Suffolk Marys

From Peel Estate Branch, CWA, CWA Cookbook.

What do you do with a little left-over potato? I found this simple recipe in my old tattered copy of the CWA Cookbook and thought I’d give it a go.

I weighed the potato and found I had just under 2g. To this I added the equivalent measure of plain flour and of grated cheddar cheese. I stirred in a teaspoon of wholegrain mustard and 2 teaspoons of baking powder. When they were all well mixed I beat an egg and added most of it, leaving sufficient to brush on the surface later. The egg bound the mixture quite well. 

The dough was now rolled out to about 1cm thick and cut into rounds. These were brushed with the remaining beaten egg and went into a 200ºC oven for about 15 minutes at which time they were golden. They were let cool down somewhat and were then split open and eaten with butter.

These were a tasty variation on cheese straws. The potato added a softer texture to the middle letting it split open easily. The mustard flavour added that extra little bite to the cheesiness. Worth remembering to make again when there was some mashed potato left over.

Taste: ✔✔✔✔

Ease of cooking: ✔✔✔✔

Cheese Sausages

From a recipe by P E Tetterton from Margaret River in CWA Cookbook.

I have had this recipe book on my shelves for years. The cover has vanished and the remainder is not in the best condition. From pouring over the pages it is obvious that the book is a Country Women’s Association cookbook—a very old one. Having been going through a period of looking again at old books I thought I’d give this one a go.

The instructions are short and the list of ingredients, unlike those is more modern books, does not have them arranged in order of use, which tends to be quite irritating. I obviously fell into traps as I made the sausages.

My main error was to think that the egg and the breadcrumbs listed was for the final coating of the sausages before they were fried. Once I began the frying it seemed that the egg and the breadcrumbs were to go in the sausage mix. The egg and breadcrumbs for the coating were not listed.

As I made the sausages I had to modify the recipe considerably. Potatoes (500g) were boiled, mashed and left to cool. Cheddar cheese, about the same quantity as the potatoes, was grated and added to the potato. An onion was grated and also added. At this stage the mixture seemed to have a good doughy consistency. I added a teaspoon of mixed herbs and a pinch of chilli powder.

The recipe now called for a cup of warm water with a tablespoon butter melted in it to be added. I thought that this would make the mixture far too soft to be usable so ignored the instructions. Now that I have made the sausages it would appear that the egg and breadcrumbs I used for the coating should also have been added and another egg and breadcrumbs (not listed) were to be used to coat the sausages.

I dipped my sausages in beaten egg and then breadcrumbs and began to fry them in a little oil. The cheese began to ooze out as it melted and the sausages began to collapse. I pulled them out of the pan and rethought the remaining sausages. I decided to double coat, giving them an extra dip in the egg and then the breadcrumbs. This worked reasonably well so I at least did have something to eat.

The sausages were served with cannellini beans in basil and tomato sauce, and some slow-baked tomatoes topped with goat cheese and a parsley and macadamia pesto. Despite the problems the sausages were not too bad to eat though I certainly would not make them again, even after having (I think) sorted the recipe out. I might put this book away for a while if this recipe is indicative of the difficulties associated with the instructions.

Taste: ✔✔✔✔

Ease of cooking: ✔✔