Marguerite Patten's Mushroom Fingers - 1970's

This is essentially Mushroom on Toast.  So, Fungi Bruschetta for the posh amongst us.

8 oz. mushroom
Third of a pint of milk
1 oz flour
1 oz butter
Seasoning
Dash of Worcester Sauce
Little parsley chopped
4 slices of buttered toast

1. Wash and chop mushroom caps and stalks coarsely.
2. Simmer in the milk until tender.
3. Blend flour and butter together and work into mushroom mixture gradually.
4. Cook gently for some little time until smooth.
5. Season well, add sauce and parsley.
6. Spread on toast and divide into fingers.

Classic Barbecued Hamburgers - 1960's

Continuing the sixties theme, with this little summer number I thought I would try and lighten the mood a bit given the weather outside.  This is one of those two tier recipes with the beef and the sauce being made separately.  However, I reckon a BBQ shop-bought marinade would suffice if you're short of time.  This is a really basic burger recipe which can be added to or modified.

In The Good Housewives Encyclopedia there is a little post-amble for the nervous readers who might not have experienced Hamburgers before, which I have to include here.

"The Genuine American hamburger has at least two or three garnishes, so don't be afraid to experiment"

If you enjoy making burgers then take a look at this, prepare to drool! http://www.cheeseburgersociety.com/. You'll need Flash installed to take advantage of it.

The Burgers

1lb. ground beef
1 tablespoon Worcester Sauce
1 onion, finely chopped.
1 teaspoon salt.
Pepper
Barbecue Sauce or butter for basting.

1. Combine all of the ingredients and shape into ovals (this helps the patties cook evenly).  Remember to use lean beef if you want the healthy option.
2.To keep them tender, handle as little as possible.
3. Baste with the barbecue sauce while grilling, should take between 10 and 15 minutes under a moderately hot grill.

Barbecue Sauce

2 onions, chopped fine.
2 tablespoons of vinegar
1 tablespoon of Worcester Sauce
1 tablespoon of brown sugar
1 tablespoon of chilli powder
half a pint of tomato ketchup
2 tablespoons of water
4 tablespoons of oil

Cook onions in the oil until tender and golden.
Add all other ingredients, stir well and cook gently for 10 to 15 minutes.

Serve BBQ burgers with lots of garnishes as the book says, use soft white rolls.

Fish in Dark Beer

Another dinner party favourite from the fifties.  This dish ripe for modification and some experimentation, try choosing different types of beer and vinegar to use.

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3 lbs of Fish (carp, pike or bass)
1 tablespoon of vinegar
2 chopped onions
4 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of flour
2 tablespoons of brown sugar
5 whole peppers
2 ground cloves
1 teaspoon of Worcester Sauce
1 pint of Dark Beer (locally produced craft beer/real ale/stout maybe?)

1. Prepare the fish by cleaning it and scaling cutting it in to three inch slices.

2. Brown the onion in the butter, adding the flour and cook for three minutes.

3.  Add the beer and all other ingredients except the vinegar.

4.  Boil the sauce to the thickness of single cream.

5. Add the fish slices to the sauce, and continue boiling until the fish is well done.

6.  Finally add the vinegar and continue boiling for another two minutes.  Pour the sauce through a strainer and serve separately.

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Aberdeen Sausage

This will serve 8 to 10 people.  It is great for cold meat and sandwiches.

1 lb. lean steak or steak mince
8 oz. bacon
1 small onion
4 oz. rolled oats
1 tablespoon or Worcester Sauce
1 egg
1 level teaspoon of salt
Quarter level teaspoon pepper
Some dried breadcrumbs

1. Mince steak, bacon and onion together until very fine.  Add the oats, Worcester sauce, beaten egg and seasoning and mix well.

2.  Shape in to a long thick sausage and wrap carefully in aluminium foil, sealing the ends well.

3.  Either bake on a tray or in a baking tin in a slow oven for 2 hours, or boil or even steam.

4. Put the dried bread crumbs ready on a piece of greaseproof paper.  Remove the foil carefully and roll the sausage in the crumbs to coat thickly.

5.  Leave until cold and store in cool place.  Slice thinly and serve.

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Cheese Straws

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4 oz. Flour
2 oz. Margarine
2 oz. Processed Cheese (Cheddar will be fine)
teaspoon of water
Worcester Sauce
Cayenne Pepper

1. Rub some butter or fat into flour, add sieved processed cheese, pepper and Worcester sauce.

2. Mix with water until dough holds together.

3. Roll out one eighth inch thick. Stab with a fork and cut into fingers and put on greased trays or sheets of baking paper.

4. Bake in a very hot oven (200 to 180 celsius) until golden brown.

This cheese pastry can be used to make cheese biscuits too.

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