sade080

Given Loganberrys are meant to be at their best about this time of year, I thought we'd do a seasonal wine today. Loganberrys were discovered as a mistake when some raspberrys cross pollinated with a certain type of blackberry.  As a result they're a sort of super-blackberry, which is high in vitamin C and very tasty.  They also make a damn good wine, and if you happen to have 6lb of loganberry's lying around, this recipe that appears in the book '500 Recipes: Home-Made Wines and Drinks' by my favourite recipe lady Marguerite Patten which was published in 1963. More than likely the recipe is older, but given the popularity of home-made wine and beers seem to come around in cycles I expect it will continue to be a home-brew favourite for years to come.  I am told by Google it is ' Refreshingly tart and fruity. Wonderful with fruit, cheese, nuts and smoked salmon'  Recipe: 6lb loganberries 1 Gallon boiling water To each gallon of water: 2.5 lb Sugar 1/4 oz of...

One of the things I love about old recipes is the process of decoding them.  Whilst having a quick scour through Google Books, I came across a very authentic recipe for genuine American 1800's tomato ketchup straight from  Dr. Chase's recipes; or, Information for everybody; an invaluable collection of about eight hundred practical recipes The recipe is credited to Mrs Hardy of the American Hotel, Dresden Ohio and according to Dr Chase is 'The best catchup which I have ever tasted'. The history of ketchup is quite extensive so, as usual, go to  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketchup  to get the background. The quantity is a tad large.  I did some research, mostly Google based, and the recipe calls for 1 'bushel' of tomatoes.  According to common law, that equates to 53 lbs which is by anyone's standards quite a bit.  So this recipe is quite ready for a little bit of adjustment. What do you need then? 1 bushel of tomatos, washed and clean. Salt to taste, 2...

If you're in Exeter next week on the 21st January, the local CAMRA is holding their Winter Ales festival at the Exeter City Football ground in St James Park.  In tribute to this occasion, here is another beer related meal that can be experimented with and played around with. 15g Margarine 450g minced beef 1 x 225g packet of frozen mixed vegetables 200ml beef stock 300ml real ale 100g mushrooms, chopped salt freshly ground black pepper Topping: 2 tomatoes, skinned and sliced salt freshly ground black pepper 450g thinly sliced potatoes 50g margarine 300ml plain yoghurt 1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg 50g grated cheese 1. Melt the marge in a saucepan and saute the meat for 5 to 10 minutes until browned. 2. Add the mixed vegetables, stock, real ale, and mushrooms.  Add salt and pepper to taste and then simmer for 30 minutes. 3. Turn into an ovenproof dish and arrange the tomatoes on top. 4. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. 5. Fry the potatoes in the marge until sof...

Figs are nice but not common.  If you can get your hands on some, then here is a little recipe that'd make a nice tea accompaniment or a quick fix for gingerbread-heads. 6 ozs. self raising flour 2 ozs. margarine 2 ozs. oatmeal 1 oz. sugar 4 ozs. figs 1 egg 1 teaspoonful of ground ginger 2 tablespoonfuls of syrup Pinch of salt little milk 1. Sift flour and salt into a bowl.  Rub in the marge, add sugar, ginger, oatmeal and chopped figs. 2. Melt syrup and add with beaten egg and milk to make a soft dropping consistency. 3. Turn into greased and lined tin and bake in a moderately hot oven for about 1.5 hours.