Saturday, June 23, 2012

Roast Shoulder of Lamb with Port and Redcurrant Jelly

This recipe is inspired by one that appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald on 18 December 1939 which suggested shoulder of lamb with redcurrant and mint jelly as an economical alternative to the traditional roast goose. The jelly can also be served with cold lamb, "turned out on small lettuce leaves".

Roast Shoulder of Lamb

1.25 kg shoulder of lamb
potatoes
parsnips
small onions
salt, pepper


Season lamb, roast at 220 degrees Celsius for 15-20 minutes, reduce to 180 degrees and cook for a further 45 minutes. Add the potatoes, parsnips and onions to the baking dish; toss these in the melted lamb fat; cook for a further 45 minutes.


Remove the lamb and rest, covered, for 15 minutes before serving. Meanwhile increase the oven temperature to 220 degrees to brown the potatoes, parsnips and onions.

If desired, the lamb can be served with a thin gravy: Make a brown roux with 30g butter and 1 level tblsp flour, add 1 glass of white wine, the pan juices (from which the fat has been skimmed), season and simmer for a few minutes. Alternatively, reserve some of the port and redcurrant jelly, add the pan juices, water or stock, season and simmer for a few minutes.

Port and Redcurrant Jelly

100g redcurrant jelly
100ml port
1 tablespoon fresh mint, finely chopped (optional)
1 leaf gelatine, soaked in water for 5-7 minutes and squeezed out

In a small saucepan, gently heat the redcurrant jelly and port until the jelly has dissolved. Stir in the mint. Remove from heat, add the gelatine. Fill small moulds and place in the freezer to set.

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Venison Pie

Venison recipes are absent from early Australian newspapers, but as early as 1803 a Mr Harris was keeping deer in an enclosure in Sydney known as 'the Swamp', and by the 1860s there were wild deer in Victoria. The Victorian Game Pie recipes that appeared in newspapers in the 1890s did not specify the type of "game" required, but rabbit seems a likely candidate.

This venison pie can also be made with a commercial puff pastry, with the pastry on top of the pie only. Redcurrant jelly - about a tablespoon - can be added to the sauce, or served on the side.

Marinade

1 onion, sliced
1 carrot, sliced
1 French shallot, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, sliced
bouquet (bay leaf, parsley, thyme)
2 cloves
1 cup white wine vinegar
oil

Saute the onion, carrot, shallot and celery in a little oil for 1 minute; add the bouquet, cloves and vinegar, bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Allow the marinade to cool. When cold, pass through a sieve and pour over the venison, previously seasoned with salt and pepper. Turn the venison once or twice while marinating. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

Suet pastry

240 g plain flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
120g suet, finely chopped
90-100 ml water, approx.

Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a basin and add the finely-chopped (or grated) suet. Mix with water to a soft dry dough, knead well in the basin. Alternatively, whiz all ingredients in a food processor, knead well on a floured surface. Roll into a smooth ball. Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate until the filling is ready.

Meat Filling

1 kg venison shoulder, diced into 2 cm pieces
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, sliced 
salt, pepper and herbs (parsley, thyme, bay leaf)
1 cup rich gravy
1 leaf gelatine

Strain the marinade, reserve. Dust venison pieces with seasoned flour, brown in butter, remove to a clean saucepan. Saute onion and carrot, in extra butter if needed, and add to the venison. Add warmed marinade and water sufficient to cover, simmer about an hour (for farmed venison). Strain off the liquid and reserve for the "gravy". Allow the meat to cool.

Venison Pie

Cut the pastry into two pieces, two-thirds for the base and sides of the pie dish and one-third for the cover.

Roll out the large piece of pastry, line the base and sides of the pie dish. Spoon in the meat filling, smooth the top.

Roll out the pie cover, cut a circle of pastry from the centre and set aside.

Brush the edges of the pie cover with beaten egg or milk, place on the top of the pie and pinch the edges together. Brush the top with beaten egg and bake in a moderately hot oven for 60 minutes.

After 45 minutes, when the pie is almost ready, heat the gravy and reduce to 1 cup, stir in the softened gelatine, and pour through the hole left in the top of the pie. Serve with mashed potato and brussels sprouts. Serves 6.

Monday, June 18, 2012

Quince Jelly

This recipe is based on the 1920s recipe for pomegranate jelly. The cochineal can be used to add colour for a deeper red.

Quince Jelly

3-4 quinces 
1 cooking apple (preferably Golden Delicious or Granny Smith)
250 ml water
1 lemon, peeled and juiced
120g white sugar
1 egg white and egg shell
5 leaves gelatine
1 teaspoon cochineal (optional)

Wash but do not peel the quinces and apple, slice and place in a preserving pan. Cover with water, bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer 2-3 hours. Strain the fruit through a fine sieve. It should yield 500-550 ml juice.

Whisk the egg white with a little water.


Put the quince and apple juice, the water, a little lemon juice and the rind, sugar, egg white and the egg shell
into an enamel saucepan. Over a gentle heat, whisk the mixture until it comes to the boil; skim.


Meanwhile, soak the gelatine leaves in cold water for 5 to 7 minutes; remove the gelatine mass and gently squeeze out the water.

  
Take the pan off the heat, stir in the gelatine and cochineal (if used), cover the pan; let it stand ten minutes.

Pour a kettle of boiling water through a jelly bag (or a piece of muslin or a clean tea-towel) to warm it. When the water has drained off, pour in the jelly and let it strain into a wetted mould. (I put the wetted jelly mould in a large saucepan, placed the sieve across the top and draped the warm wet muslin across the sieve.) Refrigerate the jelly for at least 3 hours, or overnight, to set.

Friday, June 8, 2012

Persimmon Jelly (2)

After accidentally making a persimmon jelly that was really a jam, I'm making a real Persimmon Jelly by adapting the 1920s recipe for Pomegranate Jelly.

Persimmon Jelly 

5 -6 persimmons
250 ml water
1 lime, juiced (peel and keep the rind)
120g white sugar
1 egg white, and the egg shell
5 leaves gelatine
1 teaspoon cochineal

Wash but do not peel the fruit, cut into quarters and put in a single layer into a preserving pan. Cover the fruit with water, bring to the boil and simmer, semi covered, for an hour or so, until soft. Strain the liquor through a fine sieve. There should be about 500ml of liquid.

Whisk the egg white with a little water.

Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water for 5 to 7 minutes; remove the gelatine mass and gently squeeze out the water.

Put the persimmon liquor, water, sugar, lime juice and rind, the egg white and egg shell into an enamel saucepan. Over a gentle heat, whisk the mixture until it comes to the boil; skimming the scum as it rises. Take the pan off the heat, stir in the gelatine and cochineal, cover the pan; let it stand ten minutes.

Pour a kettle of boiling water through a jelly bag (or a piece of muslin or a clean tea-towel) to warm it. When the water has drained off, pour in the jelly and let it strain into a wetted mould. (I put the wetted jelly mould in a large saucepan, placed the sieve across the top and lined it with a double layer of muslin.) Refrigerate the jelly for at least 3 hours, or overnight, to set. Serves 6. 


Sunday, June 3, 2012

Neck of Lamb with Carrots, Turnips and Peas

"Vesta" edited the women's pages of the Melbourne Argus for more than 30 years, from 1908 to 1938, and while she wrote about all sorts of social and political issues affecting women, the sections on "The Wardrobe" and "Kitchen and Pantry" where she answered correspondents' letters, were standards. 

"Vesta" assumed her readers knew the basics. They just needed a tip or two, like this one for casseroles: "Neck of lamb stewed with carrots, turnips and peas is another good dish. It takes about two hours to cook. About half an hour before serving, a tablespoonful of finely chopped mint scalded to make it brighter in colour, a couple of lumps of sugar and a little vinegar should be added to this stew." 

I suspect when "Vesta" had this at home, someone like Phryne's Mrs Butler did the cooking and it arrived at the table as Navarin of Lamb.

Neck of Lamb with Carrots, Turnips and Peas

1.25 kg lamb neck chops, or 750g diced lamb
2 tbsp plain flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
50g butter
1 cup water (or stock or white wine)
12 small onions, peeled
4 small carrots, peeled and sliced into thick rounds
4 small turnips, peeled and halved
1 cup green peas
1 tbsp mint (or parsley)
1 teaspoon sugar
white vinegar

Dust meat in seasoned flour. In a frypan, melt half the butter, brown the meat in batches, and remove to a saucepan. Add stock or water, bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer.

In the frypan, melt the remaining butter, brown the onions, carrots and turnips and add to the lamb after it has cooked for 30-45 minutes.

After 30 minutes further cooking, stir in the peas, chopped mint, sugar and vinegar. Serve with mashed or boiled potatoes. Serves 4-6.


Saturday, June 2, 2012

Pomegranate Jelly

Last weekend's sighting of a straggling backyard pomegranate tree bursting with fruit sent me in search of recipes.  

This pomegranate jelly recipe combines the best of two recipes from the 1920s: one from the Argus, 9 May 1928 and the other from the Perth Sunday Times, 7 April 1929. Since I don't have a jelly bag to strain the jelly - and the jelly bag was suspended between two upturned chairs on the kitchen table overnight - the recipe has been updated.

The original recipes call for either "one pint of juice from pomegranate seeds" or "seeds enough to yield a pint of juice".

Pomegranate Jelly

4 pomegranates
250 ml water
2 lemons, juiced (peel 1 lemon first and keep the rind)
120g white sugar
3 eggs, whites and washed shells only
5 leaves gelatine
Cochineal* (optional)

Extract the pomegranate juice by simmering the pomegranate seeds in a little water for 10 or 15 minutes and then passing the liquid through a wire sieve, squashing the seeds against the mesh to extract the juice. Alternatively, cut the pomegranates in half and squeeze on a sturdy lemon or orange juicer. Four pomegranates should yield 500-550ml juice.

Whisk the egg whites with a little water.

Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water for 5 to 7 minutes; remove the gelatine mass and gently squeeze out the water.

Put the pomegranate juice, water, lemon juice, the rind of one lemon, sugar, egg whites and egg shells into an enamel saucepan. Over a gentle heat, whisk the mixture until it comes to the boil; skimming constantly. Take the pan off the heat, stir in the gelatine, cover the pan; let it stand ten minutes.

Pour a kettle of boiling water through a jelly bag (or a piece of muslin or a clean tea-towel) to warm it. When the water has drained off, pour in the jelly and let it strain into a wetted mould. (I put the wetted jelly mould in a large saucepan, placed the sieve across the top and draped the warm wet muslin across the sieve.) Refrigerate the jelly for at least 3 hours, or overnight, to set.

* Cochineal is a natural red food colouring derived from a cactus insect native to Mexico and South America. In Australia it is still sold under the "Queen" brand, but labelled Pink Natural Colour rather than Cochineal. The pomegranate jelly was such a deep oxheart red, the cochineal wasn't needed.