This recipe is probably how we really think of meatballs, Italian style, served with pasta. I’m not sure Mum would have put the olives in as she and Dad didn’t like them, but I think they are the ingredient that makes the Italian difference.
I think this is one of the most versatile of the meatball recipes that Mum collected. You can make them as a savory to have with drinks or serve them as a main dish with either rice or pasta. The recipe even has instructions for freezing and reheating – what more you possibly want.
Meatballs must have been one of Mum’s favourite meals as I’ve found lots of recipes for them in her collection. This one must have been a later one as it uses a bottle of pasta sauce and fettucine, ingredients that weren’t around when she was cooking for us as children.
This recipe comes from a recipe sheet put out by Continental Kitchen the makers of packet soup mixes. The sheet also has lots of dip recipes using French Onion Soup, Cream of Mushroom soup and Cream of Chicken Soup – all very 1980s. This recipe with camembert cheese spread onto a bread stick and then baked was quite popular as a pre-dinner or party nibble.
Slices that used condensed milk and copha were very popular in the ’70s and ’80s. In our family there were quite a few recipes that were shared between Mum, my aunties and even by then my sisters-in-law. Instead of icing the slice this one uses a bar of milk chocolate as the topping. The copha is added in to prevent the chocolate cracking when you cut it.
I was really surprised to find this recipe in the collection. For many years Mum made a sausage dish that consisted of beef sausages, bacon, onion, corn, tomatoes and noodles. Although it was quite simple it was always a great hit and I’ve made in many times myself. This printed recipe is a bit fancier with chicken sausage, salami and garlic, but it’s basically the same idea. Either version is worth trying out.
Neither Mum or Dad were beer drinkers, but there was usually a bottle in the fridge for visitors, sometimes it would sit there for a bit too long and not be fresh enough to serve. So this recipe was great for using up the odd ‘stale’ bottle. It makes a very hearty winter casserole.
Dad was the gardener in our family. He grew tomatoes, beans, silverbeet and rhubarb in his vegie plot. There was a passionfruit vine on the back fence and, of course, a lemon tree in the corner. I think every Melbourne family had and probably still has a lemon tree in their backyard. Easy to grow and if the position is right lemons in abundance. As a result Mum made the most of it and used lemons where ever she could. This self saucing pudding was one of her yummy ways of using some of the crop.
Mum mainly used tinned tuna to make tuna mornay which she served on toast, but this Tuna Potato Loaf recipe from the Woman’s Day must have caught her eye as she cut it to make.
Not the usual cheesecake, this recipe combines cream cheese, feta cheese and parmesan cheese with spinach, mushrooms and onion to make a great savoury dish.
Beb's Recipe Drawer 