Nana's steamed pudding!!!
The older I get the more I reflect on the past and the more I realise that the good times I enjoyed growing up had something to do with food. My nana Ána was always keen to make something for all of the grandkids and her famous puteni (pudding) was a winner every time! It was a take on steamed pudding but the mixture was wrapped in a piece of cloth (which my mum recently found after all these years!), tied and boiled in a pot. I had the pleasure of assisting her with mixing and measuring the nutmeg, vanilla essence, sugar, flour, butter, and sultanas. I was really useful in helping to turn the pudding in the pot (to cook thoroughly) which at this point was bubbling with hot water! After about 2 hours I'd carefully take out the pudding and unwrap it place a plate on top and flip it so the smooth round side would be the top then let it cool for 10-20 minutes. My nana liked to have it with custard which was so nice but sometimes shavings of cold butter were perfect especially when enjoyed with a hot cup of milo. My reward was usually being the first to enjoy it unless it was made for someone else (boo). Puteni of the calibre that I was accustomed to growing up is now rarely experienced these days but my mum's version comes close...she said she needs to make a few puddings before she can really nail it like my nana did so I think it's time to find that piece of cloth again!
