Sausage rolls:

Food for the Soul (and the stomach) by Michelle W.                                                                       Tell us about your favourite meal, either to eat or prepare. Does it just taste great, or does it have other associations.

If I’d been asked this question earlier in my life I would definitely say a roast dinner; be that chicken, lamb, beef or pork. As a child the roast was a traditional meal that was cooked on Sundays whilst we were at church. It was the condiments that made it special, either: stuffing, apple- sauce, mint sauce or cranberry sauce. The associated memories of eating as a family brings back a flood of warm feelings.

These days our eating habits have changed to many simple but tasty recipes. Eating fresh fruit before the meal has become the norm. One simple recipe that my beloved adores is sausage-rolls.

left over cold ones!

•  This takes three sheets of frozen pastry, cut in half, (as I’m a lazy cook these days).
• Mix chicken or pork mince with a finely cut red onion, I grated carrot, herbs from the garden, a big dollop of honey and pepper and salt.
• Divide mixture onto the 6 long pastry pieces, and add beaten egg to edge of one side.
• Roll each long roll and divide into four and cut slices into top.
• Apply egg to top of sausage rolls and pop into a hot oven until cooked. 200 degrees for 20 mins, depending on oven.
• Eat with homemade relish and Bobs your uncle!

This is a simple meal, that can be made a little healthier with a salad.

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/food-for-the-soul-and-the-stomach/

 

 

 

Loss? Blink:

This suggestion takes me back to remembering my elderly Mother when she lost her sense of taste as well as smell. It is probably nature’s way of reducing sensations in preparedness for departure to another realm. So this idea isn’t quite as fanciful as it might at first appear.

My first thought, if I had to loose one flavour initially was for the sweetness of sugar, as is so bad for one. All of those delicious sweet tastes: cakes, biscuits, pastries, chocolates, pavlovas with cream and passion-fruit, jams, and the endless list goes on. True, I don’t eat as much of these foods as I once did, but could I live without them completely? I think I’d choose not to.

Reading the list Ben Huberman produced, there’s a word I didn’t recognize, UMANI. Having looked it up, it has many meanings with words like ‘nucleotides’ and ‘L-glutamates’ and ‘glutamic acid’, as well as meaning delicious. Having not known that such a word existed, this is the one I have chosen to give up. It also includes shell- fish, which I’m allergic to, so this makes it a much easier choice. Many of the pre-packaged foods of today include Umani flavours.

I shall stick with fresh fruit and vegetables as my staples which leaves the delicious tastes of sweet, sour, bitter, salty and a little spicy within my repertoire.

Picky Tongues

You have to choose one flavor that your sense of taste will no longer be able to distinguish. Sweet, sour, bitter, salti, Umani, spicy (not taste per se, but we’re generous): which one do you choose to lose?  Ben Huberman

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/picky-tongues/

 

 

Magic Pudding:

On Christmas Eve last year I realized that our plum pudding we’d ordered hadn’t arrived. Chris had thought he’d make things easier for me by ordering the pudding for the first time. I e-mailed the company with no response. Chris rang and spoke to the Manager, who was very apologetic when he realized that it was their genuine mistake. (And it had been paid for earlier in the month).

The Owner/Manager said he’d make up for this upsetting dilemma on the 6^th January, when they returned to work. He realized Christmas could be an emotional time, especially when catering for larger numbers. He was very sympathetic, and that  made me feel better.

Fortunately I had time to make a pavlova and a pecan tart, (for our Canadian and American members of family). In fact there was no drama.

On the 6^th January, true to his word we received a phone call to say our bank had been refunded, plus a parcel was on its way. Opening the parcel, a few days later, not just one plum pudding, but two, plus a Christmas cake!

The smaller plum pudding we tried immediately. It was superb, just like my mother’s. The cake too, was moist and delicious. So any Australians reading this, I’d like to put a plug in for this wonderful company. The Newcastle’s Pudding Lady makes these delicious treats, which is a family company and the food is really superb. (available on the internet)

 

Pear Chutney

This recipe is for Maggie: Yesterday I made 24 medium jars of pear relish, and tasting it last night we were delighted with it. Please don’t think we quaff such large quantities, they are distributed throughout the family and a few friends…

Pear Chutney

10.896 Kg /12lb pears           3 teaspoons cayenne pepper

14 g  / 1/2 oz of salt                1/2 oz cloves

5 1/2 Kg / 6lb. sugar                2 onions

12 cups / 3 pints vinegar           56 gm. / 2 oz. root ginger

Put ginger, cloves and onions in a bag and boil in vinegar. Cut pears in small pieces and cook gently till tender, adding sugar. Once sugar is there it does need stirring. Remove bag.  (I did add some cornflour, a couple of tablespoons mixed to a paste to bring a little thickening).  Bottle and seal. I found I had too much juice, so strained the last bit and tipped it out the excess juice.

This I cooked in two large pots, it really needs a jam pan. Half quantity would make 12 jars.

Pear Chutney 29th April 2014