I love it when you come across newspaper or magazine cuttings, or odd jottings on scraps of paper in old books – especially recipe books.
In my Constance Spry Cookery Book – an old one, not a reprint, I came across a scrap of paper with a recipe written out with a fountain pen, in a rather elegant hand. having come across an actual recipe in the book for Yorkshire Herring Pie, which sounded rather disgusting, the poor herrings cooked to death with apples and shallots encased in thin slices of potato… Here is a much nicer untitled recipe, with the enigmatic comment at the bottom ‘200 electric I think he said and about 10-15 minutes.’
So here is Mrs Anonymous’s recipe for mackerel:
- 2 filleted mackerels
- juice of one lemon
- 4 tablespoons of olive oil
- 2 tablespoons dry white wine
- 1 teaspoonful finely chopped parsley
- 1 teaspoonful finely chopped shallot
- 1 tiny piece of bay leaf
- Place fillet in flat dish with all other ingredients season and cook
- 200 electric I think he said and about 10-15 minutes
She uses mackerel, I think it would be equally nice with herring. On the back of the note is written ‘glacé cherries’ …and no more!
Lois Elsden 