I can’t think how many years ago it was – before I was married which is getting on for thirty-five years ago, but I was down in London staying with my friend Janet, who coincidentally we are visiting tomorrow. Janet is a wonderful cook – it was her profession and her passion, so we are looking forward to being entertained by her and her lovely husband. No doubt we will chat non-stop, catching up on our news, reminiscing and generally nattering. So back to the time I was visiting Janet in London, although we were both teachers, school holidays were different in Manchester where I was, from and the hols she had in the Big Smoke.
During my week staying with her, while she was at work I went into London – I went to Madam Tussaud’s, I wandered about, saw the sights, and saw a film I’d read about but which hadn’t reached Manchester. It was either “Young Frankenstein” or “The Producers”, I know it starred Gene Wilder and was very very funny and I laughed a lot – as did the only other person watching the matinee performance. I’ve no idea who he was or what he looked like, except I thought he was probably a similar age to me, and definitely had the same sense of humour. We both sat after it had ended and watched the credits roll, before getting up to leave. We glanced at each-other and I think we both had a thought of speaking, and maybe suggesting we went for a coffee… but no, we didn’t, and i always wonder whether if we’d had that coffee, chatted about the film, talked, whether… But we didn’t, and we left the cinema and went our separate ways.
Back to Janet – on that same stay with her, I picked up one of her cookery magazines, or maybe it was some recipes she’d cut from a newspaper, but it was a feature on Mexican cookery. At that time, I don’t think Mexican cookery was even a thing in the UK, so the article was featuring something exotic and different for me. Of course, these days chilli con carne is an absolute favourite and a very common and popular standby at home and in cafés/restaurants. In those days it was almost a complete unknown. I showed the article to Janet and she said I was welcome to take the magazine if I wanted… For me that was just the start of my love for the cuisine!!
The Mexican Cookbook by Yorkshire born Sue Style, was published in 1984, and here is a delicious recipe from it – no chilli, no beans – but something to enjoy, maybe after a spicy first course:
Tarta de limón
5 oz digestive or petit beurre biscuits
3 oz butter
14 oz can of condensed milk
8 oz cream cheese or quark
2 eggs
juice of 2 limes
zest of 1 lime
1 tsp vanilla essence
unpeeled lime slices to decorate and or extra lime zest
1. grind biscuits in a food processor then add butter to bind
2. press firmly into a 25cm/10inch flan or quiche tin, chill until set – or for a firmer crust, bake blind for 10 mins
3. blend condensed milk, cheese/quark, eggs, lime juice and zest, vanilla until smooth
4. – spread on the base and bake until set, about 35mins
5. – cool, then chill. Serve decorated with thinly sliced lime or lime zest
I must look through my hundreds of cuttings from newspapers and magazines of recipes and stories about food and see if I still have that recipe Janet gave me!
