Blog Archives
Fisherman’s Brewis for Sunday Dinner
Cod fish soaking
The fish has been soaking the night prior. Whenever a Newfoundlander says “fish” he is referring to cod fish. If he is talking about other types of fish, he will call it by name.
Today for dinner, I was able to enjoy a great meal of Fisherman’s Brewis.
Brewis, Fish, Potatoes and Fried Pork and Onions
The recipe is simple, yet big on delivery. You need hard tack (Famous Purity Hard Bread). This should be soaked in cold water until soft. We used three cakes for our meal. We had some already filleted cod, so we did not need to be as worried about the bones. One must fry fat port until a little brown.
- Preparing Fisherman’s Brewis
Cook fish, add the hard bread and mash it all together and served. This meal can be cooked within a short 20 minutes.
- Fisherman’s Brewis Spread
This is a treat to the standard brewis on Sunday, when hot dinner is not being served.
- Screech Tea from Dark Tickle Company
There is truly something great about Living Rural and enjoying traditional recipes that have been mainstays of Rural Life for centuries.
Patridgeberry Pie Recipe
It is that time of year to enjoy a freshly made patridgeberry pie.
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup margarine
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1 tsp. vinegar, added to milk
- 1 1/2- 2 cups patridgeberry berries
- sugar and butter
Pastry:
Mix flour and margarine with pastry blender until it resembles crumbs, add the milk mixture, a little at a time, stirring with a fork or knife.
Roll out on slightly floured board and cut to fit pie plate. Put in amount of berries required and sprinkle with sugar to taste. Add a few pieces of margarine. Cover wwith strips or full-size layer of pastry. Bake at hot oven. Makes 2 small double pies or one large one.
Figgy Duff
Figgy Duff
Figgy Duff had its origins since the first settlers came to Newfoundland & Labrador. Simply put, figgy duff is a raisin pudding which is traditionally boiled in a cloth bag and served steaming hot.
A “figgy” refers to the raisins in the mixture. The “duff” refers to the dough mixture Most families enjoy this special tasty treat on special days known as “duff days” in many parts of the island.
I enjoy having a Sunday dinner, especially at grandma’s when she makes her own figgy duff. I’ve tasted none that can compare.
- 1/2 cup butter
- 2 cups flour
- 1 egg
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 cup milk or water
- 1 cup of raisins (I’d probably put in more)
- Pinch of salt
Combine dry ingredients and add milk and egg. Place in cloth bag and broil for 1 hour in a pot of water. Ingredients can be steamed in a pudding mold. To make a plain duff, follow the same recipe but omit raisins.
Live Rural NL - Christopher C. Mitchelmore
Fill Your Puddick: Fish Recipes from Grandmother’s Kitchen
Hello again!
Today I’m sharing with you some local fish recipes that we still add to our palate. Since the recreation cod fishery is ongoing you might be able to enjoy some fresh fish if you come to our provincial paradise. Just a piece of insider information, for readers unaware, in Newfoundland & Labrador we say fish, we mean “cod” and if we talk about other fish species we name them specifically such as Salmon, Trout, Herring. Certainly, the cod fishery has been the mainstay of Rural Newfoundland & Labrador well before the days of Giovanni Caboto some 500+ years ago.
Puddick – (defined in the Newfoundland Dictionary as Stomach).
Fried Cod Tongues
- 1 lb cod cheeks
- 1 1/2 cups of flour
- 1 egg
- Salt & Pepper
Wash cod cheeks. Beat egg. Coat cheeks in beaten egg. Put cheeks in a bag with a mixture of flour, pinch of salt and pepper. Shake until cheeks are well floured. Fry in a pan until golden brown.
A simple but delicious recipe! When the opportunity arises, drop by a get yourself some cod tongues.
RECIPE #2: Fish Cakes
- 2 lbs salt cod fish (boiled)
- 8 medium potatoes (mashed)
Golden Brown Fish Cakes
- 1 medium onion (diced)
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/4 savoury
- small piece of salt pork
- Pepper
Cut salt pork into small pieces and fry until brown in frying pan. Remove pork cubes, leaving fat in pan to fry fish cakes. Mix fish, potatoes, onion and savoury together. Shape into round cakes and coat with flour. Add a dash of pepper. Fry both sides until golden brown.
My grandfather would take great pride with drying fish and then placing it in brine. I’ve always enjoyed salt fish. This technique of drying and salting forms a lovingly delicious appetizer or meal that can be found in almost any local restaurant. If you are ever in the neighbourhood, drop by for a “scoff”.
RECIPE #3: Baked Cod Fish
- Choose a firm codfish. Remove head, tail and sound bone. Wash and clean skin with a sharp knife. Wipe dry.
- Salt pork (optional)
Dressing:
- 3 cups soft bread crumbs
- 1 tbsp savoury
- 1/8 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1/4 small onion (finely minced)
Mix dressing ingredients together and stuff the fish. Tie securely to a skewer. Place dressed fish in a roasting pan in which salt pork has been fried. Bake for 10 minutes at 450 degrees F. Reduce heat to 400 degrees F and bake for one hour. Baste occasionally and add sliced onion to roasting pan for flavour during final 20 minutes of baking.
I will share with you other recipes from the Rural Newfoundland kitchen in the coming days.
Cooking up a storm -
Live Rural NL: Boyhood Fishing
Yesterday I began reading The Lure of the The Labrador Wild – The classic story of Leonidas Hubbard, written by Dillon Wallace, which is an account of an expedition undertaken by these two into the unchartered interior of Labrador in 1903.
As I thumbed the pages, my youthful sense of adventure spurred. Leonidas Hubbard was co-editor of an Outdoor Magazine, Explorer, Adventurer and Enthusiast. I felt similar traits as I took stock of myself, after scribing several articles, traversing 27 countries and yearning for new experiences both near and far.
As Hubbard and Wallace trekked the rivers, Hubbard cast his rod and caught many trout. It brought back memories as a teen when I would walked with my comrads to a friend’s cabin in the wilderness. We were 5 and spent a weekend fishing during July. It was salmon season and two of our party spent their day on the river, while the rest of us cast our rods for trout from our little rowboat on the brook. The lucent sun was warm, nature was all around us – a beaver was swimming to his home, birds chirped, wild geese flew overhead and how can I forget the swarms of flies. Yes it was a sure sign of summer!
On one occasion I remember catching a fair size trout, one of my first. I was quite ecstatic! A sense of accomplishment overcomes a person when they are able to provide for themselves. I think it is a part of a person’s coming of age. Later that day, the trout was gutted and fried in the pan and it was delicious! My mouth waters for the flavourful fish. Can you reflect on a fishing experience, one of your first? Share with us, by posting a comment.
Brook Trout
Fried Trout
- 1/2 cup flour
- 5-10 fresh trout
- 1 tsp. salt
- 4-5 slices of salt pork (optional)
Wash trout well. Remove entrails and wash again. Dry trout and dip in a mixture of flour and salt. Fry trout in hot pan on fried-out salt pork until golden.
We were truly with mother earth -no internet, television or cellphones and content with our lack of ammenities. We were not far from civilization, but for those days in the wilderness, the rest of the world could have been a million miles away. I certainly yearn for those boyhood days of summer where we fished, boated, built fires, camped and had fun; a time when we were carefree, spirited and daring. Those days are no more, as I have grown into a man, my friends too. As well, we have since went our seperate ways. Although, times and situations change, the experiences can remain. I look forward to more days of summer when I take to the water and paddle my canoe. Freely flowing down a river and back again, exploring Rural NL. I post pictures when I do again.
Live in the moment, experience earth and all her beauty -
CCM
