Category: Good Housekeeping World Cookery

Fish In Lolo Sauce

Bula friends! Which means hello in Fijian becaue today we are taking a trip to the South Sea Islands. Our guide is Good Housekeeping’s World Cookery (1972). We are starting our culinary journey to these tropical shores with a very yummy starter of  Fish in Lolo Sauce.

Fish in Lolo Sauce

What is Fish In Lolo Sauce?

For those of you who have read my post on Tiger’s Milk Ceviche, the concept of Fish in Lolo Sauce should be quite familiar.  It is, at it’s most simple, raw fish in coconut cream.  

Now technically you should grate your own coconut and make your own coconut cream.  I’m 100% sure that a Fish in Lolo Sauce made with freshly coconut cream is an absolute joy and would be a perfect thing to eat at at a beachside restaurant in Fiji.  Here maybe?  

Fiji Restaurant

Doesn’t that look like paradise?

However, for a quick meal on a Tuesday night, I think we can skip the home grating and use a bought coconut cream.  I loved this!  You could virtually taste the tropics in every bite.  It certainly brough a little bit of sun to a very dark and gloomy Melbourne winter day!  

I served mine as a starter alongside some potato chips and on some scallop shells.  I quite liked the saltiness and crunch of chips against the coconutty creaminess of the fish.  If you wanted to serve this as a more substantial meal, I would suggest a simple bowl of boiled or steamed rice with maybe some steamed green Asian veg.  My personal favourite is Chinese Broccoli but bok choy or pak choy or just plain old ordinary broccoli and beans would be great!

 

Fish in Lolo Sauce 2  

Fish in lolo sauce is also a fairly heatlhy recipe.  Well…if you ditch the potato chips! 😊

Fish In Lolo Sauce – The Recipe

The recipe says to use white fish.  I used salmon because whilst I love raw fish, I want to err on the side of caution and my local fishmonger sells a very reliable sashimi grade salmon.  I’ve also included the recipe on how to make your lolo from scratch if you are so inclined!  Please let me know if you do! 

Fish in Lolo Sauce Recipe (1)

If you would like a virtual trip to Fiji, then Fish in Lolo Sauce might be the recipe for you!  I’ve also got a main, and a dessert coming up if you would want to make an entire meal of it!  

Have a great week!  

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New Zealand Oyster Cocktail

Hello friends, I’m back. The old adage that time heals all wounds has lasted so long because it is true. I have had my period of grief.  And whilst it is still not entirely gone, facing each day without tears is getting easier.   And what better way to celebrate my return than with a spicy starter from the land of the long white cloud!  Today’s New Zealand Oyster Cocktail recipe comes from Good Housekeeping’s World Cookery (1972).  The book says that New Zealand men like food with no frills or foreign touches.    Based on the two recipes I’ve made, my summary of New Zealand food is not “no frills” but “Ugly Delicious”. 

New Zealand Oyster Cocktail 2

This recipe was somewhat nostalgic for me as back in the day, our local pub used to do a “Bloody Mary Oyster Shot”  as an starter.  The New Zealand Oyster Cocktail had a very similar vibe.   These aren’t pretty!  But the best part about ugly delicious is the delicious.  And these met that brief in spades, even without the added sprinkle of nostalgia!  

New Zealand Oyster Cocktail – The Recipe

If you are entertaining and want a  starter that takes less than a minute to make but has a wow factor and as mentioned tastes great, then the New Zealand Oyster Cocktail is for you!  

New Zealand Oyster Cocktail Recipe

My Variations

  • The recipe calls for Tomato Sauce which to me means ketchup.  We’re classy people here at Retro Food for Modern Homes and ketchup is reserved for chips and pies.  I used tomato juice which also added to the Bloody Mary feel.
  • For my piquant Table Sauce I used a mix of Tabasco and Worchestershire.  
  • I made a little jug of the tomato juice, Tabasco, Worchestershire, Lemon juice and seasonings and added that to the oysters instead of adding each of these individually as the recipe suggests
  • Finally my serviing glasses were only large enough for one oyster but I prefer the idea of an indidivual serve rather than muliple oysters in the one cup!
  • You can also ditch the glasses all togther and pour your combined sauce and seasonings into the shell itself!  This, to my eye looks a bit prettier but is harder to eat without spilling tomato juice all over yourself! 
  • If you wanted to ramp up the Bloody Maryness of these, add a little splash of Vodka into your tomato juice mix!

 

New Zealand Oyster Cocktail 3

Have a great week!

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Classic Pavlova

G’Day Mates! Today we are heading back to our old friend Goodhousekeeping’s World Cookery for a sweet treat from the Antipodes! People hotly debate whether the Pavolva was invented in Australia or New Zealand.  We will not be entering into that discussion here.  Neither does Good Housekeeping.  They, rather wisely have a recipe for Pavlova in both the Australia and the New Zealand chapters! Nice diplomacy there GH!

Pavlova

I am using the recipe from the Australian chapter just because most of the other recipes in that chapter were awful! The recipes included things like Brain and Walnut Sandwiches, Sheep’s Tongues in Aspic, and a leg of lamb stuffed with kidneys, identified as Colonial Goose.  I’m sure that 1970’s Australian cuisine was better than what is represented here. So Pavlova or Pavlova Cake as they call it, it was! Not that I minded because I adore a pav! It is one of my favourite desserts and reminds me of summer, Christmas and good times whenever I eat it!

Pavlova2

Why Pavlova?

Anna Pavlova, the Russian Ballet dancer was the inspiration for the dessert.  She toured Australia and New Zealand in 1926.  

The lightness of the meringue represents not only the lightness of her steps but also her beautiful tutus. The Good Housekeeping Pavlova was wonderfully light. The meringue was crisp but it also had that lovely marshmallow inside which is the hallmark of a good pavlova.  

Pavlova – The Recipe

Pavlova recipe

I followed the recipe for the meringue as per Good Housekeeping’s World Cookery.  However, when it came to the topping I went my own way.  Pavlova can be very sweet so to add some tang, I add a dollop of lemon curd into my cream.  My favourite toppings are the classic strawberry and passionfruit but you can add whatever fruit you like.  

Pavlova5

Have a great week! Signature2

 

Riceycoco

Greetings friends and welcome to Jamaica!  Today, on the back of my trip to tropical FNQ (Far North Queensland), I am featuring a recipe from the Caribbean. Riceycoco comes to us via the pages of Good Housekeeping’s World Cookery (1972). It also comes very high on the list of words I find pleasant to say!  And that is all the justification I needed to make it!

 

Riceycoco

 

Riceycoco, is as the name suggests, rice cooked in coconut milk.  It is traditionally eaten for breakfast which reminded me of a Sri Lankan dish called Kiribath (milk rice).  There the difference ends.  Kiribath is eaten with chutneys and sambols as a savoury dish whereas Riceycoco is sweet.    I am not fond of a sweet breakfast so I ate mine as a dessert, similar to a rice pudding.  To amp up the tropical vibes, I added some mango to the mix.  

Riceycoco2Rice and coconut milk is a classic in many Asian countries and I enjoyed the twist of having a sweet version of something I am more familiar with as a savoury dish.  It was also a nice reminder of the tropics now we are back in cold, grey Melbourne! Its also a very soothing comfort food – a little bit like being cocooned in a warm cuddlepillar!

Daisy - Cuddlepillar

Riceycoco – The Recipe & Notes

 

Riceycoco Recipe

  • I used coconut milk from a can instead of fresh coconut milk.
  • I also swapped out the brown sugar for maple syrup.
  • I served some additional coconut milk on the side.  
  • This would also be spectacular with a dollop of coconut yoghurt.

If you want to be reminded of the tropics, like a sweet breakfast or want the nursery comfort of a rice pudding why not give Riceycocoa try  Even just so you get to say the name a few times!  

Have a great week!

The Zombie’s Secret

Hello friends and welcome to a spooky edition of Retro Food for Modern Times. Today, via Good Housekeeping’s World Cookery (1972) we will be discovering The Zombie’s Secret. And also learning that some things are better left undiscovered. But we will get to that! So what is The Zombie’s Secret? 

 

So, if not brains, then what is The Zombie’s Secret?  What if I were to drop you a clue that this recipe comes from the Caribbean chapter of GHWC?  Oh…I hear you say.  It’s a cocktail.  I bet it has lots of rum and is so potent it will turn you into the walking dead!  No, but the cocktail in the link looks and sounds delish!!! 

This is the Zombie’s Secret:

The Zombie's Secret1

Turns out, The Zombie’s Secret is a weird fruit salad with a coffee cream topping.  I’ll be honest here,  I didn’t love this.  I’m not a great lover of bananas and this was all a bit same-same in terms of texture.  Bananas are kind of mushy as are avocados, as is cream cheese which also felt like it didn’t belong when I was adding it.  It did, however, give the dish a cheesecakey vibe which was one of the nicest things about it.  I toasted my coconut which added some much-needed crunch. Maybe the soft texture of banana, avocado, cream cheese, and cream is the texture of brains?  Maybe this is the secret for vegetarian zombies?  Maybe all the vitamins and minerals contained in bananas and avocados give our brain-hungry friends their beautiful hair and skin? Who knew discovering this secret would learn to so many questions?

 

The Zombie’s Secret – Recipe

 

The Zombie's Secret2

 

The Zombie's Secret Recipe

The flavours in this were surprisingly good, it was really the lack of texture that let it down.  I think someone (not me because ewww bananas) could use these ingredients and make a lovely cheesecake.  Coconut crumb base, avocado, and cream cheese filling, topped with some bananas and the coffee spiked cream maybe with a little of Caribbean rum thrown in! 

Now that sounds like a secret worth sharing!  

Have a great week!