NEW ENGLISH RECIPE SECTION

Monthly English Recipe (May - kindly provided by Rita Wells of Ladies in Pigs)

Roast Belly Pork with Leek and Potato Mash with Rhubarb Compote.

Serves 4-6 people.

Ingredients.

!/2 bone and de-rinded English belly of pork,

!kg. {2.2lbs} potatoes, peeled and chopped into small chunks

450g. {1lb} leeks,

100g. {31/2oz} butter.

100ml. {31/2fl oz} cream, optional.

Rhubarb Compote.

450g. {1lb} rhubarb 300ml. {1/2pt} red wine.

100g. {3oz} butter 10 cardamom pods.

160g. {5oz} brown sugar.

Pre heat the oven to 200c, 400f Gas Mark 6. Put belly pork into the roasting dish lined generously with foil. Season generously with black pepper, then place in the oven for 15 mins. Turn down to 150c, 300f, gas mark 2 or 3 and continue roasting for approx 11/2 hours. If the top is getting brown before the meat is ready cover with foil for the last half hour to ensure meat is kept moist. When the meat is ready lift out of the tin and leave to stand for 15mins. Meanwhile boil the potatoes, when cooked drain well, Wash and slice the leeks into small pieces and cook for approx 3 mins. Mash potatoes with butter and cream. Combine with leeks and heat through when ready to serve with the meat. Slice meat and serve with potato and leek mash.

To make the compote.

Wash and slice the rhubarb. Melt butter in pan and add the rhubarb, sauté until it changes colour. Add sugar, red wine and cardamom pods and gently simmer for 10mins. Serve warm with the pork and mash.

Enjoy

Bread Pudding.

WW11 -- 1940s Recipe

¾ lb Stale Bread (230g)

3 ozs Raisins (100g)

3 ozs Currants (100g)

4 ½ ozs Sugar (110g)

5 ozs Margarine (150g)

½ Teaspoon Cinnamon

½ Teaspoon Nutmeg

5 Tablespoons Mixed Spice

2 Eggs

Method

Soak bread for 10 - 20 Mins squeeze out water

Mix all ingredients together

Grease baking tin or ovenware. (11 x 7ins as a guide)

Heat oven to 170c (340º)

Bake between 1 & 1 ½ hours. Check after 1 hour, as you would for cakes.

Can be eaten hot or cold (currants and raisins burn a little on top)

Watch time for Fan Assisted ovens.

Staffordshire Oatcakes

225g Oatmeal

100g all purpose flour

100g wholewheat flour

1 teasp salt

1 teasp sugar

1 teasp quick rising yeast

450ml warm water

450ml warm milk

Grind the oatmeal till fine, mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl

Warm the milk and water together till just warm

Mix the liquid into the dry ingredients and leave to rise

Should be like batter....make as you would pancakes (crepes)

I find making them the night before makes them taste even better this recipe makes 11 to 12 8inch oatcakes

Dont forget the bacon eggs and beans for breakfast.....yummy...

Email received from stokecee

CHEESE STRAWS

Please note quantities of ingredients are approximate as I don’t weigh them!! Sorry.

6 ozs Flour

3-4 ozs margarine or butter

8 to 12 ozs of very strong cheese, ie: Seriously Strong Cheddar

1 teaspoon dry mustard powder

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

½ teaspoon salt

Freshly grated black pepper

1. Rub margarine or butter into the flour to the ‘fine breadcrumbs’ stage.

2. Stir in the black pepper, cayenne pepper, mustard powder and salt.

3. Add the cheese and mix together with your hands until it all binds together.

4. Turn out onto lightly floured surface and knead until it is smooth.. This may take some time as it is a bit like making shortbread, but if you add any liquid the straws don’t go so crispy.

5. Cut into thin straws – they spread out a bit during cooking – and put onto a lightly greased baking tray. Leave a bit of a gap between them as they tend to stick together when they spread out.

6. Cook for ten to fifteen minutes at Gas Mark 6, or a little longer if you prefer them crispier.

7. When you take them out of the oven, loosen them with a fish slice or palette knife as it makes them easier to get off the tray later. However, don’t take them off the tray until they have cooled as they stay crispier this way.

Hope this is okay – sorry it is a bit imprecise but it is one of those things my Mum taught me and I’ve been doing since the year dot!

Pamela George

ECCLES CAKES

1 lb packet of frozen puff pastry

Mixed dried fruit

2 ozs butter or margarine

1 heaped teaspoon mixed spice

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1. Melt sugar and butter in a saucepan over a low heat, then stir in three or four handfuls of dried mixed fruit and the mixed spice.

2. Roll out pastry to about one sixteenth of an inch and cut into saucer sized rounds (you can roll pastry a bit thicker, cut out with a standard biscuit cutter and then roll each round out again.

3. Mix a little white sugar with some milk. Brush the edges of the pastry rounds.

4. Put a dessertspoon of the fruit mixture into the centre of each round, bring up the edges and seal.

5. Turn the cakes over, flatten slightly and make two slashes across the top.

6. Put on a well greased baking tray, leaving room for them to rise. Brush over the tops with the sugar/milk mixture.

7. Bake for about 25 minutes in a hot oven (gas mark 7), or until well browned. If you like them well cooked underneath, turn them over for the last five minutes of cooking

HOT PICKLE

2 lb Apples

½ oz Mustard Seed

2 lb Tomatoes

½ oz Curry Powder

1 lb Onions

1 tspn Cayenne Pepper

1 Clove of Garlic

Salt to taste

½ lb Dried Mixed Fruit

1½ pints Malt Vinegar

1 lb Brown Sugar

1. Peel and core the apples and stew them in a very small quantity of water until they are tender and pulpy.

2. Cut up the tomatoes.

3. Chop the onions and crush the garlic.

4. Chop or mince the dried fruit.

5. Add tomatoes, onions, garlic, sugar and dried fruit to the apple.

6. Tie the mustard seed in muslin and add with the spices and seasoning.

7. Add the vinegar and cook gently for about 2 hours, until the mixture is of the required consistency.

8. Pot and cover.

NB: This is the basic recipe I use, but I generally add up to double the quantity of the curry powder and cayenne pepper and also a tspn of chilli powder.

Pamela George