General Chat

Sharron

Thanks for the recipe and the delightful description of your father making the marmalade and enjoying it. In a couple of weeks I shall be at home and almost back to normal, whatever that is, and I shall try this out.

:-D

I am sure you know, but a lot of people don't seem to, that seville oranges,the ones suitable for classic marmalade,are only available for a short time around the end of January.

Although you can only buy Seville oranges around January time you don't have to use them straightaway. They freeze well. I take them from the freezer in small amounts and make about 5lb of marmalade at a time. I found this recipe in a magazine donkey's years ago and it always seems to work well. I think it was one of Mary Berry's recipes.

This amount makes about 10 lb:

Put 3 lb (1.5 Kg) frozen Seville oranges, 2 large lemons and 4 pt (2 litres) cold water into a very large pan. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer gently for about 2 hours until very tender.

Transfer oranges to a colander placed over a bowl to catch the juice. Cut fruit in halves. Remove all flesh and pips and place in another pan with 1 pt (500 ml) cold water. Bring to the boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 min.

Slice fruit skins thinly. Add to large pan with juice from the colander bowl and 6 lb (3 Kg) granulated sugar warmed in a clean roasting tin in a low oven. Strain in liquid from the simmered pith and pips.

Stir over a gentle heat until sugar is dissolved, then boil rapidly. Test for setting after 10 min (mine always seems to take about 25 min). Pour into hot, clean jars, cover and label.

Enjoy!

A recipe for Spanish Eyes who wanted to know what to do with cumquats some time ago..
I have just found the recipe for Cumquats in Brandy in a 1987 Magazine.

500g. cumquats
1 and a half cups of water
1 and a half cups brandy

Wash cumquats and prick each one several times with a fine skewer or needle.
Heat sugar and water slowly in a saucepan until the sugar has dissolved.
Continue to boil for approximately 10 minutes.
Add cumquats to syrup and simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and place in warm,dry jars.
Add brandy to the syrup and just bring to the boil. Pour over cumquats. Seal and store in a cool dark cupboard for several months before use.

Have just read through the past pages this is an economical recipe. A sort of frittata.

Baked egg spinach.

1/2 kg fresh spinach or silverbeet ( dark green curly leaves with a white stalk) you may have another name for this. Really easy to grow.
1 tsp dill, Pinch grated nutmeg, 2 tsps oregano. (The recipe saus fresh but I use dried)
2 tbsp butt or margarine
4 eggs and 1 and a half cups of milk
1 and a half cups grated cheese
Salt and black pepper to tasts

Wash and shred spinach or cut out the white stalks of silverbeet and blanch the green leaves in boiling salted water for 2 minutes.
Drain thoroughly and chop up with the edge of a saucer.
Fry lightly in butter or margarine with spices and place in an oveenproof dish.
Beat together eggs,milk, salt, pepper and half the cheese.
Pour over the spinach and allow the spinach to float to the surface. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top and bake in a moderate oven for 30 minutes or until set.
This is plenty for two and quite filling.

Fairways
Thanks for your Recipies. We leave Holand tomorrow morning and should be home in two days so will add more a few days later.

Bridget :-)

under the inexpensive recipes

BEAN AND SAUSAGE HOTPOT

Serves 4-6

Preheat oven to 180oC. In a frying pan fry 1 medium chopped onion until soft.Under a grill brown 8 sausages. remove, then grill 8 rashers of bacon, lightly. Cut sausages and bacon into bite size pieces. Put all of these into an oven proof dish Add two large tins baked beans, OR 1 tin kidney beans in chilli sauce and 1 tin baked beans.. Heat up for at least 15-25 mins, stir occasionally

Now I have typed up, I think it would also come under somethiing to throw together when people come....so always keep some sausages in the freezer !!

Green Fingers

I thoroughly enjoy cooking good but cheap food so your recipe has enticed me....we will try this today or tomorrow and I will make a comment on here.

OH has suggested that we do not have our Christmas Cake covered in marzipan or icing this year, and in fact wants a Guiness cake instead. So am giving the one year old cake to our "local" where we have Christmas lunch and will make the cake this week if the oven is working ok.
Has anyone cooked or have a Recipies for a boiled fruit cake?? Or have suggestion(s) for an alternative.

I would like a special meal for two people on Christmas Eve, can anyone help?

Any suggestions re any meal, cheap meals, average meals, special meals and maybe some new twists on everyday food.

Foreign food seams lacking at the moment.........so again, should we try to add so e more.

Looking forward to the responses


:-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D

Good morning! Well it is 00.12 hrs here in Spain, time has passed so quickly today, oopps that should be "yesterday"

I am making a slightly different cake for Christmas and I will add it on here tomorrow, Have the fruits in Vodka right now and it cannot be looked at for 2 whole days so have hidden it in one of the bedrooms which are not used very often!!

Listening to Johny Cash at the moment, makes me have some great memories of old times.

Bridget :-)

My cake was a disaster...so disappointing......did not rise very well, the bottom burnt and I cannot use it for Christmas. :-(

I will make my good old standby " Guiness Cake" in the next few days.

Can't go to M&S to buy one, which I feel like doing!

Anyone have any suggestions

Bridget do you have the chocolate guiness cake recipe ?

would you like an easy pate recipe to have as a starter for Christmas ?


Regards Jan

We had the sausage hot pot tonight...lovely, could also use it as a soup, if you cut up the sausages

Greenfingers
I do not have the Guiness cake with chocolate so perhaps you would kindly add it on here along with the pate recipe.
This is one of the delights of this thred, there is always so done to help.

) :-)

will send later Jan

easy chicken liver pate

oven at 200o C put 500g chicken livers in a roasting pan dot with 2 1/2 oz butter and pour over either port or madeira, I didn't measure just sprinkled over, then chop tarragon and sprinkle over, Roast for about 5 mins until cooked on outside and still pink inside. Blend in processor with juices and 8 oz butter till it is smooth. Line a 1lb loaf tin with cling film (or those new non stick cake liners) Then pour in pate, smooth top and then put on top 2 bay leaves, fresh rosemary and thyme. Pour over 2 oz melted and clarified butter. Chill for at least 2 hours. It tastes great and looks very professional. I cut ours up and froze what we did not use, works well

OR

smoked salmon pate

6oz salmon that has been smoked (NOT smoked salmon0 juice of 1 lemon and 75 ml double cream and 50g creme fraiche, put all this in food processor and blitz, put in a bowl in the fridge and serve as quennelles, or put into small ramekins. Delicious.

Choc cake tomorrow.

Jan

Thank you Jan for your Recipies. I will definetly make these and will tell you the outcome.
B :-)

Choc Guiness cake...you will never taste better !!

In a pan slowly melt 250g cut up butter with 250 ml Guiness. Then in a bowl put 400g caster sugar with 75 g cocoa, pour in guiness mix. In another bowl beat together 142 ml soured cream with 2 eggs and 1 tbsp vanilla extract, then add this to the guiness mix.Beat in with 275g plain flour and 2 1/2 tsp bicarb. Line a 23 cm springform cake tin, then pour in mixture...it is very liquid. Cook at 170oC fan oven for approx 45-1hour.LEAVE IN THE TIN TILL COMPLETELY COOL. will freeze at this point. It is a very light cake.
TOPPING

300g philly cheese and 150g icing sugar beat together and spread over the top of the cake....serves about 12

NB I would say that 1 bottle of guiness and 300g soured cream make 2 cakes.
So you could do two and freeze one, either whole or in slices.

ENJOY

Greenfingers

Many thanks for the recipe.......OH is delighted that your cake has inspired me.
I will check that I have the items required and then make the cake. May be a day or two before I can do this .

Just had some people view our house and keeping our fingers crossed..it would be the best Christmas b present for me.

:-D

Greenfingers
I have all the ingredients except the soured cream! I am so cross as it is pouring down and the weather for caste is awful. Would cream be OK?
Or could I use plain yogurt? Just a thought
Bother bother bother!!

:-(

Bridget, don't know if this will help

our Cream Substitutions and Equivalents
There are many substitutes for sour cream, depending on the recipe and your specific needs. Yogurt is an excellent substitute for sour cream in most recipes, but keep in mind it is thinner in texture. Thicken yogurt by draining through a cheesecloth-lined sieve over a bowl in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Substitute one of the following for each 1 cup of sour cream:

• For baking: 7/8 cup buttermilk or sour milk plus 3 tablespoons butter.

• For baking: 1 cup yogurt plus 1 teaspoon baking soda.

• For baking: 3/4 cup sour milk plus 1/3 cup butter.

• For baking: 3/4 cup buttermilk plus 1/3 cup butter.

• Cooked sauces: 1 cup yogurt plus 1 tablespoon flour plus 2 teaspoons water.

• Cooked sauces: 1 cup evaporated milk plus 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice. Let stand 5 minutes to thicken.

• Dips: 1 cup yogurt (drain through a cheesecloth-lined sieve for 30 minutes in the refrigerator for a thicker texture).

• Dips: 1 cup cottage cheese plus 1/4 cup yogurt or buttermilk, briefly whirled in a blender.

• Dips: 6 ounces cream cheese plus 3 tablespoons milk, briefly whirled in a blender.

• Lower fat: 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice plus 2 tablespoons skim milk, whipped until smooth in a blender.

• Lower fat: 1 can chilled evaporated milk whipped with 1 teaspoon lemon juice.

AnninGlos

Thanks for all the alternatives I will make the cake during the weekend.

At last it has stopped raining in my part of Spain! :-D