Recipes: Stuffed Monkeys; Chinese chicken with peaches

OWN CORRESPONDENT

These recipes are all from members of one family. Sisters Hettie Barron, Bessie Cohen and Celia Smith, all three now deceased. The recipes were tried, tested and enjoyed, mainly on the festivals, for many years. But they were never written down.

It took Hettie’s late daughter-in-law, Shelagh Barron, who died at the age of 28, to sit painstakingly in each kitchen of her family members and accurately measure each “pinch”, “dash” and other obscure instruction, compiling the recipes into a family cookbook.

Stuffed monkeys (Bessie Cohen/Celia Smith)

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 3 eggs
• 3 tsp baking powder
• Few drops vanilla essence
• 3 cups plain flower
• 500g margarine, at room temperature

Method:

• Cream margarine, sugar and salt well.
• Then add unbeaten eggs (1 at a time) and keep on creaming until it is fluffy.
• Sift flour and baking powder and add to mixture to make a soft pliable dough.
• Roll out to about 102 mm (4 inch) pieces.
• Put smooth apricot jam on and then in the centre add raisins.
• Fold over and cut.
• Grease a baking tray with oil.
• Paint with beaten egg.
• Cook at 180 degrees until golden brown.

Chinese chicken with peaches (Hettie Barron)

6 Servings

Ingredients

• 1,5 kg chicken pieces
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 1 tablespoon salt
• ½ tsp paprika
• Pinch of pepper
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 cup orange juice
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 1 can peaches drained and sliced

Method:

• Toss chicken in flour seasoned with salt, paprika and pepper.
• Brown in frying pan with oil.
• Place in casserole dish, adding all the ingredients except the peaches. 
• Cover and bake at 180 degrees for 45 minutes, add peaches and bake for another 5 minutes.