WHAT DID WE HAVE FOR TEA?

[Stanley]

Maz, mint sauce isn't compulsory. Treat it the same way you would a jar of pickles, the Worcestershire sauce is like pickle vinegar. I leave it chunky and it's so good that a butty of dry bread with it on is nice.

[EileenDavid]

You all make me feel lazy, making things from scratch. Talking of Mrs Beeton's cookery book does anyone remember Aunt Kate's my mam had a copy probably a free gift from somewhere as were all the others issued with flour. Last night mince and onion pasty with peas. Eileen

[Marilyn]

Have just finished making your recipe, Stanley. It is currently cooling.
Have sampled it and it is nice ( so has Febby). It has a lovely flavour, and the kitchen smells nice too.
I am wondering if a little finely sliced onion, and even a little dash of HP Sauce would add to the flavour? What do you think?
Might experiment...
The syrupy sticky bits at the bottom of the pan all got put in the bowl and they add to the flavour of course.

Verdict....not bad at all !

[Marilyn]

Am upping that verdict to "Trrrrific"
Just shared a cheese sandwich with Febby, laced with the mixture now that it is cold. The mint really adds to it.
Thoroughly enjoyable.
( we will have to wait and see if it plays havoc with Febby's heartburn).

[Stanley]

Eileen, making from scratch is the only way! Never trust a food processor!
Maz, glad you like it, very handy if you have some toms that are past their sell-by date. Yes, the caramelised juice is the best pert. Onions go well with everything but your question raised a thought in my head, suppose we tried the same thing but with thinly sliced onions instead of the tomatoes?
I had a butty with tomato relish on and some cheddar grated on top at dinnertime, good stuff. I had a meat pie at teatime and some rice pudding. Funny how you get a fancy for something. I went back to a very old recipe of Dorothy Hartley's which has some medium oatmeal in as well as the rice. Started with melted butter and molasses sugar, then the oatmeal, rice and some sultanas, half a nutmeg grated in and cooked very slowly all day with an occasional stir. Dorothy is right, I made it with semi-skimmed milk but the oatmeal made it as creamy as it would have been if made with full cream. Highly recommended.
Badly made programme about oats on the tube last night but it featured the mill at Alford where I get my oats from. Have a look at this address, http://www.oatmealofalford.com/, they toat the oats in a kiln first and it gives them a nutty flavour. Only mill to have a kiln now and the old stone millstones are water powered by the original water wheel, you can't get much more basic than that!

[Marilyn]

I am willing to try the onion one. Might do it tomorrow and will let you know how it goes. Nothing nicer than caramelised onions.

Talk about post war babies being encouraged to eat everything on their plates...
Febby was stood at the kitchen bench today, replying to a text message ( a fairly slow and methodical task as he has big fingers and little phone keys so his tongue sticks out between his teeth with the effort of it all!). He was eating something at the same time so some crumbs fell onto the bench. As I was finishing some dishes, I flicked across with the cloth to pick up the crumbs out of habit.
"I was going to eat those" he moaned
"What....the crumbs?"
"Yes the crumbs!"
(groan)

[Marilyn]

Can recommend the same recipe with the addition of one small chopped brown onion, a slug of HP Sauce and a sprinkle of ground chilli. The flavours just keep going on and on in your mouth. Having it tonight on some Red Salmon Cakes.
Bellisimo.

[Stanley]

Maz, glad you're enjoying it. Had a two egg omelette at dinnertime and a bowl of ham and peas at teatime with the last of the rice pudding for afters. Felt like a bit too much actually.

[Moh]

Re. Mrs Beaton's cookery book, I have a newly revised copy dated 1888, the spine has lost its outer cover but apart from that it is fine.
Had roast chicken on Saturday and Roast lamb yesterday with mash, roasties, carrots & cauliflower. Cold lamb tonight.

[Stanley]

Porridge for dinner and at teatime I had some boiled Corolla potatoes with skins left on left over in a bowl in the fridge so I popped them into the deep fryer to warm them up and crisp the skins, added some frozen peas and a dab of salad cream. It was an anti-waste tea but surprisingly good! I made the tomato relish again yesterday with the addition of two onions and some garlic. Haven't eaten it yet but tasted it and it's OK. Am considering some Dexter Mince for today.....

[Marilyn]

Ah....garlic...wondered how long it would take you to think of that!
I had some of my mix with Cheese and Crackers for lunch.

Braised Steak and Onions doing nicely in the slow cooker. Will have that tonight with steamed Veg.

[Moh]

Home made chicken, ham & leek pie using the leftovers up.

[Stanley]

Had a frugal butty for dinner, two slices of toast with Roquefort and the tomato and onion relish. Superb! Built a mince and onion pot with refinements and it simmered all day. Lovely stuff. The Dexter beef is darker and more tasty than ordinary breeds and cooks down well. Had some with rice for tea, I shall freeze some today.

[Moh]

Steak pudding, chips & mushy peas.

[Stanley]

The other half of the 100gm of Roquefort on a butty at dinnertime and mince and rice for tea. I've frozen the rest of the mince and got the last of the ham and pea soup out for today's tea. I shall start some peas today ready for another batch of ham and pea soup for stock. This will be the last of the first sack of dried peas, over two years old but as good as the day they were bagged. I shall have to open the new bag......
Gave Doc a piece of Dexter brisket yesterday as a reward for scrap haulage. He and Carol; will enjoy it....
Later... the peas are on.

[Marilyn]

Chinese Chicken with Veg and Jasmine Rice.
( made it earlier....just have to shove it in the oven whilst I recline on the couch watching Egg Heads).

[Stanley]

Last of the recent ham and pea for dinner and a potted beef butty for tea. The new ham and pea soup is built, just needs the stock from the hocks to be de-fatted and incorporated in it. Haven't seasoned it yet, depends on how salty the stock is.

[Stanley]

The stock sat on top of the soup after de-fatting. It had set like a very stiff jelly. This is what makes the soup stick to your ribs!

[Moh]

Meat & potato pie tonight with red cabbage.

[EileenDavid]

Meat pie and peas. Think we are having lightly battered fish tonight Eileen

[Stanley]

6 bowls of ham and pea in the freezer, I'll transfer them to bags today. Plenty of soup left so I shall be concentrating on that. I had the second half of the potted beef in a butty for dinner and a meat pie with a small bowl of the ham and pea for tea. It's good stuff! Daughter Susan called in to check I was OK and tasted the soup, thumbs up! She's on her own on Xmas day because everyone else is working so she's coming up here for Xmas dinner and has requested a hot beef butty on freshly bakes bread.

[EileenDavid]

Did have the lightly battered fish and peas and took the batter off. Eileen

[Moh]

I think the batter is the best part! Lamb curry tonight with rice & naan bread.

[Stanley]

You make me feel guilty for having two days off cooking, all of you! Pea soup and poached egg day today....

[EileenDavid]

Lasagne last night. Eileen