Boiled Fruit Cake

(For the cousins, as promised:)

Boiled Fruit cake, a traditional Irish large-family standby.

Set your oven to 350 deg F or 175 deg C

Put a shelf across the middle of it

Line a large square cake tin or small roasting tin with baking paper or butter wrapper etc

The recipe makes plenty so you will need adequate cake tins: put the mixture in the tins about one-and-a-half to two inches deep.

Now mix the cake;

In a large saucepan, place the following 4 things:

Half lb block margarine ie Stork

¾ pint cold water

¾ lb ordinary sugar

2 lbs mixed dried fruit ie raisins currants etc

Boil them together for 5 mins then remove from heat and let cool a bit until lukewarm.

Meanwhile, sift together in a large bowl:

20 oz plain flour

1 teaspoon salt (5 ml, level)

2 teaspoons bread soda (ditto)

Cake spices if wished, ie cinnamon etc

Take the cooled mixture in the pot and beat in

4 eggs. [NB the mixture should be cool enough to not actually scramble the eggs!]

Dollop of booze if wished (ie tablespoon of whiskey)

Handful of candied peel if wanted

Handful of chopped walnuts: do not use if allergic people about, (obviously) but they do greatly improve both texture and flavour.

Stir all together in their pot: then add to them the sifted dry ingredients, mix thoroughly but gently.

Pour into tin or tins: level the top and slightly hollow out centre surface with back of a wet spoon

 and bake for about an hour and a quarter, then test, check until done. (it will look, feel and smell “done” but not scorched)

Cool in tin for a while before turning out, then cool completely before stripping off paper. Keeps for ages, allegedly, but doesn’t last long!

Great for holidays and large families etc.

Tip: beware of scorching: if your oven seems to be baking it too fast, turn heat down a little.

Sorry about the imperial measures, do your own sums!

 

Mushrooms in the Micro

Mushrooms in the Microwave

Mushrooms are delicious: but they are one of the most absorbent foods. If you cook them in butter (delicious!) or garlicky olive oil (yum!) - well, they soak it up like sponges. Tasty, for sure: but very fattening and may give you heartburn.
So how can you cook a mushroom to be tasty and savoury but without adding too much grease to it?
You microwave them, using just a minimum of fat.
This method works for some other foods as well, of which Potato Wedges are the most obvious example.
Now the recipe!



Start with about 500 g of mushrooms (they shrink a lot)
Clean and trim the mushrooms.

(The ordinary kind from the supermarket work just fine.)

You need a Pyrex bowl or similar to cook them in.

In the Pyrex bowl, melt together
2 Tablespoons water  30ml
1 Tablespoon butter  15ml

When liquid, add the mushrooms: small ones may be left whole, +medium ones quartered, largest ones can be sliced.
Place them into the buttery liquid and stir to coat.

Add salt, pepper, a squeeze of lemon and a scrape of nutmeg and stir again.
Cover the bowl with a plate and microwave for 2 minutes: juice will run and a small pool should form,
Stir again.

Sprinkle over 2 teaspoons of plain flour, stir thoroughly to disperse and coat.
Microwave again, for about 2- 3  minutes.with occasional peeping and stirring, until the flour has mixed with the liquid and formed a kind of small sauce and is cooked.
Taste and if done, and savoury, serve.

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Ingredients - summary

Mushrooms
Scoop of butter, some water
Salt, pepper, nutmeg and lemon to season
A spoonful of flour

A Pyrex bowl or similar to cook them in / a lid to keep steam in.
A microwave - just normal heat and setting.