When I’m preparing recipes to post I usually take out any comments made by the columnists who’ve originally published them, but this time I’ve left Jane O’Connor’s in. They’re wise words and her suggestions for modernizing, in this case minted peas, but also mashed potatoes are worth reading.
This 1991 recipe published in the Checkout column of the Herald Sun is a bit of a mixture of the old and the new. Brown rice was only just starting to become popular around that time, but the old style curry powder, vegetables and sultanas mix is what curries looked like in most households then. Old fashioned maybe, but still a good vegetarian pie.
This is a microwave dried fruit salad recipe published by Sunbeam Dried Fruits back in the ’90s I think. Perhaps not quite so useful now that strawberries, blueberries, etc are available all year round, but nice to have to pour over ice cream or serve with cream or yoghurt as suggested.
I’ve never made this Italian egg soup, but I like the idea that unlike a lot of soups it doesn’t need a long time to cook. It would be a great soup to make on a cold night when you want something hot and tasty very quickly.
Another soup to warm you in these cold winter months. This one is a rich, creamy, cheesy, cauliflower combo. Served with a dab of cream and the chives or parsley on top I think it would be good enough for a dinner party.
All the fish pies I’ve made have had an expensive mix of white fish and shellfish. I like the idea of this one as you can use a marinara mix, which makes it much easier and more importantly cheaper. I’d probably add extra vegetables, but the choice is yours.
This is a seafood version of the classic chicken and sweet corn soup. I don’t see why you couldn’t use tinned crab meat it would be a lot less fiddly than de-shelling a fresh crab – mightn’t taste quite as good, but it would be a whole lot lot quicker and easier…….
The sky outside is dark and menacing, so what better time to think of making soup. This recipe was published by Woman’s Day in 1991 before chorizo sausage was so readily available. I think substituting it for the frankfurts would give the soup a lot more flavour and I’d also use fresh potato instead of the tinned Tiny Taters, if you can be bothered peeling and cutting them. A nice and hearty boost on a cold winter’s day.
Tinned pineapple isn’t used much these days, but it can still be worthwhile when fresh pineapple is out of season. It’s quite sweet and that can make things with it in a bit too sweet – this pudding breaks that sweetness down with lemon juice though. Haven’t tried it myself, but I think it could be a good family pudding.
This is a quick and easy dessert for when pears are in season. The combination of coffee, pear, ice cream and maybe a dollop of cream is delicious.
Beb's Recipe Drawer 