Welsh Cakes…. Anne Jones

2lb SR Flour, sifted

1 level teaspoon baking powder

2level teaspoons ground mixed spice

½ teaspoon salt.

8oz hard marg.

8oz lard.

12oz sugar

8oz currants

3 small or 2 large eggs.

Cream to mix. About 4 tablespoons usually.

Sift flour, spice salt and baking powder together into a large mixing bowl.

Rub flour and fat to breadcrumb mix.

Add currants and sugar.

Mix with fork. (Or fingers)

Add beaten eggs and cream.

It doesn’t matter if the cream is a bit off! (not green)

(Buttermilk can be used instead if handy.)

“CUT” with a knife until a stiff mixture which leaves side of bowl..

Lift by hand onto a floured board.

Divide into 4 pieces.

Use a small amount of flour to roll out to ½” thickness and cut to size.

Cook on preheated bake-stone for about 5mins one side, turn and cook other

side for about 3 mins. They should be nicely brown, but not well cooked inside.

Dip into bowl of caster sugar and stack on wire rack to cool.

This makes about 12 small cakes and leaves a lot of paste trimmings.

Repeat for other ¾ of mixture and combine trimmings to make another four lots at the end.

This means that the paste is not handled more than necessary and the cakes remain very light.

I usually make 98 small Welsh-cakes with this amount of mixture.

They keep well in a tin, and freeze well.

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Cawl

Cawl Cig Oen Aildwym

(Lamb stew of the second heating.)

Half shoulder of lamb

Breast lamb

800 gms – 1kg prepared vegetables (Carrots/Parsnips/Swede/Turnip/Shallots/Leeks/Potatoes – cleaned and chopped into approx 2 cm cubes)

1 level teaspoon salt.

1 level tablespoon cornflour to thicken.

( or alternatively use mashed root vegetables.)

Method

Place meat in large saucepan, cover with water and bring to boil. Simmer for 1 hour.

Add vegetables  and salt and return to boil. Simmer for 90 minutes.

Remove from heat and stand in cold place overnight.

Carefully remove all white fat from top of liquor.

Remove meat from saucepan.

Return saucepan to heat.and bring to boil, set to simmer.

Remove bones from meat and discard.

Rough chop meat into small pieces and return to pan.

Use half a cup of hot liquor to mix cornflour (if used)to a smooth paste and slowly add to simmering cawl.

Simmer for 10 minutes and serve with crusty buttered bread.

 

 

Bara Brith

(Spiced bread)

 

8 oz Self Raising flour

4 oz soft brown sugar

1 egg

4 oz Raisins

4 oz Currants

1 tsp Mixed Spice

1 Cup tea.

 

Soak fruit in tea overnight

Beat egg and stir into mixture.

Add dry ingredients and put into greased tin.

 

Cook for 75 mins at 150f

 

Allow to cool on rack and serve in thin buttered slices.

 

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Salmon and Smoked Trout Terrine

serves 12 –18

 

Ingredients

 

Juice of 1½ lemons

2 rounded teaspoons gelatine

1lb 12oz Salmon poached and flaked

4 oz Smoked Trout flaked

½ pint mayonnaise

½ pint whipped double cream

3 tsps Horseradish sauce

bunch of dill – chopped

4 slices smoked Salmon

 

Method

 

Put lemon juice in bowl – sprinkle gelatine on top and leave to ‘sponge’ for 5 mins

 

Put flaked Salmon and trout in a bowl – add cream, mayonnaise, horseradish and dill and stir well

 

Wet a 2lb loaf tin and line with cling film

 

Stand juice and gelatine in bowl of water and simmer gently without stirring till melted

 

Add Salmon mix to warm gel and mix thoroughly.

 

Check seasoning, then layer mixture and smoked Salmon slices.

 

Cover and chill overnight.