World Cooking - Retro Food For Modern Times

Category: World Cooking

08
Sep
2024

Nourishing Soup

categories: Cookbooks, Europe, Kindred, Soup

Recently, while enjoying a delicious bowl of German Lentil and Ham Hock Soup, I remembered a quote from Crooked House

” Josephine and Magda got out of the car. Josephine had a bandage around her head but otherwise looked remarkably well. She said at once: “I want to see my goldfish,” and started towards us and the pond. “Darling, ” ciried Magda, “You’ better some in first and lie down a little, and perhaps have a little nourishing soup.” “Don’t fuss mother, ” said Josephine. “I’m quite all right, and I hate nourishing soup”

Crooked House – Agatha Christie

***Please note, this post contains spoilers for Crooked House. If you have not read it and intend to, you might want to set this post aside until you are done!***

Also, the Dining with The Dame Book for September will now be They Came to Baghdad. A Murder is Announced will be October’s book.

Now, back to the soup.

Unlike Josephine, I love nourishing soup. And I am perfectly happy to be unlike Josephine as she was a murderous little psychopath. Possibly because she didn’t eat enough nourishing soup which is something I always find soul soothing. We’re almost done with a long, cold winter. And I was feeling a little poorly. Having a big pot of German Lentil and Ham Hock Soup helped on days when I didn’t have the energy to cook.

The soup was very hearty so was really a meal itself. It did not really need some grilled cheese on the side. But, IMHO, grilled cheese makes everything better!

Kindred: The Cokbook

The recipe comes from a cookbook called Kindred: Recipes, spices and rituals to nourish your kin by Maria and Eva Konecsny. These ladies also founded a Melbourne institution called Gewürzhaus. This is a “spice house” that sells a huge range of spices, spice blends, tea, cookware. It is a little foodie heaven and close enough to my work that I can pop in for a browse on the days when I am in the office!

I initially worried that the book was a vehicle to sell the spices and blends in the shop. However, these fears were misguided. For example, their recipe for Crunchy Chilli Oil, which is high on my agenda to make, lists all the ingredients if you want to make the oil from scratch. There is also the option to use the Gewurzhaus Crunchy Chilli Oil Blend if you do not wish to buy the individual ingredients.

Some of the other recipes I am keen to try from within the book are:

Chicken Schnitzel with Lavender Crumb*
Perfect Roast Potatoes*
Spiked Brown Cherry Cake
Sigrid’s Rhubarb Cake with Coconut Meringue Hood
Super Twix Bars*
Cherry and Thyme Liqueur
German Curry Ketchup*

Kindred is a lovely book with great photgraphy, thoughtful shortcuts and also a great success story for Maria and Eva Konecsny. I am looking forward to cooking many more recipes from it!

Nourishing Soup The Recipe

Have a great week! I hope you are also being nourished body and soul!

01
Sep
2024

Welsh Rarebit Crumpets

categories: Bread, Cheese, Grilled Cheese, United Kingdon

Hello, friends! Tuesday, September 3rd, is Welsh Rarebit Day. Welsh Rarebit is one of my favourite foods—breakfast, brunch, lunch, supper. You name it – I’ll happily eat a Welsh Rarebit at that time. And over here at Maison de la Retro Food, we will be celebrating with a Welsh Rarebit Crumpet.

I have previously written about the dubious origins of the name so I won’t repeat myself. But, for anyone not familiar with the dish, it is a fancy version of cheese on toast. My recipe comes from British chef Mark Hix from the book Midnight Feasts: An Anthology of Late Night Munchies by Charmain Ponnuthurai. He calls it a “Rabbit,” a term used in the 18th century. I’m using “rarebit” to be kind to vegetarians. And no bunnies were harmed in the making of this dish!

I chose this recipe because, whilst having eaten Welsh Rarebit many times, I have never combined it with the joy that is a crumpet before! And it really was a joy! I had these for a working at home lunch and not only did they hit the spot taste-wise, they are also quick to make and the ingredients are usually on hand in most kitchens. Well, you might have to buy crumpets. And if you are the type of person who always has crumpets on hand, well done! You are truly living your best life! You could also use toast for these but you would miss out on one of the delights of the Welsh Rarebit Crumpet.

Crumpets, as I am sure I don’t need to tell you are full of holes. Here is one of my crumpets pre Rarebit

Now, when you add Welsh Rarebit to your crumpets and heat them, something wonderful happens. Those holes fill up with lovely, lovely melted cheese! So, not only do you have cheese on top of your crumpet, you also have it in your crumpet as shown in the photo below.

Bloody brilliant!!!!! I take my hat off to you Mark Hix, you are a genius!

Welsh Rarebit Crumpets – Recipe

Here is the recipe including the adorable drawing that accompanies it:

And just cos that looks tiny, here is a close up of the actual recipe:

Variations on Welsh Rarebit

If crumpets or bread are not your bag, here are some other variations on Welsh Rarebit so you can still celebrate on Tuesday!

Welsh Lamb Rarebit Hotpot: This is going onto my list of things to cook!

Welsh Rarebit Potato Skins: Cheese and Potato is never wrong!

Here’s one with chicken: Yes please!

This Welsh Rarebit Tart is right up my alley

As is this Welsh Rarebit version of cauliflower cheese

Have a wonderful day however you decide to spend Welsh Rarebit Day!

25
Aug
2024

Fish In Lolo Sauce

categories: 1970's recipes, Good Housekeeping World Cookery, Vintage Cookbooks, Vintage Recipes, World Cooking

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.

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?

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 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!

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!

25
Aug
2024

Spice It Up – August 2004

categories: 20 Years Ago Today, Apples, Baking, Blue Cheese, Delicious, Indonesia, Lamb, Leeks, Magazines, Pie, Salad, Savoury Pies and Tarts

Hello friends! Welcome to Twenty Years Ago Today! For a spicy twist this month, I turned to the August 2004 issue of Delicious magazine for recipe ideas. While the month wasn’t perfect, one dish stood out as a clear highlight and is easily one of my top ten of the year. But, before we get there, let’s take a little look at what was making the charts pop culture-wise back in August 2004!

Pop Culture – August 2004

So, for the first week of August 2004 and, also for the first time in what seems like eleventy billion years, The Da Vinci Code was NOT the number one selling book. That honour went to R for Ricochet by Sue Grafton. Now, I have never read any of this series. Is anyone out there a fan? I love a good mystery / thriller. Please let me know if you think this series might be good for me! However, before we get too excited about the demise of The Da Vinci Code, it went back to number one for the rest of August.

Collateral was the best-selling film of August 2004 but Garden State, which was a film we covered in my film club was #10. Leave, (Get Out) by JoJo was the number 1 song. I do not remember this song or the singer at all!!! Does anyone?

In the absence of any memory of JoJo, let’s pop the soundtrack for Garden State onto Spotify and get cooking!

The Spice It Up Menu – August 2004

Gado Gado

Spices used – garlic, ginger etc in the Satay sauce, chilli

I adore Gado Gado. It’s the perfect balance of health and indulgence, combining the virtue of steamed vegetables with the decadence of a spicy satay sauce. Unfortunately, despite searching through multiple supermarkets, I couldn’t find the tofu puffs I typically include. To compensate for the protein, I added some eggs. I ate this as a main dish so wanted to make it a substantial meal.

I also took some liberties with the vegetables, using ingredients I preferred or had readily available instead of strictly adhering to the recipe.”

Gado-Gado Recipe

Lamb Chops with Bay, Paprika and Chickpeas

Spice used: Paprika

The Jamie Oliver recipe was…alright. While it wasn’t a favorite, it was certainly edible. I’m not likely to make it again, but it was passable.

The biggest issue was the excessive amount of chili. As someone who enjoys spicy food, that’s a rare complaint for me. The chili completely overwhelmed the other flavors.

Another minor annoyance was the recipe’s use of the term “chops” while actually calling for “cutlets.” For those unfamiliar with lamb, cutlets are significantly more expensive than traditional chops. I used loin chops for my version because I had some in my freezer.

Lamb Chops with Bay, Paprika and Chickpeas Recipe

Apple and Blackberry Pie

Spices used: Cinnamon and Cloves

This. Was .Divine.

Unfortunately, my photos were not. Please don’t judge this on the photo or my really bad lattice work because the pie really truly was AMAZING!!!! This is a top ten dish if ever there was one! There is a version with Rhubarb mentioned which I will also be trying ASAP!

Apple and Blackberry Pie Recipe

Cinnamon Tea and Recipe

Spice Used: Cinnamon

Delicious Magazine also contained a recipe for Cinnamon Tea. I only ever really drink herbal tea, so this was not for me. Howeever, as the name suggests, it does contain a spice so if you are a tea drinker and maybe wanted something to sip on while eating your pie, here is the recipe.

My Nigella Moment – Leek and Gorgonzola Tarts

For first-time readers, this refers to the moment at the end of Nigella Lawson’s cooking shows when she sneaks back to the fridge to have another bite of something delicious. In these Twenty Years Ago posts, it is something contained in the magazine that does not fit with the overall menu theme but I’m sneaking it in because it is too good not to share.

I love leek and gorgonzola anything as it reminds me of a pizzeria I used to go to with my work mates a few years ago that did an amazing leek and gorgonzola pizza! I didn’t think these were as good as the pizza but that could also be nostalgia talking. They were quite nice in their own right!

Leek and Gorgonzola Tarts Recipe

I hope you have enjoyed this trip back to August 2004. Have a great week!

18
Aug
2024

Cheddar Scotch Eggs

categories: 1970's food, 1970's recipes, 500 Recipes for Quick Meals, Eggs, England

Hey friends! Today, I’m diving into a classic recipe: Cheddar Scotch Eggs. This little gem hails from 500 Recipes for Quick and Easy Meals by Marguerite Patten (1972).

I’ve got a confession: Scotch Eggs are one of those foods I adore eating but dread making. Remember the Pakistani version, the Nargisi Kofta, I made back in 2019? It was a culinary delight, but let’s face it, Scotch Eggs are a lot of work! Who wants to deal with the mess of a deep fryer just for one meal? It’s like running a marathon for a single slice of pizza!

Scotch eggs are however, quite lovely eaten cold, which makes making a big batch worthwhile as you can enjoy meals for a few days! They are also amazing picnic food so if you are contemplating an al fresco meal in the near future, these could be your go-to dish!

Ahem, I hear you say. That looks exactly like a regular Scotch Egg. Where’s the extra cheese you promised? Scotch Eggs are already laborious enough to make, but this version takes things to a new level. You cut the eggs in half, remove the yolks, and mix them with cheese. Then, you reassemble the eggs and proceed with the normal Scotch Egg process.. You can see the split in the eggs where they where cut through in the close up photo below.

What Are Scotch Eggs?

But maybe I should pause here in case some of my readers are unfamiliar with the concept of a Scotch Egg.

First thing. They are not from Scotland. They were invented by Fortnum and Mason the very posh department store in Picadilly in London in 1738. The term scotch comes from adding anchovies to the meat to cut through the fattiness of the meat and to give it a stronger flavour.

Second, they are an egg, wrapped in a meat casing and then crumbed and fried.

Cheddar Scotch Eggs – The Recipe

Have a great week!