‘You may say what you please,’ said Jack, ‘but I have eaten roly-poly within the Artic Circle, damned nearly within the Antarctic, and ow under the equator, and I am of the opinion that it has not its equal.’
‘Except perhaps for spotted dog.’
‘Ah you have a point there, Stephen.’
-The Thirteen Gun Salute.
A warming winter meal can be a real treat. There are many ‘winter’ recipes that we can cook up to share with friends and family.
In the depths of winter, it’s worth casting an eye backwards to recipes of yesteryear, and what better time to go back to than traditional naval recipes but with a modern twist to make them even tastier?
David McKnight, General Manager of HMS Trincomalee, shares with Home UK Magazine readers our second traditional warming winter recipe, which is a dessert this time around and the perfect accompaniment to our Alamode Beef.
The dish was regularly served up for the consumption of the officer class on ships like HMS Trincomalee. HMS Trincomalee, built in Bombay in 1817 of Malabar teak, is the oldest warship still afloat in the world today.
Jam Roly-Poly
Ingredients
½ pound of suet, finely grated
4 cups of flour
¼ cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
Ice water
12 ounces jam
Recipe
1.Mix the suet, flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Work in 1 – 2 tablespoons ice water. Continue gradually adding ice water until you have a stiff paste (it will probably take about a cup of water, but this will vary depending on temperature, humidity, the dryness of the flour etc.) Work it with your hands until it forms a ball. Turn it out onto a well-floured board. Cover with a damp cloth and let rest for 5 minutes.
2.Knead the dough until it is shiny and elastic (6 – 8 minutes), cover again, let rest another 5 minutes, then knead again for 1 – 2 minutes. Roll out the dough (reflouring the board and the rolling pin as needed) into a rectangle about ¼ inch thick.
3.Spread the jam evenly over the dough, leaving a jam less border about 1 inch wide to allow for oozing as the pudding is rolled. Moisten three of the edges with water. Starting at the fourth edge, roll up the pudding, sealing the edges as you go. Seal the final edge to the pudding by pinching the dough together with your fingers to form a seam.
4.Wrap the pudding tightly in a well-flavoured cloth. Turn the pudding out, seam side down, onto a board or platter. Serve hot accompanied by custard sauce.
Serves 12-16.
Source: Lobscouse and Spotted Dog: Which Is a Gastronomic Companion to the Aubrey/Maturin Novels Paperback – 4 Oct 2000 by Anne Chotzinoff Grossman and Lisa Grossman Thomas.