Recipe Vintage

The Recipe Vintage Newsletter

2012-01-22T12:59:00.001-08:00

Wimbledon Cake - 1950's

2012-01-22T11:21:00.000-08:00

Here is one for cake lovers who have just discovered that the milk has gone off. It is from Farmhouse Fare, so its a bit short on description but it sounds awesome.

1lb flour
1/2 lb butter
1/2 lb sugar
1/2 lb currants
2 ozs chopped candied peel
1 teaspoonful mixed spice
1/2 pint sour milk
1 teaspoonful bicarbonate of soda
1 tablespoonful of syrup

1. Rub the butter into the flour then add sugar, currants, peel, and spice.
2. Warm the syrup and stir it into the milk, now add the soda and mix altogether.
3. Pour into a greased tin in a moderate oven for 1 1/2 hours.

Southern Casserole - 1960's

2012-01-19T14:52:00.000-08:00

This is one of Marguerite Patten's classics from 500 Recipes for Suppers and Snacks. A really hearty sixties meal with a lot of easy-to-obtain ingredients.
It is a little odd, with processed cheese consisting as one of the main ingredients. Most probably something to stay away from if you don't like cheese.

8 small cocktail sausages
3 oz elbow spaghetti
1 creamed corn on the cob
1 oz butter
seasoning
6 - 8 oz of processed cheese

1. Grill fry or bake the sausages. Keep hot until needed later.
2. Cook the spaghetti until tender.
3. Strain and mix with the creamed corn on the cob and the butter
4. Season well/
5. Put a layer at the bottom of a casserole, cover with a layer of processed cheese, then a layer of corn on the cob mixture.
6. Top with a thick layer of cheese.
7. Cook for 15 minutes in a moderately hot oven, (400F - 425F, GM 5-6) until cheese melts.
8. Arrange sausages on top.

Aristocrat Sparkling Punch - 1950's

2012-01-17T09:57:00.000-08:00

So last night, I sat down to write up this recipe in to my steaming blog-pot of recipes and felt that engulfing feeling of numbness overcome me completely. So tonight, with a bit more energy I bring you a 1950's dinner party favourite.
I have neglected cocktails on this blog because they're not edible, but when I started this blog I had themed parties in the back of my mind. So here is a little party favourite to think about for the weekend, and yes I know it is only Tuesday but let us look ahead.

1 bottle of burgandy
4 ounces brandy
1 quart sparkling water
2 bottles of champagne
1 cup cube sugar

1. Dissolve sugar in a cup of sparking water and pour into punch bowl.
2. Add burgandy and brandy, stirring well. Place a block of ice in the bowl and add champagne and the balance of sparkling water.
3. Garnish the top of iceblock with strawberries or raspberries, or other fruit in season and float thin slices of two oranges on top of punch.

Beef Bake with Beer - 1980's

2012-01-15T03:49:00.000-08:00

If you're in Exeter next week on the 21st January, the local CAMRA is holding their Winter Ales festival at the Exeter City Football ground in St James Park. In tribute to this occasion, here is another beer related meal that can be experimented with and played around with.

15g Margarine
450g minced beef
1 x 225g packet of frozen mixed vegetables
200ml beef stock
300ml real ale
100g mushrooms, chopped
salt
freshly ground black pepper

Topping:
2 tomatoes, skinned and sliced
salt
freshly ground black pepper
450g thinly sliced potatoes
50g margarine
300ml plain yoghurt
1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
50g grated cheese

1. Melt the marge in a saucepan and saute the meat for 5 to 10 minutes until browned.
2. Add the mixed vegetables, stock, real ale, and mushrooms. Add salt and pepper to taste and then simmer for 30 minutes.
3. Turn into an ovenproof dish and arrange the tomatoes on top.
4. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
5. Fry the potatoes in the marge until softened and arrange over the tomatoes. Combine the yoghurt and nutmeg and pour over the potatoes.
6. Sprinkle with cheese and bake in a preheated moderately hot oven (200C) for 25 to 30 minutes until top is browned.

Kofta Curry - 1980's

2012-01-15T02:34:00.000-08:00

Here is a classic from the darker period of culinary creation, yet surprisingly nice as a concept.

225g mincd lamb
1 small onion finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon of garam masala
salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 beaten egg
oil for frying
1 283g of curry sauce
a few mint leaves roughly chopped to garnish

1. Mix the meat, onion, garlic, spices and salt and pepper.
2. Add the beaten egg and mix well.
3. Shape in to 8 to 10 meatballs and fry in hot oil in a shallow pan on all sides until evenly browned.
4. Drain well, and then in a large saucepan, heat the curry sauce and add the meatballs, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
Serve garnished with chopped mince.

Fig Parkin Gingerbread - 1950's

2012-01-15T02:08:00.000-08:00

Figs are nice but not common. If you can get your hands on some, then here is a little recipe that'd make a nice tea accompaniment or a quick fix for gingerbread-heads.

6 ozs. self raising flour
2 ozs. margarine
2 ozs. oatmeal
1 oz. sugar
4 ozs. figs
1 egg
1 teaspoonful of ground ginger
2 tablespoonfuls of syrup
Pinch of salt
little milk

1. Sift flour and salt into a bowl. Rub in the marge, add sugar, ginger, oatmeal and chopped figs.
2. Melt syrup and add with beaten egg and milk to make a soft dropping consistency.
3. Turn into greased and lined tin and bake in a moderately hot oven for about 1.5 hours.

Treacle Scones - 1930's

2012-01-14T02:24:00.000-08:00

This comes from Farmhouse Fare, a book first published in 1935 and revised over the years. I have the 1971 edition which contains lots of great recipes from over the years. Some of these are older than the thirties, but for the sake of cataloging I am sticking to the date of first publication.
The ease of this dish would make a great little starter for beginners, or something quick to whip up at the last minute. Again, with many of these recipes, timings are not exact and one has to use ones own instinct when it comes to how quickly they will take to cook. This recipe also calls for a vintage ingredient, Cream of Tartar. It is still available from supermarkets or online. If you don't have it to hand, then white vinegar will be a good substitute.

8 oz Flour
1 oz sugar
1 oz treacle
1 oz margarine
1 teaspoonful of cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoonful of bicarbonate of soda
Buttermilk or ordinary milk

1. Rub the margarine into the flour, add the sugar, cream of tartar and soda and mix to a rather soft dough with the treacle which has been been dissolved in half a cupful of buttermilk.

2. Turn out on to a lightly floured board, stamp quickly into rounds and bake in a fairly hot oven.

Ratafia Cream (1851)

2012-01-12T14:21:00.000-08:00

I need to explain a few things with this recipe. First of Ratafia is a type of liqueur or cordial flavoured with lemon peel, herbs in various amounts (nutmeg, cinnamon,clove, mint, rosemary, anise, etc.). Thanks Wikipedia.

It is a classic recipe that appeared even in a 1789 cookery book entitled Cookery and Pastry by Mrs MacIver that you can access on Google books. I have embedded the book below so you can see what other fantastic recipes exist. It even has a search function! This little drink would make excellent party appetisers or even a pudding course, depending on how thickly it turns out.

But this seems to be the non-alcoholic version. By 1851 it had morphed into a concoction using Brandy and Ratafia, but if you don't have Ratafia to hand, then a good malt whiskey should do nicely.
The recipe calls for heating the mixture over boiling water, so in a similiar way that you would make a chocolate sauce with a bowl in a large saucepan.

1. Gradually stir two glasses of Brandy in to a quart of cream. Heat over boiling water stirring constantly, until hot but not boiling.
2. Then gradually stir into 4 or 5 well-beaten egg yolks. Return to the top of double-boiler and stir over hot water until thickened but do not allow to boil.
3. Flavour the taste with Ratafia or Noyeau (generic word for liqueur). Add the strained juice of a lemon or a Seville orange can be stirred in as well before reheating.

Serve in glasses after chilling.

Green Pea Cakes - 1950's

2012-01-12T13:34:00.000-08:00

This recipe might be a lot older than 1950s. It sounds delicious, and is an old Scottish recipe. It involves pushing pease through a sieve, so make sure its a metal one.

The recipe comes from a book called The Scottish Cookery Book, by Elizabeth Craig. Nowhere does it say to make them in to patties. Do you cook it all in one or in small bits? What shape?
Again a really nice recipe but let down by a badly written methodology. I would recommend cooking them in patties, it'll help cook even all the way through.

2 cups cooked dried peas
1 teaspoon butter
salt and pepper to taste
2 well-beaten eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 lb flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1. Rub peas while hot through a sieve. Mix with the butter, salt pepper and eggs.
2. Beat well, stir in the flour sifted with baking powder.
3. Fry in rounds dropped from a jug into a frying pan containing enough hot fat to cover bottom of pan till bubbles form on top, then turn and fry on other side. Serve with fried sausages for breakfast.

Egg and Bacon Flan - 1960's

2012-01-12T12:51:00.000-08:00

This is one for beginners. It makes a really nice alternative breakfast or a quick fix for a baking urge. making shortcrust pastry is pretty easy and it gets even easier when you buy pre-made, pre-rolled stuff.
So have a go at this classic recipe, it isn't a 'typical' sixties recipe as it still lives in today. Flans are not exactly in fashion at the moment, but they're still pretty popular.

5 - 6 oz short crust pastry
4 - 6 oz bacon, diced.
3 to 4 eggs.
seasoning.

1. Line the flan tin with pastry and bake for about 10 minutes to set, but not cook, the pastry.
2. Fry the diced bacon until just crisp.
3. Add this to the well-beaten and seasoned eggs.
4. Pour the mixture into the flan case.
5. Set a further 25 minutes in a moderately hot oven.

Salmon Patties with Mushroom Sauce - 1960's

2012-01-10T13:47:00.000-08:00

Salmon and mushrooms? The combination isn't unheard of but here is a recipe that is worth a thought. If you do buy cans of Salmon make sure if you can, that it is responsibly fished.

1 8oz can of Salmon
8oz cooked mashed potato
1 can of condensed cream of mushroom soup
2 teaspoons of lemon juice
1 dessertspoon parsley
(finely chopped)
salt and pepper

To coat:
1 egg beaten
browned crumbs

1. Flake fish and mix with mashed potato. Stir in half a can of soup, lemon juice, parsley and seasoning.
2. Leave to stand for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Divide mixture in to eight, shape in to round patties, brush with egg and coat in browned crumbs.
3. Fry in hot fat until golden brown on both sides.

For the sauce put the remaining soup in a small pan, add 2 tablespoons of milk and seasoning and beat well. Heat gently and serve with patties.

Keith Floyd's Pork Chops in Beer - 1980's

2012-01-09T14:26:00.000-08:00

Stuck on what to have tomorrow night? This classic from Keith Floyd is very simple if you have the right ingredients (obviously).

4 pork chops
Salt and Pepper
1 oz (25g) lard or dripping
1 pint (600ml) beer
1 oz (25g) capers, drained
2 egg yolks
pinch of nutmeg
lemon slices and parsley to garnish

1. Season the chops with salt and pepper. Fry quickly in hot lard in a frying pan to seal in the juices (or you can trim the excess fat from he chops, melt it down and use that).

2. Drain off fat and reserve. Add most of the beer and more seasoning to the chops and simmer gently for 30 to 45 minutes until they are tender

3. Remove the chops from the pan, place and a warm serving dish and keep warm.

4. Pour the hot cooking liquid into a basin, add the capers, egg yolks and nutmeg. Beat thoroughly, adding a little of the drained-off fat.

5. Return the sauce to the pan and stir until it thickens, but do not boil; then add a couple of dashes of beer to bring back the flavour. Pour over chops and garnish with lemon and parsley.

Recipe Mutiny: Bacardi Rum Chocolate Cake

2012-01-09T14:00:00.000-08:00

Recipe Mutiny: Bacardi Rum Chocolate Cake: I promised myself that the first recipe on this website would be a Chocolate Cake recipe. So here it is. Fresh from the darker parts of th...

Recipe Mutiny: Baileys Irish Cream Truffles

2012-01-09T13:59:00.000-08:00

Recipe Mutiny: Baileys Irish Cream Truffles: This is a quick and naughty recipe that would be ideal for a party. No bake, fridge truffles with Baileys in? Yes please. 12 oz Semi-s...

Extra Rich Vanilla Fudge - 1960's

2012-01-09T09:32:00.000-08:00

This isn't a vintage recipe exactly. Making fudge isn't necessarily something that ONLY happened in the 1960's, but given the nights are long and the wind is cold I want to inspire you to make home-made sweets stuff.

I am also launching a another food blog dedicated to junk food, fast food and unhealthy fatty things, treats etc. I will post up the URL somewhere obvious here on this blog when it becomes something worth visiting. This recipe for Extra Rich Vanillia Fudge will be included on that blog at some point.

So, how do you make Extra Rich Vanilla Fudge?

1lb granulated sugar
half a pint of cream
2 oz butter
3 tablespoons water
half a pint of milk
1 - 2 teaspoons vanilla essence (or a vanilla pod).

1. Put all ingredients, including the vanilla eessence or the cut vanilla pod into a strong saucepan. This is very important because of the high cream content.
2. Stir until sugar is thoroughly dissolved.
3.Boil steadily, stirring quite frequently, until the mixture reaches the 'soft ball' stage. This fudge is nicer if its a bit soft so do not let it exceed 238F (digital thermometer would be handy here, or just use your instinct). Take out the pod, rinse under cold water and store in a jar of sugar.
4. Beat until slightly cloudy, pour into a well oiled or buttered tin.
5. Allow to set and cut in to squares.

Peanut Butter Toffee - 1960's

2012-01-08T15:20:00.000-08:00

This is one of those 'I-would-love-to-try-this-recipe-if-I-had-a-metabolism-higher-than-Everest' recipes. It is a complete treat, one of those things that you just have to try to say that you've done it.

Once you've made your Toffee, storing it might be an issue, so make sure you have plenty of wax paper or try individually wrapping them. Personally I would let it set in a slab or try and pour it in to a slab mould of some sort.

1lb sugar, preferably Demerara
3oz peanut butter
1/3 pint of water
1 1/2 oz of butter
2 level teaspoons of golden syrup
1 teaspoon vinegar

1. Put all the ingredients into a strong saucepan and stir over a steady heat until the sugar has dissolved.
2. Bring to the boil and cook until the mixture reaches the 'hard crack' stage 290F.
3. Drop in teaspoonfuls on to a buttered or oiled tin and either allow to set as a slap or mark in to squares as the toffee becomes partially set. Then cut or break when completely set.

Lemon Layer Cake - 1930's

2012-01-08T03:08:00.000-08:00

Throughout my research and discovery of vintage classic recipes, I have found quite a few badly written recipes. I have avoided them as they are harder for my readers to work out, and they are not overly helpful. They assume you know a lot about the cooking process, so they seem to be less a recipe as such, moreso a quick reminder for someone that has done them countless times before.
I am sticking my neck out with this one, as the recipe is short and it has a lot of 'cupfuls' which I often find off putting. I would love to know if someone has made lemon cheese before and what it tastes like, it sounds more like icing that cheese to be honest.

2 1/4 quarter cupfuls sifted flour
1 egg
1 cupful of milk
1/4 cupful of melted butter
4 teaspoonfuls of baking power
3/4 cupful caster sugar
1/2 teaspoonful of salt
1 teaspoonful vanilla essence
lemon cheese. (recipe for lemon cheese can be found here)

1. Add the sugar to the well beaten-egg, then stir in alternately the milk and flour sifted with the baking powder and salt.
2. Add the melted butter and vanilla, beating well.
3. Bake in two buttered layer cake tins in a moderately quick oven for about half an hour until quite firm and light.
4. When cold, put layers together with lemon cheese.

Crave of the Day

2012-01-07T04:06:00.001-08:00

http://www.etsy.com/listing/82603192/vintage-1950s-cookbook-culinary-arts

This has to be my crave of the day.

Mushroom Soup - 1930's

2012-01-06T11:13:00.000-08:00

Don't eat these mushrooms, buy them from a shop.

Its cold outside, the perfect soup weather. Mushrooms have an earthy savory flavour that is perfect in a soup, and added with onion and scattered with some lovely crispy croutons, you're on to a satisfying vintage recipe your grandmother would have loved, assuming she liked mushrooms.
We now have pre-made croutons available to us, so a quick fix is available. But in my opinion you cannot beat home made croutons.

2 pints of white stock
1lb mushrooms
2 eggs
1 Spanish onion
1 dessertspoonful of flour
A little milk
A little cream
salt and pepper
Croutons of fried bread.

1. Wash the mushrooms and chop them up. Chop up the onion finely then bring the stock to the boil.
2. Add the mushroom and onion then boil for half an hour.
3. Pass all through a tammy or a fine hair sieve. Add a dessertspoonful of flour mixed into a smooth paste with a little milk and salt and pepper to taste.
4. Boil up again, and just before serving remove teh soup from the fire and add the yolks of two eggs beaten up in a little cream. Do not let the soup boil after adding the eggs, just enough to thicken the soup.
Serve with croutons.

Roast Pigeons - 1930's

2012-01-05T14:47:00.000-08:00

You have to hand it to our previous generation, they really knew how to live off the land. This recipe is probably a lot older than the 1930's but as it is from a cookbook of that period it is being cataloged as such. The assumption made here is that the cook knows how to pluck and gut a pigeon, if you're not entirely au-fais with it then buy one from a butcher.

This recipe is a challange as it requires the pigeon to be continually basted in butter.

3 pigeons
3 slices of fat bacon
3 oz. butter
Pepper and Salt
3 slices of buttered sauce
Garnish of fried parsley

1. Singe and draw three pigeons. Put about three-quarters of an ounce of butter inside each pigeon and season them with pepper and salt.
2. Truss them for roasting with a slice of fat bacon tied over the breast of each.
3. Toast the slice of bread, butter them, and stand one pigeon on each. Roast them, in front of a brisk fire or in a gas oven, for 20 minutes, basting them continually with butter.
4. When pigeons are cooked, remove the strings and the bacon, or, if liked, the bacon can be left on the breasts. Place the pigeons and toasts on a hot dish and garnish with bunches of fried parsley.

Video Recipe: Parsnip Pudding - 1920's

2012-01-04T14:05:00.000-08:00

So I want to mix it up a bit. This is a recipe from the 1920's, courtesy of TheVintageKitchen on Youtube. It shouldn't be such a suprise but I found that there are, in fact, tons of high quality videos showing you step-by-step how to make some delicious vintage recipes.

TheVintageKitchen is just one of these channels. Thanks to this recipe, I am now tempted to overcome my hatred of parsnip!

Sea Kale with Melted Butter Sauce - 1930's

2012-01-04T13:57:00.000-08:00

There is a recipe for this on the BBC website that one of the Master Chef programmes, but the principles don't appear to have changed much. Despite its name it is not Sea Weed and shouldn't be muddled up with Sea Kelp.

Sea Kale isn't the first thing that comes to mind, but it goes really nicely with melted butter much the same way that melted butter goes with toast. This dish would be perfect as an a partner with meat or even just on its own as a nutricious vegetarian meal. Replace the butter with dairy free butter for a vegan alternative.

Quarter of a pound of Butter
1 oz flour
Half a teaspoon lemon juice
Salt and White Pepper
Three quarters of a pint of water

1. Wash and rinse the sea kale thoroughly to remove the grit. Cut away any brown or discolored parts.
2. Tie the heads up into small bundles with tape and put them into a basin of cold water until wanted.
3. Have a saucepan of boiling salted water, sufficient to cover the Sea Kale well, and put two table spoonfuls of vinegar into the water.
4. Put in the Sea Kale, and boil until it is quite tender-this will take about 20 minutes. Lift out the bundles into a strainer, drain well, and remove the tapes.
5. Lay the Sea Kale in a hot vegetable dish and pour the following sauce over.

The Sauce

1/4 lb butter
1 oz, flour
1/2 teaspoonful Lemon Juice
Salt and White Pepper
1/4 pint water.

1. Melt half the butter in a saucepan, add flour and mix with a wooden spoon. until quite smooth.
2. Add bit by bit, three quarters of a pint of boiling water, stirring all the time.
3. Cook the sauce for a few minutes then add lemon juice.
4. Season to taste with salt and white pepper. Finally, add the remainder of the butter in small pieces. Pour the sauce over the Sea Kale and serve.

Marguerite Patten's Mushroom Fingers - 1970's

2012-01-04T12:43:00.000-08:00

This is essentially Mushroom on Toast. So, Fungi Bruschetta for the posh amongst us.

8 oz. mushroom
Third of a pint of milk
1 oz flour
1 oz butter
Seasoning
Dash of Worcester Sauce
Little parsley chopped
4 slices of buttered toast

1. Wash and chop mushroom caps and stalks coarsely.
2. Simmer in the milk until tender.
3. Blend flour and butter together and work into mushroom mixture gradually.
4. Cook gently for some little time until smooth.
5. Season well, add sauce and parsley.
6. Spread on toast and divide into fingers.

Marguerite Patten's Stuffed Peppers - 1970's

2012-01-04T12:27:00.000-08:00

This is most probably the simplest and healthiest dish that I can make without a recipe book near me. Here Marguerite Patten gives us a quick simple recipe for this classic dish which I personally reckon was more sixties? Regardless, Ms Patten gives us some alternatives with Cheese or minced meat instead of rice at the end of recipe, but I'll leave that up to you. A neat little recipe which can be adjusted and modified easily.

4 green peppers
2 onions
3 tomatoes
2 oz margarine
3 oz cooked rice
seasoning (salt and pepper?)
little parsley chopped

1. Halve the peppers lenthwise and remove seeds and hard centre
2. Out into boiling salted water and cook for about 5 minutes early.
3. Take out and drain.
4. Meanwhile fry the chopped onions and tomatoes int he margarine, add to the rice, season well and put into the centre of the peppers.
5. Cover with greased paper , put into a well greased dish and bake in teh centre of a moderate oven (375F - Gas Mark 6). Sprinkle with Parsley.