Hi everyone and welcome to the blog. This week’s blog is dedicated to two of Liverpool’s legendary men John Peel andBill Shankly who birthdays are remembered this week. The featured recipes this week have a poultry theme, they areCoq Au Riesling, Basque-Style Chicken and Croque-Madame. The herb of the week is Shiso.
John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004. He was known for his eclectic taste in music and his honest and warm broadcasting style. He was one of the first broadcasters to play psychedelic rock and progressive rock records on British radio, and he is widely acknowledged for promoting artists working in various genres, including pop, reggae, indie rock, alternative rock, punk, hardcore punk, grindcore, death metal, British hip hop, and dance music.
Peel’s Radio 1 shows were notable for the regular ‘Peel sessions’, which usually consisted of four songs recorded by an artist live in the BBC’s studios, and which often provided the first major national coverage to bands that later would achieve great fame. (These ‘sessions’ are similar to ‘Live Lounge’ sessions recorded today for the station.) Another popular feature of his shows was the annual Festive Fifty countdown of his listeners’ favourite records of the year. Peel appeared frequently on British television as one of the presenters of Top of the Pops in the 1980s, and he provided voice-over commentary for a number of BBC programmes. He became popular with the audience of BBC Radio 4 for his Home Truths programme, which ran from the 1990s, featuring unusual stories from listeners’ domestic lives.
Bill Shankly William “Bill” Shankly, OBE (2 September 1913 – 29 September 1981) was a Scottish football player and manager, most noted for managing Liverpool between 1959 and 1974. One of Britain’s most successful and respected football managers, Shankly was also a fine player whose career was interrupted by the Second World War. He played nearly 300 times in The Football League for Preston North End and represented Scotland seven times, as well as playing for Partick Thistle and Carlisle United.
He is most remembered for his achievements as a manager, particularly with Liverpool. Shankly took charge of Liverpool when they were bottom of the Second Division but soon established them as one of the major forces in the English game. During his 15 years at the club they won three league championships, two FA Cups and the UEFA Cup, before his surprise retirement after winning the 1974 FA Cup Final.
The full version of this article can be found at www.chefgarfyinfo.blog.co.uk
My first recipe is Coq Au Riesling, recipe by Lutyens courtesy of Jamie Magazine September 2011.
Serves 8-10, takes 10mins to prepare, 1hr-1hr15mins to cook.
2 x 1.5-1.75kg Chickens, each cut into 8 pieces (ask your butcher to portion for you)
50g x Butter
Olive Oil
250g x Smoked Streaky Bacon, sliced
500g x Baby or Pearl Onions, peeled, larger ones halved
500g x Button Mushrooms, cleaned, larger ones halved
1/8 Bunch x Thymes, leaves picked
250ml x Riesling
400ml x Organic Chicken Stock
100ml x Crème Fraiche
A Large bunch of Parsley
Rinse each piece of chicken in cold water and pat dry with kitchen towel. Season with sea salt and set aside. Melt half the butter and a little oil in a large pan. Add the chicken and cook, in batches if necessary, over a medium-high heat until golden on all sides. Remove from the pan and set aside. Add the bacon to the pan and cook until golden brown. Remove from the pan and set aside. Wipe out the pan then add the remaining butter. When it starts to foam, add the onion and mushrooms and cook over a medium heat till golden and softened.
Return the chicken and bacon to the pan with the thyme. Add the wine and stock and bring to the boil. Cover, reduce to a gentle simmer and leave to cook for 30 minutes. Check the chicken is cooked through; if not, cook for a further 15 minutes. Once cooked, remove the chicken and set aside. Turn the heat up and reduce the sauce for about 10 minutes, or until thickened. Return the chicken to the pan, add the crème fraiche and parsley, and season carefully to taste. Transfer to a nice dish and serve.
My next recipe is Basque-Style Chicken, recipe from Boundary courtesy of Jamie Magazine September 2011.
Serves 4-6, takes 15mins to prepare, approx 1hr15mins to cook.
1tbsp x Flour
1.1/2 tsp x Paprika
1 x 1.4kg Chicken, cut into 8 pieces (ask your butcher to portion for you)
3 tbsp x Olive Oil
1 x Large White Onion, sliced
2 x Garlic Cloves, sliced
2 x Red Peppers, thinly sliced
2 x Yellow Peppers, thinly sliced
50ml x White Wine
900g x Tomatoes, skinned, chopped (or 2 x 400g Tins of Chopped Tomatoes)
700ml x Chicken Stock
1/2 bunch x Thyme, tied with string
5 x Bay Leaves
Juice of ½ Lemon
1/2 bunch x Parsley, chopped
Place the flour in a bowl, season generously then stir in the paprika. Dredge the chicken in the seasoned flour and set aside. Heat 2 tbsps of oil in a large stockpot and brown the chicken pieces till golden all over and set them aside. Wipe out the pan, add the remaining oil and cook the onion over a medium heat for 3 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and peppers and cook for a further 5 minutes until softened. Add the wine and allow to reduce until almost dry, then stir in the tomatoes. Return the chicken to the pan. Add the stock, thyme and bay leaves, cover with a lid and simmer for 45 minutes. Add the lemon juice and parsley then taste and adjust the seasoning with the paprika and salt.
Herb of the week – Shiso
Perilla is the common name of the annual herbs of the genus Perilla of the mint family, Lamiaceae. In mild climates, the plant reseeds itself. There are both green-leafed and purple-leafed varieties, which are generally recognized as separate species by botanists. The leaves resemble stinging nettle leaves, but are slightly rounder in shape. Its essential oils provide for a strong taste whose intensity might be compared to that of mint or fennel. It is considered rich in minerals and vitamins, has anti-inflammatory properties, and is thought to help preserve and sterilize other foods. Like basil and coleus, it is a member of the mint family.
The Japanese name for perilla is shiso. The Japanese call the green type aojiso, aoba (“green leaf”), ōba (corruption of aoba) or aoshiso, and often eat it with sashimi (sliced raw fish) or cut into thin strips in salads, spaghetti, and meat and fish dishes. It is also used as a flavourful herb in a variety of dishes, even as a pizza topping (initially it was used in place of basil). In the summer of 2009, Pepsi Japan released a new seasonal flavoured beverage, Pepsi Shiso.
The purple type is called akajiso, and is used to dye umeboshi (pickled ume) red or combined with ume paste in sushi to make umeshiso maki. It can also be used to make a sweet, red juice to enjoy during summer. An inflorescence of shiso is called hojiso (ear shiso). Its young leaves and flower buds are used for pickling in Japan and Taiwan.
Vietnamese cuisine uses a variety similar to the Japanese hojiso, but with greenish bronze on the top face and purple on the opposite face. The leaves are smaller and have a much stronger fragrance than hojiso. In Vietnamese, it is called tía tô. It is usually eaten as a garnish in rice vermicelli dishes called bún and a number of stews and simmered dishes.
Perilla is called zisu in Chinese and is traditionally used in Chinese medicine, and has been shown to stimulate interferon activity and thus, the body’s immune system. It is used to ease the symptoms of the common cold. It is fried in oil with garlic or ginger in the wok, and eaten as a dish with meals.
My final recipe is Croque-Madame, recipe by Rebecca Rauter courtesy of Jamie Magazine September 2011.
Serves 1 takes approx 5mins to make
2 x Slices of Crusty Bread
2 x Slices of Ham
2 x Cheese, such as Gruyere
1 x Egg
Bechamel Sauce
25g x Butter
12g x Flour
125ml x Milk
1tsp x Dijon Mustard
A Pinch of Ground Nutmeg
For the Bechamel, melt half of the butter in a small pan. Add the flour and stir over a medium heat until blended. Gradually add the milk, whisking continuously into a smooth sauce. Simmer gently for 2-3mins until the sauce has thickened. Add the mustard and nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
Preheat the grill to high. Lightly toast the bread on both sides under the grill. Arrange the slices of ham and cheese on each, then top with béchamel sauce. Place back under the grill to brown the béchamel and melt the cheese. Meanwhile, melt the remaining butter in a frying pan over a low heat. Fry in the egg till the white is cooked by the yolk is still soft, or to your taste. Place the toasts on a plate and top with the egg.
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