Today's Fare

.....I made a Yorkshire Teabread. Not a large one, a small one, each thick slice will be spread with butter and or jam. I like keeping things simple and this old favourite is that. It needs no more than a couple of minutes preparation, a few hours soaking and forty odd minutes of baking (on a low light)
But the real advantage of this moist fruit bread is that it will last a couple of weeks wrapped in greaseproof paper in the cake tin. If left too long though it will go green.

For tonight's tea/dinner I've plumped for a beef dish I used to make when living in London, American Mince it's called. Another simple recipe which is as easy to make for two people as it is twelve. Take some minced beef, the leaner the better, regular mince is fine but will need to be drained because of the higher fat content.
Anyway fry an onion then as the onion begins to brown add the beef stirring it about a bit. When it's lost its redness add a can of tomatoes, a cup of chopped peppers (frozen is fine) and three stalks of celery sliced thickly. Squeeze in two good glopulets of tomato puree. Squiggle around. Stir it. Then pour in about half a pint of beef stock liberally adding pepper and a sprinkling of salt.
Let it braise.
Meanwhile boil some pasta shapes. I used tricolour spirals for colour and chat worthiness. People I find are interested in pasta when it's not spaghetti. Cook, till it's al dente..

Then drain and de-camp into a large ovenproof with the beef mixture. Stir it up till everything is combined. Fully.
 (It looks gorgeous at this stage)
Pop into oven for half an hour or so, lidded.

If you're a busy person...
This can be made a day in advance, refrigerated, then re-heated when you need it. It's ideal crowd food as it's economically friendly and doesn't require loads of time or awkward ingredients.

I'll be serving mine with a buttered roll.

Talking of bread....I looked at my knees this afternoon and the left one reminded me of a cottage loaf.

.......Must have been yesterday's exceptionally wet weather that brought forth, on the culinary front, a big dish of minced beef and many dumplings.
Layered with the rich well seasoned mince and stock were chunks of turnip, carrot, onion, swede and celery, I didn't need to add much more, except a few rough dashes of Worcestershire sauce.
I overdid it on the dumpling front making double my usual amount because I simply love them.
Simple boiled potatoes propped up the meat, no need I felt for anything else, although our guest, the ever so resourceful and hungry Hairy Suit piped up that a tin of baked beans wouldn't have gone amiss.
We loved it as did Mother who, for the umpteenth time, insisted that she didn't 'want much' ...She had seconds as did I and Hairy. And  that is why I always make loads:) One taste of my food and meagre appetites turn monstrous.
After such a warming and soul soothing dinner none of us felt much like pudding (!) so just a cup of tea did ok.

Apart from making dinner I baked a large seeded loaf which as I type is already half gone, Mr H making a dent in it with his workplace sandwiches. And, as usual, as it sat on the rack I admired it, not for my baking skills but for how simply beautiful home made bread looks. A still and silent foodstuff shining golden with touches of deep brown where the egg wash has pooled and linseed, poppy and sesame seeds dot the crust haphazardly willy nilly. Oh boy there's nothing quite like it.

But that was yesterday, what about today?
Today....A sausage risotto, lemon meringue pie and, to go with a cup of tea, a moist orange tea bread.

So my dear followers, with all that to do AND the clothes horse to fix I'd better get cracking:)

I've got a cold.

But it hasn't wrecked my sense of taste. Yet. The braised red cabbage and pork chop were smashing.

Get hold off a medium sized red cabbage. Shred it.
Cut up an onion.
Mash lots of garlic.
Chop either one large cooking apple or two tart dessert apples.

Then..
Layer the cabbage, veg and fruit in a big casserole with brown sugar, cinnamon, freshly grated nutmeg, ground cloves pepper and salt.

Add a good glug of vinegar. Wine vinegar. Cider vinegar or Balsamic. I used Balsamic. Never use Malt.

Then...
Dot shavings of butter on top, lid it and leave to braise for a couple of hours in a moderate oven.
Stir occasionally.


When ready....place a handsome ladleful on the plate and top with a pork chop or good snorker. I served mashed potato and tinned peas with mine. Real comforting food to snufflers like Mr Horsehound and myself.

If in the event of having any left over, it's good served cold with meat or cheese. Can be re-heated too, so can be made in advance if you're that way inclined.

I'm finished for the day now so will, after signing orf here, get mother drugged and undressed then fall asleep, hot but not bothered.

By the way, car in for MOT. Yuk and damn. Will be walking everywhere for the next couple of days, to the chemist and beyond. Probably.
With mother clinging to wheelchair arm rests. Definitely.

Good night ALL

So Far Today

Watching the Liberal Democrat conference whilst ironing...With mum in chair beside me. Lively, cosy. Murderous.

Dealing with people on phone regarding mum's financial matters. Wearing, tiring. Ultimately satisfactory.

Looking at my swollen knees. Concerned but unafraid. The pushing around of wheelchair has brought forth Mighty Knees, so unbecoming on a little bird like me. Good thing though...they don't yet knock.

Dishing up yesterday's pork pies and some cold chicken for mum's and Mr H's and lunch. Mum under-impressed with chicken thighs, Mr H's appetite stunted on account of his cold. I liked it.

Due to aforementioned knees I did some online grocery shopping. Quick, fun. Hope I get all I ask. Last time, may moons ago, I got beer instead of beans. Long time ago so hoping for teabags instead of toothpaste.

Feeling in dire need of comfort food I made some braised red cabbage (cooking now) and to sit on top of the sweet and sour veg, lean pork chops. Will probably have mash and peas too. Yummy tummy.
Pudding will be remainder of yesterday's cherry and gooseberry trifle.
Secret of The Day....This afternoon due to downturn in weather I watched the telly eating half a bag of Fruit Jellies. Low in fat so.....

Nick Clegg might be interested. Saw him at today's boring conference, he's filled out since getting into bed with Dave. Suits him too;) My opinion is he'll be booted out before the next election, probably go abroad or something, there's always a place for an Englishmen abroad.

I'm wearing a fabulous lipstick, red rosy with a sheen. Makes me want to leave stains.

Cheerio

Never Knew Pork Pies Could Be So Interesting or Demanding

....All blooming day they took.
First the slicing and tiny dicing of pork shoulder and unsmoked back bacon, then the choppy choppy slicey fingery of slippery oniony.......then a handful of really fresh parsley snipped with tears as I foolishly womanly asked Hairy Suit and Mr Horsehound if the aforementioned parsley had a brain? No was the reply. A central nervous system? Again negative.
I mixed on.

Then the making of Hot Water Crust Pastry. Lol.
If ever there was a pastry invented by God to test our mixing skills it is surely HWC.
Plain flour and bread flour were mixed in a big bowl then butter was quickly rubbed in. Lard was then melted slowly to avoid spitting and obvious burning of skin then some water was boiled to which a little salt was thrown in then the cooled lard was poured in. Didn't look very appetising I must say. But I plodded on, stopping momentarily to re-apply some lipstick.

Watery lardy goo was poured onto buttery flours and quickly drawn together by a big fork and then when it formed a lump was tipped out onto old worktop to be smoothed to a smooth dough. There's something incredibly soothing about smoothing.
Some minutes later it was a ball. (meanwhile the pork mix was resting up)
Now the part we dreaded,, me mostly, the boys deciding it'd be more fun to play with phones and cameras. Bless Grr.

Dough split into two pieces, one large the other smaller.

Rolled out and twelve discs cut out with pastry cutters. Fitted ever so sweatingly gingerly into giant oiled muffin tin:)
Because the dough is stretchy it was easyish to get the dough way up the sides of the cups, what I didn't forsee were bubbles of air rising like wintery nipples.....drove me potty.
But after a long time the tins had their doughy inserts.

Now the bit we'd all been waiting for....the dropping in of spoonfuls of meat.

There was plenty.
Pink meat with specks of apple green parsley and sparklets of onion shards (I like that description) soon sat deep and still in the pastry. Now the top pastry.....Simple to roll and cut out, it soon hid the meat.
For the meat to breathe (!) and air escape I had to punch a hole in the top of each pie so used my inventiveness and grabbed one of mum's unused ( I think) straws.

Brushed over with beaten egg, then studied so closely by the three of us that our noses almost kissed the pork pie, after probing we stood erect.......well satisfied.
Into the oven they went.....

Tea, cake, chatter yadder then out they came. Oh I forgot to say that Hairy Suit took a diabolical liberty (wots noo) by pinching some meat and pastry and making himself a little meaty pastry purse...


Now the part I was most worried about...The dribbling in of gelatine. We did have  a few minor pouring mishaps, but I, Gloria, soon had it solvedo. I found an icing funnel at the back of the draw...

So with the warm gelatine in a small blue jug I poured it in via the plastic funnelthing. It worked.

Now the pies are resting in the fridge till tomorrow when all will be revealed.

Also baked today an Orange and Sultana Traybake. A lot less stress:)

Never Done This Before

I'm making 12 Pork Pies.
Hot water crust pastry, gelatine...the lot.
I'm excited:)

IF they turn out half decent.... i.e. they don't collapse and look edible I'll post a pic.

Now I BAKE

:)