Favourite Recipes from Pine Flat Place December 2012

This month’s theme is a trip down memory lane, a visit to two of my books with my handwritten recipes in them. This first recipe and lost in the mists of time I do not have it attributed to anyone so maybe it’s one of mine. It’s a delicious dinner party starter and vegetarian to boot. It needs to be eaten up immediately as it does not keep, even in the fridge!

Brown Lentil and Mushroom Paté

Ingredients:
4 oz small brown lentils
½ pint water
1 bay leaf
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 oz flat mushrooms
1-2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion finely chopped
1 garlic clove finely chopped
1 tbsp tahini
1 tbsp fresh chopped thyme
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp freshly chopped parsley

Directions:
1. Cook lentils slowly in water with bay leaf for 1 hour or until tender/water absorbed Remove bay leaf and mash lentils with a potato masher.

2. Finely chop the mushrooms, Heat the oil in a saucepan on a low heat, put in the onion and garlic and fry until nearly golden, raise the heat a little and add the mushrooms, cook for 2 mins stirring constantly.

3. Take the pan from the heat and mix in the lentils, thyme, parsley and tahini, gradually add the lemon juice tasting as you go to get the right amount of acidity and season with the salt and pepper.

4. Press the mixture into 4 ramekins and chill until firm.

Serve with home made Melba toast or flatbreads.

This next recipe is also unattributed but it’s definitely not my recipe and must be from an old book of North American recipes as there is also a Key Lime Pie recipe as well. It’s cheap to make, filling and utterly delicious. I have some apples and nuts so feel like making it myself. It’s one of those magic recipes where it sorts itself out as it cooks!

Ozark Pie

Ingredients:
4 oz. plain flour
2 ¼tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
8 oz. (6 oz. will do) white sugar
2 beaten eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 ¼ lb peeled and chopped dessert apples (chopped weight)
2 oz. chopped nuts (mix of walnuts, pecans, hazel nuts is nice)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F Gas 5. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl and add the chopped apple and nuts.

2. Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract and pour into a greased 9 inch fairly deep sandwich tin and bake for 40-45 minutes.

Serve with whipped cream.

The next recipe makes a tasty and filling lunch or supper dish and is another oldie from my handwritten collection. It’s a retro classic!

Argentine Quiche

Ingredients:

Short crust pastry (bought in ready rolled is fine)
7 oz. tin corned beef
7 oz. tin baked beans
2 tbsp milk
2 large FreeRange eggs beaten
1 tbsp tomato purée
¼ level tsp. salt
Pepper
1 level tsp chilli seasoning
1 oz. grated sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:
1 Heat oven to 400 degrees F Gas 6, line a loose bottomed greased flan dish with the pastry and chill in the fridge.

2 Cut the corned beef into 4 slices and each slice into 3 fingers. Mix the beans, eggs, milk, tomato purée, seasonings together and pour into the pastry lined dish.

3 Arrange the corned beef fingers in the dish like the spokes of a wheel; sprinkle the cheese on top and bake for 35-40 minutes until set.

This final recipe is from Marks and Spencer’s British Cooking and is terribly easy to make. A lovely old-fashioned traditional recipe which is utterly delicious for all it’s simplicity.

Brown Bread Ice Cream

Ingredients:
3 oz. whole wheat/wholemeal breadcrumbs
2 oz. granulated sugar
3 tbsp. water
¾ pint double cream
3 oz. icing sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1Toast the breadcrumbs until golden, put the sugar and the water in a pan and heat until the sugar dissolves completely then boil fast for 2 minutes. Add the breadcrumbs and pour onto a baking tray or wooden board and leave to cool. Bash into pieces.

2 Whip the cream, icing sugar and vanilla together; add the sugar-coated breadcrumbs. Pour into a plastic tub and freeze. Remove this ice cream from the freezer 1 hour before you want to eat it as it sets quite hard!