I’m not sure who wrote this recipe down for Mum, as it’s not in her handwriting, but a recipe for these crispy ham patties was certainly worth writing down. Although the ham quantity converts to 125g, I doubt that extra would go astray. You could probably leave the sherry out though.
Lamb and beans must have seemed like a good combination when Mum cut this recipe out of the Woman’s Day in September 1998. I think it is still a good combination for a cold winter’s night in 2015.
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.
Mum’s homemade pasties were filled with mince steak, potato, onion and sometimes carrot, so these cheese filled pasties were quite different and ‘modern’ for her.
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.
Beb's Recipe Drawer 