Recipes - please can you help?

Purplepoppies Yummy - thanks for that recipe. Sounds similar to mum's recipe, with the grog and cream. Guess what we are having for dinner tonight at this rate!

I use this basic recipe for chicken ala king and play around with it.
I skin the peppers (I find the skin unpalatable) and use either chicken or turkey. I poach the meat in the stock. Extra flavour.
The book is quite old, a Dairy cookbook that you could buy from the milkman! My mum's stepfather was a milkman, this was one of her mums. It has been well used over the years ?

glenfinnan and Rosiebee thanks for that!

BBC Good Good is an excellent site. People post comments under the recipes, such as "didn't have X in so used Y". Have found these really helpful.

Twinlolly theres a great new recipe group on FB called Lockdown Cookbook All the recipes are there from regular contributors and many are their family recipes handed down through the generations.

Tanjamaltija, aprilgrace, Ju3260, Wends & Witzend - thank you very much for your recipes. Memories of my mum's cooking keep rushing back ? but I'm so very happy to have replacements.

To others - thanks for your hints and tips.

ExD I shall remember that stool! But I think I might need it for my dad's fudge recipe because it can take ages of stirring.... It's a nice crispy crumbly fudge, not soft and sticky - if made properly and with a lot of patience.

In fact, here it is: Fudge

1 kg sugar
1 tin sweetened condensed milk
1 cup fresh milk
½ packet butter
Vanilla essence

Method
1.Put sugar, butter & milk in pan. Bring to boil.
2.Add condensed milk & stir gently but continually for
20 – 30 mins.
3.When fudge crystallises on side of the pan, beat until
creamy & pour mixture into well greased tin.
4.Cut while still soft, using a greased knife.

Don't leave any of the ingredients out - you might end up with toffee , like I did recently....

Delicious but dentist's delight and a waistline's nightmare!

Our veg box deliveries during lockdown have always contained butternut squash. With the addition of other things that need using - swede and or parsnips, maybe the odd carrot, - I’ve made several really tasty Thai-style soups.

First I microwave the squash for about 12 minutes, after stabbing it many times with the the point of a sharp knife.

While that’s cooking and cooling, I sauté a lot of chopped onion plus a clove or 2 of crushed garlic, then add peeled and roughly chopped other veg and chicken stock, only just enough to barely cover since will be adding coconut milk later. Plus the essential chilli and ginger - I usually use about a good tsp of the Lazy varieties from a jar, simmer all until tender.

Once it’s cool, scoop flesh from squash, add to pan of tender other veg, add a can of coconut milk, heat all together, use stick blender in the pan until smooth.
Most delish, at least for anyone who likes Thai style hot and spicy. Both swede and parsnip go very well with squash in this soup.

TwinLolly
I have a South African recipe for Butternut Soup. No nutmeg used but cinnamon.
500g butternut cubed
2 potatoes cubed
2 carrots grated
1 onion chopped
10ml butter
5ml cinnamon
250ml milk
25ml oil
1 litre chicken stock
5ml honey
Whipped cream (optional)
Lightly saute butternut with other veg and cinnamon.
Add stock, milk, honey and salt if using and simmer until veg are tender. Cool slightly then puree until smooth with a stick blender.
Reheat and Serve with a swirl of fresh cream.

I've also been using a lot of BBC Good Food recipes lately - find them very trustworthy!

If you go online for recipes some have reviews and tips from people who have tried them - if I remember rightly - maybe Good Housekeeping, BBC Good food and other foodie magazines.

I imagine it's sugar? but it sounds a lot.
I do know you stir and stir and better stir until you get the curd, have a stool handy!

Ju 1 pound of what?

Lemon Curd
Grated rind and juice of 4 lemons
4 eggs
4 ounces of butter
1 pound

Put butter and sugar in a basin over a simmering pan of water stir until dissolved then add the lemons and eggs , continue stirring until the cued thickens strain into small clean jars and cover. This makes around 2 lbs of lemon curd .

The mushroom soup recipe in one of the Dairy Books it really easy and delicious. Just put 1oz butter, I oz flour, 1/2 pint chicken stock,1/2 pint milk, I tbsp chopped parsley,, 4 oz chopped mushrooms and seasoning in a pan. Bring to boil, stirring consistently then cover and simmer for 10 mins or so.
Add 1tbsp lemon juice and a dash of fresh cream and stir well. Yummy.

Classic Vichyssoise

1 tablespoon butter
3 leek bulbs, sliced
1 onion, sliced
5 potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
salt / pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 bay leaf5 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
(Fresh herbs would be better)

To make:
1. Melt butter over low heat in large pot.
2. Add leeks and onion, cover, and cook for 10 minutes.
3. Add potatoes and season.
4. Add herbs; stir, cover post and sweat for around 10 minutes.
5. Add stock, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, partially covered for 30 minutes.
6. Process / puree, and cool.
If serving cool, add cream before serving and slightly push into soup with fork; if serving warm, do not touch cream at all; just float it gently on top of the soup.

Look online

TwinLolly, I use chicken stock in my mushroom soup. You don't taste the chicken, but it gives added flavour.

Callistemon Garlic soup is delicious.... and I've even had it on the Continent. Yes.... we didn't have many friends for days! Now is a good time to eat it . I did get a French onion soup from the recipe section on Gransnet, and a garlic mayonnaise too, and a shortbread recipe. They are dutifully taking the spot that mum's recipe book pagesvwould have otherwise filled - if it hadn't fallen apart.

Lemongrove and Marydoll - the sugar overload is completely delightful but not for the waistline. Oh and a dentist's delight!

Minimoon thanks for the mushroom soup. Sounds about right, similar to how mum made it.

There are lots of recipes on this site, TwinLolly, under the Food heading, posted by Gransnetters.

I've never heard of garlic soup but it should be a good recipe at this time if you're trying to self-distance!

Mushroom soup.

1/2 large or 1 small onion
1-2 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon plain flour
900 gr mushrooms sliced
1 1/4 pint vegetable stock
2oz butter
A bunch of finely chopped parsley.
Single cream.

Fry finely chopped onion and garlic in half of the butter in a covered saucepan for about 10 minutes until soft but not coloured.
Stir in the flour and cook for 1 or 2 minutes,
Slowly add the vegetable stock, stirring all the time.
Add half the mushrooms, cover pan and cook on medium heat until soft, about 10 - 15 minutes.
Remove from heat and cool.
Blend until fairly smooth in a blender/food processor. (I use a stick blender)
Fry the rest of the mushrooms in the rest of the butter until starting to colour.
Return the soup to the pan with the fried mushrooms and parsley.
Bring back to a boil and then simmer for 3-5 minutes.
Add cream and check seasoning. (I add black pepper here)

Serve and enjoy.

? Lemon I read it as 1/2 cup of sugar!

I may not make it, I've put on enough weight already! ?

...posted too soon.
There is enough sugar in that recipe to last me all year!

Very naughty TwinLolly ?

TwinLolly, thanks for that. I have never heard of them, but I may give it a go.☺️ I'm always looking for new recipes to try.

Whitewavemark2 Since moving and loosing my recipe box - I've simply thrown veggies into a pot, cooked them in water and liquidised it all, along with seasoning and a stock cube. I've had some interesting flavoured soups! Certainly pot luck :0)

Marydoll Since I've had photos of my late mum's handwritten book, I've been typing them up on my laptop and saving them in a folder which my hubby is backing up for me. And I'm emailing the folder to my sister - as an extra backup.

For a sweet tooth that kicks severely, here is a South African recipe for Koeksisters.

Makes 4 dozen (halve the recipe to make less)

1250g cake flour
½ tbsp salt
165ml baking powder (keeps the koeksisters crunchy in syrup)
1 ¼ cups milk
1 ½ cups water
5 large eggs
62g butter or margarine, softened
oil, for deep-frying

Syrup:
12 cups sugar
6 cups water
2/3 cups lemon juice
1 ½ tbsp cream of tartar

METHOD

Sift the flour, salt and baking powder into a large bowl. Whisk the milk, water and eggs together and add to the dry ingredients. Mix to form a soft dough then knead thoroughly for 10 minutes, adding a little butter or margarine in every now and then.

Cover the dough with clingwrap and place in the fridge overnight.

Make the syrup by combining the sugar, water, juice, cream of tartar in a large pot and stir over low heat until the sugar is dissolved. Boil the syrup for 10 minutes then allow to cool to room temperature.

Break off a fist-sized chunk of the dough and roll out into a long sausage on a lightly oil-greased surface, then using a rolling pin, roll out to about 10cm wide. Cut into 1cm strips.

Take each strip then roll into a sausage, twist the ends around each other to form a rope, (or plait 3 strips together) and pinch the ends closed.

Heat the oil to 180C then deep-fry the koeksisters, a few at a time, turning often to brown on all sides, until golden and cooked through.

Drain from the oil and immediately plunge into the room-temperature syrup, making sure to keep the koeksisters submerged so they soak up the syrup. Drain the koeksisters from the syrup and allow to cool before eating.

To keep your koeksisters crispy, store them in the freezer. Remove them from the freezer 15 minutes before you want to serve them.