Today,
and for the next full week, I will be holidaying in Tasmania. I have therefore decided
that my theme will be Tasmanian food as seen through the eyes of newspaper
columnists and cookery book authors of times moderately past.
I am
planning to enjoy the cool temperate climate of this island state – it will be
a welcome relief from the sultry sub-tropics. I am also planning to enjoy the food offerings
from the state.
In the
second half of the 1920’s the potato industry was in some strife, as it
struggled with competition from New Zealand producers. One of the strategies of
the Tasmanian Potato Board was to produce a small book of recipes, and I am
going to feature some of them today. There are not just potato recipes within
its pages, as you might be forgiven for expecting, the explanation being:
“For the purposes of the present
Board’s operations, turnips, carrots, parsnips, or, in fact, any vegetable in
respect of which inspection fees are collected under the Plant Diseases Act,
1930, are comprehended in the word “potato.”
Without
further ado, from The Mercury
(Hobart, Tasmania) 5 November, 1932, I give you the following:
Tasmanian Recipes
I wonder how many readers have
obtained a copy of the very useful little book lately issued by the Potato
Marketing Board of Tasmania? The Board, which has its headquarters at Burnie,
is to be congratulated on an initiative more reminiscent of the wide-awake
U.S.A. than of our sleepily complacent island. Naturally most of the recipes
given deal with vegetables, but there is a really remarkable range of new ideas
and it would be a good thing if our tourist hotels and boarding-houses took
advantage of the assistance offered and broke away from the monotony of boiled
and roast deplored by so many visitors. I am giving three of the fifty or so
recipes included, hoping they will interest those readers who have not yet seen
the booklet.
Stuffed Potatoes.
Take eight equal-sized potatoes;
bake them and cut a slice off each. Scoop out as much inside as possible and
pass it through a sieve; season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg, add a third of
its quantity in grated cheese, moisten with beaten egg-yolk and milk. Whisk
stiff the egg-white and quickly fold into the mixture. Fill hollowed spaces
with it, return to oven, and serve hot with garnish of fried parsley.
Russian Sweet.
Wash and scrape some carrots and
put into a saucepan in the proportion of one cup of sugar to each cup of
carrot. Simmer until the mixture is almost stiff, and then add to each three
cups, one level teaspoon of grated ginger. Turn out on a wet board. Blanc and
cut up some almonds, spread on to the confection, cut into shapes, and leave to
set. This delicious sweet, if kept airtight, will last for some time.
Parsnip Toast.
Boil some parsnips tender, but
not mushy, in salted water. Drain and slice across about a quarter of an inch
thick. Lay them on oblong pieces of hot buttered toast, dust lightly with
pepper, salt, and a very little castor-sugar. Cover with good cream sauce and serve
at once.
We would all be better for eating
more vegetables, and the State’s finances would improve if we increased our
support of local products, so this seems an easy method of killing two birds
with one stone.
I managed
to find an online copy of this book, so also give another recipe from it - my
personal favourite choice:
Autumn Leaves:
Afternoon Tea Special.
Slice raw potatoes
and cut into required shapes. Grease underneath side slightly with butter.
Place on slide and cook in very slow oven in order to prevent the slices from
curling up. When almost cooked, brown off quickly. Spread with butter when
nearly cold and serve on dish garnished with autumn leaves.
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