Ponchmipe…
That word takes me right back to when I was a child. (My mum made Ponchmipe a lot, it was cheap and filling).
Ponchmipe is a really tasty easy dish to make and it’s a great way to get some nutritious root vegetables into the kids.
I’ve never met anyone locally here in North Lincolnshire who’s ever heard of Ponchmipe, so I looked it up a few years ago to see if it was a word mum made up. It’s actually from North Wales which sounds about right as that is where my whole birth family is from. (We moved over to North Lincolnshire when I was 4).
Anyway you’ve just got two basic ingredients for Ponchmipe. Potatoes and swede. You can use turnip, but you won’t get the lovely colouring that adding swede gives.
Ingredients
- Potatoes (as many as you require)
- Swede (However much you want to add)
- Salt/Pepper to taste
- Egg
- Splash of milk
- Butter to taste
Whilst browsing Google I noticed one recipe had added some chives to their cooked ponchmipe which looked really good. The next time I make ponchmipe I’m going to experiment with adding different flavours etc.
Note, I don’t add butter or salt to mine, but please feel free to do so if you like to add butter to your veg.
Method
Peel and prepare the potatoes for boiling and add your peeled swede. Swede takes a tad longer to cook than potatoes, so slice them quite thinly so they are ready at the same time as your spuds.
Bring to the boil then lower your heat and simmer until both potatoes and swede are tender. (Pricking them with a fork should let you know whether they are ready or not).
There’s not a lot of swede in my image here, that’s because I only had a small scabby piece of swede left in the bottom of the fridge, (It looked lost and lonely just sitting there). But it doesn’t matter. You can add as much or as little swede as you want.
Once cooked (Should take about 20 minutes or so), drain the water (Tip I save potato water for gravy). Then put back onto the stove to dry any excess water off. I use an electric cooker so I just turn the ring off and let them dry over the residual heat, but you could also drain into a colander etc to make sure all the excess water is drained off. It’s important to drain that water off properly when cooking potatoes otherwise it will be watery and yucky.
Once drained off, mash your potatoes and swede together. (Tip, invest in a good potato masher if you can afford it. It will last you for years). Whilst mashing, add your raw egg, milk, salt/pepper and butter if you’re using it. If you want to experiment, then try adding some herbs etc to give it some extra flavour. Make sure you mash it really well until your ponchmipe is light and fluffy. (No one likes stodgy mash).
Then serve up. If the kids etc don’t like swede but like mash, I can practically guarantee they’ll eat ponchmipe.
Swede is nutritious and low in calories and best of all, it’s not an expensive root veg and it’s great for bulking out a meal. It’s a shame it’s not more popular.
I served my ponchmipe with homemade chicken and mushroom pie, peas and cabbage last night, it was delicious…
BTW, if you have another name for ponchmipe, I’d love to hear what you call it…
