One Young Fool in Dorset (27 page)
Read One Young Fool in Dorset Online
Authors: Victoria Twead
Tags: #childhood, #memoir, #1960s, #1970s, #family relationships, #dorset, #old fools
Daily, we drove through whitewashed villages where
little old ladies dressed in black stopped sweeping their doorsteps
to watch us pass. We waved at farmers working in their fields, the
dry dust swirling in irritated clouds from their labours. We paused
to allow goat-herds to pass with their flocks, the lead goat’s bell
clanging bossily as the herd followed, snatching mouthfuls of
vegetation on the run.
Although we hadn’t yet found The House, we were
positive we’d found the area we wanted to live in.
One day we drove into a village that clung to the
steep mountainside by its fingernails. We entered a bar that was
buzzing with activity. It was busy and the air heavy with smoke.
The white-aproned bartender looked us up and down and jerked his
head in greeting. No smile, just a nod.
Joe found a rocky wooden table by the window with
panoramic views and we settled ourselves, soaking in the
atmosphere. Four old men played cards at the next table. A heated
debate was taking place between another group. I caught the words
‘Barcelona’ and ‘Real Madrid’. Most of the bar’s customers were
male.
Grumpy, the bartender, wiped his hands on his apron
and approached our table, flicking off imaginary crumbs from the
surface with the back of his hand. He had a splendid moustache
which concealed any expression he may have had, and made
communication difficult.
“Could we see the menu, please?” asked Joe in his
best phrase book Spanish.
Grumpy shook his head and snorted. It seemed there
was no menu.
“No
importa
,” said Joe. “It doesn’t
matter.”
Using a combination of sign language and impatient
grunts, Grumpy took our order but our meal was destined to be a
surprise. A basket of bread was slammed onto the table, followed by
two plates of food. Garlic mushrooms - delicious. We cleaned our
plates and leaned back, digesting our food and the surroundings. In
typical Spanish fashion, the drinkers at the bar bellowed at each
other as though every individual had profound hearing problems.
“We’re running out of time,” said Joe. “We can carry
on gallivanting around the countryside, but we aren’t going to find
anything. I very much doubt we’ll find a house this holiday.”
Suddenly, clear as cut crystal, the English words,
“Oh, bugger! Where are my keys?” floated above the Spanish
hubbub.
Chickens, Mules and Two Old Fools
is the next
book in the Old Fools series.
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Childhood and Dorset Recipes
Zwetschgenknödel (Plum Dumplings)
Watercress, Olive and Lentil Pâté
Welsh Rarebit (Cheese on Toast)
Dorset Mackerel with Gooseberries
Quick and Easy Sausage and Mash Pie
Grumpy’s Garlic Mushrooms Tapa
Dorset Apple Cake
A very easy recipe, great for using up fallen
cooking apples. Fantastic with custard.
110g (4 oz) margarine or butter
225g (8 oz) flour
110g (4 oz) sugar
55g (2 oz) currants
225g (8 oz) chopped apple
A little milk
Method
Rub fat into flour and add sugar, currants and
apple.
Mix together with milk to make a stiff dough.
Spoon mixture into a greased round cake tin.
Cook in a hot oven (220C/430F/Gas 7) for 10 minutes
then turn down the heat to 170C/335F/Gas 3 and cook for a further
hour.
Dorset Herby Potato Salad
The many hours of sunshine and mild temperatures of
Dorset produce wonderfully tender early vegetables. This recipe
uses tiny new potatoes, best cooked the same day as they are dug
up.
Serves 4 - 6
700g (1½ lb) small new potatoes
2 hard-boiled egg yolks
Large pinch of cayenne pepper
5ml (1 tsp) caster sugar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs, perhaps tarragon,
chives, mint or parsley
15ml (1 tablespoon) herb vinegar
150ml (5 fl oz) natural yoghurt or sour cream
Snipped fresh chives, to garnish
Method
Wash the potatoes, but don’t peel. Cook in boiling
salted water for 10-15 minutes, until tender.
Meanwhile, make the dressing by mashing the egg
yolks, cayenne pepper and sugar to a paste with the chopped herbs,
the vinegar and 1 tsp cold water.
Stir in the yoghurt.
When the potatoes are cooked, drain thoroughly and
toss with the dressing while still warm, even if you intend to
serve the dish cold, as the dressing will distribute better.
Serve either warm or cold, garnished with snipped
chives.
Jam Roly-Poly
Serves 6
250g (8 oz) self-raising flour
Pinch of salt
50g (2 oz) light brown sugar
125g (4 oz) shredded suet
6 - 8 tbsp water
5 tbsp raspberry jam, warmed
milk, for brushing
1 egg, beaten
Brown sugar, for glazing
Custard, for serving
Method
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6.
In a bowl, add the brown sugar, flour and salt.
Now add the suet and enough water to make a soft
dough.
Place the dough onto a floured surface and roll into
a rectangle.
Brush one side of the pastry with the warmed
raspberry jam, leaving a 1cm (½ in) border.
Fold the jamless border in and brush with milk.
Loosely roll up the pastry, beginning with a short
side of the rectangular pastry sheet.
Seal the ends well.
Place the pastry roll onto a greased baking
sheet.
Brush the pastry roll all over with the beaten egg
and sprinkle with demerara sugar.
Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes, until cooked
through.
Remove from the oven and sprinkle on a little more
brown sugar.
Serve hot with custard.
Summer Pudding
Serves 4
1 large, white organic loaf, thickly sliced, crusts
removed
Approximately 1.5 kg (3 lbs) of mixed red soft
fruit, whichever summer berries are in season, the juicier the
better eg: raspberries, cherries, blueberries, strawberries,
boysenberries, blackberries, redcurrants, blackcurrants, etc.
1 cup of sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
Clotted, whipped or pouring cream (optional)
Method
Wash the fruit and remove any stones, pips, stalks,
etc.
Butter the inside of a 1.5 litre (3 pint) pudding
basin.
Line the pudding basin with the bread slices,
slightly overlapping each slice so there are no gaps between, and
pressing the edges together so the bread forms a complete shell
inside the bowl.
Bring the mixed berries, lemon zest and sugar to a
gentle simmer, for about 5 minutes, until the sugar is dissolved
and the fruits are releasing their juice. Allow the fruit to keep
its shape. Take care not to overcook.
Reserve about ¾ cup of juice and put it to one side
to cool, then refrigerate.
Pour the rest of the fruit and juice into the
bread-lined pudding basin.
Seal the top completely with further, overlapping,
slices of bread.
Cover the bread with a small flat plate or saucer
that fits snugly inside the basin.
Weigh down the plate with weights or a very heavy
can or jar.
Leave in the fridge overnight. The weight will cause
the juice to bleed through the bread staining it red.
Before serving, gently slide a flexible spatula
between the bread and the basin to loosen.
Invert the bowl onto a serving plate, the pudding
should slide easily into place.
Use the reserved juice to colour any areas that
still have a white tinge. Pour any remaining juice over the top of
the pudding.
Serve with a dollop of cream.
Cauliflower Cheese
Serves 4
Medium head of cauliflower, broken into large
florets
40g (1½ oz) butter
40g (1½ oz) plain flour
400ml (14 fl oz) milk
1 tsp English mustard
100g (3½ oz) mature cheddar cheese, grated
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas Mark 5.
Thoroughly wash the cauliflower and place in a large
saucepan of salted water.
Bring to the boil and cook for 5 minutes ensuring
that the cauliflower is still fairly firm.
Tip into a colander and leave to drain.
Melt the butter in a saucepan and stir in the
flour.
Cook over a gentle heat for one minute.
Remove the pan from the heat and gradually add the
milk, a little at a time, stirring well.
Return the pan to a medium heat and bring the
mixture to the boil, stirring constantly. Simmer for two minutes,
then remove from the heat.
Stir in the mustard and two thirds of the cheese,
and set aside. Arrange the cauliflower in an ovenproof baking dish.
Carefully pour over the sauce, ensuring the cauliflower is
completely covered.
Scatter the remaining cheese over and bake for 25-30
minutes, until the top is golden-brown and bubbling.
Crispy Crunchy Crackly Crack
Prep: 20min
Extra time: 4hr chilling
50g (2 oz) butter
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 tablespoon golden syrup
Raisins (optional)
50g (2 oz) crushed digestive biscuits
Cooking chocolate (optional)
Method
Melt the butter in a non-stick pan.
Add in the cocoa powder, golden syrup and raisins
(optional).
When the ingredients blend to make a brown, sticky
liquid, remove from the heat.
Add in the crushed digestive biscuits.
Mix and put in a 18cm (7in) square baking tin and
leave in fridge until it becomes hard, probably about 4 hours.
Pour melted chocolate over the chocolate biscuit
cake.
Cut into small squares.
Zwetschgenknödel (Plum Dumplings)
For 16 dumplings
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup dry bread crumbs
4 large russet potatoes, peeled
2 cups plain, all-purpose flour
1 egg
1 pinch salt
16 ripe plums, pitted or left whole (damson plums or
Italian prune plums are best, but any plum will work)
16 teaspoons white sugar, one tsp for each dumpling.
Or 16 sugar cubes.
Method
Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a skillet over
medium-low heat. Throw in the bread crumbs. Cook and stir until
golden brown and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Set the crumbs
aside.
Place potatoes in a pot of water over medium heat,
and boil until tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Drain the potatoes, and
allow to cool for several minutes to dry out; then squeeze the
potatoes through a fine sieve or potato ricer into a bowl.
Place 1 tablespoon of butter into the potatoes, and
allow to melt, then mix in the flour until thoroughly combined. Mix
in egg and salt. Turn the mixture out onto a generously floured
work surface, and knead until the dough is soft and no longer
sticky, about 10 minutes.
Divide the dough into quarters, and subdivide each
quarter into fourths to make 16 portions. Roll each portion into a
ball, and roll the ball out on a floured work surface until it
forms a circle about 9cm (3½ inches) in diameter. Place a pitted
plum into the center of the dough circle, and spoon a teaspoon of
sugar into the plum. Alternatively, pit the plum and insert a sugar
cube into each plum. Roll and pinch the dough around the plum to
seal. Repeat with the remaining dough to make 16 dumplings.
Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil over
medium heat, and drop the dumplings into the boiling water. Stir
gently to loosen any dumplings that stick to the bottom. Allow the
dumplings to rise to the top, then boil for 5 more minutes.
Gently remove dumplings with a slotted spoon, and
roll in the toasted bread crumbs to serve.
Any remaining dough can be rolled into plain
dumplings, boiled, and rolled in crumbs.
Watercress, Olive and Lentil Pâté
Most of the UK’s watercress comes from around the
New Forest and that region, and it’s a really healthy food packed
full of vitamins. This recipe is a really quick and easy pâté
that can be eaten straight away. If you prefer, pack it into a
small loaf tin lined with transparent film, and allow it to set in
the fridge overnight, ready for slicing the next day.
200g (7 oz) green lentils, washed then simmered for
20-25 mins in veg stock
100g (3½ oz) green olives
1 bunch watercress
Juice of half a lemon
Extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Place everything in a mixing bowl and blend with a
hand-held blender or process in a food processor.
Choose between smooth or chunky depending on how
long you whiz it for.
Season to taste and serve with fresh crusty
bread.
