When packing our best stuff to put in storage after selling #3 Doric St. last year, I found and brought back with me the horseshoe my mother-in-law, Dawn, draped over my arm for luck as we walked back down the aisle as Mr. and Mrs. Schwabe on 11th January 1969. Our wedding photo is beside one of the horseshoe today. Probably there’s been some slow chemical action from the rusty horseshoe inside the satin ribbon covering it. Tiny safety pins still hold the ribbon in place, but the little bits of plastic orange blossom that used to hide them have gone. Now showing effects of aging, it’s still ‘lucky’.
On the night of our own 51st anniversary, last saturday we attended a party of Elizabeth and Pedro’s friends and family to celebrate their Golden Wedding Anniversary. They only decided at more or less the last minute to hold it, and consdering it was organised over just two days, helped by a lot of people, it was a marvel. As soon as the invite appeared on our Whats App screens, the mahjong girls immediately offered to each take whatever Elizabeth needed, and everyone else did the same. The order of the day was “finger food for appetisers, mains and dessert” so some of us took befores and others afters, and there was masses of each. The main course was choripan – bbqed sausage in a bun with optional salad pieces plus a couple of sauces, salsas including tomato sauce. People took salad crudites and dip platters, potato crisps, crackers and cheese, sliced salami and cheese, many lovely fingerfoods, including some spinach fritters with a tangy dipping sauce. But my cheese ball was the only one.
I bought about 400gm fresh parmesan, which we use instead of a tasty cheddar which we haven’t found here. As I was grating it all (food processor) I decided I’d use the whole lot, make two, keep one for us. (Note this freezes well for a week at least) In the end however, I thought considering the likely number of people, I’d make it all into one and take the lot. Good move as it happened – it was popular and all polished off by the end of the evening. Several people said how much they liked it, and someone commented he hadn’t seen a cheese ball for many years, calling it “a real recipe from the 60s”. Easy to make – can’t think why it hasn’t come to mind for decades.
To the grated tasty cheese in a large mixing bowl, I added a good quantity of finely chopped spring onion/shallott tops, about a cup of pickled red pepper/capsicums strips chopped, 2/3 to 1 cup of chopped green olives, some slivered almonds, about 150gm of roquefort cheese, a few good shakes of hot pepper sauce, and enough mayonnaise to bind that all up to a firm mixture. This one didn’t have ham, crumbled bacon or salami in it, but those are options. So is fine chopped and drained pineapple. Really, anything tasty goes well. The only hard work in the recipe is mixing it with a wooden spoon, but this could be squished together by hand, too. I lined a 2-3L basin with plastic film and firmly pressed the mixture into it.
Considering we had a 1 and 1/2 hour journey on a hot night to get to the party, I then put that in the freezer for about 2 hours to firm up. Just before we left home, I turned it out onto a cutting board (put board over bowl, turn over and lift bowl off, leaving cheese ball on board) coated it with Philly light cream cheese (used a whole pack but did have one in reserve) and pressed crushed cashew nuts into all that. To transport it I turned it back into the bowl (do the bowl/cutting board manouevre in reverse) covered it with clean plastic film and placed it in a bag with a pack of crackers and a serving platter with my name on the underside. By the time we arrived, it had thawed, and it was but the work of a moment to assemble for the table. (once again, plate over top of bowl, flip over, lift and remove bowl) Wipe away loose nuts, surround with plenty of crackers. I’m sorry, you’ll just have to take my account of the making and presenting of it on faith, as I simply forgot to take any more pictures!
Several people told me they liked it, and someone commented he hadn’t seen a cheese ball for many years, and surely this must have been a recipe from the 60s? Ivan our chef son, said he remembered me making them occasionally when he was very young. In about 1967-8, I had a set of recipe cards for pre-dinner drinks and party nibbles, and this was my favourite. My fellow student flat mates and I were into nice, quality entertaining, where we dressed up in our long frocks and served martinis in recycled cheese glasses, accompanied by sophisticated nibbles before sallying out to ball for the evening. Long dress parties and balls were almost a weekly thing in those years.