Recipe for "carrot-pudding"

NAME

     CARROT-PUDDING - An old Welsh steamed carrot pudding
     This  is  a  good  steamed  pudding,  despite  the  list  of
     ingredients that are ``good for you''.  The sauce (following
     the recipe) is not a necessity  for  good  taste,  only  for
     authenticity, although I LIKE it with the sauce.
     This is a very old recipe, I  gathered  it  from  my  grand-
     mother,  who  would  have  been  101  (sniff) this year, who
     learned it from her Welsh mother, who learned  it  from  her
     ... (in Wales), ergo it's at least 200+.  Given its similar-
     ity to some late Medieval puddings, one might  suspect  that
     its origins are much earlier.
     I determined the quantities listed here by measuring what my
     grandmother tossed into the pot.

INGREDIENTS (makes about 2 kg)

          DRY INGREDIENTS
     200 g     all-purpose flour, sifted and measured
     7.5 ml    cinnamon
     4 ml      cloves
     7.5 ml    salt
     10 ml     double-acting baking powder
          OTHER PUDDING INGREDIENTS
     300 g     raw, grated, or ground potatoes
     7.5 ml    baking soda
     280 g     raw, ground carrots (use medium blade)
     180 g     bread crumbs (dry, not toasted)
     360 g     crisco shortening, (solid white vegetable shorten-
               ing)
     300 g     brown sugar (light or dark, depends  on  what  you
               like)
     1         jumbo egg, or 2 large eggs, lightly beaten.
     7.5 ml    lemon extract
     7.5 ml    vanilla
     140 g     finely chopped walnuts (black walnuts are  wonder-
               ful if you can get them)
     420 g     raisins
          SAUCE INGREDIENTS
     60 ml     water
     100 g     brown sugar (I use a mixture of light and dark)
     5 ml      vanilla
     5 ml      lemon extract
     1 ml      cornstarch, well divided
     15 g      butter

PROCEDURE (Pudding)

          (1)  Mix  the  dry  ingredients  and  set  them  aside.
               Grease  completely  three large (800 ml) tin cans,
               such as the kind used for tomato pur ee.   Do  NOT
               use  the  plastic-lined  variety.   Alternatively,
               grease one large steaming mold, with a hole in the
               center. Or improvise.
          (2)  Add the potatoes. Mix well. Then, in turn, add the
               baking  soda,  the  carrots, the bread crumbs, and
               the Crisco, making sure that you  mix  well  after
               adding  each  ingredient.  This matters, so do it!
               You may have to get some help from  King  Kong  to
               blend adequately after adding the shortening.
          (3)  Add, in sequence, the brown sugar, the beaten egg,
               the  lemon  extract,  and the vanilla, mixing well
               after each addition.
          (4)  Now, add the dry ingredients mixture, a bit  at  a
               time.  The  mixture  will  be extremely thick, and
               very difficult to mix.
          (5)  Add the walnuts and the raisins. Mix them  in.  Go
               ahead. You're strong enough.
          (6)  Push the mixture into the tins,  with  each  about
               3/4  full,  or  a little more.  Seal the tins with
               aluminum foil, and use a rubber band to  hold  the
               foil  on.  (the  pudding  should  not  be  exposed
               directly to the steam).
          (7)  Steam 11/2 to 2 hours, (until  the  pudding  seems
               uniform.   You  can't  overcook  it, so err on the
               long side, please!) and cool if you're  not  going
               to serve it right now.
          (8)  Make the sauce  by  combining  all  of  the  sauce
               ingredients  in a small saucepan and heating until
               it bubbles and all ingredients are dissolved.
          (9)  To serve, reheat  by  steaming  for  at  least  45
               minutes, or serve out of the original pot.

NOTES

     This stuff keeps in the fridge nearly forever  (at  least  a
     month) as long as you don't let it dry out.
     Some add rum to this sauce. Suit yourself. I  like  it  both
     ways.
     Decant or spoon out (depends on if you want to be  fancy  or
     not) and serve with sauce, also steaming.
     Then, don't eat for two days to make up for the calories.

RATING

     Difficulty: moderate (considerable physical work  required).
     Time:  1  hour preparation, 3 hours steaming.  Precision: no
     need to measure.

CONTRIBUTOR

     Jim Johnston, (ihnp4;allegra;research)!alice!jj
     AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill, NJ
     TEDDY BEARS ARE SHY, SAVE A POWDERMILK BISCUIT FOR YOURS!
     "There are bridges, bridges in the sky, and bridges in the air..."