What is the difference between a chicken risotto and just chicken and rice? Is risotto just a modern and must more difficult way to cook a rice dish? I don’t know the answer, but when you see an old recipe like this which is quick and easy it does make me wonder.
To be honest I can’t decide if this recipe would taste great or not. The pork mince, bacon, egg, pine nut filling sounds good, but the pumpkin and potato topping could make it stodgy. Mum must have thought it sounded alright or she wouldn’t have kept it, if you try it out let me know how it goes.
Pork used to be the cheapest cut of meat on the supermarket shelves, but over the past few years the price has gone up quite a lot. Shoulder steak or chops are probably the most economical cut so using them in this casserole makes it tasty and affordable.
I’ve already posted a few recipes that use chicken and ham, but they go together so well and the combination is so well liked by everyone I just can resist adding this one to the collection. I think using a bought cooked chook (such a great Aussie word for chicken) would add lots of flavour and make this bake really easy.
Mum’s friend Thel must have made this recipe using sausages, but from the handwritten title Mum must thought it was best with meatballs. I don’t think it matters which one you use, it tastes good with either.
SAUCE FOR MEATBALLS/SAUSAGES
Cook sausages or meatballs. Fry onions in oil until softened, stir in mustard, tomato sauce, vinegar, worcestershire sauce, fruit sauce or chutney. Simmer 2-3 minutes. Mix cornflour with water, add till boiling and thickened, cover then add sausages or meatballs. Meatball recipe: minced steak, 1 tablespoon cooked rice, onion, curry powder.
I don’t think Mum ever actually cooked fish this way and I’ve never tried it either. It’s certainly an unusual way to cook fish and might be worth trying.
A curry to my Mum was always made using curry powder bought from the supermarket. There were no jars of curry mix in all the levels of heat that you can buy now and no one made it from scratch using individual spices. You either put in one tablespoon of curry powder or more depending on the heat you wanted. So this recipe is in no way a modern curry, but Mum and Dad didn’t like their curry hot and they did like smoked cod so this worked for them. When I make it I always put in some peeled potatoes that soak up the sauce and taste great.
FISH CURRY
Wash fish cut into bite size pieces. Saute onion and garlic in oil for 10 mins and stir in the curry powder. Stir well and cook for a few mins. Add water gradually stirring all the time and bring to the boil. Stir in the tomato puree. Put in fish and potatoes, cook very gently, low heat 30mins.
This hearty lamb casserole comes from an Australia Meat Board leaflet published back in 1970. Mum and I have both made in many times, it’s a great winter warmer
This meatloaf is a bit of a change from the standard mince steak/sausage meat combination. It has a sweet curry flavour which makes it just that bit different and it’s good hot or cold.
It’s autumn and apples are appearing back on the shelves, so I thought it was time to post a recipe that included them. Pork and apple have always gone together and I think this recipe that Mum cut out of the Herald Sun looks like a great way to combine the two.
Beb's Recipe Drawer 