Strange meals passed down through the family

[Pickle]

I had a friend over yesterday while I was starting to get our dinner ready, the time-honoured "Nana's mince", which has been passed down the woman of our family for a few generations now. I'd never really questioned it until it was viewed by an outsider. It's a very basic recipe:

In a lasagne dish you assemble a layer of mince (browned) with onions, curry powder and cornflour to thicken.

Top with a layer of cooked white rice.

On top of that goes a can of spaghetti in tomato sauce.

Finished of with a sprinkling of grated cheese.

It gets cooked in the oven until the cheese is all bubbly, and bizarrely has always been served with coleslaw.

So I look at it now and realise it's very very strange, but it works, Mr Pickle eats it willingly and the kids love it.

Anyone else got weird and wonderful foods that have worked their way down the generations?

[Ruth_Baldock]

My Mum used to make goulash, but with potato wedges rather than dumplings or what have you. Never thought it was odd until we went to Prague last year. Hmm.

[Belle]

hah - Ruth, until I went to university I thought dahl was something you could slice into wedges, because that's how my mum made it, bless her! She now denies this of course as we're both more worldly these days...

[Izodia]

Tuna mush - line a dish with slices of tomato, then fill up with tuna and sweetcorn in a bechamel sauce and top with broken up crisps, preferably cheese and onion flavour.

[cate]

I like the sound of those. Sloppy Joes in our family. For 500 g of Minced beef, 1 chopped onion, finely chopped carrot if liked, finely chopped green, red or yellow pepper, finely chopped garlic if liked (but add when browning mince so it doesn't burn) tomato sauce, like a tube of paste, and carton of passata, (could use ketchup instead) water, and a pack of seasoning which is unavailable here so I add my own spices. See following:- Cook onion/carrot/pepper in small amount of oil, add mince, brown, drain fat then add tomato sauce and paste, some water and ground cumin, dash or to taste of mild chili powder, paprika, white or cider vinegar, worcester sauce, salt, pepper, bit of sugar, and American mild mustard or you could use dry mustard powder and if you have't used fresh garlic. I also add a bit of molasses, or you could use treacle. Add tabasco or chili sauce if you like it hot it is probably better to add those to individual portions. Keep tasting. It should taste slightly sharp and tomatoey, a bit like a mild chili, and the sugar/molasses can bring the sharpness down so it tastes a bit like barbecue sauce. You could always add that if you don't have molasses. It should be like a thick bolognese sauce, you can add more water and cook it down. Serve on lightly toasted hamburger buns accompanied by crisps and perhaps a dill pickle. Very messy but delicious. I serve with extra American mustard and chopped onions. Can also add grated cheese on top. Can be eaten with hands very messily or use knife and fork.

[dullified]

We use to have a similar dish to Tuna Mush called Tuna Fish Pie (tuna in a bechemal sauce with rice and boiled eggs topped off with cheese and onion crips). It was extremely yummy. Might test it out my 16 month old this weekend although he's far too young to appreciate what a fantastic treat it is having crushed up crisps on top of a fairly normal dinner.

[canadianlisa]

Oohh the recipe for sloppy joes is making me hungry. What do you put in the seasoning mix cate? We have 'spanish rice' which is rice boiled in tomato juice with onion, green pepper and browned mince stirred through at the end. You then have to squash it on a plate and cover it with shredded cheddar cheese. Yum, yum. My partner doesn't really get it so I mostly eat when he is away for like 3 days in a row. We used to have it everytime my Gramma looked after us. Sometimes followed by spanish bar cake which is maybe a specific canadian delicacy. No idea what was 'spanish' about either thing.

My mom used to also make us some sort of weird 'carribean chicken' with chicken and cooked banana but haven't brought that one forward.

[jollybaby]

Pizza pie - not as creative as some of the above but a favourite. Make a doughish pastry. Cook onion, bacon, peppers and mushrooms with a couple of tins of tomatoes until like a mush. Put in flan dish - cover with loads of cheese- delicious. For posher occasions my mum adds s few olives and calls it provencale tart!

[nunheadmum]

Cheesy macaroni mince when I was little - now reborn as lazy lasagna in our house. Layer cooked pasta, mince, cream of tomato soup and cheese and bake in oven till cheese is browned.

My mum went through a big phase of using soup as a sauce - still can't eat mushroom soup without expecting to find fish in it!!

[cate]

Lisa,

I amended my recipe which shows what spices I use. It's not a 'mix' per se. I have looked at lots of different recipes available and my fave was a video on Youtube by a mother and daughter which is no longer there. I based my concoction on theirs. Good way to sneak vegetables into children.

[Bumpkin]

Mum used to do a dish from the old Hamlyn's recipe book which was cooked sausages wrapped in a slice of processed cheese with Branston pickle inside (cocktail stick to hold together). Put these in a dish and tip a can or two of baked beans around them then lay plain crisps over the whole lot (salt free best). Then bake until warmed up / cheese goes all melty. I used to love this, but my other half was revolted at the thought (think I did it for him once, quite fancy it again now).

[canadianlisa]

Thanks Cate- sounds delish, on the menu for later this week.

[Polly D]

Am loving the addition of all the crisps in these dishes!

Our slightly strange family staple (and my hangover cure) is:

plain boiled white rice, squirt of ketchup and a fried egg on top. It's a poor man's version of a proper Spanish dish called 'arroz a la cubana' but this is how it's arrived in SE London 36 years down the line.

[Polly D]

And meant to add, this thread is reminiscent of the section in the family bit of the guardian on a Saturday.