Meat - Retro Food For Modern Times

Category: Meat

21
Feb
2021

Crumbed Lamb Cutlets

categories: 1980's Food, Comfort Food, Lamb

So, we went back into our third lockdown this week. Albeit for only five days. But the news sent me into a spiral of gloom. So I was deep in need of comfort food. What I am trying to say is that sometimes you just need some crumbed lamb cutlets!

Outside of vegemite, a meat pie and maybe a lamington, a crumbed lamb cutlet is about the most Australian food you can get. I served mine with a fresh tomato sauce and some buttered zoodles. Exactly as per the serving suggestion in the Autumn 1986 issue of the Vogue Australia Entertaining Guide from when the recipe came. Here they are in all their 1986 glory!

Normally this mag (which doesn’t exist anymore) is quite high falutin’ so I was quite surprised to find something quite as downhome as a crumbed lamb cutlet within its pages. Having said that, their cutlets had those little chefs hat looking covers so I guess they did try to posh them up a bit!

Everything about the cutlets was perfection! I cooked them for around 2.5 minutes each side – the result? A crispy golden outside and a delightfully tender inside.

However, the zucchini was bland and the fresh tomato sauce was not great. So both sides were a fail. I would think that pairing the crumbed lamb cutlets with either minted yoghurt or beetroot chutney might be better options.

Crumbed Lamb Cutlets – The Recipe

Here’s the recipe for all three in case you want to make the full recipe as per 1986. And, the best way to eat these? Pick them up by the bony end and go for your life!

I know some of you find it hard to source lamb. You could use the crumb mix on flattened pieces of chicken or veal (as if you were making schnitzel). You would not get the fun “lollipop” element of a lamb cutlet but you will still get the lovely crispy comforting crumb crust!

I hope you are all doing well, where ever and whatever state of lock down or not you are in!

22
Dec
2020

Salami on a Sushi Platter?

categories: 1970's food, 1970's recipes, Fish, Good Housekeeping World Cookery, Japan, Rice, Salami, World Cooking

Kon’nichiwa friends! Today we are making Sushi but not any old sushi. Today, I am using the recipe for O’Sushi contained in the Japanese chapter of Good Housekeeping’s World Cookery (1972). It’s mostly sushi as we know it with one notable exception. Yes, that is salami in the middle of the plate!

For this recipe, I wanted to put myself into the shoes of a housewife from 1972 who had never tasted or seen sushi before. So, for the purposes of this post, this is me, using my new-fangled microwave to zip up some delightful treats for the kids.

And later tonight when they are in bed I am going to make some fancy pants Japanese food for date night with the hubby because we like walking on the wild side. Just look at the massive pocket on my denim overalls dress. If that doesn’t scream living on the edge, I don’t know what does. Except for maybe my cork platform sandals.

O-Sushi The Recipe.

Boil some rice in the usual fashion. Prepare a sauce of vinegar, sugar and salt whilst it is cooking, using 2 tsps sugar to 1 tbsp vinegar.

How much salt Good Housekeeping? And what do you mean boil rice in the usual fashion? I’ve never boiled rice in my life. Good lord, step one and already I need to phone a friend?

Sheila? I’m making the sushi…su….shi…It’s Japanese. Only I don’t know how to boil rice or how much salt to add to the sauce? What do you mean my hair, face, clothes and kitchen seem different? I’m not interested in continuity I’m interested in salt and getting laid tonight! This is date night sushi Sheila so quit with the comments and help me with the rice…oh…ok…thanks.

The rice should be dried and cooled quickly and the juice is shaken over it whilst it cools.

WTF? Where am I supposed to get juice from? Oh…the vinegar sauce is the juice? Why did they suddenly decide to call it juice? And how quickly does this rice need to be dried and cooled? Maybe I’ll just pop it in the fridge and shake the juice / sauce over it from there? Will that work?

Ok, next step.

Form the rice into small flat rolls or cakes and garnish with any of the following: Boiled prawns

Smoked Salmon

Raw Fish

Tinned fish; Anchovy fillets; ham or any other cold meat thinly sliced;

A thin omelette seasoned with salt and sugar, edible seaweed, or any salad vegetable

Place the garnish on top of or around the rice cakes. Alternatively, cylindrical cakes can be made with a filling in the centre and and thin layer of egg, seaweed, etc around the outside.

Well, mercy sakes alive, it looks like I’ve just made proper some Japanese O’Sushi….I really hope hubby likes it!

The Following Day – The Sushi Wrap Up

Hello Sheila? I”m just calling to fill you in on date night last night. Yes, it went very well. The food was all very tasty but we both agree. Raw fish will never really catch on here…it’s just too out there for most people! The salami sushi though? That was the bomb! I can see people lining up in the streets for some of that! …. The sex? No, nothing, I caught a cold from standing in front of the open fridge for and hours and shaking juice on the rice and had to go to bed early.

Have a great week!

PS – For a real insight into the art of making sushi, watch Jiro Dreams of Sushi.

23
Nov
2020

Castilian Leg of Lamb- Dining with The Dame 7

categories: Dining With The Dame, Lamb, Poirot

Hello crime readers and food lovers! Today we are dining on a Castilian leg of lamb as we uncover the evil machinations of a shady group of evildoers known as The Big Four. This is certainly not my favourite of the books I have read so far as the plot seemed a little silly in parts. However one of the early stories significantly involves a leg of lamb This seemed like a great excuse for a roast dinner and the meal did not disappoint!

The Big Four- The Plot

This novel pits Hercule Poirot against four evil genius’ bent on world domination – they are an American – the richest man in the world, a female French scientist, the Chinese leader of the group – a criminal genius and “the Destroyer” the group’s assassin who is also a master of disguise and (wait for it) a British actor.

We have:

Sinister cabals
Poisoned curries
Poisoned grandmasters
Hijinks on trains
Stolen radium
Secret lairs under mountains
Twin brothers
Telltale tics
And, course Hercule Poirot (or is it twin brother Achilles?) using his little grey cells to thwart the villains and their evil plans.

The Covers

Given that we are talking about the Big Four – I’m showing four covers today. The third from the left is the one I read but I am rather taken by all the others.

The Recipe – Castilian Leg of Lamb

The recipe comes from the wonderful Keith Floyd and his journey through Spain – not in the search of arch criminals but in search of some damn fine nosh!

You can find the recipe here. You can also watch the entire series of Keith Floyd’s adventures in Spain on YouTube. Floyd is so engaging it is well worth investing the time.

In his hand he was brandishing a leg of mutton! “My dear Poirot!” I cried “What is the matter? Have you suddenly gone mad?”

“Regard, I pray you , this mutton. But regard it closely!”

I regarded it as closely as I could but could see nothing unusual about it. It seemed to me to be a very ordinary leg of mutton.”

Agatha Christie, The Big Four

Other Food Mentioned in The Big Four

Have a wonderful week! Next book in the list is The Mystery of the Blue Train from 1928.

15
Oct
2020

Asparagus and Bacon Tartlets

categories: 1970's food, Asparagus, Bacon, Pie

I’m not exactly sure where this recipe for Asparagus and Bacon Tartlets came from. It has obviously been clipped from a magazine and sticky taped to a piece of paper. But when? And by whom? It has been floating around in my collection of “Recipes to Cook” for as long as I can remember.

The recipe gives both imperial and metric measurements which would indicate it comes from some time after 1970 which is when Australia went metric but not too far after because people still understood imperial measures. So it likely was not me who clipped it but whether it was my mum or my nana or a complete stranger I do not know!

Well, whoever clipped it so it could fall into my hands deserves a round of applause because I thought these were really delicious. Emphasis on the” I” there. The fussiest eater in the world was not convinced. “What’s in these? It is cream? It’s not like the usual quiche you make.”

“I used cream cheese”

“It’s too much”

“Well…you did eat six of them….”

Both sides make a fair point here. The Asparagus and Bacon Tartlets are richer than a normal quiche, primarily due to the cream cheese filling. But you also don’t have to eat half a dozen of them in one sitting.

I made these twice recently which is something I rarely do with recipes for the blog. Usually, I make something, eat it, blog it and move on. However, the first time I made the tartlets I used fresh asparagus. I was going to post that version. But it felt like cheating. Of course a fresh asparagus and bacon tart was going to be amazing. It’s asparagus! And bacon! And for those of us who like a little bit of rich – cream cheese!. Would these taste as good using tinned asparagus?

They weren’t quite as good as the fresh version but they were still really good. And I am not being an asparagus snob here. I grew up on tinned asparagus. My nana’s asparagus rolls which only ever used tinned asparagus are one of my top ten things to eat ever! The only reason I have not posted that recipe here is that I honestly think I could not do nana’s memory justice as my version would never live up to hers!

Anyway…that’s given me some food for thought…maybe I will post that recipe one day. But as for the Asparagus and Bacon Tartlets? They’re really good. And if you find them too rich? Stop at four, or two or one.

These also reheat up well and I thought they were also quite nice to eat cold.

They are also perfect fare for a socially distanced picnic in the park!

The Recipe

Have a wonderful week!

08
Aug
2020

A Rosemary’s Baby Collab – Satan and Silver Screens

categories: Celebrity Recipes, Cocktail, Cook A Long, Film, Meat, Tomatoes, Vodka, Yogurt

Mr. Castevet came in, holding in both hands a small tray on which four cocktail glasses ran over with clear pink liquid. “Mr. Woodhouse? A Vodka Blush. Have you ever tasted one? They’re very popular in Australia,” Mr. Castevet said. He took the final glass and raised it to Rosemary and Guy. “To our guests,” he said. “Welcome to our home.”

The Vodka Blushes were tart and very good.

The above quote comes from the novel of Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin. Roman Polanski turned the novel into a classic horror film of the same name in 1968. Here’s me joining in the toast with Rosemary, Guy and their neighbours, The Castavets. Unfortunately, due to lockdown rules, I can’t welcome anyone into my home at the moment. But I can toast absent friends. So when I raised my glass, not only was it to join in the fun of the movie, but also to Jenny of Silver Screen Suppers because, despite being many miles apart we are doing a recipe collab around Rosemary’s Baby!

Opening Credits – The Vodka Blush

The film opens with an unseen woman singing what sounds like a creepy lullaby over city street noise and these gorgeous hot pink credits! Believe me when I say that there is barely a second of this film that has not been poured over by film critic and fan alike – even the credits have been their own article!

I chose to begin my Collab with the paler pink of a vodka blush and utterly agree with the phrase that they were tart and very good! Sweet / sour is one of my favourite flavour profiles so the Vodka Blush suited my tastes perfectly! And it was so pretty as well. I added a little sprig of Rosemary to mine for obvious reasons!

You can find the recipe for a vodka blush here. It is really easy to make – just three ingredients!

Act Two – Rosemary’s Baby Plot And Mia Farrow’s Yoghurt Gazpacho

Rosemary’s Baby centres around a young couple, Rosemary and Guy Woodhouse (played by John Cassavetes and Mia Farrow) who we initially meet searching for a new apartment in New York. They decide to rent an apartment in the Bramford building despite it having a dark past. They move in and Rosemary sets about decorating the apartment. (For an in-depth description of the inside of the apartment, click here).

Guy and Rosemary meet their neighbours, an older couple, The Castevet’s who invite them round for dinner and vodka blushes. Despite being initially reluctant to go, Guy hits it off with Roman Castevets and starts spending more time with him. Rosemary has no such feelings about Minnie Castevets and even though you can tell she is too polite to say so, is annoyed when Minnie and friend pop over unannounced. Minnie gives Rosemary Terry’s pendant, a supposed good luck charm containing a stinky substance called “tannis root”.

Guy who had been up until then a bit part actor lands a leading role when the man who was going have the lead goes blind. Buoyed by his good fortune Guy and Rosemary go full steam ahead with their plans to start a family. On the night Rosemary is ovulating, the couple are having a romantic dinner when Minnie brings over some “Chocolate mouse”. Rosemary eats very little of it but almost immediately starts to feel very ill and passes out.

During this time she has a “dream” in which she is a raped by a demon while Guy, the Castevets and their friends watch on. She wakes up covered in scratches. Guy laughs off her concern saying he didn’t want to miss out on baby-making night (this scene is so gross and really cements out view of Guy as a self-centred narcissist not to mention rapist!).

Shortly thereafter Rosemary discovers she is pregnant and here her nightmare begins. Her pregnancy is not easy – she is losing weight and in constant pain. Rosemary then comes to believe that the building is the home to a coven of witches lead by Roman Castevets. She becomes increasingly suspicious of Guy wondering if he is also in league with them.

Rosemary tries to run away but Guy and Doctor Sappirstein track her down. They return to the apartment and she goes into labour. When she awakes she is told that the baby was stillborn. However, over the following days she starts to hear a baby crying in the Casavet’s apartment. She picks up a knife and sneaks into the apartment to find Guy, the Castevets and other members of the coven gathered around a bassinet over which hangs an inverted cross. Guy confesses that in return for fame he gave the child to Satan who is, in fact, the baby’s father.

Through all of this Mia Farrow as Rosemary is luminous. She is so beautiful (even when she is meant to be looking gaunt and ill) and her clothing throughout is pitch-perfect! More on the clothes can be found here.

Also pitch-perfect is the recipe Jenny sent me for Mia Farrow’s yoghurt gazpacho! I adore Gazpacho but had never tried one with yoghurt before. It was delicious. So refreshing and would be perfect for a hot summer’s day. The gazpacho is so tasty and the yoghurt so soothing that I made it again a few days later when I had a stomach ache! Confession – I ate so much of the gazpacho I could barely eat the second course! But that just meant more leftovers. Also, the recipe calls for parsley which I added for the OG version. The second time I made it, I only had basil so I added that instead. It changed the flavour but was also delicious!

The Final Act – John Cassavetes Minted Meatballs and Spooky Tales about Rosemary Baby

Jenny also sent me the recipe for John Cassavetes Minted Meatballs. Before we get to them, you cannot believe the problems I have had writing Cassavetes and Castevets in the same post. I don’t think I have written it correctly ONCE.

I was quite prepared to hate these meatballs based solely on the fact that John Cassavetes character in Rosemary Baby’s is such a tremendous arsehole. I’ll hand it to him though. The meatballs were good. I ate mine on cheesy bread. I had filled myself up on three glasses of the gazpacho by the time I got to the meatballs so I only ate two on the night but they heated up really well for lunch during the week.

The mint was really tasty in these. I am thinking that the next time I make these, I will use lamb instead of beef because mint and lamb go so well together. What I liked best about these meatballs though was, as they cooked, the grains of rice started to poke out, making them look like little spiky sea urchins in a sea of to tomato sauce!

And now here are some weird facts about Rosemary’s Baby – which has been called ” the most cursed hit movie ever made”.

Krzysztof Komeda, the composer fell off a cliff at a party and suffered terrible head injuries. He was in a coma for four months before passing away (incidentally the same fate that befalls Rosemary’s friend Hutch in the film).
The year after the release of Rosemary’s Baby, Roman Polanski’s pregnant wife Sharon Tate was murdered by members of the Manson family.
The Manson Family wrote “Helter Skelter”‘ in blood on the walls of the Tate crime scene.
Helter Skelter is a song off The Beatles The White Album. Mia Farrow was in attendance for at least part of the recording of the White Album. The Beatles song Dear Prudence is about her sister.
The Bramford Building is, in reality, the Dakota Building. MArk Chapman shot John Lennon to death outside this same building on 8 December 1980.

Little bit spooky no?

Huge thanks to Jenny for the recipes and for joining in !!! It is always nice to collab on something and this one was well and truly a breath of fresh air during lockdown! You can read about her experiences with Rosemary’s Baby here! Oh, and I hope she won’t mind me sharing this photo which was of Jenny doing her Vincent Price impersonation. I will always think of it as the Rosemary’s Baby picture now!

Have a great week and stay safe!