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Home » Recipes » Baking » Meet Stanley …

Meet Stanley …

07/04/2010 by lambsearsandhoney

For many years I had lusted after an Aga – the stored heat cooker so popular in middle-class English kitchens.  Living down on the plain made it impossible to ever contemplate one.  It was not really cold enough in the winter to justify having a permanent source of heat quietly throbbing  in a corner of the kitchen and my discovery of the astronomical price tag quickly put paid to any thoughts I may have had about beginning a campaign to break down the husband’s steely resolve.

But I wanted one.

Our eventual decision to move up into the chilly reaches of the Onkaparinga Valley, coupled with the discovery that Aga’s could be bought as reconditioned, second-hand units caused new hope to spring in my covetous little heart and I quickly began shopping around. Even second-hand and slightly shabby, the object of my affection was still priced pretty stiffly and my attention was diverted to the Irish brand of slow combustion cooker, the Stanley. For just a few hundred dollars less than the used Aga, I could purchase a new Stanley which was a deal that I decided could work for me! The long-suffering husband was less than thrilled to discover that my new toy essential cooking appliance would mean major carving up of the cabinetry in the shiny, new kitchen, but eventually he just sighed and signed the cheques.

Stanley is a wood-fired slow combustion cooker and we light him sometime in April every year and he quietly burns until around about October, day and night. He suffuses, not only his corner of the room, but half of the house with a lovely gentle heat that draws people into the kitchen and encourages them to warm their hands, feet or behinds in front of the oven.  Stanley has two ovens – a hot one and a cooler one for slow cooking,  two hot plates on top for boiling, frying etc and a warming plate which is a perfect place for the kettle to sit ready to be called in to action. Having a permanently preheated oven makes it that much easier to quickly mix up a cake or some bread for lunch boxes or afternoon snacks and casseroles and roasts can be prepared in the morning and left in the slow oven to quietly bubble, ready to serve when everyone comes in cold and tired at the end of the day. Either oven is also a perfect place to dry wet shoes and socks – although putting them in the oven and closing the door has proven to be a mistake in the past!

Life with the wood stove is not completely perfect – there is always wood to be brought in, splinters to be removed from fingers (mostly mine) and a minor degree of soot to keep at bay. And all that baking does tend to settle around one’s middle and hips. But, minor inconveniences aside, we love that Stanley makes those crisp, dark mornings easier to face and all through the freezing winter of the Adelaide Hills our kitchen is a cozy, inviting haven with a truly warm heart.

As my thoughts turn, with the turn of the season, to baking, I like to try to vary my output a little. If the decision was left to my offspring, there would be a non-stop stream of chocolate laced goodies flowing from the ovens – not that there is anything at all wrong with chocolate! But sometimes the occasion calls for something savoury rather than sweet. These delicious little bits of buttery wickedness are perfect with a drink and make a change from packaged snacks. They are an old fashioned treat, probably a bit ’70’s, but I like to add some chopped, fresh herbs to freshen them up. I have used rosemary just because I love it, but thyme or oregano would be just as nice.

I make these in the Thermomix, but any good food processor will whizz them up very quickly. It is important to keep the dough and your hands as cool as possible and not to over-process the dough. I store opened bags of grated cheese in the freezer and a great cheat if you need to whip up a batch in a hurry is to use this as it will make the dough very cold. If you want to try and reduce the fat a little, you could substitute some of the tasty cheese for grated parmesan – but only use the good stuff, not anything out of a shaker!!!

 

Rosemary Cheese Bites
 
Recipe Type: Biscuits (cookies)
Author: Amanda McInerney of www.lambsearsandhoney.com
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 15 mins
Total time: 20 mins
I used my Thermomix, but any good processor will do this job. Make sure you don’t overwork this dough, though.
Ingredients
  • 100 gms cold butter
  • 100 gms plain flour
  • 1-2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne (more if you are braver than me!)
  • 100 gms grated tasty cheese
Instructions
  1. Whizz together flour, butter, rosemary and cayenne in a food processor until it just comes together in a ball.
  2. Thermomix Instructions – Combine all, Speed 5, 15-20 seconds until just comes together in ball.
  3. Wrap in plastic wrap and put into fridge for 1 hour.
  4. Roll into small balls, space evenly on tray, press down with fork.
  5. Bake 180C for 15 minutes, until golden.
 
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Judydawn

    April 07, 2010 at 7:14 pm

    I am so envious of your beautiful aga, more for the heating of the home during winter than cooking but I would never say no to one if it was offered. Was wondering how you control the temperature in it though Amanda and when we get together for our next Thermomix coffee, be prepared to answer all my questions about it!

  2. Kate

    April 07, 2010 at 7:34 pm

    Yay !! Stan’s the man !!!

  3. lambsearsandhoney

    April 08, 2010 at 10:10 am

    Judy, the cooker temperature is controlled by regulating the amount of air allowed into the fire box, thus regulating the intensity of the fire. It does take a little getting used to!

  4. Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

    April 11, 2010 at 7:12 pm

    I love Stanley! Our 90cm Smeg oven is known affectionately as Bobby, named after one of our neighbours who wore boxy glasses. 🙂

    Adelaide Hills – do you ever get to Ashton Hills Winery? Run by a most wonderful man named Stephen George…

    Cheers, Celia

  5. lambsearsandhoney

    April 11, 2010 at 7:20 pm

    We don’t get to many of the local wineries – perhaps I should change that. Goodness only knows, I drink enough of their products!

  6. Isabelle

    April 14, 2010 at 2:25 pm

    I grew up on a farm where we had nothing as grand as Stanley. We lived in an area of the USA where there were few trees so the fuel of choice was dried corn cobs in our “wood burning” cook stove.
    There was no electricity at that time and the evening meal was eaten by kerosine lamps. We managed to survive and florish.
    My mother baked her own bread, canned fruit and vegetables and we raisesd our own animals for food. That included beef, pork, turkeys and chickens.
    I would love the smell of Stanley as he provided nourishment and warmth for the family.

  7. Lorraine @NotQuiteNigella

    April 19, 2010 at 12:56 pm

    Aww Stanley is gorgeous! I’m so glad that you got your dream of a beautiful oven. It makes the world of difference!

  8. Talita

    April 22, 2010 at 9:21 am

    Yummm… Those savory cookies look so delicious! I can imagine how yummy are them.

  9. Leslee

    April 22, 2010 at 12:45 pm

    I have just entered your blog into my ‘favorites’ purely on the strenght of Stanley. My favorite Aunty had an Aga in her kitchen in Wollongong NSW and it truely was the hub of the house. I, too, desperately wanted on when I grew up and was lucky enought to move into an old farm house in Mudgee that had one already. I have since moved away from the farm and my husband refused my pleas to install one in our new house. You refreshed some lovely old memories for me, thankyou

Trackbacks

  1. What’s in the box – 25/26 May says:
    26/05/2011 at 6:28 pm

    […] has arrived up here in the hills and I sit here in front of the fire as I write this to you.  Stanley has been booted up, the dogs are wearing their coats to bed at night, uggies have become  de […]

  2. Cake Time! Pistachio Orange Blossom Cake - Lambs' Ears and Honey | A Food Blog says:
    26/07/2013 at 12:24 pm

    […] freezing, so I’ve been hunkered down here a bit for the last few weeks and my dear friend Stanley has been cranked to the max. I find the presence of a constantly hot oven generally prompts an […]

  3. Pistachio and Date Syrup Ma'amoul - Lambs' Ears and Honey | A Food Blog says:
    27/08/2013 at 5:28 pm

    […] have no heating other than a big slow-combustion fire in the family room and my dear Stanley in the kitchen, both of whom do a splendid job. I love the cosiness of a fire and can’t wait […]

  4. In My Kitchen April 2015 - Lambs' Ears and Honey | A Food & Travel Blog says:
    10/04/2015 at 12:40 am

    […] Five years ago I introduced you to my much-loved slow-combustion stove, Stanley. While he’s probably not as clean and shiny as he was five years ago (where did that time go?) he’s every bit as effective and gets lit at the first sign of an autumnal chill in the air. The season is well and truly turning in the Adelaide Hills now, so I celebrated Easter by lighting him on Good Friday. The spreading warmth of Stanley heralds the advent of not only winter, but usually a few extra pounds around my middle as I find the lure of a constantly heated oven way too tempting. I think I’ll be baking quite soon. […]

  5. In My Kitchen March 2017 says:
    03/03/2017 at 12:48 am

    […] ended up gutting the room. It’s been a huge job, removing everything except my faithful Stanley combustion stove, and replacing it with a fresh, brand new […]

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