Exercise 13. How do we make cakes? How do we cook other dishes?

How do we make cakes? How do we cook other dishes? Here are the recipes of the two typical very popular English national dishes. Cook them, bring them in the classroom and share with your groupmates. Find out their opinion about them. Please, do it in turn, not to provoke indigestion!

APPLE CAKE

Ingredients

250g cooking apples

100g raisins

100g sultanas

150ml milk

200g soft brown sugar

350g self-raising flour

175g butter

1 egg

Preparation

1. Peel and chop the apples.

2. Mix together the apples, raisins, sultanas, milk and sugar.

3. Mix together the flour and butter (softened) in an another bowl.

4. Add the fruit mixture and the egg and mix very well.

5. Put into a buttered 20-centimetre square cake tin. Put a little white sugar on the top.

6. Cook in the oven at 170˚C for 1 hour 45 minutes.

7. Serve hot or cold with fresh cream.

SHEPHERD’S PIE

Ingredients

450g (1lb) minced beef

1 large onion

2 carrots

50g (2oz) mushrooms

25g (1oz) flour

300ml (1/2pint) beef stock

700g (1.5lb) potatoes

25g (1oz) butter

60ml fresh milk

50g cheese

salt and pepper

Preparation

1. Slice the onions, carrots and mushrooms.

2. Fry them in a pan with the minced beef for about 8-10 minutes, stirring all the time.

3. Add the flour and stir for one more minute.

4. Add the beef stock and some salt and pepper and stir again until the mixture becomes thicker.

5. Transfer to a casserole dish and put into the oven at 190˚C for 25 minutes.

6. Meanwhile, cook the peeled potatoes in boiling salted water for 20 minutes.

7. Then drain and mash together with the butter and milk.

8. Put the potato on top of the minced mixture, grate the cheese and put it on top.

9. Return the dish to the oven at 200˚C for 15 minutes.

10. Serve hot with a green vegetable.