WHAT DID WE HAVE FOR TEA?

[Moh]

I do the same as Ian - brown the meat first.
Duck breasts in a plum sauce tonight with rice & corn.

[Stanley]

Pressed beef butties for dinner and a steak pudding with peas (only half a bowl.....) for tea. Had about a third of a bowl of muesli later to fill a corner....

[Moh]

Ribs in a BBQ sauce tonight with oven chips.

[Stanley]

Small tomato butty for dinner. For tea I put a meat pie, a small corner of pressed beef, the remains of the onion and tomato with a small bowl of veggies. Very nice......

[Tizer]

Mrs Tiz was making one of our favourite cakes yesterday and had the little recipe booklet out on the table. It's the one my Mum always used for baking and was published by Be-Ro as a promotional booklet and this copy probably dates to the 1970s. I looked up Be-Ro on the Web and they still publish it - their web site says:
For the new edition Be-Ro recipe book, send your name and address along with your cheque or postal order for £2.99 (this includes P&P to UK) to The Be-Ro Kitchen, PO Box 1504, Guildford, GU1 9UU
They also sell the book on Ebay but you have to pay extra for postage.
You can find their recipes on the Be-Ro web site too: LINK

The web site also tells us that Thomas Bell founded a wholesale grocery firm near the Tyne quays and railway station in Newcastle in the 1880s. Among his top-selling brands were 'Bells Royal' baking powder and a self raising flour. Following the death of Edward VII, it became illegal to use the Royal name. As a result, Bell decided to take the first couple of letters from each of the two words of the brand name and turn them into the more catchy sounding 'Be-Ro'. In a bid to make self raising flour more popular among the general public, the company staged a series of exhibitions in the early 1920s where freshly baked scones, pastries and cakes were sold for a shilling to visitors. These were so popular that people demanded that they had copies of the recipes so that they could bake the dishes at home. As a result a free recipe book was produced and handed out at the exhibitions as well as door to door. The Be-Ro cookbook contained recipes to feed hungry families on a very low budget. They soon became an essential part of a young woman's education in running a home and feeding a family. Consequently, the cookbooks achieved their objective of making Be-Ro the best known flour in the North. The first Be-Ro cookbook was produced in 1923 and contained a total of 19 pages. Traditionally, local women from the North were featured on the front cover and "Miss Be-Ro" became its trademark. Forty editions later, the book has grown to 86 pages, and is arguably one of the best-selling cookery books ever with more than thirty eight million copies having been sold. The latest edition is packed with even more inspiring dishes together with a brand new "quick and easy" section which even the novice baker can follow.

[PanBiker]

I was introduced to the Be-Ro bible by my mum 50 odd years ago. It has always been a mainstay in our kitchen library as well. Other cookbooks by various flavour of the moment chefs, gurus and fads come and go, we have had the lot but the Be-Ro book is a constant.

[Marilyn]

Many thanks for the link, Tizzy. I shall have a look through.
So what is your favourite cake?

We never eat cake or desserts, but I did make a Black Forest Chocolate Pudding on Friday as we were expecting overnight guests. Needn't have bothered, as no one was hungry after Mains, and today I upended it into the kitchen bin without a bite taken from it. Such a waste! I knew when I was making it that it probably wouldn't get eaten. Should have listened to that inner voice...

[Moh]

That was a waste Maz.!! Could you not have frozen it?
I have my Bero book from 58 years ago when we married.
Roast pork with crackling on, carrots, cabbage, new & roast potatoes, apple sauce & gravy tonight.

[Tripps]

Here's mine. Must be over fifty years old, falling to pieces, and missing the cover. I've only ever used it for pancakes, and doubt I'll ever refer to it again - but I won't throw it away.



PS - It's dead easy this photo posting isn't it.

[PanBiker]

I have a chicken breast in the fridge and will turn it into a topping with a few tomatoes, onions and chili flakes with a portion of tagliatelle and a bit of cheese. Quick, healthy, easy and very tasty.

[Stanley]

The slow cooker is just the right size for a ham hock. I popped a diced sweet potato in and some pepper. Cooked beautifully by teatime from frozen on Low. I had two very small tomato and lettuce butties for dinner. (2 Little Gem lettuce for 19p) I took the ham hock out, de-boned and de-fatted and meat wrapped in cling film and into the fridge. Gravy in the fridge to separate the fat and the sweet potato looked so good I had it for tea. That left a corner unfilled so I started grazing! I nibbled on two small muscles out of the hock, had a Burgen and peanut butter butty and ended up having another with St Augur on! Strange tea!
By the way, I treated myself to some Taylor's beans instead of Fairtrade coffee, bit more expensive but better coffee....
One thing struck me.... Wouldn't it be good if Swan made a steamer to fit on the slow cooker.... definitely a Toofer!

[PanBiker]

The slow cooker is just the right size for a ham hock. I popped a diced sweet potato in and some pepper. Cooked beautifully by teatime from frozen on Low.

NOT to be recommended Stanley, meat products should always be totally defrosted before cooking in a slow cooker. This is to ensure that it reaches a correct temperature to kill bacteria. This is the reason I assemble and heat in a pan before adding to the pot, it gives it a head start. You cant do that with a hock of course but it should always be defrosted before you start, and start with hot stock.

[Marilyn]

I totally agree, Panbiker.

[Stanley]

I suppose that theoretically you are correct but don't forget that it was held at boiling point for a long time and this would sterilise any bugs in it. Think about raw milk straight from the cow, it goes through several temperature gradients conducive to bug growth before being pasteurised or sterilised and is perfectly safe.
Had two St Augur and beetroot butties for dinner on Burgen bread (very small slices) For tea I steamed a cauliflower, put chopped ham hock and defrosted veggies from my last slow cooker session in a bowl and had half the cauliflower with it. Topped up with two Burgen butties with St Augur. Nice.....
I'm really enjoying the Taylor's 'Lazy Sunday' beans.... Lovely rounded taste to the coffee.

[PanBiker]

It's not a theory Stanley but a well accepted fact that all meat should be thoroughly defrosted before cooking. Minor exceptions of small processed meat products excepted, but those won't really concern you. You would not put a frozen joint or chicken or whatever in the oven to cook so why would you do it with the slow cooker? I would have thought that your near death experience with botulism from a dodgy meat pie would be proof enough for you to not take risks.

[Tizer]

I suppose that theoretically you are correct but don't forget that it was held at boiling point for a long time and this would sterilise any bugs in it.

The temperature at which it is held is not the most important point; it's the temperature at the core of the meat joint that matters. Even when placed in boiling liquid the meat will thaw only slowly from the outside inwards and full thawing will take a long time. Remember that it's not simply a case of warming up the meat, you've got to put in an enormous amount of heat to overcome latent heat of crystallisation and melt the frozen joint...and only then do you start gradually raising the temperature of the centre of the joint. That needs to then reach over 60C and stay at that level for a while. An interesting experiment would be to freeze water to give a block of ice the same weight as the joint, then `slow cook' it and see how long it takes to completely melt. But keep in mind that you still need extra time for the bacteria-killing stage. (In practice an equivalent block of ice would melt a lot faster than the meat would cook because water released from the ice would convect around the block, facilitating heat exchange, and the surface area of the block would decrease, thus increasing heat exchange).

One other point about `slow cooking'. It's less effective at killing bacterial spores and therefore slow-cooked food is more susceptible to subsequent growth of these bacteria if not stored correctly. The remaining spores can germinate into cells which can grow in the food if it's kept above 4C.

[plaques]

Never mind all this coefficients of heat transfer and convection characteristics of water in confined spaces. Just bang it in the microwave and defrost it. They cook from the inside - outwards.

[plaques]

While we are at it. Mrs P makes some lovely blueberry muffins but.. the fruit tends to sink to the bottom during cooking. The best we have come up with is to place the mixture in the fridge overnight and then place the blueberries on the top surface. Even then there is a strong tendency for them to sink. Any ideas on how to get them into a uniform spread through the bun?

[Stanley]

That's what I usually do P. Have a good blast in the microwave before cooking. My measure of how 'well-cooked' a piece of meat is if it falls off the bone. I have no time for these 'pink' or 'bleu' joints....
I think I've seen a cure for sinking fruit which involves soaking it overnight and rolling in flour before adding to the mixture but beyond that have no suggestions.
When I was a load my Dad bought me a small microscope and we had great fun looking at things like milk and cheese and seeing the wild life wriggling round in it! I think that helped ensure that while I was aware of microbes I didn't go into a decline over them.
Yesterday I had the last of the St Augur and tomatoes on two very small Burgen butties. For tea I had the last of the hock ham chopped up with half a bowl of defrosted veggies and the last half of the cauliflower. Filled a corner later with a peanut butter butty to finish it off. Must avoid buying any more peanut butter. It's good for me and I like it but very fattening!

[Marilyn]

I've been on that Be-Ro site, and have made the "recipe of the month" for Dinner tonight.
It is Chicken and Leek Gougere...
Looks good, smells good, but haven't tasted it yet...

[Stanley]

I had bacon, egg, fried tomatoes and baked beans for dinner, no bread. For tea I had the last bowl of the frozen veggies I slow cooked last week plus some mutton cooked in the gravy from the ham hock after the fat had been skimmed off it. Forgot to put the vinegar in and whilst it was OK it was slightly more chewy than normal. Used the last of the Burgen loaf to soak up the gravy.......

[Marilyn]

We've had our Dinner and hubby enjoyed it more than I did ( though I found it nice). A word of warning though -I think the Choux Pastry swells in your tummy after eating, giving a very full sensation. Wish I had eaten less...as I am feeling a bit rotund!

[Stanley]

I know what you mean Maz. I ate a bit too much yesterday and when I put a clean pair of trews on this morning lit accidentally on a pair with a 36" waist. A trifle snug! But it will remind me of the danger.....
Had bacon and egg butties for dinner and Mutton stew with spuds and carrots for tea. Than I made the mistake of having cheese and a superb Cheddar on oatcakes just because I fancied it..... Splendid nourishment but a bridge too far!

[Tizer]

Sorry to be late responding but thanks for all the comments on the Be-Ro book - it's great to know so many of you are familiar with it. Maz, how did your Be-Ro Chicken and Leek Gougere turn out (you can be honest!). You asked what my favourite cake was - I'll come back to you on that when I can get the correct name for it from the Be-Ro book but I think Mrs Tiz has hidden it somewhere! We have another Be-Ro cookbook, a centenary edition. We also have an old Trex cookbook. Trex lard was made by J. Bibby & Sons, Liverpool, and Mrs Tiz's dad worked there for a time in the 1970s. He got her a summer job in the laboratory and I first met her there while I was doing 6 months of graduate training with the company.

Later....Found it, hidden in a row of big books. One of my favourites is the Coconut Lime Loaf using this recipe: LINK

My cousin asked for the recipe after having tasted it and Mrs Tiz copied a page from the booklet and sent it to her. That page also had the recipe for Orange Frosted Carrot Cake which she couldn't resist trying and now she's also smitten with that too! LINK

The recipes on the web site seem to be identical to the ones in the book. We also like the rock buns, but then you've probably all done enough baking to not need a recipe for those! LINK

I mentioned earlier the old Trex Cookery Book that we have on our shelves. I did a search and found that Trex recipes are on this web site... LINK

[Stanley]

My mother had the Be-Ro cookbook and her rock buns were superb!
Yesterday I had the stewed mutton and veggies X two for dinner and tea. (I used Gram flour (ground chick peas) to thicken the gravy and was struck by how it improves with age......)