SUET PUDDING

I was digging around in the refrigerator and ran into a blue plastic bag that contains, of all things, a chunk of beef suet that Mom brought down here when she came to stay for a few months after Daddy died. I don't even know if it's still good. It's still pretty and white and doesn't smell, so maybe it is.

Anyway, that got me thinking about Suet Pudding. That was something that Ma always made when we came home to visit because she knew we liked it, or, actually, because she knew Bill liked it. She LOVED to make the son-in-laws their favorite stuff when she could.

So, here's the recipe for Mother's Suet Pudding. I think how you actually get the suet is to go to the butcher shop and get a big hunk of beef tallow. Then you render that (fry it up in a frying pan) till it's all melted, skim off the stuff that comes to the top and the pure stuff left is the suet. Pour it in a pan and let it harden, and voila! you have the makings of suet pudding. (I doubt seriously you can just find suet in the grocery store, but I've not looked since I happen to have a well-aged chunk of it in my refrigerator!)

According to Mother's recipe card, this was Grandma Howard's recipe - so I guess she learned to make it for Daddy. A half recipe will make enough for two people.

SUET PUDDING
1 cup finely chopped suet
1 cup of molasses (good, dark stuff)
1 cup hot water or sour milk with 1 Tbsp. baking soda mixed in
pinch of salt
2 cups flour
You can add raisins &/or nuts in it if you desire.

Mix this all together, and put in a greased pan. Steam it for 2 hours. Don't let the water get into the batter.

GRAVY - to put over the pudding when serving.
2 cups sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
nutmeg
Tbsp. vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup of water
1 Tbsp. butter.

Cook this like gravy. Add additional vinegar or nutmeg or salt to taste. It should be a gravy-like consistency, and should be sweet and sour, not too sweet.

Serve the pudding as soon as it is done. It is a very heavy, moist cake. Does reheat well in the microwave, though.

Mom usually had this cooking while we were preparing for and eating dinner. That way we'd be ready for dessert about the time it was coming out of the steamer. I've got a big spaghetti pot that I steam mine in. It has a basket down inside to set the pudding on.

So, someday when you are feeling real adventurous and happen to have a chunk of suet on hand that you don't know what to do with, give this a try. I think you'll like it.

Better yet, come on down to Oklahoma, and I'll use mine.

Till next time. JB