SAUSAGE PLAIT

We're carrying on with the apple theme in this useful savoury dish.This is one of my best 'go-to' recipes which I've cooked for many occasions over the years. It can be eaten hot or cold - great for picnics and buffet tables but also lovely for family meals - children love it. I served the plait recently  - warm, accompanied by roasted root vegetables and gravy. You get all the flavours of roast pork - pork sausages, apples, onions and sage for a fraction of the cost. This dish also freezes very well which is always a bonus. Please note the waterlily tomatoes used for garnishing in the above photograph - they were used a great deal in the 60's and 70's. By the way I always buy ready-made puff pastry nowadays as life's too short to make puff pastry!!

Ingredients

1 pack puff pastry (frozen or chilled)

1 pack thick pork sausages (usually weigh 500grams or just over 1 pound)

1 medium onion

1 medium Bramley apple

1 teaspoon dried sage

1 egg for glaze

Method

1. Take skins off sausages ( using a sharp knife slit the skin along one side of sausage) take skin off onion and chop fairly finely, peel, core and chop apple (similar size to onion)

2. Place these ingredients in a bowl and mix well together. You can use a wooden spoon but I think  clean hands do a better job

3. Roll out puff pastry thinly so that you produce a large rectangular shape. Use a little flour on both your surface and rolling pin so that the pastry doesn't stick to either. Trim edges to neaten the rectangle.

4. Place the sausage mixture down the centre of the pastry leaving a good edge each side of the filling. Using a sharp knife to slit the pastry at intervals from the centre outwards. Do this on both sides of filling cutting diagonally to form a sort of chevron pattern,

5. Fold pastry strips towards the centre - firstly from one side and then from the other so that they cross each other in the centre forming a plait pattern. Brush the pastry edges with a little water so that they stick to one another. The excess pastry at both ends can just be folded in as neatly as possible.

6. Using a fork, beat together the egg and 1 tablespoonful of water. Brush the surface of the plait with this egg wash to give it a golden, shiny glaze when cooked. Place plait, using some fish slices to help you, on to a baking tin. Do not grease tin as there is enough fat in the pastry and the filling. I actually cook it these days on a sheet of baking paper to ensure it doesn't stick to the tin. Bake at 190C/170Cfan/5Gas for about 30-40 minutes. If pastry is browning too quickly, turn the heat down by about 10 degrees because although you want a nice golden crust, the filling must also be thoroughly cooked.

7. Serve warm with vegetables and gravy or a rich tomato sauce or serve cold on its own or with various salads e.g coleslaw or tomato salad. The plait freezes well. As it's such a versatile dish it's worth keeping one in the freezer for unexpected guests. 

We had most of the items required for this dish back in the 60's and 70's except that shop bought pastry was frozen rather than chilled. There was no such thing as baking paper. 



  

NORMANDY PORK CHOPS

 

This time I'm going to show you how to prepare a delicious, savoury dish using apples. By the end of the 60's and early 70's we had started to travel abroad - mainly across The Channel on the ferries and suddenly we were introduced to new foods and recipes. This dish is my take on a recipe using the rich products available in the Normandy region of northern France - cider, apples, butter and cream. Please don't run a mile when you hear the words - butter and cream. I'm not advocating eating this type of food every day but it is a delicious dish for entertaining and a little indulgence once in a while doesn't do anybody any harm. If you're still worried - you can use oil or low fat spread instead of butter and creme fraiche instead of the cream, but don't expect the dish to taste quite the same!

Ingredients

4 pork chops
2 tablespoons olive oil (or whatever you prefer)
1 teaspoon butter
1 large onion - skin removed and chopped fairly finely
1 teaspoon dried sage
500 ml can cider (I used an English scrumpy but you can use any type of cider)
4 fluid ounces/100mls water
2 chicken stock cubes
small carton double cream
2 teaspoons cornflour mixed to a smooth paste with 2 tablespoons cold water
salt and black pepper for seasoning
1 Bramley apple
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon soft brown or caster sugar.

Method

1.Sprinkle each side of the pork chops with a pinch of salt and black pepper.
2. Place olive oil and the teaspoon of butter in a frying pan (I use both fats - oil for a higher temperature and butter for the taste). On a high heat, bring to a sizzle but do not allow the butter to burn. Place chops (2 at a time) in the pan and fry for about a minute on both sides until they are nicely browned as in the photograph.

3. Take chops out of pan and place on kitchen paper to get rid of excess fat. 

4.Turn the heat on the cooker ring down to medium and fry the chopped onion in the same pan as the one used to brown the chops. There should be enough fat left in the pan - if not add a little extra oil. Fry the onions until they start to soften - try not to brown them.

4. Add dried sage - mix together with wooden spoon

5. Pour the can of cider and the water into the onion mixture. Bring to the boil.

6. Crush the stock cubes into the hot liquid and stir until dissolved. Take off the heat.

7. Place the browned chops in an ovenproof, lidded casserole dish. Pour over the onions and stock liquid. Cover with lid or aluminium foil.

8. Place in a moderate oven - 180C/ Fan 160C/ Gas 4 for at least 1 1/2 hours - depending on the thickness of the chops. The ones I used took 2 hours for them to be really tender.

9. When cooked, gently lift the chops, place on serving dish, cover with foil and keep warm. We always used oval dishes to serve savoury foods. To be honest I still do because I think the presentation is better.

10, Transfer the cooking liquor back into wiped frying pan. If there is a lot of fat on the surface, blot with kitchen paper - 2 pieces should do it. Add the pot of double cream. You can now boil the sauce fiercely on a high heat until it reduces by half. (This can only be done with double cream as boiling any of the alternatives would result in the sauce curdling) You can however thicken the sauce by adding cornflour mixed to a paste with cold water. Taste the sauce for seasoning and add salt and pepper if required.

11. Pour some sauce over chops on serving dish. Pour remaining sauce into sauce boat and serve separately.

12. In the meantime, peel, core and slice the Bramley apple thinly and in a clean pan fry gently in the butter. When the apple pieces start to soften add the sugar and carry on the cooking process until the apple slices are soft and a pale golden brown but still keep their shape. Using a slotted spoon, lift them out of the pan and place on top of pork chops as a garnish - see top photograph.

13. Serve with saute potatoes and a colourful vegetable such as carrots or green beans.

Tip - for current more casual dining you could use diced pork for this dish. Cook in exactly the same way but before serving, place pork in the sauce and serve with tagliatelle and a green salad. Use the apple slices to garnish the pasta dish in the same way. You could also sprinkle with chopped parsley to lift the colour.

Most of the things for this dish were available back in the 60's and 70's - olive oil wasn't used much in the U.K.and the main stock cube was OXO. I often wonder what we did without kitchen paper!

Just an additional note to the last published post:-
People have always searched for ways of preserving foods. By the beginning of the 70's home freezers were becoming the 'in thing.' People were filling them with seasonal foods so that they could be used at other times of the year. As we're currently talking about apples - the only successful way to freeze apples is to puree them. You do this by peeling coring and slicing the fruit, placing them in a pan with only enough water to stop the fruit from sticking to the base of the pan. As the apples cook, stir occasionally with a wooden spoon and add water if required (a little at a time). The apples are ready when they have collapsed and formed a smooth puree. Do not sweeten the pulp before freezing so that it can be used for both sweet and savoury dishes at a later date. Leave the apples to cool before placing in freezer bags, labelled with contents and date.
Although I said there is only one  way to freeze apples, there is actually an alternate way by using them in dishes such as pies, crumbles or sponge puddings and freezing these completed dishes.
 I want to share another tip with you  - if you have any pastry left after making your apple pies, pop it in a bag and freeze it. I usually have a collection of these small pieces of pastry in the door shelf of my freezer. When I have enough of them, I defrost the pastry and use it to make up a dish of choice.

Our Bramley apples are nearly ready to be picked so its time to think what to do with them once more. Bramleys are beautiful apples as they collapse and become deliciously soft when cooked.

I'm going to start with Apple Pie - it may not sound too exciting but a well made one is so delicious. The other reason is that I feel I need to tackle pastry-making with you early on. Back in the day everybody made their own and I have to tell you that I've eaten some dreadful attempts! I must admit that I'd rather you go out and buy some ready-made pastry off the supermarket shelves if you're not too confident. However, if you own an electric mixer or food processor, why not try to make decent shortcrust pastry using my step by step method?

                                                              APPLE PIE

Ingredients (pastry)

400grams / 1lb self-raising flour
100grams / 4ozs margarine
100grams / 4ozs lard
Cold water to mix

Ingredients (filling)

600grams /  3 Bramley apples
100grams / 4ozs caster sugar
1 teaspoon cornflour
sugar for sprinkling

Method

1. Place flour, margarine and lard in the mixer bowl or processor. Please note I use self-raising flour.

2. Work the fat and flour in the mixer or processor until it resembles fine breadcrumbs

3. Add water a tablespoon at a time - turning on the mixer or processor after each addition and working the mixture for about 20 seconds each time. The dough is at its correct consistency when it gathers together with no loose crumbs. It usually takes about 2-3 tablespoons of water before this occurs.
4. If you have the time, wrap the dough in clingfilm and place it in the refrigerator to rest for about half an hour. This stops the pastry from shrinking during cooking.
5.  Cut the dough in 2; 1 piece being slightly larger than the other. Using the larger piece first you can  roll the dough out in the traditional way by sprinkling a board with flour, also rubbing flour on the rolling pin and making sure that you keep moving the dough as you roll to avoid it sticking to the board. Or you can roll it my way - between two pieces of clingfilm - no need to add flour and no sticking!

                                                                                                                                                
6. Peel away the top layer of clingfilm and use your rolling pin (as shown in the picture below) to lift the pastry on to your pie plate or dish. Trim away the excess pastry. Try to use a metal plate or dish for your pie as pastry cooks so much better on them leaving the underside of the pie crisp and nicely browned.  (The old enamel plates were ideal.)  

7. Cut the apples into quarters, cut away the centre core and slice thinly. Place 1/2 the apple slices in the middle of the pie dish, leaving a pastry edge. I prefer to sprinkle most of the sugar over the apples at this point. Pile on the remaining apple slices - it may seem to be overfull but the apples collapse somewhat on cooking. You can add some cinnamon or sultanas at this stage but this is more American than British. Sprinkle the remaining sugar and 1 teaspoon of cornflour over the apples. The cornflour makes the apple juices more syrupy.

8. Dampen the edge of pie with cold water. Roll out your second piece of pastry and place to cover apples. Using your thumb or fork press the two edges of pastry together. With a sharp knife make a couple of incisions in the centre of the lid to allow the steam to escape on cooking. Some people like to glaze the pie surface with beaten egg and water, others prefer a milk glaze, my grandmother used to sprinkle with water and sugar but I like to leave mine plain and sprinkle with caster sugar after baking. I only glaze savoury pies

9. Place uncooked pie on a baking tray in case juices escape during cooking. As I have used uncooked apples in the pie it will require a longer, slower cooking time than if I had used fruit which was already pureed. I prefer doing it this way as you can still decipher the apple slices in layers within the crust when you eat them.
10. Bake for approximately 1 hour 170/150Fan /gas mark 3  Look at it after 1/2 an hour and turn it around so that all sides are evenly cooked. If it's browning too quickly, cover with foil. Test again after 3/4 of an hour. The pie is ready when the pastry is golden brown and the apples soft - pierce apples with a pointed knife through slit in pastry lid.

11. Sprinkle the surface of cooked pie with cater sugar. Serve warm or cold with whipped or pouring cream, ice-cream or custard and enjoy! In the 60's and 70's it was usually custard or Nestle tinned cream or Carnation Evaporated milk. Fresh cream or ice-cream weren't options as refrigerators and freezers weren't widely found in U.K homes at that time. We had our first refrigerator in 1968 and the freezer came a few years later.

12. At the end of each recipe I shall give some indication of equipment and ingredients that weren't widely available in the 60's and 70's. In this recipe - food processors, clingfilm, tinfoil, fan ovens, fresh cream and ice cream (in the home) because of no refrigerators or freezers.

A long time ago when Beatles music blared from transistors and people went to San Francisco wearing flowers in the hair, we rocked around the clock and twisted the night away - we were young; we were the children of the sixties; we changed the world - for better or worse.
In those heady times we ate prawn cocktails, chicken Maryland and Black Forest Gateau and initially I thought I'd start my blog with those well known recipes but then I had a re-think. At that time we ate foods which were in season - everything wasn't available all year round as it is now. So I shall live again by the seasons, when fresh ingredients are at their best and at their cheapest. The recipes I pass on to you will be my own versions of various dishes - having given the basic recipes a 21st Century twist. I hope to explain how we prepared food in the 60's and 70's and how we can now make things so much easier these days by using current gadgets, technology and available foods. 
I shall do my utmost to post a new recipe, tip or story each week. I hope you will enjoy visiting my blog.

Regards
Valerie Napier