Sunday 6 January 2013

Tasty Meals at Short Notice


I've done with Mild Ale cocktails, but here's something else you can do with Mild: cook with it.

I'd like to to give this version of Welsh Rarbit a go. Just one small problem: I have no Mild Ale. Can  you believe that in this modern day an age there's nowhere in Amsterdam that sells Mild? It's a disgrace.

"TASTY MEALS AT SHORT NOTICE
Some Easily Prepared Recipes
In many households these days meals must be prepared and eaten at all sorts of odd times, and recipes for easily prepared—and easily digested—dishes are much in demand, writes Ellen Ainsworthy.

Here are three very useful dishes.

If the family is fond of cheese, make especially tasty Welsh Rarebit by melting in the frying pan a tablespoon of butter, and, when hot, add half-a-pound of stale, mild cheese cut up finely.

Stale Cheese for This

Then stir in half-a-tablespoon of paprika pepper, a large pinch of salt, and tablespoon of mild ale. Stir continually until the mixture becomes a thick cream, then stir in softly two more tablespoons of ale, and lastly a teaspoon of mads mustard. When the mixture begins bubble it is ready to pour on hot toast. This is a dish you must serve immediately.

Dish of Herrings

A meal of herrings is nourishing but not always attractive. Here's good recipe. Clean the fish, remove the scales and cut open from head to tail. Then take out the backbone. Now cover the herrings with oatmeal, and grill them for about eight minutes, turning carefully. When cooked, arrange on a hot dish, and sprinkle with lemon juice, or dash of vinegar, and garnish with chopped parsley. Brown bread goes well with this fish dish.

Potatoes With Ham

Potatoes and ham make tasty dish cooked in the casserole. You peel the potatoes and cut them in thick slices, then allow an onion to a pound of potatoes, cutting the onion into thin rings. Cut an ounce of ham into small pieces, fill the casserole almost to the top with alternate layers of potato, onion, ham. chopped parsley and seasorring. Pour over some milk, and sprinkle on top pieces of margarine. Cover, and cook this dish over gentle heat.

To get that rich brown look which tickles the appetite, you must uncover the casserole half-an-hour before taking it: from the oven.
Western Daily Press - Saturday 24 August 1940, page 3.

I'm a bit surprised by the inclusion of papika in the recipe. How could they have got hold of it during wartime? The Hungarians were on the side of the Axis.

3 comments:

Ryan said...

Paprika is also made in Spain and California.

Rob said...

Capsicum annuum is native to the Americas and was first grown in Hungary in 1529.

The Professor said...

Ryan said: Paprika is also made in Spain and California.

True...but the only Paprika worth buying still comes from Hungary.