Good old fashioned recipes

GOOD OLD FASHIONED RECIPES IAIN FERGUSON

A backwards look at recipes this month with a few examples from a recently discovered but well used Women’s Rural Institute (WRI) recipe book. It had no cover so undated, but at a guess from more than 60 years ago. Interestingly, of around 800 recipes from every part of Scotland, including many from Skye and the Western Isles, only fi ve came from this area. The fi fth will appear in a future Lochaber Life. All sound delicious and are written here as they were printed.

• MADEIRA PUDDING •

Line a pudding dish with puff pastry. Lay on strips of orange and lemon peel, spread with raspberry jam and fi ll the dish with the following mixture: 1/4lb butter, 1/4lb sugar. Beat them together to a cream then add three eggs, well beat up, add them gradually to the butter just at the moment before putting in the oven. It should be baked for two hours in a slow oven.

Christina Cameron, Appin WRI

• QUAKER OAT TEA CAKES •

The same weight of Quaker oats, margarine and sugar - brown is best. Cream butter and sugar, add Quaker oats and roll fl at. Cut into fi ngers and bake till crisp.

E MacAlpine Downie, Appin WRI

Put 1/2lb loaf sugar in a stew pan with enough water to cover it. Boil until it becomes a nice brown colour, taking care not to let it burn, then add a very little more water and let it boil up again. Make a custard with the two yolks of eggs, a little milk and the boiled sugar. When it is cold add melted gelatine and a jar of whipped cream. Put it in a mould.

Mary Livingstone, Appin WRI

• SAVOURY SEMOLINA •

Mix 2 tablespoonfuls of semolina into a smooth paste with a little milk. Boil the remainder of the pint of milk, add it to the semolina paste, boil for 5 minutes. Season with salt and cayenne pepper to taste. Stir into the mixture 3ozs grated cheese. Grease a pie-dish, cover with bread crumbs, dot a piece of butter here and there. Bake in a hot oven for 20 minutes until it becomes brown.

Mrs J Sinclair, Kilmallie WRI