Do you have a favourite recipe that was handed down to you by a parent or grandparent?

ChowDownBob

ChowDownBob

Supersize Me!
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11 Aug 2014
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I didn't do any cooking at home when I was a kid, and am no great shakes even now, but I've spoken to lots of people who have at least one favourite recipe that they were taught by a parent or grandparent - one they love and can do really well.

How about you? Do you have a favourite recipe that was handed down to you by a parent or grandparent?
 
I wouldn't say it was passed down as there was no written recipe but we all loved my grandmother's smothered chicken.
Sad thing is although we watched her make it dozens of times it is hard to recreate.
I think it was just her fried chicken then add water and steam the chicken for a bit.
 
Yes, I do. I actually have quite a few and all are favourites.

From pancakes to pikelets, to vegetable lasagne, lemon meringue pie, jam, Yorkshire pudding to scones (chocolate chip or cheese).... all are family favourite and all have very fond memories attached. but then I spent all my school holidays with my grandparents, every Wednesday after school to bedtime and at one point lived with them for 6 months. so I had the advantage of being taught to cook by my Grannie. my mother is a lousy cook btw!
 
I loved all my Granny's cooking. I wish I had paid more attention when I was young.
One favourite was her lemon cake and I think that is why I love anything lemon.
Egg sandwiches were made with scrambled egg rather than egg mayonnaise which I've never seen anyone else do.
I particularly remember her curries, which were more an occasion than a recipe. She would make it for Saturday lunch when there were lots of family together. It was usually a beef curry that was flavoursome rather than fiery, served with rice but it was the plethora of side dishes that made it special. Us children used to love helping to prepare them and arrange them on the table. They included : chopped pineapple, sliced banana, sliced hard boiled egg, grated coconut, sultanas, lots of different homemade chutneys, poppadoms and probably other items that I don't remember because I didn't like them at the time. She had a collection of beautiful Asian china bowls with matching spoons but each bowl and spoon set were different. I presume that she brought them back from Singapore when my Grandfather was stationed there. By the time we'd all grown up, they had all been repaired, glued, chipped etc and probably didn't survive their move to sheltered accommodation.
 
I really can't say I have any. My Mum was totally blind but she cooked more or less everything we ate. I can't say they were specific recipes. It was simple plain food. Lots of fresh vegetables because my Dad grew them and not much meat as we were so poor. No fish except fish fingers. I struggle to remember what we ate! Nothing spicy or exotic. I didn't even know garlic or chilli existed when I was a kid. Baked potatoes were probably the best thing. She used to make apple pies which were good but I don't think it was anything but a basic recipe. And my Dad's chips - that was his thing.

As for Grannies, I had a great gran on one side who was very old when I was young (she was born in 1869!). We used to go to her house and I suppose we may have eaten there but I don't remember! She lived to be 100. On my Dad's side my Gran was a good cook I think. But she lived a long way off and we only saw her a few times a year. I say 'a long way off' but it was really only about 80 miles. It just seemed a long way in those days. People didn't travel so much...
 
My dear old mum's "seasoned bread pudding" recipe:

seasoned pudding.jpg
 
My mum's chocolate cake recipe makes the best chocolate cake I've ever tasted - really really chocolate-y and light but moist. I remember when I was a teenager she entered it in the baking competition at the local village show and came first....much to the disappointment of the local W.I. women who usually ruled the baking competition :laugh:
Its a fabulous recipe and I always use whenever I make a chocolate cake - in fact I made one at Christmas and we could all tell it was "that" recipe.
Maybe next time I make one I'll take a photo and post the recipe on here.
 
MrsDangermouse said:
My mum's chocolate cake recipe makes the best chocolate cake I've ever tasted - really really chocolate-y and light but moist. I remember when I was a teenager she entered it in the baking competition at the local village show and came first....much to the disappointment of the local W.I. women who usually ruled the baking competition :laugh:
Its a fabulous recipe and I always use whenever I make a chocolate cake - in fact I made one at Christmas and we could all tell it was "that" recipe.
Maybe next time I make one I'll take a photo and post the recipe on here.
Click to expand...
Please do!
 
MrsDangermouse said:
My mum's chocolate cake recipe makes the best chocolate cake I've ever tasted - really really chocolate-y and light but moist. I remember when I was a teenager she entered it in the baking competition at the local village show and came first....much to the disappointment of the local W.I. women who usually ruled the baking competition :laugh:
Its a fabulous recipe and I always use whenever I make a chocolate cake - in fact I made one at Christmas and we could all tell it was "that" recipe.
Maybe next time I make one I'll take a photo and post the recipe on here.
Click to expand...
My mum used to make one made with mayonnaise which was exceptionally moist as well. when you think about it mayo is only oil and egg which are 2 ingredients in a cake. one of the recipes we use for a chocolate cake is an olive oil one which is also very moist.

So what is yours? would you be good enough to share it please and are any photos?
 
Yes my one of my favorite recipe (ghee jilebi) which is delicious sweet and they will always prepare for my on my birthday ..I can have whenever i want .But on that day my mom will prepare special..So i always wait for my birthday to have my favorite recipe prepared my mom..
 
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Well that would be a soup – essentially a ham broth made from boiling a ham joint or similar. You add a pulse – split peas or lentils – chopped onion, then usually blitzed carrot and swede, and boil it for a while. You blend it at the end – if you get the consistency right it finishes up as a good thick pulp. Then I like to put chunks of the ham itself in before serving. The result should be naturally pretty salty. My mother is from Edinburgh and my Scottish grandmother used to make it, along with several other of my Scottish relatives. They actually made several different versions, including one they called Tatty Soup, which obviously had chunks of potato in it, but was still essentially a ham broth. When we were kids, my mum used to make it from pork ribs and then serve the ribs for the main course, sometimes with stovies – now there is a dish to horrify modern sensibilities, it is essentially mashed potato soaked in fat. As kids we loved it, it was always a great favourite dinner. I have made the soup a few times and my family do like it, but of course, it doesn’t have quite the resonances for them that it does for me.
 
Cinisajoy said:
What is a blitzed carrot?
Click to expand...

Ha! Well there you go, that's the modern way. In my grandmothers day she would have chopped it by hand of course. These days, I chop it quite coarsely and then stick it in the blender to smash it to bits before adding it to the soup. Of course, you're supposed to soak the pulses overnight beforehand to soften them. Then I use one of those hand held blenders at the end to produce the final soupy consistency. Doubtless my grandmother would have disdained my efforts. They have a gadget for everything these days...
 
Ken Natton said:
Ha! Well there you go, that's the modern way. In my grandmothers day she would have chopped it by hand of course. These days, I chop it quite coarsely and then stick it in the blender to smash it to bits before adding it to the soup. Of course, you're supposed to soak the pulses overnight beforehand to soften them. Then I use one of those hand held blenders at the end to produce the final soupy consistency. Doubtless my grandmother would have disdained my efforts. They have a gadget for everything these days...
Click to expand...

What is the point in chopping and smashing up the raw carrot and swede? I mean, the roughly chopped pieces will cook anyway, by the time the pulses are cooked - and then you blend it in any case. :scratchhead:
 
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