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The main dish meals nearly all of us eat today first began being made in the British Isles as long ago as the 7th century. Beef, pork, lamb, game, several kinds of veggies, breads, cheeses, and flavourings were first served to Kings, Queens, and peasants long before anglo saxons settled the new world. Today it has just got fancier!
Recipes
SEE ALL OUR 'TRADITIONAL ENGLISH RECIPES' FROM MAIN MEALS TO DESSERTS
BY SCROLLING DOWN.
RECIPES: We have numerous resources which we can draw on for genuine British recipes. If you are looking for a recipe, no matter how old or obscure, then e-mail us here. We will send you your recipe, free: Britmail@aol.com TIME TO GET READY FOR CHRISTMAS - START RIGHT HERE WITH..... CHRISTMAS NOGGIN.
CHRISTMAS NOGGIN
Christmas Noggin is an old traditional English way of making fruit preserves, but preserved in such a way the contents came out a lot more interesting than just plain jam! It is thought that the English word for 'jam', which is 'preserves', actually came from this special way of 'preserving fruit', in its more wholesome form. It was usually opened and eaten around Christmas time, which tended to make everyone very 'Merry' indeed. Fruit was gathered at harvest time and put up thus:
One large firm apple, peeled, cored, and sectioned
One large firm pear, peeled, cored, and sectioned.
Several peaches, stone removed. You can use tinned peaches.
Several oranges, peeled, and sectioned. Tinned mandarins are okay.
Pound of seedless grapes.
Place all in a one quart/one litre jar. Make sure fruit is in tight and 'jammed' to the top.
Now mix all the following, and pour into the jar.
Half cup of sugar.
Half cup of: brandy, OR white rum, OR Cointreu, OR whiskey.
Juice of one lemon.
One cup of water, or better still....white wine!
Seal jar tight, place in a dark place and open at Christmas. Eat with whipped cream, or hot creamy cuatard, or ice cream.
BRITS ABROAD KITCHEN.
Recipes from Brits living abroad. Send us yours.
BIG BEN'S FISH & CHIPS Easy & Quick to prepare.
by Ben Asley
Follow the recipe below and you'll be amazed how easy & tasty these F & C are. The NEW Fish & Chips are making a big hit in London at 'Big Ben's Bistro' and in other British cities. Ready? Then here goes:
YOU WILL NEED:
Four, 6 ounce or 8 ounce pieces of fresh Cod or Haddock (if frozen dry well after thawing - paper towels)
One Packet of good Batter Mix - this must be good & LIGHT (Tempura is good) Not fritter type batter. Flour & oil, both very small amounts.
Frozen French Fries. The kind you heat up on an oven tray. (Ben uses new chipped potatoes bag-shook in a light oil)
PREPARATION:
CHIPS: Place chips on an oven tray and put into a pre-heated 400F oven. Cooking time for the chips is 25 minutes.
FISH: Cut the pieces of fish into small 2" by 2" squares and dip in a small amount of seasoned flour - say salt & peppered. Whip up the batter mix. Slip each piece of fish into the batter mix, very LIGHTLY do both sides, and place each piece in a small frying pan with a few tablespoonfuls of medium heated oil. Fry until brown, turning over as you fry.
PUT FISH ON TRAY AND PLACE IN OVEN - 15 MINUTES AFTER YOU PUT THE CHIPS IN.
Fish will now 'finish' in 10 minutes, turn over once, to arrive fully cooked with chips after the full 25 minute TOTAL cooking time.
Serve with sea salt & brown vinegar, bread & butter slices, and a dry white wine or ice cold lager!
SALISBURY GROUND PORK MEATLOAF with apple & sage.
by Florence Pritchard
Wiltshire is known for its pork production, mainly its full rasher back bacon, its streaky bacon, and its boiling bacon, as well as its sausages. Here is a meatloaf made with ground pork that includes apple and sage. Simple to make and especially tasty. The cooking aroma is magnificent. Incidently, in North America you will see 'Salisbury Steak' sold in restaurants and diners. It's actually a form of Salisbury Ground Pork meatloaf but in America it is made with ground beef and served like a beefburger with mash potatoes and gravy.
Ingredients:
1 lb of good ground pork
1 Small onion
1 Medium sized green apple
Half Cup of fine breadcrumbs
Half cup of loose fresh or dried sage, or dessert spoon of ground sage
1 Dessert spoon of salt (seems a lot but you need it with pork - it absorbs)
1 Dessert poon of white pepper (Not black) Also seems a lot but you need the flavour.
2 Medium eggs well beaten.
Peel & core the apple and cut as finely as possible. Peel and finely cut the onion. Both are best placed in a blender if possible. In a large bowl place the ground pork, the apple & onion mince, the breadcrumbs, sage, salt & pepper. Mix well. Now add the beaten eggs. Hand mix all together and shape into the size of a one pound loaf. Place in a one pound loaf tin (disposable foil one is good) and place on a small cookie/biscuit tray (in the event of fat boil over) and cook for one & a half hours at 350F. When removing carefully drain off the fat then remove loaf to cool.
Serve in thick slices with a mustard/cheese sauce, or on its own, with a pan fry of previously cooked veggies (chunky bubble & squeak) or with chips. Is good with mash potatoes and a light gravy.
* Many readers have have written to say the Salisbury Pork Meatloaf is a very good recipe for the great British Pork Pie. Just shape the pork mix into pork pie sized rounds and encase in the pork pie pastry. Pork pie pastry is 'hot water pastry' which is easily found in UK recipe books, or we'll send you the recipe: Britmail@aol.com Pork Pie.
MATHILDA BROWN'S Jamaican Patties
by Jim Fisher
Number of servings: 8 Patties
Jamaican Patties are loved the world over, not just in Jamaica. I lived in Jamaica for many years when I was a teenager (many years ago!) and I've always tried to make a good Jamaican Pattie. Here's the recipe given our family by our cook when we lived there. Her name was Matty Brown.
PASTRY:
The pastry for a Jamaican Pattie is much the same as that for a Cornish Pasty - but yellow and softer.
1 Cup of plain flour (heaped cup)
1 Teaspoon of baking powder
1 Teaspoon on tumeric
1 Teaspoon of curry powder medium hot
1 Half teaspoon salt
1 Small Egg well beaten
Half cup of melted butter
Half cup of ice water
Sift flour, baking powder, salt, and tumeric together. Fold in the egg, the butter, and half the water. Stir into a dough. Add the rest of the water if needed. Roll into a flattened round like a whole round scone, and let sit in fridge for one hour.
FILLING:
1 Tablespoon of cooking oil
1 Medium onion, very finely diced
1 lb medium to lean ground beef
1 Tablespoon of curry powder - medium hot.
1 Level Teaspoon of ground nutmeg (the secret ingredient - not anymore:).
1 Level teaspoon of salt.
1 Level teaspoon of black pepper OR cayene pepper - for taste, hot-wise
1Third cup of breadcrumbs (for binding the mixture)
Half cup of water
Into a frying pan place the oil and the onions and fry until brown. Now add the ground beef and fry until cooked. Drain off all oil/fat. Now add the curry powder, the nutmeg, the salt, the black pepper OR cayene, and, cook another few minutes. Now add the breadcrumbs and the water. Cook again for several minutes to thicken. Put to one side to cool
Cut pastry into 8 pieces (like that scone round again) and roll each piece into a ball. Roll out with rolling pin on a well floured surface until round, the size of a teaplate. Take one piece, wet edges, place tablespoonful of filling on one side only, fold over, push down flat, pinch edges with fork. Place all 8 patties on an ungreased biscuit/cookie tray and cook in a 375F oven for a full 20 minutes. Remove and let cool - but serve warm!
WEST COUNTRY MEAT LOAF IN PUFF PASTRY
by Gill Edgell
A very tasty meat loaf that once cooked is then sealed in a light puff pastry. It is excellent hot with veggies and gravy, or can be served in cold slices with pickles and salad.
1 lb Mincemeat (hamburger/ground beef) quality lean ground
1 lb Sausage meat
Half cup fine breadcrumbs
1 Tablespoon Tomato sauce
1 Tablespoon Brown sauce (HP prefered)
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 Tablespoon mixed dried herbs ( suggestion - Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme)
1 Large onion as finely diced as possible
1 Egg well beaten
1 Teaspoon (level) salt
1 Teaspoon (level) white pepper
1 Packet (8 oz) Puff Pastry (or make your own)
1 Egg well beaten & used for basting inside & outside of pastry
MIX all the above ingredients (except puff pastry!) in a bowl and form into the shape of a loaf. Grease a one pound loaf tin (or use a foil loaf tin) and place the meat loaf into the tin. Bake at 325 F (160 C) for one hour & 15 minutes. Remove, drain off fat, and let cool.
Roll out pastry to fit the loaf, and baste pastry on the inside with the other beaten egg before placing around loaf. Seal tightly around loaf. Once pastry on loaf baste outer sides with remaining egg. With leftover pieces of pastry make leaves and place on top. Bake for 15/20 minutes at 350 F (180 C), remove, and serve with veggies and a gravy, or let cool and serve cold with garnish, pickles, and salad.
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SCOTCH BAPS
by Fiona May Andrews
These lovely soft and mildly sweet bread buns are not to be found in too many places abroad where Brits have emigrated to, so Fiona has sent us this easy recipe.
1 Cup of plain (all purpose) flour
Quarter cup of milk
Quarter cup of warm water
1 Ounce of lard
1 Teaspoon salt (level)
Half teaspoon sugar
1 Teaspoon (level) of Quick Rising Yeast
Sift flour & salt into a bowl. Rub in the lard. Mix the yeast and the sugar into the warm water and let stand a few minutes. Now add the milk to the yeast mix, and make a well in the centre of the flour mix, and pour in the yeast mix slowly. Fold over and gently knead into a dough. Place back in the bowl, cover with a warm tea towel and let stand one hour. Remove, dust with flour, divide dough into six, flatish, round pieces. Place on a greased baking tray, well apart, cover with that tea towel and leave for 15 minutes. Warm oven to 400F (205 C) brush buns with milk and bake for 15 to 20 minutes.
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LUSTY'S AUSTRALIAN CURRIED MEAT BALLS
by Sharon & David Lusty (Lusty's English Cafe, Sydney, OZ)
These tasty curried meat balls are delicious and simple to make and are usually served with an onion and fried potato curry sauce and served on a bed of Basmati rice.
CURRIED MEAT BALLS
1 lb Mincemeat (hamburger/ground beef) medium to lean but not extra lean
1 Cup of diced Onion as finely diced as you can
Half cup of fine breadcrumbs
2 Tablespoons of medium or mild curry powder
1 Teaspoon (level) salt
1 Egg well beaten
RICE
1 Cup of Basmati rice (when cooked will serve three average appetites)
2 Cups of water
1 Half teaspoon of cardoman seeds
2 Bay leaves
1 Small stick of cinnamon
1 Tablespoon of butter
CURRY SAUCE
1 Large onion cut in fine thin strips about 1 inch to 2 inch long
1 Potato, large, pre-cooked - and diced into cubes
1 Stick celery, finely chopped
1 Tablespoon of butter
1 Tablespoon of Mild or Medium curry paste, Pataks or Hannifs AND mixed into
1 Cup of water - add above paste & mix well
1 Lemon, juice of
Preparing Meat Balls
Hand mix all the Curried Meat balls ingredients in one bowl and form into golf ball size meat balls. Cook slowly in a large frying pan, turning & rolling until brown all over. Drain fat. Put to one side & keep warm.
Preparing Curry Sauce
Into a frying pan place the butter, potatoes, onions, celery, and lemon juice. Cook slowly until light brown. Add the pre-mixed Cup of Curry Sauce, then simmer on lowest heat until rice (now cooking seperately of course) is done. (start rice 15 minutes before you start making the sauce)
Basmati Rice
In a large pot place a cup of Basmati Rice and Two Cups of water. Bring to boil. Add the butter, cardoman seeds, bay leaves and cinnamon. Stir. Place a LID on the pot and turn heat down to minimum and let rice cook. You can lift lid and stir now & then. Rice takes about 25 minutes and completely soaks up all the water.
SERVING SUGGESTION
Place a large helping of rice on plate, make a centre hole, into this hole place a large helping of the curry sauce. On top of the sauce place 3 or 4 meatballs. Garnish. (Parsley, or ground coconut, or slices of lemon) with condiments of Chapati or Naan bread, Mango chutney, raw Onion & Mint sauce, and serve with a semi-sweet white wine - German or Canadian.
TRADITIONAL BRITISH DISHES
We list many popular British main dishes followed by four British desserts. Main meals include: Shepherds Pie or Cottage Pie. Liver (Pan Fried - Schnitzel style) with Bacon, and Onions. Casserole Beef Stew. and, Lancashire Hotpot. Dessert or 'afters' we list: Rice Pudding, Bread & Butter Pudding, Deep Dish Apple Pie, and, English Dessert Pancakes. Check out our 'Yorkshire Marriage Recipe' a delightful way to keep any marriage or partrnership happy!
SOUPS, STEWS, CASSEROLES & HOTPOTS
There's nothing better for a cold damp autumn day, or on a windy cold winters day, than a heart warming soup, a soul warming stew, or a family warming casserole or hotpot. We start with a simple, thick, wholesome vegatable soup.
LANCASHIRE R & B SOUP (ROOTS AND BEANS SOUP).
2 large potatoes, peeled, and cut into large cube size pieces.
2 large carrots, peeled & sliced.
1 large onion, halved & sliced.
1 medium turnip, peeled & cut as per the potatoes.
1 can of broad beans.
1 can of kidney beans.
1 can of baked beans in tomato sauce.
Put all the root vegatables into a very large pot with 3 quarts of water, a teaspoon of salt, a liberal sprinkle of ground white pepper, a bay leaf, a pinch of thyme, and a pinch rosemary. Bring to the boil, then let simmer very gently, with lid on, for at least two hours. When all the vegetables are cooked, open the cans of beans, and add them to the stew. Simmer for no more than a half an hour. Serve with bread rolls, or thick sliced bread.
Sussex Harmony Soup is an old favourite that goes back to the 1960's when curry restaurants became more popular. It is similar to Indian Dhal soup but is more in tune with local tastes and is popular in hotels along the Sussex coast.
SUSSEX HARMONY LENTIL SOUP
Half Cup of red lantils.
1 Small onion.
1 Medium potato.
1 Stick of celery.
1 Small onion.
1 Dessert spoon (level) of medium curry powder.
Pinch of cardoman seeds.
1 Level teaspoon of salt.
Place five cups of water in a pot. Add lentils, the onion diced up, the potato cubed, the celery sliced, the curry powder & salt. Add cardoman seeds. Cut lemon in half and squeeze the juice from that lemon into pot. From the other half slice several pieces of skin and place in pot. Bring to boil, them simmer for half an hour.
Shropshire Onion Soup is an old cottage soup that was traditionally made from the locally grown 'hard, strong' onions. Leftover bread, that was toasted (in front of the fire!) was added, being what we call croutons today. In recent years a slice of mazzarella cheese has been placed on top of the croutons before serving.
SHROPSHIRE ONION SOUP WITH CROUTONS.
2 Medium onions.
2 OXO cubes, or OXO packets, for base.
Dollop of butter.
1 Teaspoon (level) of salt.
2 Slices of old bread, toasted & left overnight.
Slice onions and fry with the butter until just turning brown. Put pan to one side. Add OXO (or Bovril) to 4 cups of water in a pot. Add salt. Bring to boil. Add onions. Let simmer for 15 minutes. When serving add croutons, also cheese if the latter is desired.
SHEPHERD'S PIE
Shepherd's Pie is the name we now give to this delicious dish of ground beef topped with mashed potato, but it is really Cottage Pie. Sherpherd's Pie is made with lamb, hence the word 'shepherd', but Americans & Canadians can't stand lamb (of all meat sold in NA lamb sells only 4%) so they decided 'shepherd' is the better sounding name, and used beef. A very American thing to do - change the name to make it more 'theirs.' So....here's how you make this excellent dish. You'll need:
One pound of good lean ground beef
One medium onion
Three large potatoes
Salt & Pepper (see below about Black & White pepper)
Gravy mix
Fry the ground beef with the chopped onion, do so in a knob of butter. Add a good sprinkle of salt & pepper. When cooked place in an oven dish about 2 quart/litre in size. Peel & cut potatoes into chunks, say four per potato, and boil until cooked - save the potato stock. Mash with butter. Now spread on the top of the cooked beef & onion. Into the potato stock add your gravy mix & stir until thick. Thin gravy just doesn't do the trick. Gravy mix? Use an Oxo and two teaspoons of Bisto. Mix and add to your stock. Serve with peas, or green beans, or carrots.
LIVER, BACON, & ONIONS
The trouble with this dish is that most people just don't know how to cook the liver. Before you exit stage left crying out in pain, "I can't stand liver," read how to prepare it, par excellence! The great American Chef, Frederick Carl Simpson, placed this complete meal on his restaurants menu and it outsold his grilled New York steak! You'll need:
One pound of beef liver
Half pound of streaky bacon (or 'bacon' in the US & Canada)
One large onion - or two medium peach sized ones
One dish with seasoned flour in it - salt, pepper, & ground savory
One dish with a whipped egg and quarter cup milk in it
One dish with very fine breadcrumbs in it - seasoned with ground thyme & rosemary
Slice your beef into pieces roughly one & a half to two inches wide. Slices, rather than irregular pieces, cook and look better. In a frying pan cook your bacon. Remove bacon onto plate, place into warm oven. Add cooking oil (not olive) to frying pan, about half a cup, to this bacon fat and heat to about threequarter on your stove dial.
Now - take your pieces of liver and FIRST dip them into the Flour. SECOND dip them into the Egg mix. THIRD dip them into the breadcrumbs. That's F - E - B, flour, egg, breadcrumbs. Cook until brown on both sides. Place on the plate with the bacon and keep warm in oven.
In a seperate frying pan put your sliced onions and a very large dollop of butter. Fry until just done and place over the liver & bacon in the oven.
Serve with white chunky boiled potatoes, or new potatoes, a green veggie, and a thick, dark brown gravy. If you do this dish exactly as stated above, and you don't like it, then I'll tell Chef Simpson and he'll send you two free vouchers for his version - exactly as above!
BEEF CASSEROLE
Beef is about as British as you can get. Spit roast, oven roast, grilled, in fact nothing was ever left. Everything from the front to the back was used. Even the tail (called 'Ox-Tail' (soup) - it sounds better!) was used. So when it comes to beef trust us to be able to cook it right. The Americans 'developed' their selection of steaks (and I love them all - not the Americans - their steaks!) but no one can beat a good Beef Casserole or Hotpot - British style. You'll need:
One pound of inside or outside round (rump) beef
One large potato
One medium onion
One large, or two medium carrots
Two cups of beef stock. Oxo is good.
Two teaspoons of gravy thickener. Bisto is best.
Salt & black pepper
Cut beef into large cubes. Dust cubes in a small bag of seasoned flour. Chop up onion. Put both into a frying pan with a dollop of bacon fat or lard. Fry slowly, turning, until meat is brown on the outside. Into your casserole dish that has a lid (two quart/litre size) place your potato & carrots, peeled and sliced. Add your meat & onions - not the residue fat. Add your two cups of stock, and your mixed gravy thickener. Make sure the stock is enough to cover the meat & potatoes. If not add water. Sprinkle on the salt & black pepper. Cook in oven for two hours at 300 degrees, removing lid now & then to stir contents. Serve with 'Sergeant-Majors.' What - you say? Sergeant-Majors are large pieces of medium un-buttered toasted bread (one slice cut vertically into four pieces) and used for 'dips & scoops.' The name comes from 'dippy soldiers' those narrow pieces of toast you make to dip into boiled eggs!
LANCASHIRE HOTPOT
A 'Hotpot' is a casserole dish without a lid. As the name implies it really began in Lancashire when families without an oven took a large oven-proof pot to their baker and had him cook the hotpot for them. This hotpot was made up of mostly scrag-end beef, sliced onions, sliced potatoes, carrots, and topped up with water. Once baked the juices all combined to make a very tasty dish for a large family. You'll need:
Beef: sliced thinly (Rouladen style) or pieces of shank and/or sliced raw rump
Two to three large potatoes, sliced
Two to three large onions, sliced
Four large carrots, sliced
Two cups of stock. Oxo is good
Salt & black pepper
Start layering your 2 to 3 quart/litre casserole dish with sliced potatoes on the bottom, then onions, then carrots, then beef, add sprinkle of salt & pepper. Now start again until all ingredients are layered in. Now pour the stock over the layers until it just covers the layers. Now cook slowly for about one & a half to two hours (300 degrees) in oven. Serve as is without other veggies, but with chunks of crusty bread.
TRUE ENGLISH 'AFTERS" (or desserts!)
RICE PUDDING
An old English favourite that can be eaten hot, cold, re-heated, and/or then covered in either thick cream or ice cream. You'll need a two pint/litre glass ovenware dish
One half of a cup of rice. Pudding/short grain rice is best.
Two and Half cups of full cream milk - homogenized okay, but NOT skim milk or 2% or 1%
Two tablespoons of sugar.
Two heaped tablespoons of butter.
Half cup of raisins, or currants, or sultanas. If liked.
Preheat oven to 300F. Place the rice, milk, sugar, butter, and dried fruit in dish and stir well. Cook for two & a half hours, stirring occasionally. Serve with a sprinkle of nutmeg on top. When cold (refrigerate) you can re-heat, or eat cold, with thick cream or ice cream.
BREAD & BUTTER PUDDING
A practical old English dish where mum used up all her old bread in a dish with whipped eggs, milk, and butter and served it hot in thick wedges after dinner. That's also why desserts in England are called 'afters' - because they were served 'after' the main meal. You'll need that two pint/litre glass ovenware dish again.
Four to six average slices of white bread. The older the better.
Butter - to spread on the slices, and, to place on top of dish before putting in oven.
Three eggs - whipped.
Two & Half cups of good milk.
Quarter cup of sugar.
Half cup of saltanas, or currants, or raisins.
Place the buttered slices evenly in the dish. In a seperate bowl whip your eggs, add the milk and sugar, and whip all together for several minutes. Now add the dried fruit. Pour the mixture over the buttered bread. Add a good dollop of butter to top, and bake in the oven (300F) for one & half hours. Serve hot, or can be served reheated, or cold with ice cream.
DEEP DISH APPLE PIE
A lot of fruit pies end up with a soggy bottom! You know, the pastry on the bottom never cooks properly. Well here's an old English apple pie dish, originally called 'Wild Apple Pie' way back when most apples only grew wild (incidentally apple pie is a traditional English dish, long before it was 'Mom & Apple Pie' in America!!) that requires no bottom! Get a deep sided dish (casserole/pie) about two pint/litre size or more. You'll need.
Six good tangy apples: Coxes, Granny Smiths, or Galas. Not the softer mushy kind.
Two tablespoons of sugar.
Four cloves and/or cinnamon to taste.
Peel, core, and layer your apples over the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle on the sugar. Tuck cloves (four is good) around edges. Sprinkle on the cinnamon. Now layer on your favourite pastry. Make this top crust thick, a good half to one inch. Push it down onto the apples. Prick holes in it and baste with whipped agg, Cook slowly at 300F for one & half hours.
ENGLISH PANCAKES.
Ahhh...there's nothing like a few rolled up English pancakes, sprinkled with sugar, with an added squeeze of lemon. Copied from the French/Dutch they've been popular in England for over 500 years. You can add any fruit to them (strawberries are great) rolling the fruit up inside. You'll need a frying pan with the bottom just covered in a very thin layer of cooking oil, or a really good non-stick pan with a smidgen of butter - don't burn the butter!
One Cup of plain flour. (in US/CAN: 'all purpose, multi-use, adulterated, bleached' to buggery flour!!)
Two eggs, well beaten.
One & a Quarter cups of full cream milk. NOT skimmed. Homogenized is good.
Two lemons.
Pinch of salt.
Whip all the above ingredients together. Let stand at least 15 minutes. Heat frying pan to somewhere between half heat & full heat - do not have 'red' burners if electric. Into pan, spoon about a tablespoonful of the mix, tip frying pan to get the mix to fully cover the pan base. Heat until a few bubbles show then flip over and do the other side. Should look like the moon but with light brown patches! Roll or fold & place in a warm oven. When all made serve with a sprinkle of sugar and two wedges of lemon. MMMmmmm. So easy & tasty.
TRADITIONAL ENGLISH VICTORIA CREAM SANDWICH SPONGE CAKE
To make this traditional cream filled English sandwich sponge cake you will need two circular 7" sandwich tins. In North America these circular sandwich tins are hard to find, so use two circular 7" or 8" cake tins. Grease with butter and line bottom with wax or parchment paper. You'll need the following:
1 Cup (level) of plain flour (all purpose)
1 Cup of MELTED butter.
1 Cup of castor/confectionery sugar (icing sugar in NA). (retain a small amount for top dusting)
4 Eggs. Two whipped thoroughly. Whites only of the other two whipped into the first two.
1 Teaspoon (level) of baking powder.
1 Cup of thick whipped cream/or prepared Vanilla Cream Filling (Betty Crocker etc)
Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl. Seperately in another large bowl cream the butter and sugar together. Gradually, and very slowly, FOLD in the whipped eggs (see above) to the butter & sugar mixture. Now FOLD in, with a large wooden spoon, half of the flour mixture. Now FOLD in the rest of the flour mixture. Place HALF the finished mixture in EACH of the two circular pans. Place BOTH pans on the centre shelf of a preheated oven, mark 375, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until firm to touch and the sponge cake IS NOT sticking to the sides. Remove from oven and let cool 15 minutes. The turn upside down and place both halves on a cooling rack. When really cool, paste on the whipped cream, and then add the other half on top making a sponge cake sandwich. Sprinkle top with that left over castor sugar.
BLACK OR WHITE PEPPER - THAT IS THE QUESTION
Watching a recent cooking show on PBS (US Public TV) I saw for about the one hundredth time a cook go off the deep end about the use of white pepper. What is it North Americans have against white pepper? She shook her head in disgust and mumbled "Oh those Europeans, it's about time they learnt about black pepper." Learn what?
White pepper is black pepper before it gets toasted, roasted, or baked in the sun. White pepper has a touch more flavour, is just as 'hot' as black pepper (per gram used) and EACH kind of pepper has a special place on, or in, certain foods. White pepper used from a grinder directly onto food, absorbs moisture. Black pepper used from a grinder onto food stays 'gritty' because of its baked and toasted consistency.
White pepper is best on all 'white things.' For instance on boiled chunky potatoes, on or in mashed potatoes, on or in soups, and on baked fish. White pepper once sprinkled on your dinner does give off a mild odor, which is what a lot of Americans don't like about white pepper. But white pepper is a must in making Cornish Pasties, sausages, Yorkshire pudding, and a hundred other dishes. It has its place. It is also finer and much less gritty.
Black pepper is best on all things 'black' such as grilled steaks, hamburgers, ribs, in fact anything with a robust beefy taste. When used fresh ground it is even better, although if coarse ground is very gritty, (unlike white pepper) and should never be used on gourmet dishes where the 'grits' in black pepper can cause discomfort in the stomach afterwards. It is not immediately as hot as white pepper, but its spiceyness does gradually come to taste. It flavours well in pastas and in goulash. A lot of chefs these days, to avoid the rather silly arguments about which is best, use a mix of fine white pepper and finely ground black pepper, in the same shaker. I've used this mix and find it suitable for just about every dish - exceptions being cooked potatoes, in soups & stews, in pasties & pies, and on baked fish'
TRADITIONAL ENGLISH RECIPES
DUMPLINGS
Dumplings should be light and fluffy and float on top of the casserole - my mothers used to sink! - and should be prepared at least a half hour before casserole (or pot stew) is to be served. You'll need:
One cup of plain/all purpose flour.
One teaspoon of baking powder.
One tablespoonful of butter. (real butter not whipped or that vegetable-marg butter stuff)
Quarter cup of milk. (not skim milk)
Salt - pinch.
Blend butter into dry ingredients with a fork. Stir in milk. Keep blending. Should now be a stiffish dough. If too stiff add a few teaspoons of cold tap/ice water. Seperate into four balls. Let sit awhile. With 15 to 20 minutes to go to serving time, place on top of casserole or pot stew.
YORKSHIRE PUDDING
Yorkshire pudding is a traditional English dish that accompanies any meal where roast meat (usually roast beef) with gravy is served. Its sole purpose was to 'soak up the gravy', which it does with great effect. Making it however has proved for many cooks, even the well-known ones on TV, quite a challenge. The trouble is most cooks fail to prepare the mixture in the proper amounts and cook it at the wrong temperature. We assure you that if you follow the recipe below you will always make a successful Yorkshire Pudding. For upto 4 people you'll need:
4 oz plain /all purpose flour - which is half a US cup.
4 oz of homogenised milk - which is half a US cup. There is too much calcium in skim milk.
I very large/jumbo egg.
Salt & White pepper - 4 gentle sprinkles from each shaker. White pepper has better flavour.
Mix all the above in a bowl - or a blender. The consistency should be that of thick cream or whipping cream. If not (some flour is 'hard' and becomes lumpy) add a few tablespoonfuls of cold water. It was traditional to let the mixture stand. This is not really necessary. Prepare the mixture a half hour or so before dinner is due to be served.
Preheat the oven to 425. Take your pan (if one large single pudding pan) or your 12 cupcake pan and put a half teaspoon (yes - that's all) of fat, NOT OIL, in each of 8 cups, (10 or 12 will make puddings too thin and floppy) or two tablespoonfuls of fat into the one single pudding pan. The single pudding pan should not be larger that 12" x 8" - 10" x 6" gives you a thicker pudding.
Put pan into the oven and heat the fat for 2 minutes - no more than 3 minutes. Take out and immediately ladle the pudding mixture into the single pan, or 8 of the 12 cupcake pan. Cook for a minimum of 20 minutes if your oven is accurate, or a maximum of 25 minutes if it isn't. They should be served within 5 to 7 minutes otherwise they will flop, so you must time time everything else for the dinner table to be ready just before your Yorkshire Pudding is ready
COCKLES - ARE JUST NORTH AMERICAN BABY CLAMS.
Miss your cockles? I did until I found out that in the U.S. and Canada our cockles are their 'baby clams.' So.........here's how to enjoy that plate of English style cockles. You'll need:
An old JAM JAR
A tin of quality BABY CLAMS
A bottle of MALT VINEGAR
Salt & WHITE pepper
Now: clean the jar and lid thoroughly. Open the tin of baby clams and put them in a colander and thoroughly wash then under the cold water tap. Once clean place them in the jar, spinkle on the salt & WHITE (NO I said WHITE!) pepper, top up with malt vinegar (NO MALT vinegar not white vinegar!) and hey presto! You can now put them onto a saucer, eat them with a fork, and dip bread into the vinegar mix left on the plate! LUVLY.
ICED TEA:
Into a ONE LITRE glass/metal jug put one ORANGE PEKOE tea bag. Pour on the HOT water, add two teaspoons of sugar and the juice of half a fresh lemon. Cool. Pour into a plastic fridge jug and serve when well chilled. Best teabags to use are Lipton's Yellow Label (an orange pekoe) or Suraj, an excellent Canadian East Indian orange pekoe with Assam tea added. Do not use the good strong English black tea.
SEVILLE ORANGE MARMALADE
Try our great recipe to make this very British jam. For a 5 to 6 pound batch (or 5 to 6 x 454 grams) you will need the following:
7 to 8 regular size Seville 'marmalade' oranges. NO other kind.
4 pints of water. (a pint of 16 ounces - in this case - so use a measuring jug)
4 pounds sugar.
Cut oranges long-ways, not cross-ways, (there's a good reason for this) and squeeze out the juice. Take the long-ways cuts of peel and remove the top & the bottom pieces, and place these bits in a small to medium pot used only to extract pectin. Now scoop out the white pithy skin from inside the orange with a large spoon. Add this also to your small to medium pectin pot.
The larger pieces of peel are now cut into thin strips and placed into your very large 'jam making' pot. Now add your squeezed juice to the jam making pot, having removed the pips, placing these pips in the 'pectin' pot. Now add 3 (three) of the 4 pints of water to your jam making pot, and the 4th (fourth) pint of water to your pectin pot. BOIL both pots at a steady slow boil - for 2 HOURS. You are rendering down the surplus liquid but retaining the fruit. Any less will not render the peel soft, or the pectin peel fully discharged.
After 2 hours add ALL your sugar to your jam making pot, stir, and BOIL at a steady tumble for 10 minutes.
Place the peel, pips and juice from your 'pectin' pot into a colander and squeeze juices through - use a wooden spoon to agitate juices through. This is the very valuable pectin juice. ADD this to your main jam making pot and boil another 5 minutes.
TEST FOR GELLING: place a teaplate in the freezer part of your fridge. After a few minutes take it out, put a teaspoon of marmalade from the big jam making pot onto the plate, place back in freezer for 5 minutes, then remove. Your marmalade should be nearly solid & gelled. Turn your plate sideways. It should NOT RUN. It should be sticky, almost lumpy, as if it was coming out of a manufactured jar of good Chivers or Robertson's marmalade. IF IT IS NOT GELLING (and for some obscure reason it doesn't always gel) - stop the proceedings and add GELATIN. ****SEE BELOW.
The reason a jam does not gel is one of two things: One - you have less sugar than fruit in your mix. Two - you have too much liquid in your mix. You do not want 80% sugar in your jam as in most manufactured jams (Smuckers for one) and you do not want 'cop-out' jam such as runny freezer jam.
****HOW TO GEL your jam. For ONE batch of 5 to 6 pound of jam, take TWO heaped TEASPOONFULS of gelatin, (loose or in packets) place in a cup, add half a cup of boiling water, stir until disolved. Now add half a cup of cold water and stir. Now add this cupful of mixed gelatin to your big jam pot, that is not now boiling. It can be hot, or cold. Stir in the gelatin well.
Now pot your marmalade in old steralized jam jars and STORE at least OVERNIGHT in your fridge before trying. It needs at least 8 to 10 hours to gel up completely. Once open keep refrigerated. Spread your fresh marmalade on good DRY toast, (NOT hot soggy buttered toast) that has just been freshly buttered, and serve with black English tea, English breakfast tea, or Earl Grey.
JAM MAKING:
The secret to making successful jam is as follows. For example, blackberry jam. ALWAYS have a little more fruit in weight (3 pound) to sugar (2 pound). NEVER add water. Add a packet of any kind of pectin crystals. Cook slowly. FOR AT LEAST AN HOUR. Yes, the recipe books don't say that, but it is the only way. Cook at a slow tumble for an hour, lid off, letting the steam evaporate. What you're left with is a thick (not at first - once bottled it WILL SET) jam that is tangy and tasty as it should be. If you MUST have really sweet store-bought type jam then up the suger to 3 or 4 pound per 3 pound of fruit.
AN IRISH TREAT
SKIBBEREENS. An Irish snack based on Bread Sticks and English Cheese & Onion Straws. Simple, tasty & quick.
MIX in one bowl all the following in this order:
One heaped cup of plain (all purpose) flour.
Teaspoon of baking powder.
Teaspoon of salt.
Two ounces (one eighth slice off a pound) butter.
Half cup of finely diced onion.
Half cup of shredded strong cheddar.
One large egg whipped into a quarter cup of milk.
Mix together. Roll out on a floured surface. Cut into finger length strips. Roll strips between your hands to form short bread sticks. Lay on biscuit/cookie tray. Cook at 400 F for 20 minutes. LET COOL. Eat with pints of Guinness or green lager or good strong black Irish tea. :) And may the wind be always at your back. :)
The 'Yorkshire Recipe For A Happy Marriage.'
Sent to us by a Yorkshire ex-Brit Abroad who has returned to her home in Richmond, Yorkshire. It was clipped from an old (1947) Richmond, Yorkshire, newspaper:
1 Cup Consideration
1 Cup Flattery, carefully concealed
1 Cup Courtesy
2 Cups Faith in each other
1 Cup Praise
1 Cup Contentment
2 Cups Encouragement
1 Cup Confidence in each other
1 Cup Acceptance - of each others faults
2 Cups Co-operation
2 Children Cared for with needs, love, guidance, knowledge, and kindness
I Small Pinch Of In-laws
2 Hobbies One each - not too consuming or too solitary
1 Gallon Of repeated 'I'm Sorry.'
Add to the above, as required, and very necessary, lots of 'recreation', and good dollops of 'nostalgia' the do-you-remember-when bits. Stir often with love, be it often soft and warm, and occasionally, very 'spicy!' Never serve with 'cold shoulder' or 'hot tongue.'
Maude Mason, Richmond, Yorks
CHRISTMAS NOGGIN
Christmas Noggin is an old traditional English way of making fruit preserves, but preserved in such a way the contents came out a lot more interesting than just plain jam! It is thought that the English word for 'jam', which is 'preserves', actually came from this special way of 'preserving fruit', in its more wholesome form. It was usually opened and eaten around Christmas time, which tended to make everyone very 'Merry' indeed. Fruit was gathered at harvest time and put up thus:
One large firm apple, peeled, cored, and sectioned
One large firm pear, peeled, cored, and sectioned.
Several peaches, stone removed. You can use tinned peaches.
Several oranges, peeled, and sectioned. Tinned mandarins are okay.
Pound of seedless grapes.
Place all in a one quart/one litre jar. Make sure fruit is in tight and to the top.
Now mix all the following, and pour into the jar.
Half cup of sugar.
Half cup of: brandy, OR white rum, OR Cointreu, OR whiskey.
Juice of one lemon.
One cup of water, or white wine!
Seal jar tight, place in a dark place for upto three months - or three long days! Eat with whipped cream, or hot creamy cuatard, or yogurt, or ice cream.
PICNIC PLEASURES
The traditional English picnic had its beginnings in the rural farming community. Farm workers would take their lunch/dinner with them when they worked in the fields. It was called 'bait' and consisted of; albeit in a more humble form, the same as what todays picnic has to offer. There was bread, cheese, pickled onions, and cold tea. Cold tea is back in fashion and can now be bought in bottles or cans. The famous 'Cornish Pasty,' once a two-sided pastry (one side meat & veggies the other side a fruit filling) was the favourite 'picnic' food many generations ago. A picnic meal has to be 'cold', already prepared, and should consist of breads, cheeses, meats, salad items, fruits, and something sweet. Add to these basic essentials something to drink. Cold tea, as mentioned above, is now popular again along with lemonade (any non-gassy drink), and if you really want to look 'posh' take along a bottle of fine wine! For four people the following is suggested:
A dozen or more bread rolls.
One pound of butter, chilled before being packed.
Several cheeses.
Pickles: onions, gherkins, and mixed pickles.
A jar of relish or chutney.
Salad items: celery, cucumber, radishes, spring onions.
Salad items: bell peppers, lettuce & tomatoes.
Salad dressings: salad cream, oil & vinegar, etc.
Salad potatoes: cooked, small, minted.
Apples: wedged, with skins on, and mixed in salad cream.
Hard boiled eggs. A dozen in their shells.
Cold prepared meats: ham, chicken, pork, boiled bacon & turkey breast.
Cold pies: Pork & Melton Mowbray. Also Cornish Pasties.
Fresh seasonal fruits: strawberries, peaches, plums & apples.
Scones, with a pot of jam.
Salt & pepper shakers, mustard, ketchup, brown sauce, vinegar.
Utensils, cloth napkins & paper towels.
To drink: flasks of hot coffee & tea, cold tea, lemonade, juices, and/or wine & beer
SALAD DAYS:
I remember those 'salad days' when we'd all sit down to a 'salad plate' with all the trimmings. Here are a few salad delights that are traditionally English with all the variety of fresh summer vegetables.
SALAD POTATOES.
Every English salad has to have some of those small new potatoes that have been cooked (but only just) and covered with a mint flavoured salad cream. You'll need:
A pound or two of small, new, plum-size potatoes. Do not peel or scrape.
English Salad Cream (Heinz or C&B) or, Dutch Mayonnaise.
Mint sauce. (not mint jelly)
After you have boiled the potatoes (be careful not to over-cook them) let them cool. In a cup place two tablespoonfuls of salad cream and mix in a teaspoon of mint sauce. Stir well. Put your potatoes into a bowl and pour the salad cream mix over them. They're now ready for serving.
SALAD PLATES.
Salad plates are simply a salad that isn't tossed! Today it's all 'tossed salad' but try the simple salad plate with all your salad items laid out side by side. Every salad plate has to have its 'centre-piece' and this can be anything from sliced real ham to hard boiled eggs, or cold cooked salmon. Lay out your plate thus:
Salad potatoes (see above)
Several lettuce leaves: cos, iceberg, butter, or combine all - but do not toss!
Sliced cucumber, some skin removed - zebra pattern.
Sliced tomato. Small toms but not cherry toms.
Sliced red onion or sweet white onion.
Sliced green and red bell peppers.
Sliced celery. Slice on an angle.
Whole radishes.
As other additions or options: finely juliened carrots, sliced cold beets or whole baby beets, apple wedges that have been tossed in salad cream (will not discolour), spring onions, and cheddar cheese grated or in small squares.
CENTRE-PIECES:
Sliced ham. (not formed ham or similar)
Salmon. Fresh cooked & chilled, or tinned.
Hard boiled eggs, cut into two.
Pies. English pork or Melton Mowbray. (Cold of course!)
Sardines, or tinned kipper fillets, or tinned tuna.
Chicken. Cooked breast, no skin.
or:
Anything you care to have that is cooked & cold.
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