Jarred Chops Sweet and Sour
My grandfather was a Soldier Settler at Dunkeld in Western Victoria. Predominantly he grazed sheep and I have fond memories of a young girl visiting the farm during shearing, mulesing, dipping and other times. I remember riding on the back of a tractor feeding out hay as a 5 or 6 year old and hand feeding the orphan lambs who lived in the chook yard with a milky formula using long teets on long neck beer bottles. I remember Pa finding orphan lambs and placing them in front of the wood stove in the kitchen to warm them up.
I don’t remember seeing a sheep killed, but I do remember the boot being packed out with a side of lamb. Mum even had a butchers saw at home and would saw the chops if it had not been done previously. So yes, we ate a lot of lamb! I never got into the lambs fry like my father did, but I have alwyas adored roast lamb and lamb chops.
One of Mum’s favourite ways of cooking forequarter chops was to make a casserole called ‘Jarred Chops Sweet and Sour.’ I am pretty sure the recipe came from the PWMU Cookbook, or it may have been on a handwritten card from one of the women in the Dunkeld district. Wherever it came from it is so yummy and easy and just brings back so many very happy memories.
Jarred Chops Sweet and Sour
1 1/2 lb. chops, 1 tbl sp flour, 1 tsp sugar, 3 tbl sp tomato sauce, 2 tbl sp Worcester sauce, 1 tbl sp vinegar, 1 large cup water, 1/4 tsp pepper, 1/2 tsp salt
Remove fat from chops, roll in flour with which is mixed sugar, pepper and salt and place in casserole. Mix all liquid ingredients together well and pour over chops. Place in a moderate oven & cook until tender (about 1 3/4 hrs.)
This is comfort food! Perfect with mashed spuds and peas. The kids love it, I love it and it reminds me of my early childhood. I only hope my kids have as many happy memories of holidays visiting grandparents as I do.
Tags: comfort food, Cooking, Dunkeld, farming, food, grnadparents, lamb, soldier settler
