I hear the ads ZB is running for Downtown Abbey competition and so with this being Anzac weekend, I thought we might look at something of that era, not just the usual Anzac Day biscuit. 

• Downtown Abbey is a worldwide TV series sensation – plus there are movies.
• It was the most watched television series on both ITV and PBS, and subsequently became the most successful British costume drama series since the 1981 television serial of Brideshead Revisited.
• By the third series, it had become one of the most widely watched television shows in the world.
• People became so interested in the kitchen and house management parts of the series that it resulted in Penguin re-printing an absolute classic book - Arabella Boxer’s Book of English Food.
• It’s a disjointed but charming collection of recipes and stories of food of the Edwardian era – the time Downtown Abby was set in.
• That said simplicity in the Edwardian era in a grand home was very different to the poorer classes.
• A quick pre-dinner drink would involve handing around 7-9 different canapes, most of them hot. (And mind the white carpet when you bite!)
• Dinner parties were often much bigger than Downtown shows. Hunting weekends were for 40 plus people not the 14 or so you see in Downtown.
• The kitchen was cooking – literally and figuratively
• Sadly WW2 arrived so quickly- only 20 years later, that the 20 or so years of ‘Edwardian-style’ living disappeared and with the many inventions made by the advance of WW2, food after that time was forever changed.
• It was an era of sheer elegance in every way.

Smoked Fish Kedgeree

The lime and coconut give this kedgeree a truly delicious flavour.

Ingredients

• 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 tsp finely grated or minced ginger
• 1 tblsp oil
• 1 green pepper, deseeded and diced
• 1 1/2 cups long grain rice
• 600 grams smoked trevally fillet
• 1 tblsp oil
• 1 tblsp curry powder
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 cup coconut cream
• 1 tblsp freshly chopped coriander
• 1/2 tsp finely grated lime or lemon rind
• 2 tblsp fresh lime or lemon juice
• 2 hard boiled eggs

Method

1. Heat the first measure of oil in a large pan or saucepan and cook the onion for 5 minutes until soft but not brown. Add the pepper and cook for a further 3 minutes until just tender. Add the pepper and cook for a further 3 minutes until just tender.

2. Cook the rice in boiling salted water for 12 minutes until tender. Rinse under hot water and drain well.

3. Skin and remove any bones form fish, flake or chop roughly.

4. Heat the second measure of oil, stir in curry powder, ground coriander and cumin until frothy, pour in the coconut cream, freshly chopped coriander, lime rind and juice.

5. In a large saucepan, combine cooked onions and peppers, cooked rice, smoked fish and curry mixture. Heat gently stirring carefully to prevent burning. Or use a microwave proof bowl covered with plastic wrap and heat on high for 4 minutes.

6. Cut the hard boiled eggs into about 8 pieces each, mix into the kedgeree. Serve immediately.

Cooks Tips

Coriander gives this spicy version of kedgeree a unique flavour. If you don’t have any available, use parsley. The flavour will not be the same, but it is a good alternative.

Anzac Biscuits

Ingredients

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup desiccated coconut
• 175 grams butter
• 2 tablespoons golden syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 tablespoons boiling water

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Lightly grease 1-2 baking trays or line with baking paper.
2. In a large bowl, sift flour with a good pinch of salt. Stir in the sugar, rolled oats and coconut and make a well in the centre.
3. In a saucepan, melt the butter, golden syrup and vanilla essence together.
4. Dissolve the baking soda in the boiling water. Mix into the melted butter and quickly pour into the well. Mix all the ingredients together quickly.
5. Roll tablespoonfuls of the mixture into balls and place on the prepared trays. Flatten with the tines of a floured fork.
6. Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes until the biscuits have flattened out and have become a reddish-brown colour.
7. Transfer to a cake rack. They will crispen as they cool. Once cold, store in an airtight container.

Cooks Tips

To make chocolate Anzacs, melt 150 grams dark chocolate either in the microwave or over the top of a double saucepan. Dip half an Anzac into the melted chocolate and allow the excess to fall off. Place on a baking paper-lined tray and allow the chocolate to set before storing in an airtight container in a cool area.