Miryani

Miryani

This dish is like a Biryani with a Mexican twist.

I used a pork fillet thinly sliced.  Marinated it with ginger, about 1" grated, 1 garlic clove, a few jalapenos, chopped, juice of a lime and a big spoonful of Chipotle paste.

Meanwhile I cooked the rice with some frozen mixed veg as I was a bit lacking in fresh veg.

After about 1 hour of marinating, I fried the pork until browned with some chopped green pepper.

Next I layered the meat and rice in an ovenproof dish, added about 100 ml stock, covered with foil and a lid and baked in the oven for about 30 mins at 200@C.

It was very tasty if I say so myself (and guess what? I do)

Plum & Almond Crumble Slice

Plum & Almond Crumble Slice

It's described as a buttery tray bake, full of new season fruit and spice.

I made it for my turn at afternoon tea at work and it went down a storm together with the Mint Aero Cookies.  One comment was "I'd pay good money for this !"

250g pack butter, very cold
225g caster sugar
300g ground almonds
140g plain flour, plus 25g
2 eggs
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
approx 6 plums, stoned and cut into 6ths
50g flaked almonds

Heat oven to Gas 4/180ºC. Grease and line with baking parchment a 20cm x 30cm baking tin.

Put the butter, sugar and almonds into a food processor, pulse until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Remove half of it and set it aside.

Add 140g flour to the processor and whizz until it forms a dough. Tip into the tin and press down with the back of a spoon.  Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden. Leave to cool for 10 minutes.

To make the filling, put the butter sugar mix that you set aside earlier into the processor saving a few tbsp for the topping. Add the eggs, cinnamon and baking powder and whizz to a soft batter.  Top the shortbread base with this then put the plum pieces on top of this.

Bake for 20 minutes then sprinkle with the remaining crumble mix and the flaked almonds.  Cook for another 20 minutes until golden. Leave to cool in the tin before slicing.

Mint Aero Chocolate Cookies

This recipe is a variation on chocolate chip cookies and was passed to me by my niece Danielle.

Mint Aero Chocolate Cookies

Cream together 100g butter or margarine and 75g light soft brown sugar.  Mix in 175g self raising flour, 2 tbsp milk, 2 tbsp golden syrup and a 113g bag of mint aero balls.

Place in lumps on a greased baking tray and bake at 180'C/Gas 4 for 10-15 minutes until golden. Cool for a couple of minutes on the tray then transfer to a cooling rack.

Middle Eastern Meatloaf

This is a Waitrose recipe and it's quite tasty........

Middle Eastern Meatloaf

125g Bulgar wheat (dry weight)
grated zest of 1 orange
1 onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, coarsely grated
250g pack minced lamb
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp pine nuts 
50g sultanas
2 beaten eggs

Preheat the oven to 190'C, Gas 5. Grease and line the base of a 1.5k (2lb) loaf tin. Cook the bulgar wheat in a pan of boiling water for 10 minutes until tender.  Cool slightly then drain well and tip into a large bowl.

Stir the remaining ingredients into the bowl and mix well to combine.

Transfer the mixture to the prepared loaf tin and press down very well with the back of a spoon.  Bake for 40-45  minutes until cooked through and nicely browned.  Turn out of the tin and slice.

They suggest serving it with lightly steamed Savoy cabbage, we had it with steamed Kale.

You could use cooked brown rice or even couscous in this recipe and I found I had no pine nuts so I used almonds instead.

Teviot Pie

To describe Teviot Pie, it's like Cottage Pie or Shepherds Pie but with a suet crust instead of potato. Like mince and dumplings pie. Googling has led me to various recipes. 

To quote wikipedia.....

"The term Teviotdale was used in the past to define an area which was drained by the River Teviot, the River Tweed and their tributaries."

So I reckoned to begin with I would make this recipe from the website Scotland for Visitors.

http://www.scotlandforvisitors.com/recipes/teviotpie.php

A Healthy recipe

This recipe has become quite a favourite in our house.  It comes from a Weight Watchers recipe book, but don't let that put you off. This is the recipe as it comes in the book.

Chermoula Pork

Serves 6

6 x 110g lean pork steaks
1 tbsp medium curry powder
low fat cooking spray 
300ml hot chicken stocak
150g low fat soft cheese
1 tbsp ground cumin
2 tsp paprika
2 garlic cloves, crushed
30g jalapeno peppers from a jar
2 tbsp fresh coriander
2 limes cut into wedges to serve

Coat the pork with the curry powder.  Heat a wide, deep, non-stick frying pan.
Spray the pork steaks with the low fat spray and cook in the pan for 10 minutes until brown all over.  Remove, cover with foil and set aside.

Add a splash of stock to the pan to deglaze then stir in the soft cheese, cumin, paprika, garlic and jalapenos.

Gradually stir in the remaining stock.  Bring to the boil and simmer for 2 mins.  Return the pork to the pan and simmer for 1 minute. Sprinkle over the coriander and serve with the lime wedges.

Notes:

I usually make the same amount of sauce for 3 or 4 people.....I like sauce.

For low fat soft cheese use Philadelphia light or extra light.

I used creole spice last night instead of coriander and omitted the spices from the sauce.

For the weight watchers among you, this recipe as written above will cost you 3 points (not propoints).  Its aso a core recipe. (UK weight watchers)

The Great British Bake Off......

A new series of this has recently begun and I have been inspired to make this 8 strand loaf. I have no idea what attracts me to baking bread as it is not my forte, but the idea of plaiting the 8 "tentacles" into something resembling Paul Hollywood's loaf called to me and here we are.

The recipe is here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/eight-strand_plaited_57815

As I write, I'm waiting for it to double in size and then the fun can begin.

A bit slow at first but it's getting there.......

Ready to plait..........let the fun begin

Well........it looks a bit like it should.  Prove for 1 hour.

And here's the finished article....... smells good, hope it tastes good.

Filling in the gaps

It's been a while since I posted anything.....how remiss of me.  So by way of catch up, here's a few things I've made since I last posted and a few things I've made pre-blog which are worthy of note ...............

How about a nice Lamb Casserole with Feta Dumplings

The recipe came from Channel 4's Sunday Brunch.

Simon Rimmer’s rich lamb casserole from Sunday Brunch is easy to make and is topped with crisp golden dumplings and feta cheese

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the filling

• Vegetable oil, for frying
• 450g good-quality lamb mince
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 1 carrot, finely diced
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• Few sprigs rosemary
• 200ml Madeira
• 200ml strong beef or game stock

For the topping

• 225g plain flour
• 3 tsp baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 100g unsalted butter, cubed
• 175ml sour cream
• 150g feta cheese

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas mark 6. For the filling, heat some oil in a deep heavy-bottomed saucepan and brown the mince. Remove the mince from the pan and set aside.

2. To the same pan add the onion, carrot and garlic and fry gently to soften but not colour.

3. Add the lamb mince back to the pan, add the cinnamon and tomato purée and cook out for 4-5 minutes.

4. Add the rosemary, Madeira, stock and some seasoning, and bring to the boil. Then allow to simmer for at least 30 minutes.

5. For the topping, in a blender pulse together the flour, baking powder, salt and butter. When it looks like breadcrumbs add the sour cream and do the same again. The dough will be very sticky.

6. Spoon the filling into individual pie dishes, then spoon dollops of the batter on top. Sprinkle over the feta and bake for 25 minutes until crisp and golden.

Then the Hairy Bikers Big Book of Baking was out again to make the 

Pogasca or Bacon Scones

The recipe for these can be found here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/bacon_or_crackling_75198

An unusual and very tasty version of Brownies made with Guinness !  Hence the name Guinness Brownies

these went down very well and if you want to try them, the recipe is here:

http://hiconsumption.com/2012/06/guinness-brownies/?utm_source=scribol.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=scribol.com

Rocky Road

This recipe came from BBC Good Food Magazine August 2012 and was titled Emma Morris's Rocky Road.  It's very rich and chocolatey.  

100g butter
300g dark chocolate, broken up
3 tbsp golden syrup
135g rich tea biscuits, broken into pieces
handful of mini marshamallows
140g chocolate bars of your choice

Put butter, chocolate and syrup into a pan over a low heat.  Melt them together, stirring until smooth.  Cool for about 10 minutes.

Line a 17cm (about 6" ) square tin with foil.

Stir the biscuits, marshmallows and sweets into the chocolate until they are covered.  Spoon the mixture into the tin, level it out a bit.  Put into the fridge until it is hard then remove from the tin and cut into squares or fingers.


When I made this, I used ginger nut biscuits instead of rich tea.  Digestives or shortbread would be nice too.  My marshmallows were the standard sized ones so I snipped them up with scissors.  I used Maltesers, though I reckon Crunchies or Diam bars would be good.

You could add dried fruit to the mixture too.


"Here's one I made earlier"

Baked Raspberry Cheesecake

A recipe from Olive magazine:

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/3842/baked-raspberry-cheesecake

Chocolate Torte a variation on the Salted Caramel Chocolate Torte found here:

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/896660/salted-caramel-chocolate-torte

The Hairy Bikers Big Book of Baking has been out again today.

I've made the German Onion Muffins, which were very tasty.  I think they'd be great with some Tomato Soup.  I think they'd be nice with some cheese in as well.

Makes 6

40g butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
175g plain flour
1 tsp caster sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp flaked sea salt
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh dill
250ml buttermilk
2 medium free-range eggs
1 tsp poppy seeds

❄ Melt the butter in a small pan and gently fry the onion for 10 minutes or until softened and lightly browned, stirring regularly. Set aside to cool for a few minutes. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C Fan/Gas 6. Line a 6-hole muffin tin with paper muffin cases or some squares of baking parchment.

❄ Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl and stir in the sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt and chopped dill. Make a well in the centre. Stir the buttermilk into the onion and break the eggs on top, then stir well with a wooden spoon. Pour the mixture on to the flour and stir lightly until only just combined.

❄ Divide the mixture between the muffin cases, sprinkle with poppy seeds and bake in the centre of the oven for 16-20 minutes until the muffins are puffed up and golden brown. Scrumptious served warm but great cold too.

I've also made this recipe, which came from a Morrisons supermarket magazine.

Persian Style Lamb with Forced Rhubarb

Serves 4

1 tbsp olive oil
400g lamb neck fillet, cut into chunks
1 red onion, sliced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 cinnamon stick snapped in two
1 tsp cumin seeds
400ml pomegranate juice
400g can chopped tomatoes
300g forced rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 2cm lengths
20g demerara sugar


Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole and add the lamb and onion.  Cook, stirring until the lamb has browned.

Add the garlic, cinnamon and cumin seeds.  Mix well and add the pomegranate juice and chopped tomatoes. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 40 minutes then add the rhubarb and sugar.  Stir and cook uncovered for 20 minutes until the lamb is cooked through.

Serve with herby couscous.

This is an unusual dish but very good.  A bit like a tagine.  I think I would like a bit of chilli added to give a bit of heat.

The rhubarb I used wasn't forced.

Got the new Hairy Bikers "Big Book of Baking" Last week and it is good. So many recipes I want to try.


This weekend, I've made the Cardamom and Lemon Cookies, Cardamom Cake and the Pies with Jarlsberg Cheese and Ham.


The cookie recipe can be found here:


http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/cardamom_and_lemon_74033 

I haven't got a cookie stamp so I used the bottom of a glass, which happened to have a nice little pattern on the bottom.  I just knew those glasses that came from the Shell garage in the 1980's would come in handy one day !


The pie recipe is found here:


http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/savoury_pies_with_14115 

Now, the pies were lovely, BUT, I felt they needed more filling.  Next time I make them, I'm making double the filling and I'm making 24 smaller pies instead of 12 large ones.

Vodka and cake?

Late last year, someone gave me this recipe and I just had to try it........  I mean, Christmas pudding?  vodka? what's not to like?


Christmas Pudding Vodka


300g mixed dried fruit
75g caster sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
2 tsp ground mixed spice
6 cloves
1/2 whole nutmeg
zest of 1 orange and 1 lemon
750 ml vodka


I used a Rumtopf to make this drink in but you can do it in a large jar or bottle.


Mix everything together and keep in a cool dark place, shaking daily to help dissolve the sugar.  The longer you keep it the better but at least a couple of months is good.


Strain the vodka from the fruit and put it into a bottle. (I used the original vodka bottle).  You might like to strain it through a very fine cloth to get rid of the grains of spice.


Now at the end of all this, you are left with a lot of very boozy fruit.  You could have it over some ice cream, or do as I did.


I picked out the cloves, cinnamon sticks and nutmeg and then used the "Orange Tea Bread" recipe (February 3rd 2012) as a base for a cake.


Boozy Cake


The fruit left from the christmas pudding vodka minus whole spices.
1/2 pt milk
450g self raising flour


Mix together and place in a greased and lined (2lb) loaf tin or 8" cake tin.


Bake at 180'C/Gas 4 for about 2 hours until a skewer stuck into the middle of the cake comes out clean.

Crispy Topped Cumberland Pie

Last night we tried this recipe from the March 2012 issue of BBC Good Food Magazine. We all enjoyed it, so no doubt it will be made again.

Crispy Topped Cumberland Pie

Serves 5

2 celery sticks, cut into 1cm pieces
1 onion, chopped
2 large carrots, sliced into chunky pieces
5 bay leaves
3 sprigs thyme (or 1/2 tsp dry)
2 tbsp oil
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp plain flour
2 tbsp tomato puree
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 beef stock cubes, crumbled
850g feather blade beef or other braising cut
850g large potatoes
25g each mature cheddar cheese and Parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 160'C/140'c fan oven/Gas 3.

Heat 1 tbsp oil and the butter and soften the celery, onion, and carrots with the bay leaves and 1 thyme sprig (or half of the dried) over a low heat for 10 mins.

Stir in the flour, puree, Worcestershire sauce and stock cubes.  Cook 1 min then gradually add 600ml hot water.  Tip in the beef and bring to a gentle simmer.

Cover and cook in the oven for 2 hrs 30 mins.  Uncover and cook for 30 mins to 1 hour until the beef is really tender and the sauce thickened.

Meanwhile cook the potatoes in a pan of boiling water until they are about 3/4 done. Slice into thick rounds about 1cm thick and toss with the remaining oil and thyme.  Layer onto the beef, scattering with the cheese as you layer*.

Increase the oven to 200'c/180'C fan/Gas 6 and bake for 30-40 minutes until golden and crispy.

* you can cover and chill at this point.  Keep in the fridge for 1 day or freeze for up to 3 months.

Chipotle and Tamarind Glazed Prawns

We're having a Mexican night at the weekend and this is a recipe I will be making. It comes from the BBC Good Food magazine of July 2008. 

Chipotle and Tamarind Glazed Prawns

Serves 4-6

100g golden caster sugar
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 and 1/2 tbsp chipotle paste  *
2 tbsp dark rum
2 tbsp tamarind paste  *
1-2 tbsp olive oil
30 large raw peeled prawns, defrosted if frozen

Put the sugar into a saucepan over a medium heat, add the garlic, chipotle, rum, tamarind and 2 tbsp water.  Stir then simmer for 5 mins until you have a thick, dark sauce.  Season to taste.

The sauce can be made a few hours ahead.

Heat a wok or large frying pan.  When it is smoking hot, add the oil.  Add the prawns and fry for 1 minute then add the sauce. Cook for 2-3 mins until the prawns are pink all over and the sauce has turned into a sticky glaze.

Serve with wedges of lime. (or lemon as above)

How to make Tamarind Paste

Soak a 14 oz block of tamarind in 14 fl oz lukewarm water for 15 to 20 minutes.

Now take handfuls of the tamarind pods and keep squashing and squeezing the now softened pulp to separate it from the veins, seeds and tough membranes.  You can do this through a sieve if you prefer. Discard the veins, seeds and membranes and keep the puree.

The ratio of one block of tamarind to 14fl oz water will yield approximately 16 fl oz concentrated tamarind pulp, ready to use in your recipe. It will keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks and will also freeze.

How to make Chipotle Paste

This is an adaption of a recipe in Mexican Food Made Easy by Thomasina Miers.

50g chipotle chillies

1/2 small onion roughly chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp dried thyme

1/4 tsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp olive oil

80 ml white wine vinegar

15ml balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp tomato puree

2 tbsp demerara sugar

1/2 tbsp sea salt.

Wash the chipotles and snip off the stalk. Cover with water in a small pan and simmer 30-40 minutes until completely soft.  

Put the onion, garlic, herbs and cumin into a blender with 200ml water and the chillies and any liquid left in the pan.  Blend until smooth.

Heat the oil in a large pan, add the chilli paste and fry for about 3 mins.  Add the remaining ingredients and another 100ml water and cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring.

Store in a clean sterilised jar in the fridge.  This will keep for months.

Orange tea bread

Another blast from the past (1973), an advertising book from Homepride featuring Fred and his flour graders.

This recipe was made time and time again back in the day.

ORANGE TEA BREAD

8 oz (250g) sultanas
8 oz (250g) currants
8 oz (250g) light soft brown sugar
finely grated zest of 1 orange
1/2 pt (300ml) strong tea
1 lb (450g) Homepride self raising flour
4 tbsp buttermilk, (or yogurt or milk)

Put sultanas, currants, sugar, orange rind and tea into a mixing bowl and leave to soak overnight.

Preheat oven to 180'C/350'F/Gas 4

Grease and line a 6" x 10" (2lb) loaf tin.

Add flour and buttermilk to fruit and tea mixture.  Mix well and spoon into tin.

Bake in the centre of the oven for 2 hours 10 minutes or until well risen and firm to the touch.  A skewer inserted into the centre will come out clean if the cake is ready.  Remove from the oven and cool.


This is lovely on it's own or spread with butter.

Supercook; a blast from the past

"Supercook" was a part work collection from the 1970's, a bit ahead of it's time as many of the ingredients were not available locally at the time. Fresh ginger ? cardamom pods ? cumin seeds ? commonplace now but in the 70's in the north east of england, pretty much unheard of.

However, I have made many of the recipes and today it's this one...

Biryani

Described in the Supercook as "a North Indian dish of Moghul origin, Biryani is a fragrant mixture of meat, spices, nuts and saffron rice.  The traditional meat in Biryani is lamb, but today prawns, chicken or other meats are used by Indian cooks. It is a main dish, the quantity of lamb being double that of the rice, and so it may be served alone with a yogurt salad or as part of a much larger and elaborate meal, consisting of other meat and vegetable dishes with chutneys and pickles".

For 6 servings:

8 tbsp clarified butter or cooking oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1" piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 & 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2lb (900g) lean lamb boned and cut into 1" cubes
4" piece cinnamon stick
10 cloves
8 peppercorns
1 tsp cardamom seeds
10fl oz (300ml) yogurt
2 tsp salt
1lb (450g)basmati rice, washed and soaked in cold water for 30 mins and drained
1/2 tsp saffron threads soaked in 2 tbsp boiling water for 10 mins
2 onions, thinly sliced
1 & 1/2 oz (40g) almonds, blanched & slivered
1 &/2 oz (40g) pistachio nuts
2 oz (60g) sultanas or raisins

In a large pan, heat 4 tbsp clarified butter or oil over moderate heat.

Add the garlic, ginger, cayenne pepper and cumin seeds to the pan.  Fry for 3 mins.  Raise the heat, add the lamb cubes and fry well for 10-15 mins or until the meat is lightly browned on all sides.  Stir in the cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns, cardamom, yogurt and 1 tsp salt.  Mix well and add 5 fl oz (150ml) water.  Bring the mixture to the boil.  Lower the heat and simmer for 35 mins or until the lamb is tender.

Fill a large pan with boiling water and add the remaining salt.  When it is boiling, add the drained rice.  Boil briskly for 1 1/2 minutes.  Drain and set aside.

Preheat oven to 180'C/350'F/Gas 4

Put 1 tbsp clarified butter or oil into a large ovenproof casserole dish.  Put 1/3rd of the par-boiled rice in the bottom.  Sprinkle 1/3rd saffron water over it. Now add 1/3rd lamb cubes. Put in another 1/3rd rice and again sprinkle with 1/3 rd saffron water. Put the remaining lamb on top. Finish with the remaining rice, the remaining saffron water and any liquid left from cooking the lamb.  Cover well, place in the oven and cook for 20-30  minutes until the rice is cooked and has absorbed all the liquid.

In a small frying pan, heat 3tbsp clarified butter or oil over high heat. Add the onions, lower the heat to moderate and, stirring frequently, fry for 10 mins, or until they are golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside on kitchen paper to drain.

Add the almonds, pistachios and sultanas or raisins to the pan.  Fry gently or 3 minutes until the nuts are lightly brown.  Remove from heat.

Pile the rice and lamb on a large, heated serving dish and sprinkle with the onions, nuts and sultanas or raisins.

Enjoy.

Raita

I make this my mixing natural yogurt with chopped cucumber and fresh mint or mint sauce if I have no fresh mint.

Notes.

You can add fresh chopped chilli with the garlic and ginger.
Nice garnished with fresh coriander, sliced tomato and hard boiled egg.

A recipe from 1684

Today, I have been given a recipe which was written in the Felton Parish Registers of 1684.  It is not easy to read and the spelling is as it is written, but this is the gist of it.......

How to make a  ? of rabbits or chickens

Take chickens or rabbits after they are cleaned, cut them in little pieces, fry the boney parts of them in butter, strew a little nutmeg and salt upon your meat, when you lay it into the frying pan and dredge a little flower upon it. When it is a little browned but not enough, take it out of your pan, put it with the other parts of the meat into a stew pan with a small quantity of white wine or a little plain water, a bunch of sweet herbs such as parsley , sweet marjoram & time a little whole pepper, half an onyon, a little piece of mace and a little grated nutmeg.  Let it stew until the meat be enough and the broth fairly stewy (make not too much broth) thenhave ready a few capers, small shred and one in 2 yolks of eggs well beaten, then just put your meat into the frying pan with the broth it was stewed in and allsoe that which the meat was fryed in,a spoonful of the caper vinegar or other vinegar to make it tart to your taste, if it be not salt enough a little salt, give it a little warmer the fire put in your yolks.

Maybe I'll give this a go some day.

Recipes from your past

Many years ago, my mam had a blue notebook with our family favourites in it.  The book was grease splattered and well thumbed and almost fell open at the most popular recipes. Unfortunately the book has been lost. 

Luckily, I have the recipes written in my own notebook, so the recipes have not gone altogether.

Today, I have been revisiting some of the old favourites.

GOLDEN CRUNCHIES

Cheesy pastry enclosing bacon and egg.

To make them:

6oz (170g) plain flour

2oz (60g) mature cheddar cheese, grated

1.5oz (40g) hard margarine or butter

1.5oz (40g) lard

pinch salt, pinch pepper, 1 tsp dry mustard powder

Filling:

0.5lb (200g) bacon, cut into small pieces

1 egg (possibly 2)

Pre-heat your oven to 200'C/400'F/Gas 6

Rub the butter or margarine and the lard into the flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.  Stir in the cheese.  Form the pastry into a dough using approximately 4 tbsp cold water.

Roll half of the pastry out to 1/4" thick and place on a baking tray. Top with the chopped bacon, beat the egg and pour over the bacon.  Roll out the remaining half of the pastry and place carefully on top of the bacon and egg mix.  Press the edges together to seal. 

Brush the top with egg or milk and bake for 25-30 minutes until golden.

Notes:  I found I needed 2 eggs for this.  You could use ham or other meats for this instead of bacon.

Not one to waste the pastry trimmings, I rolled them out, spread with Marmite, folded over and rolled again.  Cut into strips about 1/2" (1cm) and twisted them gently before putting on a baking tray, brushing with milk and cooking for approximately 10 minutes in the oven with the golden crunchies.

The other recipe I've made from this collection is

COCONUT SQUARES

2oz (60g) butter

1egg, beaten

4oz (113g) sugar 

4oz (113g) desiccated coconut

4oz (113g) glace cherries, halved

100g chocolate

Heat oven to 180'C/350'F/Gas 4

Line an 11" x 7" deep tin (18cm x 28cm) with baking parchment and break the chocolate up into the tin.  Place the tin in the oven for a short time, just long enough to melt the chocolate, about 5 min (not too long or it will burn).  Remove from the oven and spread the chocolate out to cover the bottom of the tin.  Leave to cool and set.

Beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy, add the beaten egg and beat again until creamy.  Stir in the cherries and coconut.  Spread on top of the chocolate.  Bake for 15 -20 minutes until golden. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 mins, mark into squares, and leave to set completely.

You can replace the cherries with sultanas or another favourite fruit or use half cherries and half sultanas or raisins.

Hello

"Better belly burst than good stuff waste" was something my Gran used to say on a regular basis and it has become a family saying.  I googled it and discovered that it wasn't something my Gran had made up but a version of a quote by Jonathan Swift in the 17th Century. Anyway it seemed a like a good name to give to a blog about all things food.

This is my Gran with her Christmas Pudding taken in 1979.  No doubt the phrase "better belly burst than good stuff waste" was used at this feast.