Thomas's Salted Cod Cakes

Due to the United Kingdom's prime location, fish has always been a major part of the English diet. Indeed, there would be an abundance of sole, haddock, and cod for Mrs. Patmore to choose from when it came to cooking meals for the family and staff. Even perpetually ill-willed Thomas would tone down his salty att.i.tude when served these delicious salted cod cakes for lunch!

YIELDS 68 SERVINGS 1 pound salted cod 2 large Russet potatoes, peeled and cubed 4 teaspoons seafood seasoning 2 teaspoons sea salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 12 cup fresh parsley, chopped 12 cup fresh cilantro, chopped 2 large eggs, beaten 1 large onion, finely chopped 12 cup all-purpose flour 12 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 lime, sliced, for garnish 1 lemon, sliced, for garnish Tabasco, for garnish Place salted cod in a large bowl and cover with cold water. Refrigerate cod for at least 8 hours, pouring off the water and replacing with fresh cold water every 2 hours. Once fish has soaked in water for 8 hours, rinse off fish and cut into 3 sections.

Place potatoes and cod in a large pot and cover with water. Bring water to boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and let simmer until the potatoes are tender and the cod flakes easily, about 30 minutes. Drain and let cool for 10 minutes.

Place potatoes and cod into a large mixing bowl. Season with seafood seasoning, salt, pepper, parsley, and cilantro. Roughly mash with a potato masher, then add eggs and onion until evenly combined. Do not over-mash - there should still be pieces of cod and potato in the mixture. Form mixture into golf-ball-sized b.a.l.l.s, then roll b.a.l.l.s in flour. Flatten slightly between palms.

Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. In batches, fry cod cakes in oil until gold and crispy on both sides, about 34 minutes per side. Drain on a plate lined with paper towels, then serve with sliced limes, lemon, and Tabasco.

Times Gone By As readily available as seafood was for those with money to spend, poorer families in Edwardian England would only eat seafood once a week, and usually the cheapest seafood at that, such as kipper. These poor families were lucky to get one solid meal a day, and would not complain at the lack of protein (much less taste) in their diet.

Downstairs Toad in the Hole

This dish - consisting of meat smothered in Yorkshire Pudding batter - would have been a diet staple of most of Downton Abbey's servants, as it was both cost-effective and easy to make. While not the healthiest of dishes, even cranky O'Brien would stop complaining once this moist delicacy was placed before her.

YIELDS 4 SERVINGS.

8 links pork sausage 12 cup onion, cooked and chopped 112 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 cups all-purpose flour 4 large eggs, room temperature 1 cup milk 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 12 teaspoon mustard powder 14 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon kosher salt 12 teaspoon freshly ground black powder Preheat oven to 400F.

Spread oil over the bottom of a metal baking dish, then arrange sausages on oiled dish in a single layer. Sprinkle with cooked, chopped onion. Bake for 10 minutes in preheated oven.

While baking sausages, whisk together flour, eggs, and 12 cup of the milk in a medium-sized bowl until smooth. Gradually whisk in the rest of the milk until smooth, then thoroughly stir in Worcestershire sauce, mustard powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

Remove sausages and onions from oven. Pour batter over them until almost completely and evenly covered. Return pan to oven and bake for 3035 minutes or until the center has risen and browned. It is normal for the underside to be slightly soft.

Suggested Pairings Toad in the Hole is commonly served with a heaping helping of onion gravy and a small side of vegetables. Cookbooks in the late 1800s recommended making this dish with "pieces of any kind of meat, which are to be cheapest at night when the day's sale is over," rather than with the sausage listed above. In Hannah Gla.s.se's 1747 cookbook The Art of Cookery, she included a variation of this dish called "Pigeons in a Hole," which used pigeons as the meat. No wonder past English cooks found it necessary to smother this dish in gravy!

The Lancashire Hot Pot

It's not surprising that the male servants at Downton Abbey such as Thomas or William might require a day away to air their troubles, and it's quite likely that they would get hungry while doing so. Luckily, this filling traditional meat-and-potato ca.s.serole was available at almost any pub at the time, so the servants wouldn't have to worry about filling their gullets if Mrs. Patmore wasn't around to cook for them.

YIELDS 4 SERVINGS.

12 cup unsalted b.u.t.ter, softened 12 cup unsalted b.u.t.ter, melted 2 pounds stewing lamb, cut into large chunks 2 medium onions, chopped 4 carrots, chopped 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce 2 cups lamb stock 2 cups chicken stock 2 bay leaves Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 212 pounds potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced Preheat oven to 350F.

In a large oven-safe dutch oven, melt softened b.u.t.ter over high heat until hot but not smoking. Heat lamb chunks on both sides until colored, then remove lamb chunks and drain on a paper towel.

Add onions and carrots to hot dutch oven and sprinkle with flour. Saute, stirring constantly, until vegetables are softened but not colored. Stir in Worcestershire sauce, lamb stock, chicken stock, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring mixture to a boil, then stir in meat and add bay leaves.

Turn off heat. Arrange sliced potatoes on top of meat, then cover with half of the melted b.u.t.ter. Cover dutch oven, then place in preheated oven for 112 hours or until potatoes are cooked.

Brush potatoes with more b.u.t.ter, then turn up oven to 375F. and add rest of melted b.u.t.ter. Cook until potatoes are brown, about 5 minutes.

Times Gone By While this recipe might include what seems like a lot of lamb for one dish, it is nothing compared to what Victorian royalty might have been served. At Buckingham Palace, in fact, there were daily deliveries of 200 necks of mutton and 250 shoulders of lamb, among other groceries. It seems that next to ruling, the most important part of the day for the royals was eating!

Bubble and Squeak

A convenient use for leftover Christmas food, Bubble and Squeak is often served on Boxing Day (usually the day after Christmas, a holiday celebrated by the Commonwealth of Nations countries), though this dish can be made any day of the year. While Mrs. Patmore would never dream of serving this downstairs dish to her superiors, it's likely that at some point or another the staff enjoyed this recipe. The Boxing Day holiday tradition began in the United Kingdom, when the wealthy would give a box containing a gift to their servants.

YIELDS 6 SERVINGS.

1 medium head cabbage, chopped 8 slices bacon, diced 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced 2 large carrots, diced 14 cup peas 2 tablespoons unsalted b.u.t.ter 4 cups baked Russet potatoes, cooled and thinly sliced 12 teaspoon paprika 2 teaspoons kosher salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper In a large saucepan, cook cabbage in a small amount of water for 10 minutes or until very tender. Drain and set aside.

In a nonstick cast-iron skillet, cook bacon in olive oil for 3 minutes, then add onion, carrots, and peas. Cook until bacon is cooked and vegetables are soft; then add b.u.t.ter and cooked cabbage and potatoes. Season with paprika, salt, and pepper. Add more spice to taste. Cook mixture until browned on bottom, then turn over and cook again.

Times Gone By The first mention of this dish can be found in Thomas Bridges's 1770 A Burlesque Translation of Homer: "We therefore cooked him up a dish/Of lean bull beef with cabbage fried,/And a full pot of beer beside:/Bubble, they called this dish, and squeak...." Collaborator Francis Grose goes on to define the dish in his 1785 A Cla.s.sical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue: "Bubble and squeak, beef and cabbage fried together. It is so called from its bubbling up and squeaking whilst over the fire." While this dish traditionally calls for meat, due to rationing during World War II, meat came off the ingredients list.

Pork Pie b.a.l.l.s

Pork Pie, also known as porkie, is c.o.c.kney slang for "lie," a term Thomas would be well-acquainted with as he has a tendency to fib in order to increase his own influence at Downton Abbey. Perhaps whenever he chews one of these traditional British bites he is full of remorse for his misdeeds, though that seems unlikely. Nonetheless, the rest of the staff of Downton (other than perhaps...o...b..ien) could eat these with a clear conscience.

YIELDS 46 SERVINGS For Filling 2 pounds finely chopped pork, preferably 12 pork shoulder and 12 pork belly 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 4 tablespoons Dijon mustard 1 small bunch parsley, chopped 1 small bunch sage, chopped 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg 3 teaspoons ground white pepper For Crust 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 cup lard 34 cup water 4 large egg yolks, beaten In a large metal bowl, thoroughly mix together pork with Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, parsley, sage, ground nutmeg, and white pepper. (The more black pepper, the spicier and better the pie.) Divide the mix into four equal-sized b.a.l.l.s and chill in refrigerator.

For crust: In a separate large bowl, mix together flour and salt. Set aside.

In a medium-sized saucepan, heat lard and water to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir into the flour with a wooden spoon to form a smooth dough. Let cool until it's not too hot to handle.

Preheat oven to 400F. Cover large or medium-sized baking sheets with parchment paper.

Roll out dough onto a floured surface about 5mm (0.2 inches) thick and place the meatb.a.l.l.s onto the pastry. Cut large circles around each ball, at least double the size of the ball, to make sure that the dough can thoroughly cover the meat.

Wrap the dough around the meat, smoothing the pastry to create a ball of dough and meat. There should be no meat peeking through.

With a biscuit cutter, cut a small circle in extra dough. Brush with egg yolk and place on top of ball to create a sort of lid. Place pie b.a.l.l.s on parchment papercovered baking sheets, then brush each ball all over with egg yolk. With a knife, make a small hole through the lid of the ball to allow air to escape while baking.

Place pork pie b.a.l.l.s in preheated oven for 3035 minutes or until b.a.l.l.s are golden and oozing juice. Remove from oven, then let sit for 5 minutes before placing on a cooling rack. Eat hot or cold, depending on taste.

Times Gone By The most traditional of Pork Pies is the Melton Mowbray pork pie from the late 1800s, which originated in the town of Melton Mowbray in North Leicestershire. The uncured meat is gray in appearance and chopped rather than ground. Also, as the pie crust is molded by hand and baked freeform, the sides bow out, forming an uneven circle not found in most other pies.

Coq au Vin

While not the fanciest of dishes, this French dish would be a filling entree that would warm even the coldest soul. Perhaps this warming meal would be served when O'Brien let down her cold exterior after feeling remorse for testifying against Mr. Bates.

YIELDS 46 SERVINGS 2 cups pearl onions 12 cup all-purpose flour Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 4 chicken thighs, cut into serving pieces 4 chicken legs, cut into serving pieces 8 slices bacon 3 cloves garlic, crushed 2 medium carrots, chopped 2 cups b.u.t.ton mushrooms 1 tablespoon unsalted b.u.t.ter 2 (750 ml) bottles red wine (such as Burgundy) 14 cup Cognac 14 cup tomato paste 2 cups chicken broth 5 sprigs fresh thyme 1 tablespoon Herbes de Provence 4 cloves garlic 1 bay leaf In a large pot, bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Add pearl onions and boil for 1 minute. Remove onions, cool, then peel. Set aside.

In a large Ziploc bag, mix together flour, salt, and pepper. Add chicken and shake to thoroughly coat each piece. Remove chicken from bag and set aside.

In a large dutch oven over medium heat, fry bacon until crisp. Remove bacon to a paper towel and let drain. Then set aside and chill in refrigerator.

In the same dutch oven, using leftover bacon fat, add pearl onions, garlic, carrots, mushrooms, and b.u.t.ter; saute until onions are lightly browned, about 1012 minutes. Remove vegetables from pan and set aside.

Next, brown the chicken pieces in the same dutch oven with remaining juices. Brown until chicken is golden brown. Remove chicken pieces and set aside; chill covered in refrigerator overnight.

Pour red wine, Cognac, tomato paste, and chicken broth into dutch oven, stirring thoroughly over medium heat. Mix in thyme, Herbes de Provence, 4 cloves garlic, and bay leaf. Stir in pearl onions, carrots, and mushrooms. Simmer for 10 minutes, then remove from heat. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Remove from refrigerator, then reheat over medium-low heat, covered, for 1122 hours until chicken is tender. Remove chicken, then place in a heatproof container and keep warm in oven.

Turn heat up to medium-high and remove cover from dutch oven. Simmer sauce for 45 minutes or until it is reduced by a third. Once the sauce has thickened, remove from heat. Pour over chicken and serve.

Times Gone By This dish has its roots in France, where each region of France braises the chicken in its local wine. The French phrase coq au vin means "rooster with wine," yet it is more common to cook this dish with chicken instead of rooster.

Chapter 11.

DOWNSTAIRS SUPPER.

For most of us, supper hints at the end of a long day, but for the staff of Downton Abbey suppertime was just another brief break before doing their evening ch.o.r.es. Nonetheless, this would be the most relaxed meal of the day, and the staff would be allowed to supplement their meals with leftovers from the meals served upstairs. In the end, what Mrs. Patmore cooked up would really depend on the amount of time and energy required for the upstairs inhabitants. After all, a servant's life revolves around her master's!

Mushy Peas

While the Crawley family might not eat this dish, it would be well known among the servants at Downton Abbey as an accompaniment to fish and chips. Mrs. Patmore might whip this up on nights when the staff is too tired to properly eat after a full day of tending to Downton's regulars and their guests.

YIELDS 4 SERVINGS.

112 cups (12 ounces) dried marrowfat peas 4 cups water 2 teaspoons baking soda 2 tablespoons b.u.t.ter 14 cup heavy cream 1 tablespoon sugar 1 teaspoon kosher salt 12 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Soak dried peas overnight in a large bowl full of water and baking soda. The baking soda is important because it helps break down the peas. The next day, drain peas, then place them in a medium-sized saucepan and just cover with water. Simmer for 25 minutes; the peas should break up without mashing.

Remove peas from heat. Stir in b.u.t.ter until it melts, followed by cream, sugar, salt, and black pepper. If desiring a thinner consistency, add more cream.

Times Gone By Upon hearing the phrase "mushy peas," the Crawley sisters might haughtily refer to it as "Yorkshire caviar," a reference to the stereotype that Yorkshiremen are unwilling to spend money on luxuries. Ladies Mary, Sybil, and Edith, however, would know that their family could afford - and would purchase - buckets of caviar if so desired.

Downstairs Mashed Potatoes

Just because this isn't the most regal of dishes doesn't mean it isn't one of the more delicious ones! Anyone - regardless of personal wealth - would enjoy the creamy, not to mention b.u.t.tery taste of well-mashed potatoes. Whether Lady Mary and her sisters could bear to be spotted eating such a lowly and unattractive dish is debatable, which means that mashed potatoes are more likely to be enjoyed by the servers of Downton Abbey than by those served.

YIELDS 46 SERVINGS 8 medium Russet potatoes, peeled and cubed 12 cup heavy cream, warmed 12 cup whole milk, warmed 12 cup unsalted b.u.t.ter, softened 2 teaspoons kosher salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Cover pot and bring water to a boil. Cook for 3035 minutes or until extremely tender. Drain well.

Add cream, milk, b.u.t.ter, salt, and pepper to potatoes. Mash until light and fluffy.