Brown Onion Sauce

Ingredients

  • 1 onion
  • 1 – 2 tablespoons of butter
  • 1- 1½ tablespoons of plain flour
  • 300ml chicken or vegetable stock
  • ¼ teaspoon of ground allspice
  • Salt and pepper
  • Juice of ½ lemon

Method

  • Chop the onions into small pieces.
  • Start to fry in the butter- gently at first – stirring all the time.
  • Bring up the heat and allow the onions to brown – even slightly char.
  • Sprinkle the flour over and stir and cook for a couple of minutes.
  • Add the allspice.
  • Slowly add the stock and stir whilst the sauce thickens.
  • Simmer gently for a few minutes.
  • Season to taste.
  • Stir in the lemon juice before serving.

Serve hot with roast darker meats or kotlety mielone – Polish large meatballs/ burgers.

Chocolate Orange Tort

  • This is a chocolate cake with orange butter cream.
  • I adapted a chocolate cake recipe from a BeRo cook book.
  • Use a chocolate or chocolate orange glaze on the top.
  • You could double the ingredients – use bigger diameter tins or make a 4 layer tort.

Chocolate Cake – Ingredients

  • 200g plain flour
  • 2 teaspoons of baking powder
  • 225g caster sugar
  • ½ teaspoon of salt
  • 25g cocoa powder
  • 100g butter
  • 2 eggs
  • 5 tablespoons of evaporated milk
  • 5 tablespoons of water
  • Grated rind of 1 orange* 
  • * save the juice for later

Method

  • Pre-heat the oven to GM4 – 180°C.
  • Grease and line the base of 2 x 20cm tins.
  • Rub the butter into the flour.
  • Add the baking powder, salt, cocoa and sugar
  • Mix well together.
  • Mix the eggs, milk, water and orange rind together.
  • Mix the liquid into the dry ingredients.
  • Beat well.
  • Divide the mixture between the 2 tins.
  • Smooth the tops level.
  • Bake for 25-30 minutes.
  • Allow to cool completely before assembling. 

Orange Butter Cream – Ingredients

  • 100g butter (unsalted is best)
  • 200g icing sugar
  • Grated rind of 1 orange
  • 3 tablespoon of orange juice

Orange Butter Cream – Method

  • Cream the butter and icing sugar.
  • Add the rind and juice and mix well.

Chocolate Glaze

  • Melt 80g of dark chocolate (or dark chocolate with orange) with 40g of butter in a bowl over hot water.
  • You could add grated orange rind to the dark chocolate. 
  • You would need to use another orange and will have some juice left.

Assembling the Cake

  • Place one round of cake onto a serving plate.
  • Spoon half of the orange juice over the top of the cake.
  • Spread the orange butter cream over the cake.
  • Place the second round of the cake on top.
  • Spoon the rest of the orange juice over the top of the cake.
  • Leave for a few minutes.
  • Make the chocolate glaze.
  • Spread the chocolate glaze over the top of the cake.

Lemony Chicken Sauce

  • This is a lovely easy sauce to have with roast chicken or steamed vegetables.
  • It is served hot.

Ingredients

  • 500ml chicken stock (can be from a cube, powder or concentrate)
  • 50g butter
  • 25g plain flour
  • Salt and pepper
  • Juice of 1 lemon

Method

  • Gently melt the butter in a saucepan.
  • Stir in the flour and heat together.
  • Do not let it brown – just mix and stir for a few minutes.
  • Slowly add the stock – stirring all the time.
  • Cook for a few minutes.
  • Season to taste.
  • Just before serving – stir in the lemon juice.

Tuna Salad – Mostly New World

  • This salad is based mostly on vegetables that came from the New World.
  • It is very colourful.
  • The proportions are not so important – I have given what I used.
  • It is best to use a different colour for the pepper to the chilli so you can tell the difference.

Ingredients

  • 1 tin of Tuna – drained
  • 1 avocado – peeled and sliced or chopped
  • *
  • 1 tin of Beans – Cannellini, Pinto or Mixed – drained
  • 4 tomatoes – chopped
  • 1 small tin of sweetcorn – drained (or cooked frozen sweetcorn)
  • Yellow or Orange Pepper – chopped
  • 2 red chillies – chopped fine
  • 1 bunch of spring onions – white and green parts chopped
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1-2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt & pepper to taste.

Method

  • In a large bowl mix all the vegetables except the avocado.
  • Pour over the lemon juice and olive oil and season.
  • Put the ingredients into a large serving dish.
  • Put the avocado and tuna on top and mix in slightly.

Dish is Cadiz by Meakin – 1964 – 1970

Chocolate Sauce

    • This chocolate sauce is based on vanilla sauce with the addition of cocoa or chocolate instead of vanilla essence.
    • It is served chilled.
    • Try serving it with bottled or tinned fruit, ice cream or yoghurt.

      Ingredients

    • 250ml of milk (full fat is best)
    • 50g of granulated sugar
    • 20g of cocoa or 50g of dark chocolate
    • 1-1½ tablespoonfuls of potato starch (you can use cornflour – if potato flour is not available)
    • 2 egg yolks

    Method – with cocoa

    • Put 150ml of the milk into a saucepan.
    • Heat gently – stirring all the time until boiling point.
    • Take it of the heat.
    • Blend together the rest of the milk (100ml) with the sugar, cocoa and potato flour.
    • Add the heated milk to this and stir well.
    • Put the mixture back in the pan and heat gently, stirring till it thickens .
    • Add the egg yolks and stir these well in.
    • Pour into a glass dish (or several small dishes) – leave to cool.
    • Chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

  • Method – with chocolate

      • Put 150ml of the milk into a saucepan.
      • Add the chocolate.
      • Heat gently – stirring all the time until boiling point.
      • Check that all the chocolate has dissolved.
      • Take it of the heat.
      • Blend together the rest of the milk (100ml) with the sugar and potato flour .
      • Add the heated milk and chocolate to this and stir well.
      • Put the mixture back in the pan and heat gently, stirring till it thickens .
      • Add the egg yolks and stir these well in.
      • Pour into a glass dish (or several small dishes) – leave to cool.
      • Chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

Macaroni Cheese

  • Pasta and cheese casseroles were recorded in the 14th century in an Italian cookbook.
  • In 1802, Thomas Jefferson, the American President served “a pie called macaroni” at a state dinner.
  • In 1824, an American cookbook, The Virginia Housewife by Mary Randolph (Jefferson’s daughter) included a dish of macaroni, cheese, and butter, layered together and baked in a hot oven.
  • This was the start of the American classic – Mac & Cheese.
  • This is an old English Victorian recipe.
  • Here the pasta is boiled in milk and water, and a cheese sauce is not used.

Ingredients

  • 225g macaroni
  • 130g butter
  • 230g of Cheddar cheese
  • 600ml milk
  • 1 litre of water
  • 50g of fine white breadcrumbs
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Method

  • Grate the cheese.
  • Divide the cheese into 2 portions – 60g and 170g.
  • Use a large pan and bring the milk, water and some salt to the boil.
  • Drop in the macaroni and boil till tender stirring occasionally.
  • Watch carefully so the liquid does not froth and boil over.
  • Melt 30g of the butter in a small saucepan.
  • Drain the macaroni and put it back in the warm saucepan.
  • Mix in the 100g of butter and the 170g of cheese with the macaroni.
  • Stir in the pepper.
  • Place in an oven proof dish.
  • Mix the 60g of cheese with the breadcrumbs and sprinkle on top.
  • Pour the melted butter over the breadcrumbs.
  • Brown the top under a hot grill.
  • Serve immediately.

Apple Sauce

  • This sauce is super just eaten on its own or can be eaten with vanilla sauce.
  • Both these should be chilled.
  • You can also serve it with fresh fruit salad.

Ingredients

  • 2 large Bramley apples
  • ½ – 1 tablespoon of potato flour
  • 50g granulated sugar
  • Grated rind of 1 lemon
  • Water

Method

  • Peel and core the apples.
  • Cut them into small pieces.
  • Cover them with water and cook till soft.
  • Use a stick blender to purée them.
  • Add the sugar and lemon rind.
  • Mix the potato flour with a little water.
  • Add this to the apple mixture.
  • Heat gently stirring all the time until thickened.
  • Pour into a bowl or individual dishes.
  • Chill for a couple of hours.

Tuna Spread

  • There are many recipes in my Polish cookery books for a variety of spreads using cooked meat or fish.
  • In Polish this would be called pasta – a paste or a spread.
  • This is based on my salmon spread recipe, which was given to me by my late cousin who lived near Durham.

Ingredients

  • Tin of tuna in brine, spring water or oil
  • 200g of cream cheese or yoghurt cheese
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • Grated rind of half a lemon
  • *
  • A little soured cream- optional
  • Salt and pepper
  • Pinch of sugar – optional

Method

  • Drain the tuna from the liquid in the tin.
  • Remove the skin and any bones.
  • Mash the tuna up with a fork.
  • Add the cheese and the lemon juice.
  • Mix it all together to a smooth paste.
  • Add some soured cream to make a softer spread.
  • Season to taste.
  • *
  • Put into a bowl to serve or into individual little pots.
  • *
  • Serve with bread, toast or crackers and green salad.
  • Or use as a dip with crudities.

Vanilla Sauce

    • Sos waniliowy – vanilla sauce and budyń are very similar.
    • They are both also similar to English custards.
    • In Poland these are both served chilled.
    • Vanilla sauce is more a pouring sauce and budyń is thicker and set.

    Ingredients

    • 250ml of milk (full fat is best)
    • 50g of granulated sugar
    • 2-3 drops of vanilla  essence
    • 1-1½ tablespoonfuls of potato starch (you can use cornflour – if potato flour is not available)
    • 2 egg yolks

    Method

    • Put 150ml of the milk, sugar and the vanilla essence into a saucepan.
    • Heat gently till the sugar dissolved, stirring all the time.
    • Take it of the heat.
    • Blend together the rest of the milk (150ml) with the egg yolks and potato flour.
    • Add some of the boiled mixture to this and stir well.
    • Add this to the rest of  the mixture and stir well.
    • Put the pan back on the heat and stir gently till thickened .
    • Pour into a glass dish (or several small dishes) – leave to cool.
    • Chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

    This sauce is served with, bottled fruit, fruit salad, fruit sauces. or kisiel

     

Apple Pancakes 2

  • Looking through one of my Polish cookery books, I came across this recipe for a batter for racuszki with apples.
  • These are more like American style pancakes and I would call them apple fritters in England.
  • The original recipe used soured milk , so I used thick full fat Greek style yoghurt thinned down with water.
  • The original recipe used sweet eating apples but my Bramley apples are now ripe and I used one of these.
  • They were delicious and this will be my batter of choice from now on.

Ingredients

  • 1 Bramley apple or 2 eating apples
  • 1 egg
  • 100g plain flour
  • 125 ml thick full fat Greek style yoghurt
  • 60 ml of water (you might need a little more)
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • *
  • Sunflower oil to fry in
  • *
  • Icing sugar to dust.

Method

  • Mix the egg, yoghurt, water, flour and baking powder together.
  • You are aiming for a smooth, thick batter.
  • You may need to add a little more water.
  • Cover and leave to rest for 1 hour.
  • *
  • Peel and core the apple.
  • Cut into thin slices.
  • Put the apple slices into the batter and coat all the sides.
  • *
  • Fry the fritters in hot oil.
  • Turn them over to do both sides.
  • Take them out and put onto kitchen roll.
  • *
  • Keep them warm in a low oven whilst cooking the rest.
  • *
  • Dust with icing sugar to serve.