Corned beef

 There are many things that are done better in the USA than in Australia, but corned beef is not one of them. America uses Brisket, while Australia uses Silverside, a much better cut of beef. Silverside has much less fat and gristle than brisket and does not respond well to roasting. However, it does very well when simmered for multiple hours such as in this recipe 'Dad's Corned Beef'. I've cooked this recipe a couple of times and the results have been wonderful.

The leftover piece of meat. Note the absence of fat.

For some unknown reason, I still make some of my mother's recipes. She used the leftover meat for corned beef fritters. The recipe is simple, a cup of self-raising flour, an egg, some milk, salt and pepper. Mix it up and add cut-up pieces of corned beef.

We don't eat much fried food but we do like to eat corned beef fritters as well as apple fritters. So we went to Kmart and bought a deep frier for $20. Kmart sells lots of appliances for $20.

The trick is to know how much milk to add so that the fritter will form in the fat. I just know what consistency is required from years of experience.

Half-way there after being turned over.

The finished product with a dollop of tomato sauce / ketchup. When she was young, one Dani Kramer used to love these things. I suspect she would be tempted to eat one now even though I think she is still vegetarian. The Aussie version is better than the American because the meat is not at all gristly.

For apple fritters, substitute cut-up peeled apple for the meat and hold the salt and pepper. Serve with lemon juice and sugar. Really unhealthy, but delicious!

We do try to remember to change the oil at intervals less than three years.