The Elements Of A Proper Pie And Mash Shoppe

 No, I don't need the loo, I have enough dosh, and my car is just fine, thank you (....other meanings of pie and mash).  Pie and mash, a staple of a walk down memory lane Cockney style.  A mince pie served with potato mash plastered on the side of the plate and dosed with liquor, a sort of parsley gravy.

  Many times it would be presented with jellied eels.  However, eels are hard to come by in Colorado.  The numbers of eels dwindled on the Thames, as well.  They were over-fished, just as well as they were living, in the time of Vicky, in polluted waters.

Liquor was once made by using eel cooking water, that is how it came by the name liquor, like any liquid from seafood.  If you happen to have eel cooking water, by all means use it instead of chicken stock.  This is the recipe for liquor This is the recipe for liquor listed on the Beeb's cooking website:

 50g/2oz butter, 50g/2oz cornflour, 500ml/18fl oz chicken stock, generous bunch parsley, leaves only, chopped, 1-2 garlic cloves, roasted and puréed, to taste.

For the parsley liquor, melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat and whisk in the cornflour to make a paste. Gradually stir in the stock, bring to a simmer, then stir in the parsley and garlic and stir until thickened and smooth. 

Chilli vinegar!

A little kicked up from the days of plain malt vinegar.  However, both are traditional choices to spatter on your whole plate.  My version is simple to put together, I got my own clean jar and funneled in the liquid from pepperoncinis. Then, squeeze a few pepperoncinis in, then added my own chillis from my garden, and Bob's your uncle, your own splashy mix.

An easy down to earth meal for the rest of us....Here is pie and mash shoppes in pictures. 

The pie bit can consist of many different fillings, but the most common is beef mince.  A recipe I am saving for later.....Wait for it.....
 
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Hedgehog Cake

In Llangollen, Wales whilst indulging in a cream tea, I spied a sweetie called: 

At:

This place is the starting point to a long boat ride over Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, or a brief canal ride drawn by horses.  Read more about the tours and area in my travel blog :

I'm Ruined - Llangollen and Pontcysyllte Aqueduct

 

My version:

First order of the day, dark chocolate (very dark) and naturally coloured and preserved dried cherries. 

Hedgehog cake is a type of Tiffen cake, or chocolate fridge cake.  It has slivered almonds to create the hedgie look.

Prepare a small loaf pan with cling film, lining the pan into the nooks and crannies.  Make sure the cling film is generously overhanging the edges for easy removal.

Melt the following ingredients, in the microwave in a large bowl, at full power for 50 seconds. Check and go another 20 seconds, until melted, but not over done:

350 g / 10.5 oz. dark chocolate

100g / 3.5 oz. butter

150g / 5 oz. golden syrup (pure cane)

Stir until smooth, folding in the butter as you go.

Stir in:

3 oz. slivered almonds

3 oz. dried cherries

250g / 8 oz. broken pieces of shortbread (buy a good quality brand, or better yet make your own). 

Well, I usually go willy nilly with the amounts, depending on my mood.  This gives you a basic idea, however.

 

Easy peasy, pour into the lined loaf pan and refrigerate until firm and cuttable (at least a few hours).  I usually spike a few more almonds into the top of the chocolate for good measure.


To serve, decant by inverting on a plate and pulling at the cling film flaps  (get rid of the cling film), then cut into shards, or chunks and sprinkle with icing sugar.

Not even one spine was harmed in the making of this sweet!

Phew!

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