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I JANUARY, 1994: the Feast of the Cir- cumcision, now banished, and a very happy New Year to you all. I like the sound of 1994; perhaps everything will start getting better, brighter and less bellicose. I have received a fine copy of a book too late to Include in my Christmas round-up of cook- ery books but I would like to draw it to your attention. It was described by Eliza- beth David as 'the greatest cookery book in our language'. How about that? It is an unabridged reprint of Modem Cookery for Private Families by Eliza Acton with an introduction by Elizabeth Ray (Southover Press, £19.95). This reprint is of the expanded version and includes all the splendid engravings of the original. I am the proud possessor of a battered original, one of my treasures. If you intend to take cooking seriously for the rest of your life, pray purchase a copy. All the receipts were tested by the great lady herself unless oth- erwise stated and are perfectly suitable for the present table.
You are all probably stuffed to the gills by now, so I thought we would have some simple little dishes to be hashed up. This is the sort of mess to please the children, I hope.
Alaskan hotpot
3 15oz tins red Alaska salmon 1'/4 lbs fai:ly waxy potatoes 1'/: oz butter lib oz plain flour 14 pint milk 12 az leeks, trimmed and sliced 6 oz sweetcorn kernels 6 oz frozen peas 6 oz button mushrooms, wiped and sliced salt and pepper olive oil
Cook the potatoes in boiling water until they are beginning to soften but are still firm. Drain and peel. Drain and reserve the juice from the tinned salmon. Break the fish into large flakes, discarding any skin or bones. Melt the butter in a large oven- proof casserole, stir in the flour, cooking for a minute. Remove from the heat and gradually stir in 8 fluid oz of the fish juice, followed by the milk. Return to the heat and slowly bring to the boil, stirring the while. Simmer for 3-5 minutes until the sauce has thickened. Stir all the vegetables Into the sauce and cook for 3 minutes
before gently and carefully folding in the salmon flakes. Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground pepper, maybe a drop or so of Tabasco. Slice the potatoes and arrange daintily, overlapping on the top of the casserole.
Brush all over with the olive oil and scat- ter with fennel seeds if you so fancy. Cover and bake in a preheated oven at Gas 5, 380F, 193C for about an hour until the potatoes are tender. Remove the lid for the last 20 minutes of cooking so that the pota- toes get nice and brown. This is no haute cuisine but a surprisingly comforting supper dish.
A very good thing to have with any old cold ham, turkey or whatever is a sizzling plate of rosti, the quintessential Swiss-Ger- man dish. It is also very good for those who have imbibed too much for the breathalyser — I am told it sits like an eiderdown on the fumes. Who knows?
Rosa
2'/4 lbs firm, waxy potatoes salt and pepper 2 oz butter 2 teaspoons oil Boil the potatoes until just tender. Drain and leave overnight. Next day, peel them, then grate coarsely. Season with salt and pepper. Heat half the butter and oil in a heavy-based, preferably non-stick frying pan, large or small enough to take the pota- toes so that they fit in snugly to form a flat- tish cake. Press the potatoes into the pan and cook over a moderate heat for about 20 minutes, until the bottom is golden brown and crusty. Invert the rosti on to a plate or board. Heat the rest of the butter and oil in the pan, slide the rosti back into the pan, browned side uppermost, and cook the second side. When ready, slide on to a hot plate and serve in wedges. Waxy pota- toes are essential or the whole thing goes mushy. Another version is to cook 'Alb of diced bacon in the pan before adding the potatoes. Fry the bacon until the fat runs and add a little oil if necessary to just cover the bottom of the pan, then continue as above. When the rosti is ready, sprinkle the top with 5oz of grated hard cheese and leave for a minute or two until the cheese is melted. A mixture of parmesan and gruyere makes a very good topping.
Lots of luck and love to you all.
Jennifer Paterson
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