Of Flaps and Brains

Nostalgia is in.  You can't hide from it.
Retro is the new black.
Vintage is where the hip kids are at.

Inspired by The Wife's recent blog update which involves her posting vintage knitting patterns she has collected, I thought I'd run through my expanding collection of vintage cook books.

Tonight, I've found myself pulling this wire bound beauty of the shelf:

(Retro Filter - for maximum effect)

The Nursing Mother's Association of Australia's cook book was first published in 1975.  This little red book is bursting at the seams with such gems as Curried Beef & Banana Rolls, Grapes In Aspic and Glamarous Fruit Salad (obviously trimmed with burnt orange nylon flares and a brown macrame vest).  And of course what child could pass up the opporutnity for a Vegemite/Marmite sandwhich with mashed brains at school?  Full of words of nutritional wisdom, and foodie quotes and quick and easy meals for the woman with a babe at the breast, this was a book that I remember my mother using voraciously throughout my childhood.  While my mother spared me the combinatin of yeast spread and grey matter, I did have my fair share of Eggs Foo Yong out of this book.

It does highlight how our food tastes have changed, but perhaps we should be looking back to look forward.  For instance, have you ever considered how much more delicious asparagus would be served with whipped cream, salt & peper in pastry case boats, instead of some of that fancy-pants olive oil and shavings of pecorino cheese?  Really, I think we may be missing a trick there.
(Don't believe me...)

It's just one of the many entertaining ideas, which strikes fear into the heart...  and although there are no recipes involving hearts, there are many involving other organs.  Kidneys, liver.... and those ominpresent brain recipes.

I'm all for retro-ing it up.  Remembering the good old days, and allowing ourselves a nostalgic wander down memory lane.  But I do think that there are some food related recollections that deserve to be kept within the bunkers of the culinary keller.

To prove my point, I leave you with a recipe that had The Wife and I 'tittering' - like the 30-something children we are:

Roast Seasoned Flaps
2 boned lamb or mutton flaps, or breasts

Seasoning
1 cup soft breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1/2 teaspoon mixed herbs
1 teaspoon chopped mint
1 tablespoon grated onion
1 egg, beaten
salt and pepper

Trim excess fat from outside of flaps.  Mix ingredients for seasoning and spread over one flap, cover with other flap and fold fairly tightly.  Tie with string.
Bake on rack in roasting pan approximately one hour in moderate oven, basting occasionally.  Good with roast potatoes and mint sauce.

(Admit it... you're giggling too...)