This week my recipes are to mark the centenary of Anzac Day and are typical of that time. The Australian diet (for Europeans) 100 years ago was in the British tradition with colonial influences. People cooked the food they produced and that which was readily available.
The lamb casserole with dumplings is a comforting dish that I imagine a man in the trenches would have dreamt about. For the casserole use either cubed lamb shoulder or chump chops that have been trimmed of fat. I have added barley or lentils to thicken the sauce. The dumplings can be made with suet rather than butter, or you can forget them and simply enjoy the dish with mashed potatoes. The flavour of the casserole will improve after a day in the fridge.
Custard, in one form or another, was an everyday dessert in earlier days. With this in mind, I suggest the almost forgotten, but nonetheless delicious, banana custard to follow the lamb casserole. Bananas have been grown commercially in Queensland since the 1880s so would have been available in 1915. Made with proper custard, ripe bananas and nutmeg, this is not simple nursery food; serve with shortbread biscuits to lift it up and provide crunch.
If banana custard doesn't appeal, serve the custard with poached seasonal fruit – apples, pears or quinces.
Oatmeal shortbread is a favourite family recipe that has been in our biscuit tins for four generations. The original recipe is from the CWA Cookbook. It is quick and easy to make.
Lamb casserole with herb dumplings
Serves 6
900g cubed shoulder of lamb, or 1kg chump chops, fat trimmed
sea salt and milled black pepper
1 tbsp plain flour (optional)
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 brown onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 stick celery
2 bay leaves
3 sprigs of thyme
4-5 cups water and stock cubes
2 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
¼ cup barley or green lentils, rinsed
2 medium carrots, sliced
2 small or 1 big white turnip, cut into chunks (500g)
1 bunch curly-leaf parsley
1 small bunch mint (optional)
Dumplings
50g frozen butter
125g self-raising flour
1 tsp chopped thyme and 1 tbsp chopped parsley
¼ cup cold water or as needed
Season the lamb with salt and pepper and, if using, dust lightly with flour. Heat a casserole with a tablespoon of the olive oil until quite hot. Brown the meat on both sides in batches, adding more oil as needed; then remove and set aside.
Add the last of the oil, the onions and a pinch of salt to the casserole and fry gently for about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, celery stick, bay leaves, thyme, a tablespoon of chopped parsley and grinding of pepper and cook for 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Now add the tomato and return the meat to the pot and stir-fry for a few minutes.
Tip in the water and the stock cubes and gently bring the casserole to the boil. Stir in the barley or lentils, partially cover and simmer for an hour and a half or until the lamb is tender. Add the carrot and turnips halfway through this cooking time. Stir occasionally and add more water if needed. Alternatively cover and bake in a moderately slow oven (140C fan or 160C regular) until tender. Correct the seasoning and discard the celery, bay leaves and thyme branches. Transfer to the fridge overnight if you can.
Reheat the casserole until simmering, either on top of the stove or in the oven. Turn the oven to 180C fan or 200C regular, ready to cook the dumplings.
About 35 minutes before serving, make the dumplings; to do this, grate the butter and toss with the flour, then mix in the chopped herbs, salt and pepper. Use a fork or your fingers and add enough cold water to bring the dough together (like making scones). Turn the mixture out onto a floured bench and knead a couple of times. Now cut into eight pieces and roll into balls.
Drop the dumplings onto the surface of the simmering casserole and bake uncovered for about 25 minutes. They should puff up and brown nicely in that time. In the meantime warm the plates and chop the parsley and mint.
Serve the lamb casserole and dumplings with parsley and mint scattered on top. I like to serve this with peas or another green vegetable.
Banana custard
The cornflour will stabilise the eggs and prevent the custard splitting (curdling). Save the egg whites to make meringue.
Serves 4
400ml milk
1½ tbsp sugar
3 free-range egg yolks
3 tsp cornflour
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 ripe bananas
⅓ to ½ cup pure cream (optional)
1 nutmeg
Custard sauce
Bring the milk slowly to the boil or heat carefully in the microwave. Meanwhile whisk the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour with a dash of milk in a bowl. Now tip the hot milk onto the egg and cornflour, whisking at the same time.
Return this mixture to a clean saucepan and cook over very gentle heat, whisking continuously until it thickens. Watch closely and don't allow it to boil; take off the heat at the first sign of movement or a bubble. Alternatively, the custard can be cooked gently over simmering water, stirring until it coats the back of the spoon.
When off the heat, stir in the vanilla extract. Taste and adjust for sweetness and pass through a strainer into a bowl. To prevent a skin forming as it cools, press buttered plastic wrap on the surface.
To serve
Lightly whip the cream (if using) and fold into the cold custard, taste and add more sugar or vanilla if needed. Close to serving, slice the bananas into a glass dish or individual dishes. Pour the custard over the bananas and grate nutmeg generously on top. Serve cold.
Variation: Instead of the nutmeg, try grated chocolate, chopped nuts or fresh passionfruit on the banana custard. The whipped cream can be replaced with low-fat yoghurt. The custard can be made with custard powder instead; just follow the directions on the packet. For a quick dessert, buy the custard in a carton from the supermarket.
Note: if the custard boils and splits you can bring it back by mixing with a stick blender or whisking vigorously. My mother added a knob of butter for the taste and to cool the custard.
Oatmeal shortbread
Makes 24 squares
225g butter
1½ cups (150g) rolled oats
¾ cup (170g) sugar
1 cup (150g) plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
Preheat the oven to 150C fan or 170C regular. Line a lamington tray (30 x 20cm) with baking paper. Combine the rolled oats, flour, sugar and baking powder in a large bowl. Melt the butter and pour over the dry ingredients and mix well.
Press the mixture into the baking tray and flatten with the fingers or the back of a spoon. Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes until lightly browned. Cut into squares in the tin while still warm and leave to cool. Store the oatmeal shortbread in an airtight container.
Diana Lampe is a Canberra writer, dlampe@bigpond.net.au
