Recipes

 

Canadian Meat Loaf (6-8 servings)

250g streaky rashers, rinded and stretched
675g minced beef
1 large egg, beaten
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tsp dried mixed herbs
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Variation 1
Use 350g each of minced lean beef and minced pork or sausage meat instead of beef alone.
Variation 2
Before It goes in the oven, make three deep diagonal slits in the loaf, and fill each slit with tomato ketchup
Variation 3
For a “frosted meat loaf” have ready smoothly creamed potato made from about 4 or 5 large potatoes. Turn out loaf on to an ovenproof plate and spread with creamed potato. For the icing or the frosting sprinkle with about 4 tbs finely grated cheese, and return the loaf to the oven for 5 minutes to brown the potato frosting.

Quick Tea Brack

675g. plain flour
1 tbsp baking powder
225g butter
225g brown sugar
450g currants
25g mixed peel
1 tsp mixed spice
2 tsp caraway seeds (optional)
2 tsp honey
Rub the butter into the flour. Add to the other dry ingredients and moisten to a soft dough. Knead briefly. Bake in two well-greased tins for one and a half hours at 325F, 170ºC, gas mark 3. Brush tops with honey and return to the oven for a few minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Best eaten fresh (A mixture of raisins, sultanas and currants may be used instead of currants alone.

Plain Soda Bread

500g plain flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
300ml buttermilk
Put a griddle or a large heavy frying pan to heat slowly: if using an electric griddle, heat to 350ºF or 180ºC, gas mark 4.
Mix the flour, salt and soda, rubbing any lumps out of the baking soda in the palm of the hand. Add enough buttermilk to mix to a soft elastic dough. Turn out on a slightly floured surface and quickly knead into a round. Flatten with a rolling pin to about 2cm thick and cut across at right angles to make four triangles or “farls”. Lift the farls on to the griddle and leave to cook for about 7 minutes until lightly coloured underneath. Turn farls over and cook on the other side. Lift a farl in the hand: if it feels light, wrap all the bread in a teatowel and leave to cool on a wire rack. If the breads still feel heavy, balance them up on each edge in turn until they are cooked through, serve warm with butter or split each farl across in tow and then split each in half before frying in bacon drippings.

Savoury Potato Bread

1 sachet powdered potato
275ml boiling water
1 medium egg beaten
3 streaky rashers, chopped
1 tbsp vegetable oil
4 spring onions, trimmed and chopped
1 small red pepper, seeded and diced
Small clove of garlic, crushed
½ chilli pepper, de-seeded and finely chopped
1 tbs chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp mixed dried herbs
100g plain flour
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Blend the potato powder with the boiling water and set aside to cool. Fry the rashers until crisp, add the onion and peppers to the pan and cook until soft. Stir in the garlic and mix the vegetables, bacon, parsley and herbs into the potatoes. When the mixture has cooled, beat in the egg and work in the flour and seasonings. Knead the dough lightly on a well-floured surface, divide in two and roll each piece into a round about 1cm thick. Divide each round in four and cook on a hot griddle or heavy frying pan, until lightly coloured on each side. Serve warm from the griddle, or cool until required and warm through in a microwave oven or a lightly oiled pan.

Kate’s strawberry cheesecake: no cooking (8 servings)

Base
200g crushed digestive biscuits
100g unsalted butter, melted
Filling
3 level teaspoons powdered gelatine
142ml carton single cream
300ml full-fat soft cheese
100g golden caster or caster sugar
3 tbs lemon juice
Finely grated rind of ½ a lemon
300g strawberries, hulled and capped
142ml carton double and whipping cream
1 medium egg white
Decoration
200g halved or quartered strawberries
Combine the melted butter and crushed biscuits and press into the base of a greased loose-bottomed 24cm round tin, at least 5cm deep. Chill in the fridge. Put the single cream in a saucepan and bring just to boiling point. Add the gelatine, soaked if necessary (check with the packet), cool to lukewarm. Beat the cheese in a bowl with the sugar, lemon rind and juice until smooth and creamy. Mix with the cream and gelatine and the chopped strawberries. Whisk the double cream until it stands in soft peaks and fold into the strawberry mixtures. Pour onto the crumb base, smooth over the top and chill until set, 2 ½ to 3 hours or overnight.
Remove from the tin, running a knife around the side of the cake tin to loosen it.
Decorate with the remaining strawberries. Can be made 24 hours in advance and kept in the fridge. Can be tricky to freeze. Other fruits in season can be used – blackberries, blueberries, a mixture of raspberries and redcurrants, and a pack of frozen fruit, can be folded in while still frozen.

Granny Moore’s slim cakes

Sieve 8 rounded tablespoonfuls of flour with 2 rounded tablespoonfuls of sugar, ½ level teaspoon of baking soda and a pinch of salt. Rub in 125g butter and mix to a soft pate with one beaten egg and a little buttermilk. Roll out to a good ¾ inch (1cm) thick, cut into triangles or rounds and bake on a moderately hot dry griddle or heavy frying pan, until browned. Serve warm or cold.

Bread Pudding (4 servings)

5 0r 6 slices buttered bread
75g raisins or sultanas
1 tbsp sugar
600ml milk
1 egg
Flavouring to taste
Cut the bread into triangles and arrange a layer in a buttered pie dish. Sprinkle with half the dried fruit, put in another layer of bread, then the rest of the dried fruit, and top with the rest of the break. Bring the milk to boiling point, add the flavouring -1/2 tsp vanilla essence, or ½ tsp grated lemon or orange rind, then the sugar. Add gradually to the beaten egg, pour over the bread, and set aside for about half an hour before cooking for about half an hour in a moderate oven until set and lightly browned, 350ºF, 180ºC, gas mark 4.