The Forum: Real mincemeat and lots of it

Published 9:51 am Thursday, August 20, 2009

Have you been busier than a bee tracking down a source for sour red pie cherries to make the treasured recipe Sandy Phillips of Lynnwood shared for her grandma’s “real thing mincemeat’’ in the Aug. 5 Forum?

Well, good. Now, if only somebody can come up with a place to get four pounds of ox heart each, we’ll be all set to fix a very similar, yet different, version of that pie-cherry mincemeat recipe.

(Actually, plain lean beef can be substituted for the ox, so let’s not get all jerked or panicky here.)

At any rate, Sultan helper-outer Mable Coon tells us, “I haven’t written you for lots of years — I’ve been busy volunteering for the past 25 years or so — but now, as I’m getting very close to 90 and don’t know how much longer I’ll be driving, I’m not doing much volunteering any more.

“But I’m staying active and I always read your column, so when I read a request for old-fashioned mincemeat, I knew I must have that recipe someplace. So I’m sending one.

“It’s not very practical because it makes a large amount — enough to make 20 pies — but could be halved or quartered.

“The brandy could be added any time, but I used to make fruitcakes, wrap them in cheesecloth and keep them soaked in brandy until time to use them — probably the next year.

“I hope this helps John Greer.

Mincemeat with beef or ox heart

9quarts peeled, cored, sliced apples

4pounds lean beef or ox heart, chopped

2pounds beef suet, chopped

3pounds sugar

2quarts apple cider

4pounds raisins

3pounds currants

1/2pound citron, chopped

1/2pound candied orange peel, chopped

1/2pound lemon peel, chopped

1tablespoon ground cinnamon

1tablespoon ground mace

1tablespoon ground cloves

1teaspoon salt

1teaspoon pepper

2whole nutmegs, grated

1gallon sour red pie cherries, stemmed and pitted, with juice

2pounds broken nuts

1teaspoon powdered coriander seed

Brandy

In a heavy kettle, Dutch oven, stockpot or other suitable pot, combine all ingredients except the brandy and cook slowly for 2 hours, stirring often.

When cooked, remove from heat and cool. Ladle into freezer containers of desired size and freeze. Before serving, season with brandy as desired.

Makes enough mincemeat for 20 pies.

The next Forum will appear in Wednesday’s Good Life section.