MY FRIEND JUNEY

I dont see that much of one of my oldest & dearest friends Juney Bea. Shes moved back to Carlisle (the huge bustling capital city of Cumbria) & what with her new horse whispering career, her two beautiful daughters ( hi Quin Dee Mae..hi Delilah!), her search for the perfect lasagne & eccentric family & neighbours shes a very busy lady.
We try & keep in touch though &.... where am i going with this? Oh yes shes also particularly good at unearthing bargains & treasures at charity shops, jumble sales etc, her big mistake however is telling me about them...if its something i covet then to cut a long story...i'll bide my time & it may take weeks, maybe even years but eventually I WILL GET IT!

One of her best finds was a wartime comicstrip cookbook (now in my personal collection!) published by the daily mirror around 1945. The unique feature of the book is showing the wartime housewife in pictures how things are prepared, how they are cooked & served, rather than reading about it or listening to a cookery broadcast on the "wireless". Its well thumbed & a bit tattered now but i still read it now & again as its one of my favourite cookbooks - thanks Juney!

HARD TIMES

PATSYS REFLECTIONS follows young, recently married couple Patsy & Peter in their new life...Patsy can hardly boil an egg but with the help of Mum (& Dad-a bit) & her two neighbours -the motherly & old fashioned Mrs Always & the upwardly mobile & adventurous Joan Featherpenny - Patsy becomes a pretty good cook.

The strips ran each day in the daily mirror before being compiled into a book. Patsy was shown managing food shortages, queues & rationing she receives tips on making food go further, cheaper cuts of meat & all vegetable main dishes, retaining vitamins & nutrients, substitutes for scarce staples like sugar, fat & eggs.

Saving food was a serious business but Patsys recipe strips made leftovers not only enjoyable but a patriotic duty too!

These were hard times & 70 odd years later, we're not exactly starving but these strips have a relevance as the recession lingers, food prices rise & wages buy less. I'll post some of these cheap & cheerful cooking strips on this blog in weeks to come, not them all though, as some of the offal dishes might not appeal & hints on canning & bottling your own garden produce seem quaintly arduous! Also i doubt if enormous hunks of WHALE will be arriving at your local supermarket soon...though if they do have it at your local Morrisons........

Yum..?  More to come, hopefully at the end of each future post. P.S Lost your glasses? click on each pic for a bigger view.



SIMPLE(ISH) DINNER

CHILLI NACHO BAKE

Once all the parts of this dish are ready it only needs about 40 mins in the oven, giving you time to rustle up a fresh salsa. Basically its a layered bake-meat,potatoes,cheese & crunchy nachos. First thing is to make some chilli - heres my recipe:

1: Fry 500g minced steak in a little oil until well browned.
2: Add a chopped onion, 2 cloves crushed garlic, 2 chopped red chillies, 1 tablespoon each of cumin & paprika, 2 teaspoons oregano stir & cook about 5 mins.
3: Crumble in a beef stock cube, add a can of drained kidney beans.
4: Add some liquid - about 1/2 pint - i sometimes use LAGER - very tasty.... but normally just water.
5: Bring to boil, turn down & simmer on low for 1 & 1/2 hours.
6: Check seasoning, add a good couple of tablespoons ketchup.
7: Serve! Or use for the nacho bake.

Here are all the layers:

 

Put the chilli on the bottom of the ovenproof dish, then crispy cooked potato wedges, then cheese sauce: homemade or bought - you decide..bake 30 mins in a moderate oven.
Sprinkle the top with plenty of tortilla chips, grated mozzarella cheese & jalapeno slices, pop back in the oven to melt the cheese. Serve with homemade salsa & sour cream. CAUTION HOT STUFF!

MY SALSA CRUDA

1: You need a very sharp knife to finely dice:
2: 3 large tomatoes, a red & a green pepper, a red onion, & 3 sticks celery.
3: Crush a clove of garlic, chop a large handful of fresh coriander - add to the diced veggies.
4: Zest & juice of 1/2 lime or lemon, 1 teaspoon of cumin, 1 tablespoon sugar & 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder are added.
5: Finally add salt to taste, mix well & chill until  you need it...its great on loads of stuff - cheese on toast especially!