Golden Bacon Pea Soup

2Golden Bacon pea Soup
Bacon joint choose one with as little fat as
possible
soak overnight well covered in cold water
rinse and cover with fresh cold water
boil till soft next day (about an hour?) then
drain and cool so you can get the fat off the
top before adding the other stuff
big onion dice
split peas preferably yellow – 3 spoons ish
but green, or any kind of lentils will do
boil peas and onion in bacon stock with bit of garlic, pepper and
bayleaf if liked. Takes about half an hour to an hour. (Or ten to 15
minutes in a pressure cooker). The yellow peas dissolve completely
and delicious golden yellow soup left.
reboil thoroughly if you don’t use it all at once – and don’t keep
longer than 3 days in the fridge
use the bacon sliced for sandwiches, or eat with creamed
potatoes, peas, sprouts, pickle and apple sauce (if you
like that kind of thing)
This is from Mrs Lily McBride who great-Granpa Harold Lomas lived with in Dalston,
Cumbria after Gran died in 1958. She made wonderful scones, ham sandwiches (in thick
white bread) and gooseberry tarts. Also rice pudding – see later. Famous sayings: “Reach
up now….”
Claimed never to eat anything but banana sandwiches herself.
Carolyn stayed with Granpa Harold and Mrs McBride for several days in 1974 to collect
information for a thesis on dialectology. Mrs McBride imparted plenty of gossip and family
history over the kitchen table. Granpa Harold knew even more, but rarely passed it on –
main source of input his domino appointments at the Bridge End pub.
Mrs McBride’s granddaughter Bridget was a great favourite with Great Granpa Harold. She
used to follow him around “helping” as he worked in her father’s upholstery business,
doing general odd-jobs. One day a sycophantic visitor caught sight of her peering round
from behind Harold’s legs, aged about 3. “Who’s a sweet little girl, then?” he asked in an
oily voice. Bridget took a firm stance, announcing scornfully “You daft bat”.

Cannellini Bean and Fish Lunch Box Salad

Cannellini bean and fish lunch box salad
1 cupful white cannelloni beanssoak overnight
boil for about 45mins to 1 hr
or pressure cook 20 mins
drain and use hot
1 red onion slice thinly into strips
41 tin tuna or salmon open and drain juice into hot
beans
add pepper coarsely ground, and oil or vinegar if any more seems to
be needed.
Mix fish and onion, broken up, after juice absorbed by beans.
Add a chopped tomato or two if using for packed lunch.
This is really a Delia Smith recipe and the original is in the book….somewhere…. spotted by
C on tv while ironing (which shows how desperate you get)

Beef Stew

Beef Stew
½ kg to 1kg shin beef (preferably sliced or in one big lump,
not cut in small bits with the grobblies still
on)
trim off gristle, cut in chunks and if time
brown in olive oil
onion
carrots cut in chunks
onions can be browned after meat if time
turnip
garlic
tin tomatoes
stock ie cube or one spoon bovril
splodge of red wine adds flavour
yellow split peas 2-3 dessert spoonfuls
boil in water for 10 mins while doing other
preparations if using oven rather than
pressure cooker
assemble all above; add hot water if necessary and cook in
pressure cooker for about 35-40 minutes after getting to pressure,
or bring to boil in hot oven then turn right down to 120 ish and cook
very slowly for about 3 hours.
If you make this with braising steak it takes less time in the oven –
1-2 hours?
Can be frozen after cooling rapidly (stand pan in cold water in the
sink) in plastic bags. If freezing keep fluid to minimum and add
water after defrosting if needed.
After the browning stage it can be done in the slow cooker for 6-8
hours.
This is a concoction by R and C from student days in Leeds after Sheila revamped her
kitchenware and passed on the pressure cooker. Used to get cheap shin beef and vegets
from the old Leeds covered market which burnt down the day before we got married in
1975. You could see it from the attic window of our flat in Brudenell Avenue.