This one is for ginger lovers. As it says, it’s deliciously moist, especially when left for a day before serving.
GINGERBREAD
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RAINBOW DESSERT
At one stage Mum used to make quite a few desserts that were topped with beaten jelly. It works really well on top of a trifle or with berries mixed in. This recipe is really just a fancy was of combining custard and jelly that you then serve with fruit and cream or ice cream. Should be one the kids would like.
CHICKEN AND HAM BAKE
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.
SAUCE FOR MEATBALLS/SAUSAGES
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
- 8 medium sausages or meatballs
- 1 medium onion, chopped very finely
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 teaspoon mixed mustard
- 170 ml tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons fruit sauce or fruit chutney
- 1 tablespoon cornflour
- ½ cup water
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.
STEAMED PUDDING – SIX WAYS
On a cold winter’s night Mum often made a steamed pudding for dessert. It was an quick, economical dessert for a family of five. I think it also worked well for Mum as you could put it on to cook mid-afternoon and not have to make it during the tea time rush. This recipe she cut out from the Herald Sun is great because it gives lots of variations of the basic mixture.
NOBBY’S STEAMING FISH RECIPE
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.
RIPE CHERRY SLICE
This homemade take on a Cherry Ripe comes from Mum’s friend Thel, who was a great cook and gave Mum some terrific recipes.
RIPE CHERRY SLICE
- 250g dark chocolate
- 30g copha
- 1½ cups coconut
- ½ cup ground almonds
- ½ cup icing sugar
- 2 egg whites
- 2 tablespoons rum
- 125g glace cherries
Melt chopped chocolate and copha in double saucepan. Line 2 – 25x8cm bar tins with foil, pour half chocolate mixture over base of each tin (reserve the other half for top). Refrigerate until set. In bowl combine coconut, ground almonds and sifted icing sugar. Add unbeaten egg whites and rum, mix well. Chop cherries roughly, add to coconut mixture and mix well. Spread over chocolate in tins, pour remaining chocolate over. Refrigerate until set. Allow to stand at room temperature 30 minutes before cutting. Remove from tins, remove foil before cutting.
POWDER PUFFS
These were one of Mum’s treats that I can remember coming home to after school and finding leftover from an afternoon tea Mum had had for her friends. They were light and filled with fresh cream with a light dusting of icing sugar, my mouth waters just remembering them.
QUICHE LORRAINE
Mum used to make Egg and Bacon Pies all the time, but also made this Quiche Lorraine recipe when she wanted something a bit fancier. The difference between an egg & bacon pie and a quiche lorraine is that for a quiche the eggs are beaten together with cream and milk and poured into the base on top of the bacon. While for the more basic egg & bacon pie you just break the eggs top of the bacon. As a result a quiche has a much lighter filling than the more rustic egg & bacon pie. Whichever one you go for, they’re both really great.
QUICHE LORRAINE
- 15g butter
- 1 onion, sliced
- 100g bacon
- 20cm uncooked shortcrust pastry case
- 2 eggs, beaten
- Salt, pepper
- 150ml fresh cream
- 75ml milk
- 175g cheddar cheese, grated
Melt butter and fry bacon and onion until soft. Place in pastry case. Beat remaining ingredients together and pour over bacon and onion. Bake at 190c for 30-40 minutes. Serve hot or cold.
FISH CURRY
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
- 375g filleted or smoked cod
- 1 onion finely chopped
- ½ clove garlic
- 1 tablespoon oil
- ½ tablespoon curry powder
- 1 dessertspoon tomato puree
- 150ml cold water
- Potatoes, peeled and quartered
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.
