Ploughboy

This is a traditional recipe from the county of Yorkshire in England.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 tablespoon black treacle
1 finely shredded red cabbage
1 grated onion
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Method
1 Mix the treacle, vinegar and pepper together.
2 Pour the sauce over the vegetables and stir thoroughly.
3 Serve with cold meat and jacket potatoes.

Brawn

This is an old recipe from England, my grandma used to make this occassionally and found the notes she made. The pigs head should have soaked in pickle for 2 days beforehand. Serve the brawn sliced as you would for cooked meats.

Ingredients
1//2 pigs head
2lbs veal knuckle
1/2 grated nutmeg
salt
pepper

Method
1 Remove the pigs head from the pickle.
2 Pat the pigs head dry.
3 Remove the brains - they are not required!
4 Place the head and the knuck into a large enough saucepan.
5 Add the nutmeg and salt.
6 Cover with cold water.
7 Place a lid over the saucepan.
8 Bring the contents of the saucepan to the boil.
9 Skim off any scum.
10 Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 3 hours.
11 Remove the meat.
12 Reduce the liquid in the saucepan until it forms a jelly when dropped onto a cold saucer.
13 Remove all the meat off the bones and leave to cool.
14 Dice the meat.
15 Dampen a mould in cold water - do not dry.
16 Place the meat in the bottom of the mould.
17 Strain the stock over the meat.
18 Leave the contents of the mould to set.
19 Dip the mould in hot water.
20 Invert the mould onto a serving plate.

Serve sliced garnished with parsley.

Boxty Pancakes

This traditional recipe comes from Ireland. The Irish people used to make these pancakes at Halloween. Traditionally a silver sixpence was placed in one of the pancakes to bring good luck for the following year.

Ingredients
8oz/250g plain flour
8oz/250g cold mashed potatoes (with no butter or milk in them
8oz/250g peeled raw potatoes
salt to taste
lard
buttermilk

Method
1 Place the mashed potatoes into a large mixing bowl.
2 Grate the raw potatoes into a sterilized linen cloth.
3 Gather up the linen cloth.
4 Wring the potatoes over a basin of water as tight as you can.
5 Reserve the water to one side.
6 Remove the grated raw potatoes from the cloth and place in the mixing bowl with the mashed potatoes.
7 Mix together thoroughly
8 The reserved water in the bowl should have settled, so that there is clear liquid at the top and sediment in the bottom. Pour the water from the top of the potato liquid, reserving the sediment.
9 Pour 2 tablespoons of the remaining sediment onto the potato mixture.
10 Add salt to taste.
11 Place a sieve over the bowl.
12 Spoon the flour into the sieve.
13 Shake the sieve of flour into the mixing bowl.
14 Mix thoroughly.
15 Make a well in the middle of the mixture.
16 Add sufficient buttermilk to give the batter a soft dropping consistency similar to sponge cake mixture.
17 Beat the mixture thoroughly.
18 Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and leave for a few minutes.
19 Heat a griddle on the hob.
20 Grease with lard.
21 Drop tablespoonfuls of the batter onto the warmed griddle.
22 Quickly spread the mixture.
23 Allow the mixture to cook on the underside then turn over with a fish slice.
24 Cook the other side as before.

Serve while still warm, with a generous sprinkling of sugar.

Notes
If you do not own a griddle use a heavy based frying pan.

Lard can be substituted for oil.

Hide a coin wrapped in greaseproof paper into 1 of the pancakes to keep the tradition up, but do warn the diners!