Lest we forget cookbook
The ‘Lest We Forget’ Cookery Book developed by the Austin’s Darley House Community recipe group, is the rich compilation of a range of favourite recipes, stories, jokes, anecdotes and memories shared over a few weeks among residents, their families, staff and volunteers. We all had a lively time, remembering the good old days and some of the delicious foods, particularly cakes, that we have cooked, eaten and in one case, ‘sent to the troops’.
The ‘Lest We Forget’ Cookery Book is accessible and easy to read. Extra pages can be included as additional recipes are provided, and this information can be viewed online also.
Acknowledgements:
Darley House lifestyle coordinator, Sandra Agnew, must be congratulated for getting the recipe group ‘up and running’ as well as mentoring Trish Posterino, Valerie Farfalla and Aygul Coteli, in a nurturing, down-to-earth way and sharing her vast cookery experience. We also learnt a great deal from the easy rapport and empathy she shares with elderly residents and their families. In turn, Trish, Val and Aygul invited residents to join in with some humorous songs and sketches and Turkish dancing.
There was also committed participation from residents, their families, volunteers (particularly Eve Bradley), staff and a project worker, Trish Posterino, from Thornbury Women’s Neighbourhood House, who participated as part of the Victorian Government’s “Count Us In” project. Trish has been teaching online I.T. skills to interested members of the recipe group as part of the multi-media focus of the recipe project.
Kangan Batman TAFE community development students, Aygul Coteli and Valerie Farfalla, on student placement for their Participatory Action Research (PAR) project, conducted interviews and gathered recipes and other ‘taste of life’ stories to produce and publish the cookery book.
The Austin Hospital (Darley House), Kangan Batman TAFE, Thornbury Women’s Neighbourhood House and the Vic. Government’s ‘Count Us In” project are to be congratulated for their support and guidance. Thank you.
[edit] Bill’s Really Healthy Fruit Cake
from Bill’s wife, Audrey
500gm mixed dried fruit 1 cup apricot nectar 1 tspn honey 1 cup mashed cold pumpkin 12/3cups self raising flour 1 tspn bicarbonate of soda 1 tspn mixed spice
Method: Grease loaf pan and line with baking paper. Combine fruit nectar and honey in medium pan. Bring to boil, simmer uncovered for three minutes. Transfer mixture to a large bowl; cool. Stir pumpkin and sifted dry ingredients into fruit mixture Spread into prepared pan. Cook in a moderate oven 160oC for about 11/4 hours or until cooked when tested. Cover cake with foil; cool in pan.
Audrey’s handy hint: pumpkin keeps the cake moist. Audrey says: “I can’t make sponges” but she can make everything else!
[edit] Marj’s Amy Johnson Cake
from Marj Loughland and Dianne Kennedy
Pastry: 1/4 lb flour 2 oz butter or dripping a little milk (or use Herbert Adams short crust pastry) Roll out and line a flat cake tin. Spread with apricot jam and sprinkle 1/2 lb currants on jam. Sponge: 1 cup sugar 2 oz. butter 2 eggs, little milk 1 cup SR flour. Pour over pastry. Cook in hot oven. When cold, ice with lemon icing.
Tip from Marj Loughland and her daughter, Dianne Kennedy: “Cook until it’s golden brown on top.”
Marj’s memories of school life and the Amy Johnson Cake. “When I was a little girl, I was asked who Amy Johnson was and I said ‘I don’t know, but she made a cake’.” “I believe she was the first woman to fly a plane to London from here. We used to give her a terrible time when she was cookery teacher at school. We locked her in the pantry just for fun and rattled the handle. ‘Tringy’ was her nickname”. “I used to ride my bike to school from our dairy farm.”
[edit] Merv’s Upside-down Chocolate Caramel Nut Cake
from Sandra Brown (Merv’s wife)
Preparation 30 minutes Cooking 1 hour 10 mins This recipe can be made a day ahead.
125g butter, chopped 1 cup (200g) firmly packed brown sugar 3 eggs 1 cup (150g) SR flour 1/4 cup (35g) plain flour 1/4 tspn bicarb of soda 1/3 cup (35g) cocoa powder 100g dark chocolate, melted 3/4 cup (180ml) milk CARAMEL NUT TOPPING 40g butter 1/4 cup (50g) firmly backed brown sugar 2 tblspns cream 2 tblspns chopped unsalted roasted macadamias 2 tblspns chopped unsalted roasted pistachios 2 tblspns chopped unsalted roasted walnuts Method: Preheat oven to moderately slow (160o C/140o C fan-forced). Grease a deep, 20cm round cake pan and line the base with a round of baking paper.
CARAMEL NUT TOPPING Combine butter, sugar and cream in small saucepan; stir over low heat, without boiling, until sugar is dissolved. Bring to boil, then remove from heat. Pour caramel mixture over base of prepared pan, sprinkle combined nuts over caramel; freeze while preparing cake mixture. Beat butter and sugar in small bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, beating until just combined between each addition. Stir in sifted flours, bicarb of soda and cocoa, then chocolate and milk. Spread the cake mixture over Caramel Nut Topping. Bake in a moderately slow oven for about 1 hour 10 minutes. Stand cake in pan for 15 mins before inverting onto wire rack to cool. Sandra’s tip: This cake is not suitable to freeze or microwave.
