Here in the Western world putting fruit in with meat isn't something which we do very often . . . however, having said that we do like our pork with applesauce and our cranberry sauce with turkey.
But fruit in a stew, it's not a really common thing. In the Middle East it is a fairly common thing. Just think of a Tagine with apricots or dates. These are always really delicious dishes.
This delicious recipe is loosely adapted from one I found in one of my favourite cookery books, Lotte's Country Kitchen. It has been on my bookshelf for several years now, since 2010 when it first came out.
It is a cookery book which follows the seasons and this recipe is one that I have had flagged for several years, wanting to cook it when we had a nice crop of plums from our plum tree, and this year was the year!
Eating seasonally is what I like to do, and when the fruit for a recipe comes from our very own locally grown produce, I am even happier about it.
Despite the drought, it looks as if they had bumper crop this year! A great blessing indeed!
This stew is a fabulous mix of meat and veg in a lovely gravy. I used leeks instead of baby onions, because that is what I had, and I happen to think that leeks go particularly well with lamb.
I also used baby parsnips, carrots and some swede (rutabaga) because, to my way of thinking, you can't have a stew without swede, can you? (Also known as a Rutabaga in North America.)
WHAT YOU NEED
TO MAKE
LAMB & DAMSON STEW
A few simple ingredient's, that's all.
For the stew:
2 TBS rapeseed oilFor the dumplings:
4 ounces of self raising flour, plus extra for shaping (1 cup)
2 ounces shredded suet (about 1/4 cup heaped)
1 tsp dry mustard
1 TBS chopped fresh parsley
1 TBS chopped fresh sage
4 TBS cold water
salt and black pepper to taste
This is one beautifully delicious combination. Lamb is an almost sweet meat, so using fruit in this dish really works well. The plums went beautifully, but if you didn't have Damson plums you could also use apricots, or another variety of plum.
The plums I used were Victoria Plums, a soft purple egg-shaped plum with a dusky skin. They went wonderfully. I think that even dried fruit would work well, as in dried apricots or prunes. All would be just delicious!
HOW TO MAKE
LAMB & DAMSON STEW
This really isn't difficult at all. Like any stew, the oven or hob does most of the work.
Heat a flame proof casserole over a medium heat and add the oil. Once the oil is hot, begin browning the lamb a few bits at a time, so that they get a nice colour. Don't be tempted to add too much meat at a time or it will stew instead of browning. It is the browning which will give your stew its lovely colour. Remove the meat as it browns and add more. Repeat until all is browned.
Add the butter and then add the leeks, carrots, parsnips and swede. Cook gently over a low heat until they are just coloured. Add the brown sugar and stir in. Add the flour and stir it in, cooking it for a few minutes. Add the red wine and allow it to bubble up. Pour in the stock and bring to the boiling point, stirring. Add all of the herbs and return the meat to the pot. (Make sure you bend the bayleaf in half so that the flavour is released.) Cover and bake in a preheated 160*C/325*F/ gas mark 3 oven for 1 1/2 hours, until the lamb is tender. Remove from the oven. Add the fruit, taste and adjust seasoning with salt and black pepper. Increase the oven temperature to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6.
Make the dumplings by placing the flour, suet, mustard, herbs and seasonings into a bowl. Add enough of the water to make a firm but soft dough. Break off the dough into 12 equal pieces and shape with lightly floured hands into round balls. Drop these on top of the hot stew, pushing them down a bit into the hot liquid. Cook, uncovered, for a further 15 to 20 minutes, until the dumplings have doubled in size, turn a bit golden and crisp on the surface, and the stew is nice and tender.
WHAT TO SERVE
WITH
LAMB AND DAMSON STEW
I served this warm with some mashed potatoes on the side. Boiled baby new potatoes also work well as does rice, couscous or bulghur. You could even serve it with cooked barley or farrow.
FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS
DO I NEED TO USE LAMB?
Not at all, you could use pork instead of lamb. Pork also goes beautifully with fruit.
CAN I MAKE THIS AHEAD OF TIME?
Absolutely. This can be made up to two days ahead of time. Make up to the point of adding the plums and dumplings. Gently reheat, add the fruit and dumplings and proceed as per recipe.
CAN THIS BE FROZEN?
Absolutely. You can freeze this stew in single serving portions ready to thaw out and enjoy at a later date. If anything, it will taste even better.
A FEW
OTHER STEWS YOU MIGHT
ALSO ENJOY
OVEN BRAISED BEEF STEW - A satisfying, rich and delicious stew filled with plenty of melt in the mouth beef, leeks, carrots, potatoes, parsnips, turnips, onions and celery. The gravy is lovely and thick. After the initial preparation the oven does most of the work, with most delicious results. This is an old family favorite.
IRISH LAMB STEW - Deliciously humble, hearty and filling. Lamb, carrots and onions, in a delicious gravy, oven braised beneath a thatch of potato wedges, which get all caramelized and golden brown. Altogether very tasty!
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Yield: serves 4 to 6
Lamb & Damson Stew
Prep time: 25 MinCook time: 2 HourTotal time: 2 H & 25 M
A delicious lamb stew filled with lots of tender pieces of lamb, veg and sweet/tart plums. Topped off with some crisp crusted herbed dumplings. If you don't have Damsons, feel free to use other types of plums, apricots, etc. This is just a lovely, lovely stew.
Ingredients
For the Stew:
- 2 TBS rapeseed oil
- 900g (2 pounds) leg of lamb, cut into a medium dice, trimmed of fat, etc.
- 1 TBS butter
- 4 baby leeks, trimmed, washed and sliced into 1 inch lengths
- 4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
- 3 parsnips, peeled, cored and cut into 1 inch chunks
- 1/3 of a small swede (rutabaga) peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
- 1 TBS soft light brown sugar
- 2 TBS plain flour
- 275ml red wine (1 1/4 cups)
- 570ml beef or lamb stock (2 1/2 cups)
- 1 TBS chopped fresh parsley
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 fresh bay leaf
- 1 spring fresh rosemary
- 3/4 pound/350g damsons, plums, greengages or apricots. halved and stoned
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the dumplings:
- 125g of self-raising flour, plus extra for shaping (1 cup) (see notes)
- 56g shredded suet (about 1/4 cup heaped)
- 1 tsp dry mustard
- 1 TBS chopped fresh parsley
- 1 TBS chopped fresh sage
- 4 TBS cold water
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat a flame proof casserole over a medium heat and add the oil. Once the oil is hot, begin browning the lamb a few bits at a time, so that they get a nice color. (Don't be tempted to add too much meat at a time or it will stew instead of browning. It is the browning which will give your stew its lovely color.)
- Remove the meat as it browns and add more. Repeat until all is browned.
- Add the butter and then add the leeks, carrots, parsnips and swede. Cook gently over a low heat until they are just colored.
- Add the brown sugar and stir in. Add the flour and stir it in, cooking it for a few minutes. Add the red wine and allow it to bubble up. Pour in the stock and bring to the boiling point, stirring.
- Add all of the herbs and return the meat to the pot. (Make sure you bend the bay leaf in half so that the flavor is released.)
- Cover and bake in a preheated 160*C/325*F/ gas mark 3 oven for 1 1/2 hours, until the lamb is tender. Remove from the oven. Add the fruit, taste and adjust seasoning with salt and black pepper. Increase the oven temperature to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6.
- Make the dumplings by placing the flour, suet, mustard, herbs and seasonings into a bowl. Add enough of the water to make a firm but soft dough.
- Break off the dough into 12 equal pieces and shape with lightly floured hands into round balls. Drop these on top of the hot stew, pushing them down a bit into the hot liquid.
- Cook, uncovered, for a further 15 to 20 minutes, until the dumplings have doubled in size, turn a bit golden and crisp on the surface, and the stew is nice and tender.
- Serve hot, spooned out onto warm plates with some mash on the side.
Notes
You can easily make your own self-rising flour. For every cup of flour required, use 1 cup of plain all-purpose flour and add 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp salt. Whisk well together.
This content, written and photography, is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at mariealicejoan at aol dot com.
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I recently bought a small dinner ham at the grocery store. It was on special. Normally I don't really buy these hams, but I just couldn't pass up a good deal.
You may have done the same yourself in the past and wondered, once you got it home, how to cook it. I thought I would share today a way of doing just that. You could of course, follow the instructions on the package (if you can read them.) I find the print is so small that I have a really difficult time reading what it is saying, and don't get me started on expiry dates. They usually print these on the edge of the plastic package, and you would need to be a magician to read it.
Maybe I am just getting old. I told my sister if she wanted to get me something useful for Christmas, a magnifying glass would be really helpful!
So, what is a dinner ham? You can see a photograph of what I would consider a dinner ham below and in fact this is the exact kind of dinner ham I purchased. A dinner ham is a small ham that has already been precooked. You actually don't need to cook it and can just slice it right out of the package and use it for sandwiches and things.
It is a smaller version of the types of hams that you would see at a deli-counter. Formed and packaged in a size that would be more suitable for a family dinner.
Basically, all you need to do is to reheat it, but this must be done properly and using a correct timing so that it gets heated through all of the way.
A seasoned cook will know all this, but my instructions here are for the unseasoned cook and the person who is looking for a way to cook such a ham and cook it properly. I can promise you that if you follow these instructions you will end up with a delicious ham, properly cooked and nicely glazed. Just the right size for one meal and then some leftovers to enjoy in the coming days.
.jpg "Orange Glazed Dinner Ham")
WHAT YOU NEED
TO MAKE ORANGE GLAZED DINNER HAM
Only two basic ingredients. A small dinner ham and some orange marmalade, as seen in the above photograph.
You will also need a baking dish and a pastry brush to brush on the marmalade when the time comes.
HOW TO COOK
AN
ORANGE GLAZED DINNER HAM
It is really not at all hard to do. It's all in the timing.
- Preheat your oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Have ready a baking dish large enough to hold the ham.
- Remove and discard the packaging from the ham. Pat the ham dry with some paper towels. If it is not already scored, cut a shallow pattern across the top of the ham in a criss-cross pattern.
- Place the ham into the baking dish. Pour in hot water to come up 1-inch of the height of the ham.
- Roast in the preheated oven for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush all over with the orange marmalade.
- Return to the oven and roast for a further 15 minutes, brushing it several times with the orange marmalade.
- When done the internal temperature should read 140*F/60*C.
- Let rest for a few minutes, then cut into slices to serve.
- Refrigerate any leftovers promptly and use up within 4 days.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH
AN
ORANGE GLAZED DINNER HAM
On this day I served my ham simply with some Stove Top Mac & Cheese and mixed vegetables. I have a great recipe here for a Three Ingredient Stove Top Mac & Cheese. It comes out rich and creamy every time.
Baked ham is also great with mashed potatoes. Mom always served it with fluffy mash. She used to grate a tiny bit of peeled fresh onion into her mashed potatoes, with lots of butter and milk. They were so delicious.
You can also serve baked ham with Scalloped Potatoes. This particular recipe uses both white and sweet potatoes and is delicious. Some baked beans would also be very nice on the side.
Simple boiled new potatoes are also nice with ham. Simply boil some fresh new potatoes (small ones) in some lightly salted boiling water until fork tender. Drain, shake over the heat to dry them out and then toss them together with a bit of butter and seasoning. These along with a simple vegetable would be perfect!
A FEW TASTY WAYS
TO USE UP LEFTOVER COOKED HAM
There are a multitude of ways to use up leftover ham. These are a few of my favorites!
DEVILED HAM SPREAD - This is rich, tangy, a touch sweet with a bit of heat. In short, delicious. Ready to spread on crackers or crisp breads or to fill a sandwich. This is perfect. I love this and could eat it with a spoon.
CABBAGE & HAM SOUP WITH CHEESY DUMPLINGS - You can't beat a delicious bowl of soup with some cheesy dumplings on top. This is especially tasty. Its one of my favorite soups to make with leftover ham.
HAM, LEEK & POTATO GRATIN - A tasty gratin that makes great use of leftover baked ham, boiled ham, or cooked ham hocks. It's delicious! All you need is a salad or a vegetable on the side and dinner is served!
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That way you can be assured that you are always up to date with fresh content as soon as I post it. You can also sign up to receive a weekly newsletter from Grow. Thank you!
Yield: 4 - 6 leftovers
Orange Glazed Dinner Ham
Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 1 HourTotal time: 1 H & 5 M
A juicy glazed dinner ham, lightly glazed and perfect for a Sunday dinner. You can use any leftovers up during the week. If you have ever wondered what to do with one of those small hams, wonder no more.
Ingredients
- One (2-lb/907g) cooked boneless ham
- 1/4 cup (110g) orange marmalade
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Have ready a baking dish large enough to hold the ham.
- Remove and discard the packaging from the ham. Pat the ham dry with some paper towels. If it is not already scored, cut a shallow pattern across the top of the ham in a criss-cross pattern.
- Place the ham into the baking dish. Pour in hot water to come up 1-inch of the height of the ham.
- Roast in the preheated oven for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush all over with the orange marmalade.
- Return to the oven and roast for a further 15 minutes, brushing it several times with the orange marmalade.
- When done the internal temperature should read 140*F/60*C.
- Let rest for a few minutes, then cut into slices to serve.
- Refrigerate any leftovers promptly and use up within 4 days.
This content, written and photography, is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at mariealicejoan at aol dot com.
Thanks for visiting! Do come again!!
If you like what you see here, why not consider signing up for my newsletter and/or subscribing/following me on Grow. You can also bookmark my recipes via the Grow platform. Check out the heart on the right-hand side of the screen.
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.jpg "Traditional British Teatime Bakes")
One thing which I really came to love when I moved to the U.K. was the British Penchant for taking Tea. That wonderful time of the day where everything pauses for a hot cup of tea and a bit of cake or some other sweet to enjoy along with it.
This was a ritual that I wholeheartedly embraced and still do. There is naught for bringing joy into even the worst of days as a cup of hot tea and a biscuit. (A biscuit is known as a cookie in North America.)
When the world is at odds
And the mind is all at sea
Then cease the useless tedium
And brew a cup of tea
I thought it would be fun today to share with you some of my favorite Traditional British Teatime Bakes. This is by no means a total list, just ten of my favorites. All tried and true and all delicious. A tasty combination of cakes, scones, biscuits and a fruited loaf that is made using tea-soaked dried fruits. (A real favorite!)
To be honest I had trouble narrowing it down to just ten favorites! I could have just kept going. There is nothing that I do not love or enjoy about British Teatime Treats!
Here is what I chose. Are any of your favorites here? If not, why not share with me what it is you do like! A joy shared is a joy doubled after all!
Not only is this a delicious quick bread to enjoy with a hot cup of tea but it is made with a beautiful fruit mixture that has been soaked overnight in cold leftover tea. These soaking plumps up the dried fruit beautifully so that you end up with a loaf that is loaded with moist bits of raisins, sultanas. currants, etc. Moist, delicious and fat free. Yes. Fat free. No fat is used in the making of this loaf. You can feel utterly justified in cutting it into thin slices and then spreading it with copious amounts of butter to enjoy.
This tasty bread is a delicious nod to Irish thrift and their ability to not waste anything at all. Not even a cup of tea.
Serve cold (never warm) with butter, cream, jam and hot cups of tea.
Fruity buns, with brown crusts, originally hailing from the Cleveland area between County Durham and Yorkshire, thought to date back to the mid 19th century. They are like a thick pastry, thin scone. Studded generously with dried currants and dusted with a layer of caster sugar.
Delicious served as is with a lovely hot cup of tea.
Before they ever included scones, these lovely light yeasted buns were the original stars of a Cream Tea. Light as air, only slightly sweetened, like soft yeasted pillows of deliciousness. Perfect for splitting and spreading with soft butter and jam, and topped with lashings of clotted cream. Just a slight dusting of icing sugar garnishing the tops.
I have never had anyone turn down one of these. The only drawback is that once they are filled, they must be eaten on the day. Not a problem!
A bit of cake always takes center stage on the typical British tea table. Usually, a Victoria Sponge or Sandwich cake as it often called. This is the epitome of a beautiful tea table. Two layers of a butter sponge cake, sandwiched together with copious amounts of sweet jam. Usually raspberry or strawberry. No icing is needed. Instead, the cake is dusted with a liberal amount of either caster or confectioner's sugar. I prefer the caster sugar myself. Both are very nice.
This is a very easy cake to make.
A firm favorite on the traditional English tea table, this is a very pretty two colored sponge cake, put together in a pink and white checkerboard pattern. I think you may actually be quite surprised as how very easy it is to make one of these delicious cakes!
Sandwiched together with some jam and a bit of buttercream, these cakes are wrapped in a unique layer of thinly rolled out marzipan, which is also dusted with sugar. Very nice. Very elegant. I have also done a Chocolate Hazelnut version, which is delicious. You can find that here.
I just adore this cake recipe which I adapted from a WI cookbook. You cannot beat the Women's Institute for baking tasty things to enjoy with a hot cuppa and this cake is one of the best! This delicious coffee flavored cake comes with their approval so you just know it is great.
With two layers of a moist ad buttery coffee layered sponge, filled with a lush coffee cream and decorated with the same. I have added toasted walnuts and a dusting of icing sugar to dress it up.
Not just delicious, but also beautiful. I have never had anyone turn down a slice of this cake.
.JPG "Butterfly Cakes")
How can you not love a cake called a butterfly cake? It's impossible! These lovely little cupcakes have a cone-shaped piece of cake cut out of the tops which is then split in half. Buttercream fills the divots left from the removed cake and those bits are cut in half and reapplied in such a way as to resemble a butterfly's wings. A bit of jam is piped down in between the wings adding another bit of joy!
Dusted with icing sugar, these are as visually appealing as they are delicious! Simple to make as well.
.JPG "Ginger Crunchies")
These crisp moreish biscuits/cookies/bars are one of my favorite Teatime Treats. And no small wonder, with their crisp, crumbly ginger flavored cookie base and sweet ginger glaze topping, they always go down well.
I adore the flavor of ginger, and this is a bar that highlights it really well! I like to decorate the tops of the bars with small bits of preserved stem ginger. This is a British ingredient which consists of knobs of gingerroot which have been poached in a syrup until crispy tender and then preserved in a jar, covered by the same. I do have a recipe where you can make your own, very easily I might add, here. It's not totally necessary, however. You can also decorate the tops with bits of candied gingerroot. Also, very nice.
A petticoat tail is a variety of British Shortbread biscuits, baked in a large buttery round that has been scored and pricked prior to baking so as to make these delightful cookies easy to cut when done. Crisp and buttery, they were called petticoat tails due to the ruffled edges.
You can leave them plain or flavor them with a bit of peppermint for a special touch. I have also made Polka Dot Petticoat Tails, which are dimpled with small bits of jam prior to baking. All very nice.
Again, these are simply dusted with some caster sugar to finish them off. Not totally necessary, but it adds a nice hint of sparkle.
HOW TO BREW THE PERFECT CUP OF TEA
Of course, the pleasure of all of these bakes is greatly enhanced by accompanying them with a hot cup of tea, black, green, herbal or otherwise!
I did a brilliant tutorial here on how to do just that. I take you through all the steps from beginning to end. Sure, you could just throw a bag in a cup of boiling water, but if you have gone to all of the trouble of baking something nice to enjoy with a hot drink, why not spend a few minutes and make a proper hot drink to enjoy your bake with! Why not indeed!
This content, written and photography, is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at mariealicejoan at aol dot com.
Thanks for visiting! Do come again!!
If you like what you see here, why not consider signing up for my newsletter and/or subscribing/following me on Grow. You can also bookmark my recipes via the Grow platform. Check out the heart on the right-hand side of the screen.
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