Birds' Nests

Six hard-boiled eggs, 1 cup of cold minced meat, a few herbs, salt and pepper to taste, a little gravy mixed with meat, 1 egg (beaten).

Method: Roll the boiled eggs in the minced meat, then in egg, then in bread crumbs. Fry in dripping, cut in halves, decorate them nicely on a warm plate, serve at once.

Source: contributed by Mrs. T. Hanisch in The Barossa Cookery Book: 1000 Selected Recipes from a District Celebrated Throughout Australia for the Excellence of its Cookery. Every Recipe of Proved Merit and Signed as such by the Donors (33rd edition, 2006), p.15.

Pancake Cutlets

Mince some cold chicken and cooked ham, about 1/2 lb. in all. Mix with 1/4 cup gravy, a little tomato sauce, pepper and salt. Make a batter of 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup milk and 1 egg. Beat until smooth. Heat some lard or good dripping in a frying pan, pour in the batter and cook on both sides. Turn out, cool a little, then spread mince over pancake, roll up neatly, cut into 1/2 inch slices, dredge with flour, roll in egg and breadcrumbs and fry in boiling fat.

Source: contributed by Mrs. Alb. Keil in The Barossa Cookery Book: 1000 Selected Recipes from a District Celebrated Throughout Australia for the Excellence of its Cookery. Every Recipe of Proved Merit and Signed as such by the Donors (33rd edition, 2006), p.24.

Minced Roll (Baked)

A leg of mutton
2 well beaten eggs
Seasoning
2 cups fine breadcrumbs
1 dessertspoon chopped parsley

Method: Mince all the meat from the leg, and add to it the breadcrumbs and egg. Add parsley and season well. Most people like it without onion, but it may be added if liked particularly. Mix all together thoroughly, and form into one large or two smaller rolls. Wrap and tie in clean greased brown paper or a paper bag, and bake in a moderate oven as you would a joint, with plenty of good dripping. Baste frequently, and turn once. It should cook in 1&1/2 to 2 hours, according to size and heat of oven. When the paper is removed, you will find that it looks and tastes as unlike roast joint as can be. It is crisp and delicious served with the usual brown gravy and vegetables, but it is equally good served cold with salads, or for sandwiches. Use the bones that are left for soup.

Source: The Possum Cookery Book in Aid of Miss Minda - Telethon (Brighton: Minda Home Auxiliary, n.d. [1960s - post 1963]), p.30.

Mock Duck

1 lb. rump or blade bone steak
1 teaspoon chopped thyme and sage
1 chopped onion
Salt and pepper
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon chopped parsley
1 tablespoon melted butter

Method: Spread the meat and pound it a little. Rub with lemon. Mix crumbs and seasonings and add melted butter. Spread the crumbs over the meat, roll up, and tie into shape. Place in a covered pie dish with some good dripping and a cup of hot water. Cook about 2 hours in a moderate oven. Take cover from pie dish and allow the meat 20 minutes to brown. Serve with good gravy.

Source: The Possum Cookery Book in Aid of Miss Minda - Telethon (Brighton: Minda Home Auxiliary, n.d. [1960s - post 1963]), p.34.

A Good Roast Dinner for Beginners

Choose either a leg of lamb, a loin or forequarter.

If using forequarter slice between ribs and shoulder and cut it off. If left intact it takes longer to cook and is difficult to carve.

A leg needs at least three hours, the others two hours.

Using a frypan put in at least 1&1/2 cups of dripping.

Add 1/2 cup cold water.

Lay meat on top and sprinkle with salt and pepper and a little flour.

Cover and cook at 350F turning after three-quarters of an hour.

Vegetables can either be put in with the meat three-quarters of an hour before serving or at this stage take meat out and put in warm oven. Tip fat out and make gravy.

To make gravy:

After fat has been tipped off sprinkle pan with flour (1 tabspn)[,] turn heat high for a few minutes then add 1/2 to 1 cup cold water and stir well. Let boil a minute.

Pour off into gravy boat and keep hot.

Put the clear fat back into pan and heat. Cut potatoes into slices three-quarters inch thick and lay in hot fat. Turn when brown underneath. Do the same with pumpkin, par[s]nips and carrots.

They will cook in about 30 minutes.

Source: contributed by Vera Jagger in The Embroiderers' Recipe Book. Compiled by members of The Embroiderers' Guild of South Australia Incorporated ([Adelaide], n.d.), p.32.

Puftaloons

2 cups SR flour

1 tablespoon butter or margarine

2 to 3 tablespoons oil or dripping

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup milk

Jam, honey or bacon for serving

Method: Combine flour and salt. Rub in butter with fingertips until crumbly. Add milk, mixing to a soft dough. Turn out on to lightly floured surface and knead gently until smooth. Roll out to 2 cm (3/4in) thickness; cut into rounds with a 6 cm (2&1/2in) scone cutter. Heat oil in large frying pan; add scones and gently fry until brown and puffed, turning once, about 4 to 5 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels. Serve hot with accompaniments of your choice. Makes 8.

Source: Memory Lane Cookbook (Rotary Club of Naracoorte, 1986), p.118.

Iced Vo Vo Biscuits

Sift into a bowl 6oz S.R. flour and rub in 4oz butter, lard or dripping, add 4oz sugar and mix to a firm paste, with 1 egg. Roll out on board to a biscuit thickness and cut in shape. Bake on a greased oven tray in a moderate oven for 20 mins. When cold spread red jam down centre of each one, and ice with pink and white icing down the sides. Place each one face down into cocoanut.

Source: contributed by Sylvia Hartmann, Charleston in The Golden Wattle Cookery Book. Compiled by Ladies of the Kindergarten Committee. In aid of Kindergarten Funds. (Lobethal: 1948), p.73.

Easy Pudding

1 dstspn. dripping

1/4 tspn. carb. soda

2 tbspns. currants

3/4 cup milk

2 tbspns. sugar

1/4 tspn. nutmeg

3/4 cup S.R. flour

Method: Cream dripping and sugar, add nutmeg and currants. Sift carb. soda with flour, add to other ingredients, stir. Mix with milk. This is a thin mixture. Tie in cloth and boil 1&1/2 - 2 hours. Can also be cooked in pudding basin.

Source: Mantle of Safety Cookbook 2 (The Port Augusta Women's Air Branch Auxillary of the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia, c1987), p.113.

Fried Celery

Cut celery into equal lengths, place them in pan, with some bacon pieces, 1/2 pint of water, and a little pepper and salt. Simmer gently for 15 minutes, or a little longer if the celery is large; when cooked take out the celery. Dip them first in beaten egg, and then in breadcrumbs, and fry in dripping. Tomato sauce may be served with this dish. The liquid can be thickened and served in place of tomato sauce.

Source: A Cooks' Tour of Recipes. Published for the Adelaide University S.R.C. [Students' Representative Council]. (Adelaide: Commercial Publications of South Australia, 1955), p.27.

Mock Goose

Grease a pie-dish well with good dripping, leave a few lumps scattered at bootom [sic]; slice a raw cooking apple, sprinkle very little sugar, then put a layer of sage and onion stuffing; on this put a layer of lambs fry, then a layer of bacon and if the dish is deep enough repeat layers; have the top layer slices of raw potato or breadcrumbs with lumps of butter or good dripping on top. Bake 1&1/2 hrs, and serve with gravy.

Source: contributed by Mrs. P. Wittke, Lobethal in The Golden Wattle Cookery Book. Compiled by Ladies of the Kindergarten Committee. In aid of Kindergarten Funds. (Lobethal: 1948), p.7

To make an old fowl tender

To make an old fowl tender, rub fowl all over with lemon, cover with dripping, place in paper bag and cook.

To make an aged fowl tender, soak in water and cup of cider vinegar.

Source: Blyth Recipe Book: Favourite Tested Recipes of the Blyth Trinity Lutheran Ladies Guild (Blyth Womens Guild, 1972), p.74

Meat Loaf Roast

500 gm mince
500 gm sausage meat
1 egg
1 pkt. Dutch Curry Soup
1 cup breadcrumbs

Method: Combine all ingredients[,] form into a roll - place in baking dish with a little dripping and vegetables around it and cook about 1&1/2 hours in mod-hot oven. What is left is really good cold in a sandwich.

Source: contributed by Dulcie Stacey in Our Jubilee Year Recipe Book [Ascot Park Uniting Church Friendship Group] (Adelaide, 1986), p.37.

Boiling Water Pastry

3 cups Self Raising Flour

2 cups Dripping

1 cup boiling water

Method: Rub fat into flour and mix with water. Quick and easy.

Source: Oodnadatta Cookbook (Oodnadatta: 1986), p.90.-

Mutton Charlotte

Cold mutton slices, tomatoes, stale bread, salt, pepper, onion.

Method: Grate some stale bread, put the crumbs at the bottom of a greased pie-dish, then a layer of mutton, then some slices of tomatoes. As you proceed season with salt and pepper and a little minced onion. Let the top layer be of tomatoes. Sprinkle a few breadcrumbs over the top and bake for 3/4 hour. Tinned tomatoes may be used if fresh ones are not available.

Variations: Miss B. M. Limbert (Metropolitan) scalds her tomatoes and skins them, uses shallots instead of onion, and adds dobs of butter on top of top breadcrumbs.

Mrs. W. D. French (Postal) adds a crust made from thin slices of bread spread thickly with dripping or butter, and then moistened with gravy or stock or Oxo. A batter of 3 tablespoons S.R. flour, 1&1/4 cups milk and 1 egg is then poured over the whole.

Source: contributed by Mrs. R. P. Wood (Owen) The South Australian Country Women's Association Inc. Calendar of Meat and Fish Recipes in Metric. One for Every Day in the Year. Also Special Mornay Supplement (Adelaide: 1975), p.3 [January 9].

Beef Doves

500 g chopped raw beef, 1 cabbage, two-thirds cup uncooked rice, salt, pepper.

Brown Tomato Sauce: 1 tablespoon dripping, 3 tablespoons flour, 1 chopped onion, salt, pepper, 2 cups tomatoes (chopped roughly), 1 cup stock or water.

Method: Wash cabbage, wash rice well. Mix rice and meat and season well with salt and pepper - a dash of cayenne included if desired. Place about 2 tablespoons of mixture in each cabbage leaf and roll up. Place in casserole with brown tomato sauce. Bake in moderate oven 450 deg. (f) 230 deg. C about 1 hour.

Sauce: Melt dripping, add onion and fry until brown. Add flour and brown, add chopped tomatoes then add water or stock, season to taste. Bring to boiling point. Simmer 15 minutes.

Source: contributed by Mrs H. Saschse (Tanunda) in The South Australian Country Women's Association Inc. Calendar of Meat and Fish Recipes in Metric. One for Every Day in the Year. Also Special Mornay Supplement (Adelaide: 1975), p.3 [Jan. 8].

Sausage Meat Tart

500g sausage meat

1 cup milk

1 onion

1 packet chicken noodle soup

2 eggs

Short Pastry: -

2 level tablespoons lard or dripping

1 level tablespoon butter

1/2 small cup milk

1.1/2 cups S.R. Flour

1/2 teaspoon vinegar

Method: Beat lard and butter to a cream with vinegar and a pinch of salt. Then add milk and flour. Line a dish with pastry, put in mixture and bake in a moderate oven.

Source: contributed by N. Smart in Gulnare Gourmets (Adelaide: Gulnare Primary School Welfare Club, 1984 [2nd edition]), p.35.

British Mince

2 tbspn beef dripping or cooking fat

2 small onions, minced (or chopped finely)

1.1/2 lbs mince

2 cups beef bouillon (stock cube)

1 tbspn uncooked oatmeal (rolled oats)

salt 

freshly ground pepper

Method: Heat the beef dripping in a heavy saucepan. Add the onions and cook stirring constantly until the onions are soft and golden. Add the meat and brown it, stirring constantly to prevent lumping. Stir in the beef bouillon, the oatmeal and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer, covered over low heat for about 30mins. Serve on toast or with mashed potatoes or boiled noodles.

Source: contributed by D. Voigt in Lutheran Jubilee 150 Cook Book 1838-1988 Vol 2 by St. Paul's Congregation, Yorketown (1988), p.17.