chapter XXV - mamon wellman cooks 12

sunday roast meats - pork

Mum's roasting techniques were very simple, place the chicken or joint of meat in a roasting tray, pour in a little water or smear with lard and place into the oven and leave until cooked. Nothing wrong with that, but a little refinement, a few additions can make it oh so much better, and add different flavour dimensions to it.

So follow me here and I will give you my top tips for the roasting of various meats.

I have always loved pulled pork, ever since first experiencing it in the USA in the late 70's or early 80's. It was served to me in a bread roll, piled high and with lots of sauce; basically a Sloppy Joe. So here is my preferred version of roast pork, along with how to crackle pork. My mother liked nothing more than a good piece of pork crackling. Unfortunately it was always a bit of a hit or miss affair every Sunday, whether we got nice crisp crackling, or a chewy version of.

recipe - cheffie's pork crackling
These days pork crackling is readily available as a snack just like potato crisps etc. But if you like making your own ......

Successful pork crackling is obtained by ensuring plenty of air gets into the skin, this forms that familiar bubbling and dries it out to be crisp and gorgeous. All that is required here is a sharp pointed knife, however I always keep a Stanley knife in my knife roll for just this job.  

But first if you really want GREAT crackling cook it separately from the meat. Either remove it yourself, have the butcher do it or buy some extra separately, most supermarkets sell it now and lets face it who doesn't like extra crackling? 

Bring a pot of water to the boil, gently place the raw crackling into the water an cook for two minutes, remove and allow to cool. 

Run the blade over the skin to score the surface (breaking the surface but not cutting deeply), scoring it in definate diagonal lines approx 1/2 cm apart, then repeat in the opposite direction. Drizzle a little oil on the surface and rub it all over the surface. Sprinkle with salt all over (or use garlic, onion or celery salt). Place under a preheated grill until browned, all bubbled up and nicely crisp. Ensuring it is kept a good distance from the heat source to prevent burning. 


                                                                                                                                           

recipe - cheffie's pulled pork shoulder

001  pc  pork shoulder
001 cup soy sauce
001 cup tomato ketchup
001 tsp  chopped garlic
001 tsp  chopped ginger
1/2  tsp  chopped chilli
001 tbs  brown sugar
001 tbs  honey

recipe - method of preparation

Pre-heat the oven to 130C (the pork must be cooked ultra slow) 

Combine all the marinade ingredients and pour over the pork shoulder and rub in. Cover and marinade at least overnight (turn every few hours if possible) 

Drain off the marinade and simmer until a sticky thick sauce is obtained. Set aside

Place the pork shoulder into a roasting tray, add a cup of water, cover tightly with tinfoil and place into the oven, cook slowly for 6 hours. The water will prevent it drying out and the low heat will prevent it burning. So no need to worry, you can safely go out for the day and leave it. 

Remove from the oven and carefully remove and discard the tinfoil. If there is any liquid remaining, drain into the sauce and reboil it for 3 minutes. The pork shoulder meat should literally just fall off the bone. Using two forks, pull the pork off the bones and shred the meat apart; it should shred apart in long strands. Discard the bones and pour the sticky sauce all over the pork and combine it all together. 

next week - mum's roast chicken ....... 

chapter XXV - mamon wellman cooks 11

sunday roast yorkies
"it's amazing what we take for granted is what we miss the most. Now that your no longer with us, I miss your Sunday roast"

My last blog was for mum's crispy roast potatoes, this time we are talking Yorkshire puddings. Yorkshire puddings were a must in our household. Classically an accompaniment to roast beef, my mother served them with every roast dinner regardless of the meat. My father loved them made as one large pudding (made in a large pie mould or roasting tray) and cut into portions, he also loved to take the batter and make like large savoury pancakes, one each, then he would place it on the plate and then serve the rest of the Sunday roast on top it. 

My recipe for yorkshire puddings is essentially the same as my mother's, except she never measured anything. Like all good home cooks who had done it a million times, she just new how much by sight and feel. She would simply crack in the eggs, add a dash of milk and then eough flour until she got the right consistency.

I am proud to say my recipe was listed on Google top three recipes for over five years. That is until they tweaked the way they listed search results (with paid commercial websites listed first). But for years, I was always in battle with Delia for first place.

Where did these culinary beauties originate? Like many food creations it is lost in the culinary mists of time. Apparently the first known recorded written recipe is from 1737 in the interestingly titled "Whole Duty of a Woman" and then ten years later in "The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy"by Hannah Glasse; the 18th century version of Delia.

The recipe most used is equal quantities of each; flour eggs and milk. I prefer to pack mine with eggs and use the milk sparingly. But the key is to pour the mixture into red hot moulds with smoking hot fat, so lets be careful out there! This starts the cooking off straight away around the edges and forces the empty middle to happen. 

Of course these days here in the UK, most people can't be bothered making their own and have resorted to buying pre-made, frozen ones, care of Aunt 'bloody' Betty.Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh !!!!

I love making these in the pictured wide moulds and serving them for brunch filled with the likes of goulash, buttered chicken, rogan josh etc.

note - feel free to make plenty, and with the leftover spare ones, let them go cold and serve with Sunday afternoon tea with jam and clotted cream or filled with a fruit compote. 

                                                                                                                                           

recipe - cheffies yorkshire puddings

002 cup flour 

010 pc   eggs  

300 ml   milk
              lard or cooking oil

recipe - method of preparation

Melt the lard and pour a generous amount into each yorkshire pudding mould or muffin moulds. The fat/oil must totally cover the base. (a Yorkshire pudding mould is more shallow and wider, but normal muffin moulds are fine) 

Place into a pre-heated oven (200-220C) and heat until the oil is very hot (almost if not smoking). It must be hot so that the mixture must sizzle when poured in, this encourages the pudding to rise quickly on the edges, resulting in the classical hollow centre. 

Beat all the eggs together and add half the milk. Sieve in the flour and beat to a smooth batter, adding more milk if required to form an easily pourable batter (consistency of double cream) Season with salt and pepper. 

Remove the moulds from the oven and working quickly (but safely)pour in the batter until mould is full. 

Return to the hot oven and bake for approx 30 minutes until the batter is fully cooked and crisp. 

next week - mum's roast pork with cracklin ....... 

chapter XXV - mamon wellman cooks 10

sunday roast potatoes
"it's amazing what we take for granted is what we miss the most. Now that your no longer with us, I miss your Sunday roast"

Sunday's was always roast day for the Wellman whanau. We would invariably wake up to mum scurrying around in the kitchen, and the aroma of a roast dinner already cooking. Breakfast was never a big deal in our household, so we would probably just grab some toast while we waited for our Sunday dinner; umm, I mean lunch. Mum loved her Sunday roast, as we all did. We all loved the food and the way she cooked it, but for mum it was more than that. It was an institution not to be messed with. 

When I was growing up in Wales, we were big church goers. Well us kids were. Every Sunday morning we would be appropriately attired, "in our Sunday best" and myself and my two sisters would be sent packing to morning service, with a penny clutched tightly in our hands to put in the collection box. We would often go to afternoon Sunday school as well. To this day I can still recite the New Testament books in order. It wasn't until we were adults, mum confessed that the main reason for us going was so that her and dad could have some alone time!

The meat varied; roast chicken, pot roast beef, roast lamb or roast pork. But what never varied was that we always had Yorkshire pudding with it, there was always two vegetables and always, "no one makes 'em like mum' crispy roast potatoes. Mint sauce was not reserved just for roast lamb, mum loved it with her roast beef too.

One of the vegetables that we had, more often than not was cauliflower. Mum would always buy a fresh cauliflower (frozen vegetables were a luxury item back then) and cook both the florets and any outer green leaves or stems with it. She would cook them until very soft and then mash the two together. This was delicious when lavished with mum's thick, roast gravy. Cauliflower puree seems to be quite a trendy item these days, again our mum was decades ahead of the game ;-)

roast potatoes

I say no one makes roast potatoes like our mum, and no one did. But it seems every TV chef is now using her recipe and knows her secrets. It took 30+ years, but the world is finally catching up with my mother's cuisine. This recipe is basically how mum would have done it, with a few extra tweaks from myself

secret number one   - make sure you pick a good floury potato for them; desiree, king edwards, maris piper or my personal favourite Agria, that have a lovely yellow flesh (see picture) to them and end up looking really golden in colour when cooked. 

secret number two   - use a good animal fat; dripping, lard, goose or duck fat. My mother always used a rendered pork fat (lard) made by our local butcher. 

secret number three - boil the potatoes with the potato peelings. The peel hold an immense amount of flavour, that is imparted into the potatoes as they cook

secret number four   - roughen the potato edges, to encourage crispening

secret number five    - sprinkle the potatoes with a little flour (or semolina if your feeling flush) 

                                                                                                                                           

recipe - cheffies roast potatoes a la mamon

012 pc  potatoes 
200 gm pork fat  (or duck/goose fat if you prefer)

recipe - method of preparation

Place the roasting tray with the fat in, into a pre-heated oven (200 - 220C) it must be hot, hot, hot. 

Wash well, peel and cut into even sized pieces. Rinse well and place into cold salted water and simmer gently until the potatoes are cooked; to the point of almost falling apart. Drain the potatoes into a wide colander. Give them a little shake to break up the potato's surface a little, so the surface looks fluffy (this broken surface is what will crispen) Allow to steam and dry out. 

notes

• placing the boiled potatoe on a tray and sprinkling with a little flour or fine semolina, will really aid crispening
• for maximum flavour, boil the potatoes along with the peel (which can be wrapped in muslin if you have it to make for easy removal), this adds that real potato flavour punch

Carefully remove the hot roasting tray from the oven and carefully place in the potatoes; ensuring they really sizzle, (do not over crowd the pan)  if not remove the first potato and continue to heat the fat. 

When all the potatoes are in, use a large spoon and baste the potatoes all over. Or place the roasting tray over a high heat and turn the potatoes to fry all the edges (or fry and baste). This will seal the outside and help prevent the final potato being too greasy inside

Place into the oven and roast until golden, crisp and cooked (turning potatoes as required), approx 1 hour. 

next week - mum's yorkshire's puddings ....... 

chapter XXV - mamon wellman cooks 09

cottage pie

This great British favourite would have been what Mamon Wellman would have called a 'poor man's meal'; that is one that was created by the working for the working class, using cheap ingredients or left overs. In this case probably the latter, and would have no doubt, been originally made with left over foods from the Sunday roast, (be it beef or lamb - see below)

It never fails to amaze me how often people will call shepherd's pie, cottage pie or vice versa. How many times I see Shepherd's pie on a menu, only to find out it is in actual fact Cottage pie. No, cottage pie, Shepherd's pie are not interchangeable names for the same thing.

How can you make Shepherd's pie with beef mince? Since when did shepherds look after cows? ....... "while shepherds watched their herds of Jersey cows by night, all seated on the ground"? I don't think so!..... Yes I am looking at you Aussie Sissy Sue!! Mind you, given the fact it doesn't have a pastry top, technically one could argue it's not really a pie at all.

There is also Cumberland pie, which is cottage pie with a layer of breadcrumbs sprinkled on top.

In our house it was always cottage pie by name and by nature. Mum always would have used minced beef, and her cottage pie was always eagerly looked forward to.

And at least back then it WAS beef, minced by the local butcher, from local cows. No fears of EU contaminated with horse-meat then. Mind you I don't know what all the fuss is about at the moment, we always said; "I'm so hungry, I could eat a horse"!

This time around I have put up my recipe for a real gourmet version of shepherd's pie, that is best made a day or two in advance and enjoyed when all the flavours have had time to infuse. 

recipe - cottage pie a la mamon
001 pkt  instant mash potato

500 gm  minced beef  

001 pc   onion 
002 pc   beef oxo cubes
              flour
              grated cheese

recipe - method of preparation

Pre-heat the oven to 170C

Roughly chop the onion and fry in a good knob of butter, until lightly browned. Add the mince and fry until browned. Sprinkle in some flour and stir in. Gradually pour in 1 cup of water, sprinkle in the oxo cubes and stir to combine. Season and pour into a casserole dish or similar. Make up the potato as per instructions and spoon on top of the mince, flatten out with a fork. Sprinkle with some grated cheddar and place in the oven for approx 40 minutes, until hot and golden brown on top. 

                                                                                                                                           

recipe - cheffies cottage pie

001  kg  peeled potatoes (agria or king edwards) 
200 gm  butter

001 pc   onion 

001 pc   garlic clove
500 gm  steak mince
002 tbs  flour
002 cup beef stock
001 cup grated cheese

recipe - method of preparation

Pre-heat the oven to 170C

Cut the potatoes into even sized pieces. Place into cold, salted water and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer until cooked (feels soft when pierced with a pointed knife) Drain in a colander and leave for 5 minutes so the steam escapes, the potatoes dry and the outsides go floury in appearance. Mash by hand, or push through a sieve. Beat through the butter, taste and season with salt, pepper and a little grated nutmeg. Add a little warmed milk if required to loosen up the mash. Keep warm. 

Finely chop the onion and cook in a good knob of butter over a low heat, until softened but not browned, add the chopped garlic clove and cook gently for another 2 minutes. Add the mince, turn up the heat slightly  and fry until lightly browned. Sprinkle in the flour, stir in and cook for 2-3 minutes. Gradually pour in 1-2 cups of a strong beef stock, until the preferred consistency is achieved (some like the mixture quite dry, some wetter). Taste and season. 

Pour into a large casserole dish or similar, or into individual moulds. Spoon the potato on top of the mince, flatten out with a fork. Sprinkle with the grated cheddar and place in the oven for approx 40 minutes, until bubbling hot and golden brown on top. 

                                                                                                                                           

recipe - cheffies gourmet shepherd's pie

001  kg  peeled potatoes (agria or king edwards) 
200 gm  butter
001 cup grated mature cheddar
004 pc   lamb shanks 

001 cup red wine 
002 cup beef stock 
002 tbs  worcestershire sauce
005 pc   anchovy fillets 
001 pc   garlic clove
001 pc   onion 
001 pc   carrot 
001 pc   celery stalk
002 tbs  tomato paste
001 cup mushrooms of choice (cut into slices or 1/4's)
001 cup peas (defrosted, but not cooked)

recipe - method of preparation

Pre-heat the oven to 160C

Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat, add a little olive oil. Lightly dust the lamb shanks in four and brown them all over, remove and place into a large braising pan. Add the red wine, sliced garlic clove and anchovy fillets, cover and allow to simmer gently for 10 minutes, remove the lid and simmer until the wine has  reduced by at least half. Add the stock, worcestershire sauce, chopped vegetables and tomato paste,  replace the lid and braise in oven until the meat is fork tender (can easily be pulled away from the bone using only a fork); approx 3 hours. (the mash can be made during the last hour of cooking)

When cooked, remove from the oven, and place the lamb shanks into a large bowl to cool slightly while making the sauce. 

Remove and discard the thyme stalk and bayleaf, simmer until only 2 cups of liquid remains. Pour into a food processor (including any vegetables etc) and blitz to a smooth sauce, strain if required. Taste and season . 

Pull all the meat of the bone and shred with a couple of forks, moisten with sufficient of the sauce to taste (not all may be required) Place into appropriate oven proof dish (es) cover with the peas and the mushrooms. Carefully cover with the mashed potato (see below), sprinkle with the grated mature cheddar and place into the fridge overnight.

Three hours before required, remove from the fridge and allow to come to room temp for one hour while the oven pre-heats to 170C. Place into the oven and heat through gently for approx 90 minutes. 

for the mash - cut the potatoes into even sized pieces. Place into cold, salted water and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer until cooked (feels soft when pierced with a pointed knife) Drain in a colander and leave for 5 minutes so the steam escapes, the potatoes dry and the outsides go floury in appearance. Mash by hand, or push through a sieve. Beat through the butter, taste and season with salt, pepper and a little grated nutmeg. Add a little warmed milk if required to loosen up the mash. Keep warm. 

next week - mum's ultra crisp roast potatoes....... 

chapter XXV - mamon wellman cooks 07

pies 

My mother used to make a standard steak pie, I don't remember it ever having kidney in it. As far as I recollect it was just straight steak and potato and I don't remember her making any sweet pies very often either. Jam tarts, yes, but not pies

I still have her porcelain pie funnel, that I believe was her mother's. A pie funnel is used by placing in the middle of the pie prior to covering with the pastry, the pastry is place on, crimped etc and the funnel poked through the pastry. It elevates the pastry and prevents it getting soggy and allows steam to escape as the pie cooks.

Pies have been a part of British cuisine and culture for centuries. So popular they were even immortalised in no less than four nursery rhymes that I can think of; Georgie Porgie, Little Jack Horner, Sing a Song of Sixpence and Simple Simon.

We love pies of any type, savoury or sweet. Chicken and mushroom, steak, steak & kidney, beef and ale, not to mention all the sweet pies; apple, blackberry, gooseberry, bakewell tart etc. Even Charles Dickens immortalised a pie/pudding in Pickwick papers; known as Pickwick Pie. It was a steak and kidney with oysters added. A dish that a pub in Fleet Street, London served as their only lunchtime dish for over 75 years and still does as far as I know.

So what differentiates a pie from a tart from a flan? These days not a lot. But originally:

• a pie would have a pastry base and top or a top only
• a tart would have a pastry base only
• a flan would have a pastry base only, and its filling would be dairy based. Such as creme patisserie. 

recipe - meat pie a la mamon

500 gm stewing beef steak 

001 pc  onion  (large)

002 pc  potato (large)

002 pc  oxo cubes 

200 gm short pastry 

recipe - method of preparation

Cut the beef into good bite sized pieces and brown in a frying pan, place into a pie dish. Add the chopped onion, cubes peeled potatoes. Sprinkle over the oxo cubes and barely cover with water. Place in the pie funnel. 

Roll out the pastry into a relevent neat shape (depending on the pie dish) egg wash the edges of the pie dish and place on the pastry, crimping to seal the edges. Using a knife poke a hole where the funnel is. Place into a pre-heated oven (200C) and lower the temperature to 170C. Bake for approx 1 hour until the pastry is cooked and golden brown. (make a thickened gravy if you prefer a thick sauce - mother never did, but I prefer it thickened) 

                                                                                                                                              


recipe - cheffie's meat pie 

400 gm lamb shoulder meat

001 pc small onion
001 pc egg

200 gm short pastry 
or 
200 gm hot water paste

recipe - method of preparation

Cut the lamb meat into very fine dice, so it almost looks minced. The meat should have approx 4 part meat to 1 part fat, if it is too lean the pie will be dry and tasteless. If the meat is too lean, add some finely chopped suet. Finely dice the onion and combine with the meat, Season well with a little cumin, cinnamon, sea salt and freshly milled pepper. Portion into 4 golf sized balls, and then flatten slightly to a sausage shape.  

Roll the pastry out and for each pie, cut two 8cm rounds and one rectangle 10cm x 5cm. 

For each pie, take a rectangle and form a 6cm diameter tube, pinching the edges together. Working carefully and quickly,  place the tube onto a circle and blend one open end into the base. Keeping one hand inside the tube to prevent it collapsing, pick up one of the meat balls and place into the tube. Pressing the meat into the tube working it to almost fill the tube, leaving half a cm of pastry free and curl it outwards, brush with some egg wash. 

Place the second pastry round on top and seal together, to form a pie that has a cotton reel shape. Repeat to make the other three pies. Place onto a lightly oiled baking tray, brush carefully all over with the remaining eggwash and bake in a pre-heated over (180C) for 45 - 60 minutes. Remove, allow to cool slightly and serve with a selection of pickled baby vegetables (see recipe below) and picked baby greens


recipe - pickled baby vegetables
004 pc  baby leeks 
004 pc  baby carrots 
004 pc  cauliflower florets 
004 pc  baby silverskin onions 
001 pc  candy beetroot
001 lt    cider vinegar
 1/2 tsp salt 
001 tbs brown sugar
001 pc  garlic clove
001 pc  chilli (red)
001 pc  clove
001 pc  cinnamon stick

recipe - method of preparation
Peel and trim the vegetables, slice the candy beetroot into paper thin slices. 

Combine the vinegar, salt, sugar and spices in a frying pan. Bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the salt and sugar. Taste and adjust with more salt or sugar as required. Remove from the heat. 

Immediately add the vegetables into the vinegar in the order they are listed (largest first), cover the pan and leave to oneside to cool. Once cooled, place into a bowl and chill overnight. They can be used within an hour, but best left to pickle overnight. 

next week - mum's corned beef hash ....... 

chapter XXV - mamon wellman cooks 08

corned beef hash

Tinned corned beef, has long been a popular item in the kitchen cupboards of the British home cook, ever since its creation circa 1899. When a processing plant was opened in Fray Bentos in Uruguay (probably by a Brit) who started exporting the product to the UK. The name Fray Bentos means Friar Benedict.

Growing up our kitchen cupboard was no different, we always seemed to have a can or two. It was long seen as a poor man's meal, but was a tasty source of animal protein in the diet.

To this day, in a day and age of such high technology, it still comes (regardless of brand) in its distinctive trapezoid shaped can, with a special key for opening it. The key is inserted into a tab, and turned and turned and turned to remove a strip off the lower part of the can, the base is then pulled away and the fatty, meaty, tasty processed beef slurps out onto a plate. Regardless of how careful you are, invariably the strip snaps part way through or the key snaps, leaving you with razor sharp tinned edges and a devil of a job to finish opening the can. I wonder how many fingers have been sliced open by these cans.

Wonderful in sandwiches, chilled and sliced with a summer salad and new potatoes, in a ploughman's lunch with pickles or in my mother's case fried as a fritter or as per the recipe belowas  a corned beef hash. The fritter recipe is the same as the spam fritter recipe, I have already posted. 

recipe - corned beef hash a la mamon

001 can corned beef 

001 pc  onion  

001 pc  instant potato mash
 1/2 cup grated cheddar 

recipe - method of preparation

Pre-heat oven to 180C 

Finely chop the onions and mix in a large bowl with the crumbled corned beef. Make up the instant mashed potato and season with salt, pepper and some butter. 

Combine all the ingredients and place into a lightly buttered casserole dish, even and flatten the top with a fork. Sprinkle with the cheese and place into the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes. Serve with lashings of tomato ketchup, and bread and butter 

                                                                                                                                           

recipe - cheffie's corned beef hash

001 can corned beef 

001 pc   onion  
001 pc   garlic clove

001 kg   potatoes
100 gm  butter
001 cup grated vintage cheddar

recipe - method of preparation

Pre-heat oven to 180C 

Finely chop the onion and garlic and cook gently in some of the butter until softened but not coloured. Place into a large bowl and crumble in the corned beef. 

Bake the potatoes until softened (approx 45 - 60 minutes), remove from the oven and allow to cool enough to handle. Peel or cut in half and scoop out the flesh. Mash thoroughly with the remaining butter, taste and season with salt and pepper. Combine with the corned beef mixture and half the cheese

Combine all the ingredients and place into a lightly buttered casserole dish, even and flatten the top with a fork. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and place into the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes. Remove and serve. 

                                                                                                                                           

Not one of my mother's recipes, but the following recipe came from a friend from the Solomon Islands where this dish is quite popular as a quick stand by meal. I was totally sceptic at first, as it didn't sound like a culinary winner to me. But I was pleasantly suprised. Hopefully you will be too. 

recipe - corned beef hash Solomon Islands

001 can       corned beef 

001 can       coconut milk 
001 bunch   spinach

recipe - method of preparation

Heat the coconut milk in a saucepan until almost simmering, add the washed picked spinach (stalks can remain intact) and crumble in the corned beef. Stir to combine and cook until mixture becomes homogenous. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve with slabs of crusty bread with butter

next week - mum's cottage pie (not a shepherd in sight) ....... 

chapter XXV - mamon wellman cooks 06

what am I? Chopped liver?
This week its mum's liver dish, and today it is Her Majesty's real birthday (many happy returns Liz, hope you got my card and box of Cadbury's Favourites?) A perfect time to relate a little tale of the two great ladies. 

In 1990, I was Chef in Charge when Her Majesty came to Waitangi, N.Z. for the Commonwealth Games and the 150 year 'Celebrations' of the Treaty of Waitangi (signing of a treaty between the Crown and the Maori).  I had spent 6 months plus, as part as part of the team planning the catering for day; Waitangi Day (February 6th) Designing menu's, dishes and recipes that kept bouncing backwards and forwards to the Royal household for approval. Months getting my team security clearance to work for the day (many I might add didn't get it and had to be excused work for the day) and then days and days preparing food for the actual day. Besides the Royal party and all the invited Dignitaries, we fed in the region of 15,000 that day! 

Myself and a brigade of 10 - 15 were in the kitchen prepping from 7am until 10.30pm, we took a wee break of less than 5 hours to get some shut-eye. Then were back in the kitchen at 3am working furiously to be ready on time.

We were ready on time, unfortunately E.R. and Co were late. It was a scorching hot day (30C+) and I had a hot and cold buffet to transport from my kitchen to the function tent. The plan was to be given a 20 minute fore warning of her arrival, load the trucks up, take the food up and set the function up. That happened four times, each time being a false alarm as the Royal Party was being held up by crowds, each time we had to stop and put it all on hold. Eventually we got there and all went off without a hitch

However ....... back to my mother. A staunch Royalist, and ever so proud of her son cooking for the Queen (again) and happy to be there to see it all. Not so happy though, to be stood all but right next to one Ms Perou; a Maori protester who flung a wet, black t-shirt at Her Majesty! The following links has Her Majesty arriving on the jetty of our hotel, while the second one has video footage of the t-shirt incident (mum can briefly be seen in greenish trousers as the police take the protester away)

http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/video/33169/queen-elizabeth-ii-at-waitangi-1990

http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/video/35936/waitangi-day-incidents

After all my efforts and hard work, guess who's face got plastered all over the international press? What am I? Chopped liver? (=[;-D 


liver, bacon and onions

I'm not sure if it was because mum liked liver, whether it was because it was good for us or whether it was a cheap meat protein, but liver and onions featured prominently in our diet. More often than not served yet again with mashed potatoes, but this time with spinach as I remember. Whatever the reason, I liked it as long as the liver wasn't too overcooked, grey and crumbly in texture. All excellent sources of iron and vitamins it must be said.

Liver can be very harsh in flavour at times. Milk fed, calves liver is the mildest in flavour, followed by chicken liver or lamb's liver. Pigs liver is only only for the strong at heart (pardon the pun) and Ox liver is best left for pates and terrines only. Even if chicken or lamb's liver is too strong for you, try soaking it in milk overnight. The milk extracts that strong bitterness. 

recipe - casseroled liver a la momon

750 gm   lamb liver

004 pc    bacon rashers

002 pc    onions

002 pc    oxo cubes

002 cups water

recipe - method preparation

Cut the liver into pieces and brown in a frying pan in a little oil, remove and place into a casserole dish. Slice and brown the onions and add to the liver. Cut the bacon into strips and add to the liver. Sprinkle over the stock cube and pour over the water. Place on a lid and place in a pre-heated oven (180C) for approximately  45 minutes. Remove from the oven, mix the cornflour with water and pour over. place back into the oven for another 15 to 30 minutes without the lid. 

                                                                                                                                           

recipe - cheffie's liver with a red onion marmalade & bacon 

200 gm  lamb liver 
005gm   cornmeal / polenta 

004 pc  onions

002 tbs  redcurrant jelly

002 tbs  port 

001 tbs  brown sugar 

001 tbs  honey

001 tsp  red food colour

004 pc   streaky bacon rashers 

001 pc   avocado

recipe - method of preparation

Slice the onions very thinly, slicing them with the natural grain (do not slice into half rings or they will all fall apart as they cook), in a large saucepan add a little olive oil and cook the sliced onions over a low heat until they soften but do not colour. Add the jelly, port, sugar and food colour and cook gently over a low heat until it forms a sticky, marmalade texture (approx 90 minutes) 

Grill the bacon rashers until brown and crisp, remove and set aside (do not worry if they go cold, they crispen better as they cool down). Cut the avocado in half, remove the stone, carefully scoop out the flesh or peel and slice thickly. 

Slice the liver into neat 2cm thick (1/2 inch) slices and coat in the polenta. Heat a lightly oiled griddle pan over a medium high heat, when hot, carefully place in liver slices (do not over crowd the pan, cook in batches if need be) and cook for 2 minutes until nicely scored/marked, turn over and cook for another two minutes. The liver should be cooked through but still slightly pink. Remove and serve. Place a good spoonful of the onion marmalade onto a plate, arrange the liver, bacon and avocado slices neatly on top.  

next week - mum's meat pie ....... 

chapter XXV - mamon wellman cooks 04

stew and dumplings

This was one of my mum's winter standards, and one of my least favourite as a child. I never appreciated this dish until much later in life. Mum and my sister's loved it, devoured every drop and savoured each dumpling. So much of a favourite, as I write I have a text from my elder sister requesting my stew and dumplings for dinner when she visits this week. 

Dumplings are a firm favourite all over the world; dim sims of China, ravioli of Italy, pierogi of Poland, mandu of Korea, momo of Nepal, knopfel of Germany and of course the three type of gnocchi of Italy.  

And of course the good ole suet dumpling of the UK. It was this that my mother always made to go with her stew and the only part of the dish I enjoyed and continue to love to this day. So much so, I have eaten all the international dumplings mentioned above and in their countries of origins. The following recipe can also be made up and used to make a savoury cobbler. 

note - suet is the shredded protective fat that surrounds the kidneys 

recipe - dumplings a la mamon

300 gm  self raising flour 

150 gm  suet

recipe - preparation method

Combine the flour and suet and season well with salt and pepper (I love to add plenty of cracked pepper and chopped chives or parsley). Make a well in the centre and gradually add cold water while combining with the fingers until a good form paste is achieved and mixture comes away from the sides of the bowl. With damp hands, form into golf ball sized dumplings (remembering they will double in size when cooked) 

recipe - beef stew a la mamon

001 kg   stewing beef

001 can concentrated tomato soup

002 pc   beef oxo cubes

002 pc   potatoes (large) 

002 pc   carrots

001 pc   onion

              dumpling mix 

recipe - preparation method

Cut the beef into large cubes, place into a pot of cold salted water and bring to a boil, allow to simmer for 2-3 minutes. Drain in a colander and quickly rinse away any scum. Place beef back into a large pot and add all the vegetables; peeled cut into large dice. Empty the soup into a bowl, sprinkle in the stock cubes and thin down with boiled water from the kettle. Pour into the saucepan with the beef and bring to a boil, turn down the heat and simmer gently for at least one hour until all ingredients are almost tender. Taste and season if required. 

Add the dumplings and simmer gently with a lid for a further 30-40 minutes until the dumplings have doubled in size and cooked all the way through. 

                                                                                                                                           

recipe - cheffie's dumplings 

250 gm  self raising flour 

125 gm  suet
002 pc   shallot
001 tbs  chopped chives or parsley

recipe - preparation method

Combine the flour, suet and chopped herb. Season well with Maldon sea salt and freshly milled pepper Make a well in the centre and gradually add sufficient cold water while combining with the fingers until a good form paste is achieved and mixture comes away from the sides of the bowl. With damp hands, form into golf ball sized dumplings (remembering they will double in size when cooked) 

note - depending on their use, I like to mix this recipe up and to the centre of the dumpling add an olive, roasted garlic clove or a small piece of sundried tomato. Or flavour them up with chopped garlic or chilli. 

recipe - cheffie's beef stew cobbler

001 kg   stewing beef
004 tbs  olive oil
002 pc   garlic cloves
002 tbs  flour 
001 tbs  smoked paprika

002 tbs  tomato concentrate/paste
001 lt     beef stock

010 pc   baby onions
002 pc   potatoes (large) 

002 pc   carrots
002 pc   celery stalks

              dumpling mix 

recipe - preparation method

Cut the beef into very large cubes. Heat the olive until almost smoking and brown the meat pieces. Add the chopped garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the flour and paprika and stir to combine through, allow to colour slightly. Stir in the tomato concentrate and cook until it darkens to almost brown. 

Slowly add the stock, while stirring and gently bring to a simmer. 

Peel all the vegetables; leave the onions whole, cut the potatoes into large dice, the carrot in half lengthways and and then on a 45 degree oblique, and the same for the celery. Place into cold salted water and bring to a boil, simmer for 5 minutes, rinse under cold water and add to the stew. Simmer gently for 45 minutes, taste and season if required. 

Transfer to a casserole dish and carefully add the dumplings, evenly spacing them out around the sides. Cover with a lid and bake in a pre-heated oven (170C) for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and cook for a further 30 minutes.

next week - mum's toad in the hole ....... 

Chapter XXV - mamon wellman cooks Easter?

Easter ... and why shepherd's watch thier flocks by night

Quoting a line from a Christmas carol may seem a strange way to commence an Easter food blog, but all will be revealed ..............

The Easter holidays for me growing up, meant one thing. Not chocolate eggs, not hot cross buns, but it meant we were off to Wales! Every Easter holidays, we would pack our bags; well mum would pack our bags and it was time to catch the train back to the land of my fathers. We always went and stayed with my father's side of the family. 

Rather fitting then, that this Easter is the very time my eldest sister is selling her house in Plymouth; the house that has been the family home for over 45 years. And lo and behold, she has just bought a house in Wales. After 45 years, big sis has decided to up sticks and is returning to the valleys. In just a few weeks time then, 336 will no longer be in Wellman's hands. In 1967, after tragically losing my father in a house fire my mother took us to be close to her side of the family and purchased 336. A terraced house on a road that back then was beautifully lined with trees, it had a huge garden that ended up housing our pet (Easter) bunny rabbits etc, a view overlooking the river Plym and cousins I had never met just a few doors down from us. 

That house, houses many, many happy childhood memories. So, in one way it will be sad to see it leave the family. But, Easter is a time for renewal, a time of rebirth. So it is very fitting in so many ways that at Easter time my sister is selling up and moving back to Cymru.

recipe - cheffies hot, but not so cross buns
500 gm bread flour
010 gm instant yeast
150 ml  milk
150 ml  water 
050 gm butter
120 ml honey
002 tsp ground cinnamon
001 tsp ground nutmeg
001 tsp ground ginger
001 tsp ground cloves
100 gm sultanas
100 gm dried cranberries 
050 gm chocolate chunks (large)

recipe - method of preparation
Heat the milk and water with the butter, honey and ground spices over a low heat until just warm to the touch. Sprinkle in the yeast and a handful of the flour and allow to stand in a warm place until it ferments and bubbles. Add the sultanas and mix thoroughly. Add sufficient of the remainder of the flour, while mixing with a wooden spoon to form a thick batter. Then with your hands, add sufficient flour to form a soft dough. 

Turn out onto a floured working surface and knead to a smooth elastic dough. Place into a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a damp tea towel and set aside in a warm place until the dough doubles in size. Uncover and punch the dough to knock the air out. Turn out onto the bench again and quickly knead while working in the chocolate chunks. 

Roll into a sausage shape and cut into even sized pieces. Shape into buns and place on a lightly oiled and floured tray, allowing at least a 3cm gap between each. Allow to prove again until doubled in size. Place in a pre-heated oven (200C) and bake until cooked and golden brown (approx 15 minutes). Remove and allow to cool slightly, before brushing with some honey, that has been warmed in the microwave

Given that Easter falls on different dates each year, and therefore the so called Easter school holidays didn't always fall at Easter, we probably spent many an actual Easter weekend at 336 before going to Wales. I don't really remember. I do remember mum always bought hot cross buns for the Friday. Never home made, always store bought. There are some great store made one's these days, but I still prefer home made.

I also remember we always had lots of Easter eggs. Mum always bought us one of course, and in those days so did most of your close aunty and uncles. So we always had eggs given to us from the close rellies (as the Kiwis call them) in Plymouth, then when we went to Wales we always got more from our Welsh aunties and uncles too. Is it any wonder then that; my name is Jos Wellman and I am a chocoholic?!?

best easter memory?

That's an easy one. My mother came out to New Zealand one year at Easter time, when I was living in the Bay of Islands. I think it must have been the year after I got married, and she came out to meet the new family (my wife had three kids from a previous marriage). I drove to pick mum up from Auckland airport, but my daughter decided she wanted to come too. So we made it an outing and drove part way down and camped overnight, ready to pick mum up on Easter Monday. We camped next to a beach and woke on Easter Monday early, only to find the sand dunes littered with rabbits hopping everywhere! What a spectacle for a 6 year old girl to experience on such a day!

easter lamb

Apart from that I don't think we had any family traditions at Easter. maybe we had roast lamb on Easter Sunday, who knows? But I suspect if we did, it was more by good luck than design. But coming from Wales and living so many years in Aotearoa (New Zealand) it's little wonder that I have a passion for lamb. Well when I say lamb, I mean all things ovine. Actual lamb for roasting is nice, but I much prefer the stronger flavour of hogget (an ovine over 1 year old) for chops and steaks etc and for stewing and making curries, nothing beats the stronger flavour of mutton (over 2 years old). 

This is my favourite roast lamb recipe. Roasted with hints of garlic, fresh thyme and lemon. With what many might consider an unusual ingredient; anchovies. They have been used "for ever" however to enhance the flavour of meats; if not directly like the Italians do, then indirectly like we have in the UK with the addtion of Lea & Perrins.  They will not leave a fishy taste, but act as a flavour enhancer to the lamb

recipe - easter roast lamb with lemon and mint sauce
001 pc leg of lamb (Welsh or NZ) 
003 pc garlic cloves 
006 pc sprigs of thyme
002 pc lemon 
004 pc anchovy fillets 
001 pc mint bunch
            olive oil
            honey
            maldon sea salt 

recipe - method of preparation
Pre-heat an oven to 180 - 200C. 

Cut the unpeeled garlic cloves in half (lengthways) and break the thyme sprigs into small lengths. Using a small, narrow bladed knife make a small incision into the lamb leg and insert a half garlic clove and a good piece of thyme (folded in half in needed) and repeat all over the lamb leg, evenly spacing the incisions.

Grate the lemon zest, chop the anchovies and combine with a drizzle of olive oil and a good helping of sea salt. Rub all over the lamb leg and allow to sit and infuse for approx 20 minutes. Place into a roasting tray and cook for 75 minutes until cooked and pink (if you have to be a barbarian and have it thoroughly cooked, roast for an hour and  a half at least). When cooked, remove from the oven, place on a clean tray or plate, cover with tin foil and allow to rest for 15 minutes before carving (allowing the meat tendons to relax and making for a more tender and juicier joint)

While the oven pre-heats and the lamb is marinating, you can make the lemon mint sauce. Juice the lemons, and sweeten to taste with the honey. Add the chopped or shredded mint leaves and allow to infuse while the lamb is roasting. 


cottage pie?
Always a favourite at 336 was mum's cottage pie. But circumstances this week forces me to write my recipe for shepherds pie. Circumstances? Well first it is Easter and traditionally that means lamb! Also my adopted sister in Australia posted a pic of her shepherds pie on Facebook, on further investigation (from myself) it turns out she has always made it with minced beef. Needless to say I pointed out to her that shepherds looked after sheep not cows!

Cottage pie = minced beef  Shepherd's pie = minced lamb


recipe - cheffies shepherd's pie 
500 gm minced lamb
001 pc  onion
001 tsp chopped rosemary
001 tsp chopped oregano  
001 tsp chopped thyme
001 tin chopped tomatoes

001 cup frozen peas
002 kg desiree potatoes 
250 gm butter
200 gm grated cheddar 

recipe - method of preparation
Pre-heat oven to 180C. Wash the potatoes well and bake until softened. Remove, cut in half and scoop out the flesh. Mash thoroughly with the butter, adding a little warmed milk or cream if required or desired. Taste and season. 

Warm a few tbs of olive oil in a large pan and add the minced lamb, gently fry until the meat starts to separate and lightly colours, add the onion and the herbs and cook gently for 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and peas and cook for another 5-10 minutes until most of the moisture has cooked away. Pour into an earthen ware dish. 

Cover with the mashed potato and sprinkle with the cheese. Bake at 180C for approx 40 minutes. Place under a hot grill until the cheese has really gratineed and is a deep golden colour. 

chapter XXV - mamon wellman cooks 05

toad in the hole

Another great British dish where sausages are the centre of attention, has that most unusual of names "toad in the hole". There are lots of stories as to how the dish got its name, but all are just theories, the real reason has been lost in time. 

So what is it? Browned sausages, baked in the oven while encased in a Yorkshire pudding batter. Or as in the case of this first photo, taking the previous dish of banger's and mash and combining it with the toad in the hole dish. In this instance the yorkshire pudding is cooked separately from the 'bangers' etc, and used as an edible 'bowl' to serve them in. 

Toad in the hole in our household would always be served with a rich, rich, thick beef gravy regardless as to whether the sausage was beef or pork, and with always a bottle of Heinz tomato ketchup at hand. Often served just as a meal unto itself or sometimes with peas (we Brits love our peas) and mashed potatoes with copious amounts of butter. 

recipe - toad in the hole a la mamon

008 pc   sausages of choice

002 cup flour 

006 pc   eggs  

001 cup milk

recipe - method of preparation

Place some oil or lard into a roasting tray, (that is just big enough to hold the sausages) and place into the oven to pre-heat at 200C.  

Combine the eggs and milk thoroughly with a whisk, add the flour and combine to form a batter. The batter should be thick, but easily pourable. Add more milk if required to thin down. 

Remove the roasting tray from the oven and pour in the batter. As soon as all the batter is poured in, carefully place in the sausages. Return to the hot oven and bake for approx 45 minutes until the batter is fully cooked and crisp, Remove, and serve with a rich gravy. 

                                                                                                                                           

recipe - cheffie's toad in the hole

008 pc   cumberland sausages

002 cup flour 

010 pc   eggs  

300 ml   milk
150 gm  lard 

recipe - method of preparation

Place the lard or 150ml of vegetable oil into a roasting tray, (that is just big enough to hold the sausages) and place into the oven to pre-heat at 200C. It is essential the oil is very hot before pouring in the batter, it needs to sizzle immediately or the batter will not rise around the edges properly. Lightly brown the sausages all over in a frying pan, remove and set aside (do not cook them) 

Combine the eggs and milk thoroughly with a whisk, add enough flour to form a batter, that has the consistency of cream (use more milk or water if required)

Remove the roasting tray from the oven and pour in the batter (test the oil's heat by pouring just a little in to ensure it sizzles and bubbles, if not place back into the oven to continue to heat). As soon as all the batter is poured in, carefully place in the sausages. Return to the hot oven and bake for approx 45 minutes until the batter is fully cooked and crisp, 

Remove, and serve with a rich, meaty, thickened gravy. 

note : For a good onion gravy, I prefer to finely slice three onions, sweat them down with a 50gm butter, sprinkle in 50gm of flour and then slowly add sufficient stock (strong and beefy) and simmer for 15 minutes. If need be add a spoonful or two of bovril to enhance the flavour. 

next week - mum's liver and onions ....... 

chapter XXV - mamon wellman cooks 03

cauliflower cheese

For years, I would often refer to a female student as mon petite choux fleur. Then one she decided one day to Google it and of course realised I was calling her "my little cauliflower", she half heartedly protested the next day, but insisted I did not stop!

A recent addition (15th century) to our diets, the humble cauliflower, that beauty of the cabbage family was a popular item in the Wellman household. In French it is known as 'choux fleur' (cabbage flower) and it is from this choux pastry gets its name, as the chef that created profiteroles thought they looked like tight head cabbages or cauliflowers.

Chefs of late seemed to have re-discovered what a wonder cauliflowers are, rather than just as neat under or overcooked florets, they now slice it paper thin and serve it raw, or there is the current fad of making a creamy puree with it and serving it with scallops. My mother was waaaaaaay ahead of them and often cooked and served it as a puree with our Sunday roast. Although my mother's version also included the green outer leaves, that gave it bejewelled look.

But hearing that we had cauliflower cheese for tea (dinner) was always welcome sound. Mind you we probably didn't need to be told as that familiar aroma permeated, nay, invaded the air. It was a dish that my mother adored all her life, and was one of the last dishes I ever cooked for her; although, she was very ill and did only eat a few mouthfuls, served as always, as she liked it, with thick slices of bread and butter

recipe - cauliflower cheese a la mamon

001 pc  cauliflower

050 gm  flour

750 ml   milk

002 cup grated cheddar 

recipe - method

Place a large pot of salted water onto boil and pre-heat the oven to 180C. Remove any green outer leaves and any thick core from the cauliflower, break or cut into florets. Place into the rapidly boiling water and simmer until softened, remove from heat and drain in a colander. 

Mix the flour with some of the milk, and heat the remaining milk. Add the flour and milk mix, and stir over a medium heat until thickened sauce is achieved. Cook gently for five minutes and then beat in 2/3's of the cheese (a good mature cheddar is best). Taste and season with salt and pepper

Place the cauliflower into a lightly buttered shallow dish, pour over the cheese sauce. Sprinkle with the remaining grated cheese and bake for approx 30 minutes until bubbling and a lovely golden brown. 

                                                                                                                                           

recipe - cheffie's cauliflower cheese

001 pc  cauliflower

060 gm  butter

050 gm  flour

750 ml   milk

002 cup grated cheddar 
001 cup cream cheese
002 tbs  creme fraiche
002 tbs  chopped chives or parsley
              breadcrumbs

recipe - method

Place a large pot of salted water onto boil and pre-heat the oven to 180C. 

Remove any green outer leaves and any thick core from the cauliflower, break or cut into florets. Place into the rapidly boiling water and simmer until softened, remove from heat and drain in a colander, allow to drain well and steam dry. 

Melt the butter over a low to medium heat and add the flour, combine with a wooden spoon and allow to cook gently for 5 minutes, stirring almost constantly so there is no browning. Gradually add the milk, add in small amounts and stir or beat to combine until a smooth, glossy sauce is achieved. Cook gently for five minutes and then beat in 2/3's of the cheese (a good mature cheddar is best) and the cream cheese. Taste and season with salt, pepper and freshly grated nutmeg. Beat in the creme fraiche and chopped herb. 

Place the well drained and dried cauliflower into a lightly buttered shallow dish, pour over the cheese sauce. Sprinkle with the remaining grated cheese and bake for approx 30 minutes until bubbling and a lovely golden brown. 

next week - mum's stew and dumplings .......