Showing posts with label school dinners. Show all posts
Showing posts with label school dinners. Show all posts
One thing I always have plenty of in the freezer are sausages. I buy them in large packs at Costco and then break them down into 8 sausage packages, packing them into double freezer bags, ready to cook whenever the mood hits. Costco has really good sausages, both Italian and regular.
School dinners were not part of the school day when I was going to school. We had to bring our lunch from home, and so it was always cold sandwiches. Todd, however, was always privy to School Dinners. In fact his parents relied upon them to make sure he had a decent hot meal every day.
He says he always loved them. I have heard tales from both sides of the coin. Some people loved them, others hated them. I think I would have come from the love camp.
Curried sausages is not something I would have ever thought of making prior to coming here to the UK. We didn't do curry very much at all, but it was something we enjoyed occasionally, usually made with chicken.
Here in the UK it is almost a National Dish, right up there with fish and chips! People just love their curries. You can get them at every chippy and there is always a curry sauce option for pouring over your chips.
I confess I have not tried that yet. Looking at it, it is always a really bright yellow colour, probably from lots of tumeric . . . I'll take ketchup thank you very much!
Curried Sausage is something which Todd enjoys from his school days. He loves his bangers and mash anyways, usually with an onion gravy, but he also really loves them with a curry sauce. And yes, also with mash.
These are actually very, VERY good. And yes, with mash.
I remove the sausages from their skins before cooking, rolling them into balls as best as I can, so that they brown more evenly. You also add a quantity of onion and garlic.
Use the best sausage your money can buy. I use a good meaty sausage without a lot of fillers. I hate cheap and pasty sausages. There is only one word to describe them. YUCK. You get what you pay for.
I like to add some vegetables to the sauce. Normally I cook carrots just until crispy tender and add them to the sauce along with frozen peas. I thaw the peas first. I dare say that the ones Todd had in his school dinners were probably well over cooked . . . most vegetables were back in the day.
These are lovely and fresh, crispy tender. The peas are frozen, thawed, and basically just heated through for a few minutes so they retain that lovely colour. Altogether this is delicious!
School Dinner Curried Sausages
Yield: 4
Such a simple dish, but oh so tasty. Makes a real change from regular sausage and mash!
Ingredients:
- a splash of oil for frying
- 8 plump pork sausages (use the best you can afford)
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into coins
- 1 TBS medium curry powder
- 3 TBS plain flour
- 480ml hot chicken broth (2 cups)
- 1 TBS mango chutney
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 150g frozen peas, thawed (1 cup)
- hot mashed potatoes to serve
Instructions:
How to cook School Dinner Curried Sausages
- Put your carrots into a saucepan of boiling water and cook until crispy tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain well and set aside.
- Remove the skins from your sausages and discard. Cut the sausages into 4 to 5 bits, and kind of roll the bits into balls.
- Heat about 1/2 TBS of oil in a large skillet. Add the sausage balls and brown them all over on all sides until cooked through. Scoop out onto paper towels to drain while you make the sauce.
- Add the chopped onion to the drippings in the pan. Cook over moderate heat until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds longer. Stir in the curry powder and cook until fragrant. Stir in the flour and cook for a minute. At the end of that time whisk in the chicken broth, whisking constantly. Cook until the sauce bubbles and thickens. Whisk in the chutney. Taste and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Return the sausages to the pan along with the cooked carrots and frozen peas. Cook and heat through until everything is bubbling.
- Serve hot and spooned over mashed potatoes.
You could also serve this with rice if you so wish. Its a great meal either way! Enjoy!
I never make a Jam Roly Poly for dessert but what I don't think of one of my favourite childhood stories, The Tale of Samuel Whiskers and the Roly Poly Pudding by Beatrix Potter. Its kind of a gruesome story really when you think about it . . . rats
capturing an innocent little kitten and rolling him up in pudding dough
to bake and eat . . . it sent shivers up my spine at the thought. A tale really of a lesson learned about the perils of disobedience and the consquences which follow!
We normally have our Sunday Dinner on Saturdays. Sundays I never have the time to cook a big meal. We spend half the day either getting ready for church or in church and then when I get home, I have phone calls to make to Canada, etc. so Sunday is usually catch as you can.
Saturday is the day I make us a Sunday type of dinner, complete with dessert. Today I treated my husband with one of his favourites . . . the most hedonisticly scrumptious dessert ever . . .
Golden Syrup Dumplings. With lashings of vanilla custard. You just must have custard with a dessert like this . . . or at least Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. It's a given.
Rich, stodgy, and oh soooooo scrumdiddlyumptious!
Very "School Dinnerish!"
Imagine puffy little buttery dumplings . . . poached in a buttery golden syrup and brown sugar sauce . . . spooned all hot and scrummy into a bowl and then covered with lashings of warm vanilla custard.
I know . . . I oughta be ashamed of myself.
*Golden Syrup Dumplings*
serves 8
Printable Recipe
Quick, easy to make and oh so delicious! Lashings of custard or vanilla ice cream are a must!
7 ounces butter (3/4 cup plus 2 TBS)
8 ounces soft light brown sugar (1 cup packed)
4 ounces golden syrup, plus 2 TBS (1/2 cup plus 2 TBS)
400ml of milk (1 3/4 cup)
450ml of water ( 2 cups)
500g of self raising flour (3 1/2 cups plus 2 TBS )
Put the water, half of the butter, all of the sugar and 4 ounces of the golden syrup into a large wide pan. Bring to the boil and then reduce immediately to a simmer.
Warm the milk just a little bit. Place the flour and remaining butter in a food processor and pulse until it resembles bread crumbs. Whisk the warm milk and 2 TBS of syrup together. Add to the flour mixture and blitz until it comes together.
Bring the liquid back to the boil and drop in dessertspoon size pieces of the dough. Turn the heat down to a simmer again and gently cook for 10 minutes, turning the dumplings gently a few times. You may need to do them in a few batches, so that they don't stick together. Just scoop out the first lot with a bit of the syrup, and place into a baking dish,covering with foil. Keep warm in a very slow oven while you cook the rest. Serve warm, spooned into heated bowls along with lashings of vanilla custard! (Vanilla ice cream is also nice.)
Note: Golden Syrup is very similar to corn syrup but has more of a caramel type of flavour. You could use light corn syrup and add about a teaspoon each of both butter and vanilla extracts for extra flavour.
There is something just so wonderfully warm and comforting about a steamed pudding (dessert). They are so homey, just like a warm hug from a much beloved Gran.
I don't know what it is about them . . . stodgy, yes . . . filling, yes . . . simple, yes . . . there is nothing complicated or fancy about them, but somehow they always come across really well. They are a bit like the country cousin at a city ball . . . you can't help but really warm to them and want to spend time with them, even though there are much fancier puds to be had.
Somehow I ended up with an outrageous amount of marmalade in my larder. The Toddster LOVES marmalade on his toast. I like it too, but not as much as he does. If I see it on offer I will pick up a jar. I have yet to make my own, but perhaps this winter I will give it a go. We'll see.
Sooooo . . . anyways, I have ended up with something like 4 jars of it and so I thought I would use some of it up today to make the Toddster one of his favourite puddings . . . Marmalade Pudding.
It's very old school dinnerish really, but he has very fond memories of his old school dinners, and I confess to having a certain fondness to the pudding side of things myself.
Served warm, cut into wedges, and embellished with lashings of a deliciously rich custard flavoured lightly with Grand Marnier, it went down a real treat for both of us. I cut the recipe in half and made a smaller portion as I don't have a 3 pint pudding basin and it turned out beautifully.
It's nice to know that you can cut things down and they will still work fine. But if you are game, do make the larger one as this freezes beautifully, cut into individual portions and wrapped for the freezer. That way you can always have a tasty pudding at the ready.
*Marmalade Pudding with a Grand Marnier Custard*
Serves 6
3 large free range eggs
1 rounded TBS of bicarbonate of soda
For the Custard:
275ml of full fat milk (1 1/4 cup)
275ml double cream (1 1/4 cup)
six egg yolks (you can freeze the whites to use for meringues at a
later date)
100g caster sugar (generous half cup)
2 TBS Grand Marnier
Butter a three pint pudding basin. Place the bread crumbs, flour and soft light brown sugar into a large mixing bowl. Melt the butter over gentle heat along with the marmalade. Pour the butter mixture over the dry mixture and blend thoroughly. Whisk the eggs until they are frothy and then whisk them into the crumb mixture. Stir together the bicarbonate of soda and the cold water. Whisk this into the pudding mix. It will increase in volume, but don't be alarmed. Pour this mixture into the prepared basin. Cover it with two pieces of grease proof paper which you have pleated in the middle and buttered. Tie securely around the rim of the basin.
Place the basin in the top of a double boiler over quickly simmering water. Cover the pot and allow to steam for about 2 hours. Check periodically to see if the water needs topping up so that the pot doesn't go dry. When it is done a toothpick inserted into the centre should come out clean.
Make
the custard during the last half hour of the pudding steaming. Whisk
the egg yolks together with the sugar in a saucepan with a heavy bottom,
until pale, slightly thick and creamy. Warm the milk and the cream
together in another saucepan, just until bubbles appear around the
edges. Slowly whisk this mixture into the beaten eggs and sugar.
Bring to the boil very slowly over medium low heat, whisking
constantly. It is done when it just begins to coat the back of a wooden
spoon. Do not over cook or it will curdle. Remove from the heat
immediately and whisk in the Grand Marnier. Keep warm.
Run
a knife around the edge of the pudding basin and invert over a plate to
remove. Cut the warm pudding into wedges to serve along with the
warm custard. Delicious!
Alternately you can flavour the custard with some vanilla extract of paste, 1 tsp should do the trick.
When I take the extra effort to make a pudding like this for afters . . . the Toddster is one very happy man. There is nothing he loves more than stodge . . . and he especially loves steamed puddings . . . served up with lashings of custard of course!
This one today is particular favourite of both of us. We love jam. We love coconut. We love steamed puddings, so this is a triple win situation for us. Don't be put off by it's name. No real toenails have been used in the production of this pudding.
This is a dense sweet steamed pudding . . . crowned with sticky raspberry jam . . . and sprinkled with dessicated coconut. The name comes from the dessicated coconut which, in a mischievous school boy's mind, is said to resemble cut toenails.
School boys are awfully good at giving nasty names to whatever is dished up for the school dinner, regardless to whether it tastes good or not . . . it's just what they do. It's a boy thing . . .
A rose by any other name . . . no matter what it is called, one fact stands out. It's delicious. Of course you could leave off the dessicated coconut if it's not something which you like . . . but if you're not bothered, do use it, if only for the cringe factor and the pleasure your children will have in eating something called toenail pudding.
I suppose that is something like squashed fly biscuits (Garibaldi biscuits) . . . horrible name, tasty biscuit. The name has never put me off of wanting to eat them . . . and the name of this pudding doesn't put me off either. You can use whatever jam you want on it, but really . . . raspberry jam is the best. My opinion of course. You can make up your own mind. In this house lashings of warm custard are a must.
*Toenail Pudding*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe
How can you resist a pudding with such an interesting name. In truth, a jam sponge pudding sprinkled with dessicated coconut. You have to love old school dinner humor. A rose by any other name.
50g butter softened, plus more for buttering the pudding basin (3 1/2 TBS)
100g caster sugar (generous half cup)
pinch salt
4 TBS whole milk
2 large free range eggs
100g self raising flour (1 cup)
the juice of half a lemon
3 TBS raspberry jam
Dessicated coconut to finish
(as little or as much as you like)
Pouring cream, ice cream or warm custard to serve
Butter a medium sized pudding basin well. Set aside.
Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Stir in the flour alternately with the milk to give you a smooth pourable thick batter.
Whisk the lemon juice into the jam to loosen it. Spoon it into the bottom of the pudding basin. Cover with the pudding batter. Take a large piece of grease proof paper. Fold a pleat in the middle. Butter the paper. Place on top of the pudding basin and secure with a thick rubber band. Place the pudding basin in the top of a steamer and place over simmering water. Cover tightly. Steam for about 2 hours. Check periodically to make sure the water doesn't boil dry, topping it up every so often with more boiling water. The pudding will be ready when it is well risen and set on top.
Carefully remove the pudding basin from the pan. Uncover and allow it to rest for a few minutes. Run a palette knife around the edge of the basin to loosen and carefully tip out onto a serving platter. Sprinkle with as much or as little dessicated coconut as you desire. Serve, warm and cut into thick wedges with either pouring cream, ice cream or warm custard.
I know . . . I can see you wrinkling your noses, and I can't say that I blame you, but hear me out. Loathe it or love it, Spam has been around for a very long time.
During my husband's WW2 and Post War childhood, it was often on the menu in the family home, along with tinned corned beef, and it has long been a staple of school dinners.
It's a cheap alternative when it comes to meat, and in lean times has been a real mainstay for a great many families.
One of the ways it is often served over here in the UK, is as a tasty fritter. Indeed, you can buy Spam Fritters in lots of chippies. What we call a fish and chip shop over here.
Generally speaking, they are a fast food place, without seating, where people line up to buy cones of chips, pieces of fried fish, meat pies, sausages, burgers, fritters, curries, kebabs, etc. They take their goodies home, wrapped in plain paper and tied up in a plastic bag.
You can even buy Spam Fritters already prepared in ASDA, one of our top grocery store chains. A lot of people eat them with mushy peas and chips, but it's also quite acceptable to have them with hot mashed potatoes and English peas, which is how my husband likes them. But then again . . . he is a real lover of mash.
They make a very filling and economical supper for today's family at a time when the cost of groceries is rising and rising and family's are having a difficult time making ends meet, and they need not be considered all that unhealthy and full of fat.
Make sure your fat is hot enough will help to keep down the absorption of oil, and of course draining them well on paper toweling once they are cooked also helps to absorb any extra oil.
My husband just loves these. I have to admit they are rather tasty. Of course, you could do the same thing with tinned corned beef and they are pretty good also.
Whilst I wouldn't recommend eating these every night of the week, they do make a delicious addition once a fortnight, and go a long ways towards keeping down the food costs.
Yield: 4
Spam Fritters
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 8 MinTotal time: 18 Min
These may not be to everyone's tastes, but they have been around for a very long time and are a very quick and economical family meal.
Ingredients
- 1 340g tin of Spam (12 ounces)
- For the batter:
- 140g (1 cup) plain flour
- pinch of salt
- 120ml of milk, milk & water, water, or beer (1/2 cup)
- cooking oil for either shallow frying or deep frying
To serve:
- mashed potatoes
- mushy peas, or regular peas
Instructions
- Sift the flour into a bowl. Whisk in the salt and liquid. You will want to have a thick batter in order to coat the spam properly.
- Carefully remove the Spam from the tin in one piece. (I take a sharp knife and carefully slide it into the tin between the meat and the tin all around and then holding the tin upside down, gently shake and the meat slides out.) Cut the Spam into 8 slices.
- Heat 2 to 3 TBS of oil in a frying pan, or heat a depth of oil in a deep fryer to 170*C/350*F, or until a cube of bread turns golden brown in 1 minute.
- Coat the Spam slices with the batter and then carefully drop them into the hot oil. If shallow frying, allow two to three minutes per side. If deep frying, allow a total cooking time of three to four minutes, turning the fritters over as needed. Drain well on paper towels.
- Serve hot with buttery mashed potatoes and peas.
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What do you make to comfort your soul on a dull wet Saturday on a bank holiday weekend, all your plans for barbeques, gardening and days out together gone up in smoke???
How about a stodgy, sweet and traditional pudding!!!! The type of pudding that school dinners used to be famous for!!
The type of pudding that would have had the famous five clambering back home, over hill and dale, to stuff themselves silly with!!! The type of pudding that the mere sight of makes your arteries start to ache and moan with anguish . . . and your heart and soul beat with longing . . .
You know exactly the kind I mean . . .
Something buttery, oh so very buttery . . . and deliciously, moreishly short and crumbly . . .
and filled with the sticky sweetness of golden treacle . . . or golden syrup as it is also known . . . giving it an underlying tone of *caramel-like* goodness . . . Served up hot and sliced . . . and then doused with lashings and lashings of custard or double cream . . .
Ohhh yesss . . . this fits the bill perfectly.
Just the ideal pud to eat slouched down on the sofa, with your legs tucked beneath you, as you watch the rain lashing down on the pavement out front of the house. Silently congratulating yourself on your decision to stay at home, and feeling sorry for the poor sods that are stuck in their cars in the motorway traffic, listening to the kids argue in the back seat, as the windshield wipers race back and forth in front of their noses . . .
not that we are smug or anything . . .
Now this . . . was worth staying in for. ☺
*Hollygog Pudding*
Serves 4 to 6
Printable Recipe
Stodgy, rich and luvly. This is very easily made and is delicious when done. Don't let it's simplicity fool you into thinking this isn't something special.
280g self rising flour (2 cups)
a pinch of salt
2 TBS caster sugar
170g cold butter, cut into bits (3/4 cup)
approximately 3 TBS cold water
Golden Syrup
Milk for baking and glazing
demerara sugar for sprinkling
Warm custard or cream for serving
Pre-heat the oven to 200*C/400*F/gas mark 6 .Sift the flour and salt into a basin, raising the flour up high to aerate it. Stir in the caster sugar. Drop in the butter and rub it into the flour mixture with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add enough of the water to make a stiff dough. Pat out on a floured surface to a rectangle roughly 12 inches long and 8 inches wide. Spread the dough very thickly with golden syrup, leaving a one inch border on one side. Brush this edge with some milk. Roll up like a jelly roll to form a sausage shape. Pinch the ends together to close and then place the roll into a buttered deep pie dish or gratin dish, placing the seam underneath. Brush with milk and sprinkle with demerara sugar. Pour sufficient milk into the dish to come about halfways up the side of the pudding. Place into the heated oven and bake for 3o to 45 minutes, until the pudding is light golden brown.
To serve, cut into slices while still hot, or spoon out into bowls. Serve with warm custard or cream drizzled on top.
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