Boil the fish in water until cooked , strain, break into pieces.
Bring the milk to the boil with the cornflour to thicken to make a white sauce.
Add grated cheese, fish, and 2 tomatoes chopped into small pieces and pour into an uncovered ovenproof dish.
Grate more cheese on top, slice the remaining tomato and arrange around the edge.
Cook at Gas Mark 4~5 until the cheese melts and browns slightly.
Also By Mum
Fish Slop #2
main curry fish
- 1½lb cubed, skinned Haddock.
Fry
- 2 medium onions
- 1 clove garlic
until soft.
Add
- Tblsp curry powder
- Tblsp plain flour
cook for 1 more minute.
Prepare
- ½ pt stock
- 2 Tblsps tomato purée
Stir in to onions.
Add
- juice ½ lemon
- 8 oz tomatoes
- tsp dried ginger
- optional mushrooms and marjoram
Cover fish sauce in oven at gas 4 for ~30 minutes.
By Mum
Mum's Mince Roll
main meat
Serves 4
- 6 or 8 oz suet pastry
- minced meat
- 1 chopped onion
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- curry powder to taste
Fry meat, onion, garlic, curry powder until meat cooked.
Roll out suet pastry to oblong.
Spread meat mixture on pastry, then roll up with the long edge towards you, sealing the ends and sides with cold water.
Bake in the oven at Gas Mark 5 until brown & crispy.
Requires gravy.
By Mum
Mum's Indian Pie
main meat cheese
- minced meat
- 1 chopped onion
- 1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 tomatoes, chopped
- hot curry powder to taste
- 3-4 medium potatoes
- grated cheese
Fry mince, onion, garlic & curry powder until meat is cooked.
Add tomato & remove from heat.
Boil potatoes until soft. Mash with milk and add grated cheese.
Put meat mixture in casserole, cover with potato mix.
Roughen top with a fork.
Cook in oven at Gas Mark 5 until the top is browned.
By Mum
Mum's Sausage and Bean Pie
main meat
- 6oz Mum's short pastry
- sausages or minced meat
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 large tin baked beans
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
Fry the meat, onion & garlic until cooked.
Cut up the sausages (if using).
Mix in the beans & heat.
Line a pie dish with ½ the pastry.
Fill with the meat and beans.
Top with remaining pastry.
Bake at Gas Mark 5 for about 30 minutes until browned.
By Mum
Mum's Cheese & Onion Pasty
main cheese
Roll out ½ the pastry.
Cover with grated cheese & onion.
Top with the remaining rolled pastry, and seal the edges with cold water.
Bake at Gas mark 5 until golden - about 20 minutes.
By Mum
Mum's Pilchard Pie
main fish
1 large tin (400g) pilchards in tomato sauce
1 onion, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
6 oz
cheese pastry
Bone the pilchards, removing the spine and any larger bones. Mash up with their tomato sauce.
Fry the onion until soft, remove from the heat and mix with the chopped tomatoes and pilchards.
Roll out ½ the pastry, place on a baking sheet and spread over the fish mixture.
Top with the rest of the pastry, seal around the edges and make 3-4 slits in the top.
Bake at Gas 5 for 30-45 minutes or until browned.
Sage and Onion Stuffing
ingredient side
Crumble stale bread
and chopped raw onion,
add a sprinkling of dried sage
and a little pork dripping.
Bake in a low oven
From Mum
Yorkshire Puddings
side veg
Via Kurt's secret recipe book.
Serves 4
- 5 oz (150g) plain flour
- ¼ pt (5 fl oz/150ml) milk
- 2 eggs
Whisk well together until creamy and lump free.
Heat fat in pudding tins in the oven at Gas Mark 5-6 until it's giving a blue haze.
Pour in the batter.
Cook for about 20 minutes, until risen and golden.
From Mum
Toad in the Hole
main meat cheese
Via Kurt's secret recipe book.
Cook the sausages and cut into pieces.
Cook the onion and put in a dish with the sausage.
Cover with the batter. Sprinkle with the grated cheese.
Bake at Gas mark 6 until cooked.
From Mum
Steak and Kidney Pudding
main meat
Via Kurt's secret recipe book.
- ½-1lb mixed steak and kidney
- plain flour
- salt
- 8oz self-raising flour
- 4 oz suet
Mix self-raising flour & suet with cold water to make pastry.
Roll out ⅔ and line pudding basin.
Coat pieces of meat with plain flour seasoned with salt, and put in basin.
Add a splash of water.
Roll out the remaining pastry to form a lid. Cover with foil.
Steam for 1½-2 hours
Mum's Christmas Recipes
Mum had a selection of favourite recipes she used to crank out at Christmas time, which kept it all very special.
I guess it's down to us now.
Just like Mum makes! made :(
Mum's Pilaf
main
Fried rice with leftover Christmas bird
Our family's traditional way of using up the last of the Christmas goose .
Mum doesn't believe in measuring her ingredients.
So you're on your own!
Just bear in mind that half a cup of rice will normally feed one person.
- 1 tin peas, drained
- tomatoes, chopped
- long grain rice
- stock
- onions, chopped
- bacon, chopped
- leftover Christmas fowl, chopped
- egg, beaten
Drain the peas, chop the tomatoes and put them both into a deep dish in a low oven.
Fry the dry rice in butter until it begins to brown, then add stock to about twice the volume and leave to simmer.
Add more stock as necessary. Add it to the dish in the oven when tender.
Fry the chopped onions and add to the dish.
Fry the chopped bacon and add to the dish.
Fry the chopped bird and add to the dish.
Pour the beaten egg into the frying pan and turn it into an omelette whilst you stir the rice mixture.
Chop the omelette and place it on top of the dish.
Serve with Worcestershire and Soy Sauce.
By Mum
Mum's Christmas Cake
sweet veg
Makes 4 loaves
- 2 lbs self-raising flour
- 2 lb fruit
- ¾ lb marg
- 2 oz peel
- 6 eggs
- 2 oz cherries
- 2 oz grated almonds
- 3 Tablespoons rum
- 1 lb brown sugar
- mixed spice
- about 3 Tablespoons Mather's Black Beer
Stir it all up,
adding Black Beer until the mixture is moist enough
.
Bake at Gas 3 for 1¼-2 hours or until ready (prick to test).
If you're going to keep them for months or years, just give them an occasional drink of rum and they'll be fine. Maybe better.
By Mum
Mum's Christmas Pudding
sweet
Makes 2 family-sized puddings
- 4 oz self-raising flour
- 4 oz breadcrumbs
- 4 oz suet
- 4 oz sugar
- 1 Tablespoon treacle
- ½ cupful stout
- Juice of 1 orange
- 1 grated apple
- raisins
- currants
- sultanas (about 1lb of dried fruit in total)
- 1 or 2 eggs
Steam for 2 hours, then steam again before serving at the Christmas dinner table.
By Mum
Mum's Quick 'n' Crunchy Biscuits
sweet
They might be quick, but to be honest they're far from crunchy. Or at least they're only crunchy for a few days.
Mum must have made them weeks ahead of Christmas - after which time spent waiting in a rusty old biscuit tin they'd become as limp as dish rags :)
- 2 oz treacle (1 heaped tablespoon)
- 5 oz butter
- 4 oz sugar
- 3 oz Quaker oats
- 2 oz dessicated coconut
- 4 oz plain flour
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate soda
- 1 tablespoon hot water
Melt the butter, sugar and syrup in a large pan.
Remove from the heat. Add the dry ingredients. Mix the sodium bicarbonate in the water and add to the mixture.
Cool. Roll into balls.
Bake for 20 minutes at Gas Mark 3.
Leave to set.
By Mum
Mum's Almond Slices
sweet
Well, they're not really Mum's - they're Be·Ro's.
But Mum used to make 'em every Christmas, so it still counts.
- 6 oz short pastry
- 2 oz margarine
- 2 oz sugar
- 2 oz ground almonds
- 2 oz ground rice
- 1 egg
- 1½oz chopped almonds
- raspberry jam
Line 7 inch square baking tin with pastry and spread with raspberry jam.
Cream margarine and sugar.
Add ground almonds, ground rice and beaten egg, mix well.
Spread mixture on top of jam, sprinkle with chopped almonds.
Bake in moderately hot oven (375°F, Gas Mark 5) 20-25 minutes.
Allow to cool, then cut into fingers.
By Mum
Rich Coconut Tartlets
sweet
Another of Mum's Christmas specials courtesy of Be·Ro
Or at least, I hope this is the one she used to make,
except that she'd make them in one large 9"x6" baking tin, rather than individual tartlets.
- 8 oz short pastry
- 4 oz margarine
- 4 oz caster sugar
- 4 oz desiccated coconut
- one egg, beaten
- raspberry jam
Roll out the pastry thinly and line 24 patty tins.
Place less than ½ teaspoonful raspberry jam in each.
Cream together the margarine and sugar.
Stir in the coconut and a beaten egg.
Mix well. Form the filling into 24 little balls (about 1 teaspoonful in each).
Place one on each case and flatten to fit.
Bake at 350°F-375°F/Gas Mark 4-5 for about 15 minutes.
By Mum
Mum's Coffee Kisses
sweet veg
Again, not really Mum's - more Be·Ro's. But then theft is the highest form of praise.
You might be tempted to try using espresso coffee instead of instant, or essence, but don't.
You'd have to add so much liquid to get the requisite amount of coffee flavour that the mixture would end up too runny,
and the kisses collapse into pancakes while baking :(
Makes about a half dozen
- 6 oz self-raising flour
- 3 oz caster sugar
- 3 oz margarine
- 1 egg beaten with:
- 1 tablespoon dissolved instant coffee or essence
- half portion of coffee butter icing
Mix flour sugar, rub in margarine.
Stir in egg and coffee essence, mix well.
Form into balls the size of a cherry (about 60) and place on a greased baking sheet.
Bake in moderate oven (325-350°F, gas mark 3-4) for 15-20 minutes.
When cold, sandwich together in pairs with a light coffee
butter icing
By Mum
Coconut Slices
sweet
Actually - now Suzannah has tried these we don't think Mum made them at all!
I (mistakenly) copied them from one of her Be·Ro Cookbooks.
- 4 oz short pastry
- white of 1 egg
- 1 oz desiccated coconut
- raspberry jam
- 2 oz caster sugar
Roll pastry into an oblong about 9"x6".
Spread with raspberry jam and bake.
Whip the egg white until very stiff.
Add 1 dessertspoonful of the caster sugar and whip until stiff enough to form peaks.
Fold in the remainder of the sugar and the coconut.
When the pastry is cooked, spread the meringue mixture over the top.
Bake in a moderate oven (350-375°F, gas 3-4) until a pale brown.
By Mum
Lemon Slices
sweet
Yet another Be·Ro recipe. It looks familiar - maybe Mum used to make them for us at Christmas?
Though it does look suspiciously complicated.
- 4 oz short pastry
- lemon curd to decorate
- 4 oz self-raising flour
- 4 oz margarine
- 1½ oz caster sugar
- 1 oz ground almonds
- ½ teaspoon vanilla essence
- about half an egg to bind
- glacé cherries or angelica
Roll out pastry thinly into a rectangle about 11 x 7 inches, trim and cut into two long strips.
Place on a well-greased baking sheet and prick with a fork.
Cream fat and sugar, beat in half the egg and essence.
Mix in ground almonds and flour to make a soft piping consistency - add as much as the rest of the egg as required.
Put the mixture into a piping bag with a medium star nozzle.
Pipe down both sides of each strip and then down the centre.
Bake in a moderately hot oven (375°F/Gas Mark 5) for 20-25 minutes, until firm.
Leave on baking sheet, pipe lemon curd between biscuit mixture.
Cut into fingers while still warm, decorate with cherries and angelica, if desired.