I’m not too sure when Oven Bags first came on the scene, but the first I knew of them was when my mother-in-law started using them in the ’70s. This recipe comes from a sheet put out by the manufacturers of Tiger Oven Bags. It’s an unusual way to cook frankfurts, but I actually think they may taste OK.
Plain cake always sounds so boring, but in reality is tastes great. It has a heavier texture than a sponge and it goes really well with a cup of tea or coffee. Adding the lemon or orange rind to turn it into a Madeira Cake is a great idea.
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.
For me one of the best things about winter is homemade soup. In the old days Mum’s soups started with ham, chicken, lamb or whatever bones she bought at the butcher’s that week. She’d add vegetables and then cover the lot with cold water, bring it to the boil and cook it for a few hours. The next step was to allow the soup to cool so that the fat from the bones could solidify and it was then carefully taken off. The resulting soup was worth all that effort, but modern recipes like this one make the job a whole lot easier.
Bread and butter pudding was a family staple in our house when I was growing up as I’m sure it was in many homes. As this recipe says it’s a pretty cheap and foolproof dessert and the great thing is that you can use a variety of breads, stale cake, scones, rolls or even biscuits as the base. I’ve always thought lashings of cream poured over the top adds to the delight.
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.
Who knows how this pudding got it’s name, but it’s been the butt of jokes for years and years. Despite the name it’s really just a fairly simple steamed pudding, which tastes good, especially served with custard. This traditional recipe uses a pudding cloth for the cooking, but it can also be made in a pudding basin.
If you don’t like dates substituting dried apricots in this recipe is a great idea. Served up buttered for morning or afternoon tea it’s always well received.
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.
The first Christmas cake I made was a total disaster. When I cut into it I discovered that it was still raw in the middle and totally inedible. I’d only been married a few months so of course the first thing I did was ring my Mum to find out what could be salvaged. Mum calmly told me not to panic, to put the cake in a mixing bowl, squash it all up and then pour in a cup of cold tea. Once it was all mixed through to then put it in a pudding bowl and cook it like a Christmas pudding and lo and behold it worked.
When I found this old recipe in Mum’s collection it reminded me so much of that cake/pudding disaster. I’ve always thought it was a marvellous trick that Mum knew and I think this old Fruit Loaf recipe gives a hint of where she got the idea from.
