Nancy's Astrid Biscuits

Intro

The first bloke's Mum was a Very Good Mummy and always had home baking for her 3 hungry sons. Nancy had a core repertoire which she whipped up every Friday using 1 bowl and a wooden spoon: either a chocolate or a banana cake (always iced with chocolate icing and decorated with coloured sprinkles), little cheesecakes (pastry shells with raspberry jam, sponge cake filing and a pastry twist on top) and these yummy crunchy biscuits. I very wisely got the recipe before the Bloke and I parted ways but whenever I want to do something really nice for him (like after he's brought me firewood or fixed my pump ... again) I'll send #1 son down the road to his house with a freshly cooked batch.

Recipe

• 1 cup butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla esence
• 2 cups flour
• half a teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• half a teaspoon salt
• 1 cup coconut
• 2 cups cornflakes

Cream together butter and sugar until pale. Add eggs and vanilla essence.

Add the rest of the ingredients, place teaspoonsful on a greased baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees F.

Tomato Relish

Intro 

My mother in law, Nancy Ransom, was a terrific cook. She made gorgeous tomato relish and sauce, bottled peaches by the ton and always had baking in the tins. Cheese cakes (queen cakes?), chocolate and banana cakes with hundreds and thousands and crunchy Astrid biscuits. She never made scones - that was  her husband Des's territory and he was a master at them - although she could whip up Cheese Puffs for unannounced visitors practically while the jug boiled! I'll share all of Nan's recipes that I have. They are a family legacy and it will be nice to share them publicly so her kids and grandkids can have them to. 

Recipe

Boil gently together for 1 hour:

• 4 pounds ((2 kgs) tomatoes - sliced
• 4 large onions - sliced
• 325ml malt vinegar
• 1 pound (454g) sugar
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 and half teaspoons dry mustard

Mix together 1 tablespoon cornflour with a little water, add to the simmering relish and bring to the boil for 1 minute. Pour into hot clean glass jars.

Tomato Sauce

Intro

Another one of Nancy Ransom's recipes - and its so yummy. I havn't made this for ages but I used to do a big cookup every year when I could buy tomatoes by the boxful from the market gardens for about $4. Des used to grow magnificent beefsteak tomatoes in his glasshouse - big as your palm - and I guess thats how come Nan accumulated these recipes utilizing the surplus.

A kitchen whizz is fine for chopping everything up and also for whizzing afterwards before bottling.

Recipe

Simmer together in preserving pan for 2.5 hours:

• 6 pounds tomatoes, chopped roughly (3kgs)
• 2 pounds onions, sliced (1 kg)
• 2 pounds apples, chopped roughly (1 kg)
• 3lb sugar (1.5 kg)
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 15g ground ginger
• 15g garlic

Tie these together in a square of muslin and throw in as well:

• 15g whole allspice
• 15g whole cloves
• 15g whole peppercorns

After the 2.5 hours is up, add vinegar and simmer for another half hour

• 1.125 litres malt vinegar

Remove muslin and bottle (in really hot sterilized bottles).

Cheese Puffs

Intro

Another one of Nancy Ransom's recipes, this one was brought home by Des from Te Kowhai which was THE wedding reception lounge in Horowhenua - back in the day. He was a chippie by trade but was surprisingly good at baking. Apparently he was the cook when he was stationed in the Pacific as a young man during WWII - which explains why a man of his generation, working in a macho industry, living in traditional, conservative, small town NZ in the 60s actually knew one end of a wooden spoon from the other! 

Recipe
Sift together:

• 1 cup flour
• 2 and a half teaspoons baking powder
• pinch of salt
• pinch of cayenne

Combine together then add to the dry ingredients above :

• 1 beaten egg
• 3/4 cup milk

Then fold in:

• 1 and a half cups grated tasty cheese

This should be a wet, lumpy, sloppy-scone consistency. Put tablespoons of mixture into greased patty tins and cook for about 5 minutes in a very hot 400 degrees fahrenheit oven. Serve immediately.