What's for tea? - Page 15

Braised shoulder of pork staeks, slow cooked on a bed of squash, leek, onion, carrot, with potatoes.

artjak wrote (see)

Lyn, According to Jane Grigson veg book swedes and turnips are a bit interchangeable the further north you go. '...in Scotland when people talk of neeps they mean swedes...but a dish called turnip purry is invariably a puree of swede'. Is that all crystal clear now?

In the south we just call them swedes and turnips. So much easier.

In the north we just call them all turnip and eat them by the ton. It is tradition to add them to all soups casseroles stews or mince. Any one who had school meals works canteen meals or army food or even all three took it for granted they would be eating turnip, in war time it was to bulk up the meagre ration of meats. Lord Woolton even made a pie from it all I do have the recipe and no meat added.
When roasting a mixed veg tin for lunch with roast beef it all goes in turnip and all, some needs parboiling and goes in at differing times but the turnip potato's and carrot will be first in with the whole onion.
A mash of turnip potato cream butter salt and pepper (Neeps--Neaps) is lovely with a roast meat or chicken in winter and here in the North having just had three days of snow and ice with more to come we need comfort food not the Chefy stuff, three blobs on a plate and a speck of "jus" (what the h### is that?) would go down very badly, add a glass of good properly brewed beer (girls as well) to a good wholesome plate of food and you have a night out to enjoy.
We all have our likes dislikes fads local dishes and I notice the fancy chef's are cooking offal again!!! we who killed our own animals took it for granted you ate the whole animal or fowl, nothing wasted and most of it very good to eat, they still sell tripe in the local market.
Wealth appears to allow people to set trends in food although time lack of money or good local produce means others have no choice unless they are prepared to spend a lot of time in a kitchen.
To each their own.

Frank.

PS my word check did not like NEEPS at all saying it is NEAPS and calling me names because I would not alter it.

Palaisglide, I will certainly try the mash, it sounds great.

Artjak, living in the fens you have some of the best root vegetables in the country and they should be available fresh from the ground soil and all, we can get local produce from the only market garden left and on a par if not cheaper than the supermarkets.
I cook potato and turnip in the same pan for myself then mash but when the family are here for the Saturday or Sunday roast I cook in separate pans, dry mash the turnip then add to the potato's and mash them all together.
Some times I will cooked turnip and carrots together then mash them with the butter cream salt and pepper (salt to your own taste or leave out) a sprinkle of paprika adds some zest and serve with chopped herbs or what we call scallions (salad or spring onion) on top.
My little Granddaughter would not eat any mince meat with root veg in it so I did her a seperate dish in the oven cooked the root veg dry mashed the lot and mixed it in for the last half hour of cooking, she ate the lot and told her mother I made the best mince, she also eats my roast beef which she will not do at home, with children you need to educate their taste buds, gently.

Frank.

Dear Palais glide, (are you really good at ballroom dancing?) I do the same thing with celeriac and potatoes. It is just that turnips are a bit of a new area for me. I have tried to cook swedes every winter for about the last 5 years, roasting, mashing, mixing it with things like; juniper berrys, herbs, other spices, but I can't get rid of that awful metalic flavour. Which kind of put me off trying turnips, but now I realise that their flavour is a cross between radishes and potatoes so I can see possibilities, not just in buying them but in growing them. I could even see them used, sliced v. fine in a stir fry. I have found that when you have a glut of radishes, slice them and 'wok' them and they are very similar to water chestnuts.

We had sausage with apple sauce, bubble and squeak, made from all the leftover cooked veg, including mashed swede and carrot.My Oh always said he didn't like swede, but if I mash it with carrot, plenty of pepper and butter he loves it.

I also live in Lincolnshire and are able to get the most wonderful veg' but I always check if I do have to buy at the supermarket where the veg comes from. Last week the cauliflower at one supermarket came from Holland, so it was put back and I bought some other locally produced goods.

Chris

Hi Frank & artjak - have always had potato and swede (boiled in the same pan) and then mashed together with some pepper and butter.  Here in South Wales it is known as Potch (haven't a clue why!)

Artjak and Christmas Carol, I love the taste of turnip/swede although you could try in a separate pan bringing it to the boil in water then empty the water and refill the pan then cook until soft, it is nice just mashed with butter cream and pepper on its own top with some chopped herb.
My mother would serve whole onions boiled then tossed in butter with seasoning and we loved them the secret being she brought them to the boil and then changed the water three times the last time cooking them until soft, I do the same when I have time and the family love them. Mind our home grown onions had quite a kick to them modern ones seem a bit soft.
My name Palaisglide came from the best out of three falls with another board who suddenly refused my then name, I had some photo's on the table of me dancing the palaisglide with some WVS ladies on leave in Port Said so wrote it down and it went through hence the name.
In truth I danced from being 11-12 years of age my mother and father being champion dancers in the local halls and taking me with them because the baby sitter said I was a devil. It was love at first sight, music lights live band and the flowing dancers and in the intervals there would always be some lady got me up to dance. By age 14-15 I was doing MC duties at the monthly Cadet Dances which meant leading off every dance and the dancers falling in behind until my partner and I had done a circuit, that is how things were done then. My army pals said I could smell out a dance fifty miles away, met my late wife at a dance and we danced together in many countries including a demonstration dance in the Strauss hall Vienna, happy days.

Frank.

OK  Artjak, frangipani is an almond paste or cream so we call anything with almonds frangipani. My mother made a Christmas frangipani for when all the relatives landed for their Sunday tea, home cured ham sandwiches a home made coleslaw and the cake fresh from the oven sliced in a dish with fruit from her hoard of tins and Carnation milk to top it off, cream was made into butter. We would be toasting nuts and grinding them as it was the fresh nut season these were beaten with egg butter some flour and a drop of milk into a batter then in would go crystallized fruit cherries and sometimes dried fruit soaked overnight in tea, this was put in an oblong tin and cooked till set and always served warm.

Two methods. 3oz butter or stork, 3oz castor sugar, two eggs small, 2oz S.R. flour 2oz ground almonds, half tea spoon almond essence, cherries and flaked almonds to decorate optional.
Method:-  beat the egg put aside, cream butter sugar until light coloured gradually add the egg (a tablespoon of flour will stop it separating) add the rest of the flour and almond and essence, spoon onto the prepared mince in the tart case and bake 20-25 mins at 190c well that is my oven some vary.
Second:- 2 egg whites, 3oz caster suger, 3oz ground almonds, half ounce flaked almonds and some cherries glace.
Method:- Whisk egg whites until stiff fold in sugar and ground almonds, spoon onto prepared mince tart and add cherry and flaked almond, bake for 20-25 mins at 190c or to suit your oven check after 20 mins anyway.
The second recipe will give a macaroon topping.
Enjoy

Frank.

Today we are having roast shoulder of lamb, cooked slowly with rosemary, garlic and sea salt. with various veg, can't decided between bread and butter pudding or home made rice pudding with nutmeg.

Frank. That tart sounds fantastic. have copied recipe for use at later date, thanks.

Chris

Same here Twinkle Bell, but apple crumble for desert.

We're having sausage casserole, using veggie lincolnshire sausages. An old student days recipe. No pudding planned as we've all been snacking on the previous baking!

OH & daughter had made frangipani mince pies this afternoon! They're very nice, but I shall be doing my usual ones, with homemade mincemeat later this week. Pastry is a labour of love for me. My Mum's was wonderful, even my MIL said so! J.

We made our own mince meat for years then last year doing the math's I discovered I could get two large jars and a jar of apple puree for less than the cost of the dried fruit.
Mixed the puree with the bought mince meat with a couple of drops of rum in one lot and made the pies. Result:- "just as good as you always make dad"?
Now I even use jus roll on occasion as I find using some lard and butter the best way to make it but do not always have the lard, or the time to rest and cool the pastry.
Topping are a taste thing I like to top some with a cup cake type mix then a blob of icing on top, handy if you are out of ground almonds. Hot mince pies with brandy butter are to die for.

Frank.

Hi Frank - thanks for posting the frangipani recipe - will be giving that a try.  My mother always used to add some orange marmalade to her mincemeat when making mince pies.  I tried this, plus a tot of brandy, when making my last batch as there wasn't  quite enough mincemeat left in the jar.  Very nice!

Caz

Hi Caz, It was my being stationed in Bridgeend that I got my taste for marmalade in bread pudding, Nesta's mother did make a good one and would use marmalade on the bread.

Frank.

Hi Artjak

just tried that ricotta cheese pud using frozen plums instead of pears and added a dollop of low fat creme fraiche. Delish - guest comments were it was like warm cheesecake. Thanks very much and on WW points it was only 3

Bjay

As I will be eating out the next three days I am cooking a festive roast today, stuffed shoulder of pork, long and slow.
Stuffing is mothers old recipe, onions sliced and cooked until soft in a drop of water, I did add some chopped pepper as well it was in the veg tray. freshly crumbed bread, sage from the garden salt pepper and a diced apple.
Drain the onions and mix the lot in a bowl and add butter and work until it is all crumbed together then stuff pork shoulder and tie. That goes in the oven at 180 for two hours twenty. The potato's parsnip and more onion added later to roast all served up at one sharp if you come after that it will only be warm if the bin is on fire.

Frank.

now since its Christmas eve,I think mince pie with high cholesterol cream ,closely followed by glass of port.