Meet Christine Rutherford

The aromatic slow-cooked beef, bean and mushroom dish, Pepper Pot, is a favourite of Christine’s children. Christine loved to entertain, with the dish often served to guests at gatherings. Legend has it that the dish is actually not as peppery as the name suggests – just tasty!

PEPPER POT 

Servings: 4
Preparation time: 10 minutes Cook time: 2 -3 Hours 

My Mother-in-law Christine Rutherford loved to entertain and cook for her family and friends. One recipe I remember we always enjoyed when travelling from Qld was Mum’s ‘Pepper Pot’ (not peppery as the name suggests, just tasty). - Tina, Heather and Mark Rutherford 

4 tblsp plain flour 

1 tsp salt 

1/8 tsp pepper 

1⁄2 tsp ground ginger 

1 kg braising beef 

oil 

small capsicum, seeded and chopped

440 gram red kidney beans 

Sauce 

1 tsp chilli sauce 

125 gram mushrooms 

440 gram tinned tomato 

1tbsp Worcestershire sauce 

2 tbsp brown sugar 

2 tbsp wine vinegar 

2 cloves garlic 

1 bay leaf 

Mix together flour and seasonings and use to coat beef 

Heat oil, add beef, fry quickly until brown 

Combine ingredients for sauce, pour over meat 

Cover and cook at 160 degrees for 2-3 hours, 

Add red pepper and kidney beans 30 mins before finished. Serve with rice and a green salad. 

Here is Gae Frecklington and her fabulous sponge

Gae’s sponge cake recipe, Oma’s Sponge, was also handed down from family members and has become a tradition in the Frecklington household. Gae’s son Adrian says that his grandmother’s traditional sponge cake was often whipped up in minutes with no recipe, and was so delicious that it often won prizes at local shows. 

SIMPLE SPONGE CAKE (OMA’S SPONGE) 

Servings: 4-6
Preparation time: 20 minutes Cook time: 15 -20 minutes

A simple but delicious sponge cake recipe passed down from my grandmother to my mother, they could whip this sponge up in minutes without the recipe. My grandmother used to win the sponge cake prize at the local shows with it. – Adrian Frecklington 

4 large or 5 small eggs 

1 cup self-raising flour 

3⁄4 cup sugar 

6 tbsp milk 

1 tbsp butter 

Pinch salt 

2 x 8” sponge cake tins 

Extra butter and flour for greasing 

and flouring tins 

Raspberry jam and whipped cream for filling 

Preheat oven to 375° F

Prepare cake tins by rubbing butter generously on them and then sprinkle with flour (shake around tin, then shake off excess flour) 

Sift flour 3 times with salt added 

Place milk and butter in saucepan on slow heat to melt 

butter and boil (keep an eye on it) 

Separate whites from yolks of eggs and beat whites, when whites are thick gradually add sugar while still beating. 

When all the sugar has been added, add yolks and beat. 

Take a spoon and mix in flour with a lifting motion, quickly add in butter and milk mixture again with a lifting motion, 

Pour equally into the two cake tins. 

Bake in preheated oven for 15 -20 minutes. Test by putting a straw in cake and if it comes out clean cake is cooked). Bang out on a rack when cooked. 

Spread raspberry jam on one layer and whipped cream (with 1 tsp icing sugar added) add top layer and dust with icing sugar. 

Variations: 

Chocolate Sponge – Add 2 heaped tbsp cocoa and take out 1 tbsp of flour, sift cocoa with flour. Follow all other directions as above. 

Chocolate and Cinnamon Sponge – Take out 1 tbsp 

Mina Rinaldi makes a legendary lasagne

Italian born Mina’s delicious Italian Lasagne is legendary – made even better by the pasta that Mina used to make by hand. Mina’s daughter, Claudia Rinaldi, sourced the recipe from an old book written in her mother’s native tongue. “I covet Mum’s old recipe books - especially the Italian ones - they evoke such amazing memories for the whole family,” said Claudia. “I hope that future generations will enjoy this same delicious meal for years to come.”

ITALIAN LASAGNE 

Servings: 15
Preparation time: 20 minutes Cook time: 45 minutes 

I found mum's old recipe book but it is written in Italian, so I have done a web search and found a recipe for lasagne that is closest to her own. The only difference would be that she made her own pasta as well as all of the other parts of the dish! – Claudia Rinaldi 

225 grams lasagne noodles 

450 grams Italian sausage 

225 grams ground beef 

1 cup onion chopped 

2 cloves garlic minced 

800 grams tomatoes cut up (undrained) 

340 grams tomato paste 

2 teaspoons sugar 

2 teaspoons salt 

1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil leaves 

1/2 teaspoon fennel seed 

1/4 teaspoons pepper 

425 grams ricotta cheese 

1 large egg beaten 

1 tablespoon parsley flakes or 2 teaspoons fresh minced parsley 

Preheat oven to 190°C. 

In large pot, combine Italian sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic. Cook until sausage is no longer pink and onion is tender; drain. Stir in next 7 ingredients. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer 20 minutes. 

Fill a baking pan with hot tap water and place the uncooked noodles into the water. Set aside. 

In medium bowl, blend ricotta, egg, parsley, and salt. 

Spoon 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce into 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Layer one-third each lasagna, meat sauce, ricotta mixture, Mozzarella cheese, and Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers two more times. 

Cover with aluminium foil. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. 

Uncover, bake until hot and bubbly, about 20 minutes longer. If top is not browned enough, you can turn the temperature of the oven up to 500 F and baked for a few more minutes. Be sure to WATCH and check every couple of minutes as it will brown quickly! 

Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.