Foods from the olde country

[JudyJB]

FWIW Chris has made her own traditional (English) pasties and her signature "pasty pie" for many years. I've never seen her use swede and, being curious, I just asked if she'd ever used swede in her pasties. The response was a very quick "never". I dislike the taste of Swede, so I haven't missed anything

What's the secret to freezing pasties (something we've done multiple times over the years)? It doesn't have good results when they're defrosted; the pastry loses something in the freeze/defrost cycle.

I cook pasties before freezing them. The secret is to thaw them and them reheat them uncovered in the oven, not the microwave. If you do not cook them before freezing, the potatoes get mushy.

My parents always cut up and cooked rutabaga as part of our thanksgiving dinner. I did not like them straight up, but do like the taste in pasties.

 

[Tom]

I cook pasties before freezing them.

So does Chris.

The secret is to thaw them and them reheat them uncovered in the oven, not the microwave. If you do not cook them before freezing, the potatoes get mushy.

It's the pastry that gets mushy for us.

 

[JudyJB]

How hot is the oven? If the oven is hot enough, the crust should not get mushy, but these RV ovens are a pain to cook in because they either burn stuff or don't cook it enough.

 

[Tom]

How hot is the oven? If the oven is hot enough, the crust should not get mushy, but these RV ovens are a pain to cook in because they either burn stuff or don't cook it enough.

I don't know what temp the oven is at (I'll have to ask Chris). I was talking about the ovens at home.

 

[Tom]

One thing that Chris has commented on for the last 42 years is that flour here in CA is "different" from what she used in the UK. I'm not a chef, so don't know the difference, but I see it when Chris cooks 'Welshcakes' aka 'pics'. Made from flour, butter or lard, currants, eggs, milk, and spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg, and baked on a 'Maen' (bakestone) or cast iron griddle. They're still OK, and I still enjoy them, as do folks who Chris shares them with.

 

[ferfer]

I have a compliant! You must find a way to send those through the internet, I want some!!!!

Jennifer

 

[Tom]

... when Chris cooks 'Welshcakes' aka pics. Made from flour, butter or lard, currants, eggs, milk, and spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg, and baked on a 'Maen' (bakestone) or cast iron griddle.

We haven't specifically looked for them, but the only time/place we found home-baked Welshcakes was when we were docked at the Hyatt Islandia (now Regency) Hotel and Marina on Mission Bay, San Diego. The Dockmaster's mother was Welsh, and she'd passed the recipe down to his wife. Every day she (his wife) would put some of her home-baked Welshcakes in his lunch box. For the week we were there, he'd share his daily allowance of Welshcakes with me.

As an aside, he didn't speak Welsh, but his brother in Florida did. Every day I'd teach him a new Welsh phrase or two, and he'd call his brother in the evening to show off his newly-acquired phrases. The following day I'd have to translate his brother's replies from Welsh to English.

 

[Tom]

Another party favorite from the olde country that Chris makes a lot of is sausage rolls. Different from pigs in a blanket because they use 'real' sausage v hot dog sausage.

 

[jackiemac]

Pigs in a blanket at home are chipolatas - still real sausage but smaller..

 

[Tom]

Pigs in a blanket at home are chipolatas - still real sausage but smaller..

Thanks Jackie. I should have clarified that my comparison was with pigs in a blanket here in CA.

Haven't heard 'chipolatas' in many years.

 

[Arch Hoagland]

I was raised in central Pennsylvania where we ate scrapple on a regular basis. Can't find scrapple anywhere else in the country.

i had a niece who made the stuff and would ship it to me in California but those days are gone now.

Anybody else here eat scrapple?

 

[Tom]

I was raised in central Pennsylvania where we ate scrapple on a regular basis. Can't find scrapple anywhere else in the country.

i had a niece who made the stuff and would ship it to me in California but those days are gone now.

Anybody else here eat scrapple?

Had to look it up. Interesting.

 

[Tom]

Another big miss for me is faggots and peas (listed in my previously linked site). Faggots are shaped like meatballs, and made from minced off-cuts and offal, (traditionally pig’s heart, liver, and fatty belly meat or bacon), together with herbs for flavouring and sometimes added bread crumbs. They can be purchased at a butcher’s shop in the UK, or occasionally a homeowner would make them in their kitchen for sale over the garden fence. Usually eaten hot with peas and either mashed potato or chips (French fries), and smothered with gravy. Convenient ‘eat in’ locations for Faggots and peas (in Wales) include small diners in local markets.

The attachment is a pic of faggots and peas specially prepared for me by my BIL during a visit to the homeland years ago.

 

[Tom]

We do miss some foods ... black pudding ...

Another miss for me. Clarification for readers who might not have heard of it ...

The name is said to have morphed over the centuries from ‘blood sausage’ to ‘blood pudding’ to ‘black pudding’. The oldest recipe is believed to be from Roman times, around the 4th century. Current recipes vary, but the prime ingredient is dried pig’s blood. Depending on recipe, other ingredients can include pork back fat, onion, oats, and barley. Seasonings include black pepper, mace, coriander and salt.

Black pudding is often eaten as part of a fried breakfast with sausage, eggs and bacon.

 

[jackiemac]

I'll need to take photos when home

 

[Tom]

Another one from the olde country that Chris regularly cooks, especially in the winter, is 'cawl'.

A frugal soup, dating to the 14th century. Considered wholesome, it is traditionally made from an inexpensive cut of lamb with vegetables, such as carrots, parsnips, suede, potatoes, and leeks, stewed slowly to enrich the soup with nutrients from the meat, bones and cartilage.

Cawl recipes abound on the internet.

 

[TonyL]

When having faggots and mash, we prefer onion gravy to standard gravy. Gives it a little lift.

 

[TonyL]

Theirs also a local delicacy that I don't think is available further north. It's called a lardy cake, and is definitely not for diabetics or high cholesterol.
I remember doing a lot of work in Swindon Wiltshire, which meant driving through Devizes. There was a pie shop there that made the best Lardies ever. I would stop on the way through and pick one up with the intention to take home. Unfortunately, as they were still warm, the smell would get the better of me and my hand would wander into the bag and break bits off whilst driving.
That might account for my slightly rounder figure in old age

 

[Old_Crow]

You 'furriners' are killin' me. Looks like I've got to drag the last package of ground venison out of the freezer and make me a crock pot full of venison chili this afternoon. Supposed to be blustery and rainy this afternoon, so it's perfect chili weather.

 

[Ex-Calif]

I grew up in Australia. I miss 4 n 20 meat pies, authentic fish and chips (unlike the US bread crumb type) and crumpets!

If anyone passes through Cincinnati/Dayton (north Cincinnati) there is a huge foreign food store called Jungle Jim's in Fairfield Ohio. Highly recommend. They don't have everything from everywhere but they pretty much have something from everywhere.

From Australia they don't have 4n20s but they have a reasonable facsimile. They also have Tim Tams, arrowroot biscuits and a bunch of other stuff.