No Abandonment Issues With This Total Eclipse

On 20th March 2015 the UK will see its first Total Eclipse in 16 years, last seen on 11th August 1999. Although not visible to all, most will see a solar or partial eclipse. On previous occassions this astronomical phenomenom bought with it fears of death and superstition. Most cultures regard the event as omens both good and bad, the word eclipse comes from the ancient Greek word ekleipsis for being abandoned. Legend has it that the Chinese, associated it with the health and success of their emperors, and that two astronomers, Hsi and Ho, were executed for failing to predict the event. The Babylonians thought like the Chinese with the bad omens towards their kings, so they replaced their monachy with substitutes during the event so that they false kings would face the wrath of the gods. However this was not the case with the Greeks in 585 BCE, who stopped the war between the Lydians and Medes who saw the darkened skies as an omen for peace. The superstitions and potents of death weren’t helped over the years by the coincidental deaths of the Prophet Mohammad’s son Ibrahim in 632 BCE and King Henry 1st 1133 CE shortly after a solar event. It has also been said that Helium was discovered during an eclipse, independently by French astronomer Jules Janssen and British scientist Norman Lockye in 1868.

This week also see St Patrick’s Day being celebrated the world over on 17th March, so this week’s recipes all have an Irish flavour. They are:- Potato & Spring Onion Breakfast Pancakes, Mussels Steamed with Cider & Bacon & Fruit & Spice Soda Bread.

 

My first recipe is Potato & Spring Onion Breakfast Pancakes courtesy of BBC Good Food Magazine January 2015.

Serves 2 (makes 6 pancakes). Prep 15mins, Cook 30mins plus cooling.

140g x Floury Potatoes (weighed after peeling), cut into large chunks
50g x Self-Raising Flour
½ tsp x Bicarbonate of Soda
3 x Large Eggs
5 tbsp x Milk
3 x Spring Onions, finely chopped
2 tsp x Sunflower Oil, plus extra if needed
A Knob of Butter
6 x Rashers of Streaky Bacon (smoked or unsmoked)

 

Put the potatoes in a large pan of salted water and boil until tender. Drain well, tip back into the pan, shake for 1 min over a gentle heat to dry them off, then mash and leave to cool.

Put the cooled mash in a bowl with the flour and bicarb. Whisk 1 egg with the milk, season, tip into the bowl and whisk until smooth. Stir in the spring onions, reserving some to serve.
In a non-stick frying pan, heat half the oil and butter until sizzling, then spoon in half the pancake batter to make 3 pancakes. Cook for 1 min or so on each side until browned and set underneath, then flip and cook the other side. Keep warm in the oven while you make 3 more pancakes.

Wipe out the pan, add the bacon and sizzle until almost crisp. Push to one side and crack in the 2 remaining eggs – with a splash more oil if needed. Fry to your liking, then serve with the pancakes and bacon, sprinkled with the remaining spring onions.

 

My next recipe is Mussels Steamed with Cider & Bacon Recipe by Barney Desmazery, courtesy of BBC Good Food Magazine November 2007.

Serves 4 as a starter 2 as a main course, Prep 40mins, Cook 20mins.

A Small Knob of Butter
6 x Rashers of Bacon, chopped, or a 140g piece, cut into small cubes
2 x Shallots, finely sliced
A Small Bunch of Thyme, leaves stripped
1½ kg x Small Mussels, scrubbed and bearded
A Glass of Cider, approx. 150 ml
2 tbsp x Crème Fraîche (optional)

 

PREPARATION: Raw mussels MUST be alive when you cook them, so careful preparation is key. Wash them under cold running water until it runs clear, and scrub if necessary. Pull the ‘beard’ away from each individual mussel – this is the byssus thread, a protein the mussel ‘spins’ so it can attach itself to rock or rope. Drain and then check; if the shell is tightly shut, this is a good indication that it’s alive. If the mussel is open, tap it sharply for a few seconds – if it is alive, it will close. Discard any that appear to be dead as they can decompose very rapidly, and eating one that you aren’t sure of is not worth the risk. Don’t check them too far in advance; cook within a few minutes to be on the safe side.

Heat the butter in a pan large enough to easily fit the mussels, then fry the bacon for 4 mins, turning occasionally until it starts becoming crisp. Throw in the shallots and thyme leaves, then cook for 1 min until softened. Whack the heat up to maximum and add the mussels to the pan, then pour over the cider. Place the lid on the pan, give it a good shake, then cook the mussels for 5-7 mins, shaking the pan occasionally, until all the mussels have opened. Discard any that haven’t.

Use a slotted spoon to scoop the mussels into bowls and place the pan back on the heat. Bring the juices to the boil and stir in the crème fraîche, if using. Pour the sauce over the mussels. Serve with hunks of crusty bread for mopping up the sauce.

COOKING TIPS: Mussels are most often steamed open over a small amount of flavoured liquid, as in Moules marinière, although they can also be oven roasted and are particularly good cooked ‘en papillote’ (in a bag). Wine, stock, beer and cider are all great for cooking mussels, but take care not to add salt to the liquid as mussel juice can be very salty. Drop the mussels into the liquid, cover with a tight-fitting lid, then cook until they have opened and the meat has settled into one side of the shell; this usually takes 3-4 minutes. Avoid overcooking as the meat shrivels and becomes tough. Check them all again before serving and discard any that haven’t opened. If a mussel is unopened at this stage, this indicates that it was already dead. You will probably notice the colour of the meat varies between beige and orange. This is an indication of sex – beige for male and orange for female; there is no difference in flavour. Once cooked, mussels are usually lifted into a bowl and the cooking liquor is reduced by simmering. Pull the meat from one shell and then use that shell as a pincer to remove meat from the rest. Serve simply with crusty bread – lovely!

 

And finally Fruit & Spice Soda Bread Recipe by Sarah Cook, courtesy of BBC Good Food Magazine March 2007.

 

Makes 1 large loaf enough for 8, Prep 30mins, Cook 35mins.

 

100g x Rolled Porridge Oats
25g x Butter, diced
200g x Plain Flour
200g x Plain Wholemeal Flour, plus extra for dusting
100g x Caster Sugar
1 tsp x Bicarbonate of Soda
1½ tsp x Mixed Spice
50g x Raisins
50g x Sultanas
50g x Stoned Dates, finely chopped
3 tbsp x Mixed Peel
450ml x Buttermilk
3-4 tbsp demerara sugar

 

Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Whizz the porridge oats and butter together in a food processor, or rub the butter into the oats with your fingertips in a big bowl. Stir in the flours, caster sugar, bicarb, mixed spice, 1 tsp salt, the raisins, sultanas, dates and mixed peel.

Pour over the buttermilk and quickly stir in with a round-bladed knife. Tip out onto a flour-dusted surface and gently bring together into a ball with your hands. Transfer to a flour-dusted baking sheet and scatter over the demerara sugar, pressing it into the top. Use a sharp, flour-dusted knife to cut a big cross in the top and bake for 30-35 mins until crusty on the outside. Eat warm or cold, thickly sliced, with butter.

 

Tune into my show on 6 Towns Radio Sunday morning 8-10am “Under the Covers with TheRealTonyc” at http://6towns.co.uk/ It’s what your Sunday’s were made for.

 

If you have enjoyed my blog, or have tried out the recipes I have included and wish to comment, please feel free to do so by using the comment button or by visiting my guestbook, all comments and suggestions will be gratefully received.

Hope you enjoy!!….. ChefGarfy =D

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Recipes to Make You Quackers

Hi everyone and welcome to the blog. This week’s blog is dedicated to the creators and voices behind two of the world’s most famous ducks, Donald Duck & Daffy Duck Clarence Nash and Chuck Jones. Most of this week’s recipes have a duck theme to them, they are Glazed Hoisin Duck, Roast Duck with Cider Sauce and Mock-tail Soup – A vegetarian Oxtail soup.

Donald Duck is a cartoon character created in 1934 at Walt Disney Productions and licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Donald is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor suit with a cap and a black or red bow tie. Donald is most famous for his semi-intelligible speech and his explosive temper. Along with his friend Mickey Mouse, Donald is one of the most popular Disney characters and was included in TV Guide’s list of the 50 greatest cartoon characters of all time in 2002. He has appeared in more films than any other Disney character and is the fifth most published comic book character in the world after Batman, Superman, Spider-Man, and Wolverine.

Donald Duck rose to fame with his comedic roles in animated cartoons. He first appeared in The Wise Little Hen (1934), but it was his second appearance in Orphan’s Benefit which introduced him as a temperamental comic foil to Mickey Mouse. Throughout the 1930s, ’40s and ’50s he appeared in over 150 theatrical films, several of which were recognized at the Academy Awards. Donald was regularly part of an ensemble cast with Mickey and Goofy, and was given his own series of films in 1937, starting with Don Donald. He was voiced primarily from 1934 by Clarence Nash until his death in 1985, when the voice-over duties were taken over by his protégé Tony Anselmo.

Clarence Charles “Ducky” Nash (December 7, 1904 – February 20, 1985) was an American voice actor, best known for providing the voice of Donald Duck for the Walt Disney Studios. He was born in the rural community of Watonga, Oklahoma, and a street in that town is named in his honour.

Charles Martin “Chuck” Jones (September 21, 1912 – February 22, 2002) was an American animator, cartoon artist, screenwriter, producer, and director of animated films, most memorably of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts for the Warner Bros. Cartoons studio. He directed many of the classic short animated cartoons starring Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote, Sylvester, Pepé Le Pew and a slew of other Warner characters. Three of these shorts (Duck Amuck, One Froggy Evening and What’s Opera, Doc?) were later inducted into the National Film Registry. Chief among Jones’ other works was the famous “Hunting Trilogy” of Rabbit Fire, Rabbit Seasoning, and Duck! Rabbit, Duck! (1951–1953).
After his extraordinary career at Warner Bros. ended in 1962, Jones started Sib Tower 12 Productions and began producing memorable cartoons for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, including a new series of Tom and Jerry shorts and the television adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas!. He later started his own studio, Chuck Jones Productions, which created several one-shot specials, and periodically worked on Looney Tunes related works.

The full version of this article can be found at www.garfysplaceinfo.blog.co.uk

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My first recipe is Glazed Hoisin Duck, courtesy of BBC GoodFood website. Originally appeared in Olive Magazine June 2007.

Serves 2, Ready in 25 minutes

4 tbsp x Hoisin Sauce
1 tsp x Chinese Five-Spice Powder
2 x Duck Breasts
Oil
2 tbsp x Sesame Seeds
1 x Green Pepper, cut into thin strips
3 x Spring Onions, shredded
2 x Carrots, cut into thin ribbons (use a peeler) 
2 tbsp x Sesame Oil

Mix the hoisin sauce and Chinese five spice in a bowl. Score the duck skin diagonally and marinate the breast in the sauce for 10 minutes.

Heat a little oil to hot in a non-stick pan. Shake the excess marinade from the duck then put in the pan skin-side down and cook for 5-7 minutes until the skin turns crisp. Turn the heat down to medium, turn the duck over and brush with the remaining marinade until cooked, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, lightly toast the sesame seeds in a frying pan. Mix the vegetables with the sesame seeds and sesame oil. Serve the duck breast with the salad.

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My next recipe is Roast Duck with Cider Sauce, courtesy of GoodFood Channel website.

Serves 2, Prep 30mins, Cook time 1hr 45mins

For the duck
1 x Duck
2 tbsp x Duck Fat
1 x Onion, quartered
1 x Carrot, quartered
1 x Celery Stick, halved
1 x Bay Leaf
1 tsp x Black Peppercorns
500ml x Sweet Cider, or more if necessary

For the fried potatoes and apples
1 tbsp x Duck Fat
1 x Potato, cubed
1 x Apple, core removed, cut into wedges

For the salad
1 x Head of Chicory
2 x Bunches of Watercress
French vinaigrette, to taste

For the duck: Preheat the oven to 230C/210C fan/gas 8. Cut the legs and wings from the duck carcass. Using a heavy knife or cleaver, cut away the undercarriage (all the base of the duck), leaving the crown (the breast of the bird) in one piece. Chop the undercarriage roughly and reserve with the wings.

Lightly oil an ovenproof frying pan with a little of the duck fat. Heat the duck crown and legs in the pan, skin-side down, until browned. When the duck is golden-amber, transfer to the oven to roast for 10 minutes, or until cooked to your liking. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

Heat the remaining duck fat in a saucepan until smoking. Add the reserved chopped duck and wings and fry until browned. Add the onion, carrot and celery to the pan, and turn them in the hot fat. Add the bay leaf, peppercorns and cider. If the cider doesn’t cover the contents of the pan, add more cider (or water) until it does.

Simmer over a low heat for 1-1½ hours. Strain the liquid into a clean saucepan and simmer until the volume of liquid has reduced to a sauce consistency. Season to taste with salt and keep the sauce warm.

For the fried potatoes and apples: heat the duck fat in a frying pan and fry the potato for a few minutes. Add the apple and cook until crisp. Remove and drain on a plate lined with kitchen paper.

When you are almost ready to serve the duck, carve the breasts from the bone and gently reheat them, along with the duck legs, in the sauce so that any juices released from the meat are re-incorporated in the sauce.

For the salad: separate the chicory leaves and combine them with the watercress in a salad bowl. Lightly dress the salad with vinaigrette just before serving alongside the duck, sauce and fried potatoes and apples.

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My final recipe is Mock-tail Soup – A vegetarian Oxtail soup. Original recipe by Andrea Shore.

Serves 4, Prep 10mins, Cooking time 25mins

½ x Red Cabbage (approx 500g), chopped
400g x Carrots chopped
2 x Garlic Cloves, crushed
1 x Red Onion, chopped
1ltr x Hot Organic Vegetable Stock

Fry the onion with the olive oil over a low/medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the carrots & cabbage to the onions and fry for a further 5 minutes. Add the garlic and stock to the pan and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Place the soup into the blender and whiz away until smooth.

Tune into my show on 6townsradio “Under The Covers with TheRealTonyc” every Sunday from 8-10am at http://6towns.co.uk/ It’s what your Sunday’s were made for.

That’s all Folks!!!

If you have enjoyed my blog, or have tried out the recipes I have included and wish to comment, please feel free to comment using the comment button or by visiting my guestbook, all comments and suggestions will be gratefully received.

Hope you enjoy!!….. ChefGarfy =D

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The Apple of Our i

Hi everyone and welcome to the blog. This week’s blog is entitled The Apple of Our i and is dedicated to one man, whose visionary creations helped change the world forever Steve Jobs, who sadly lost his fight with cancer on October 5th. And in honour of Steve and his achievements all the featured recipes this week have apples as their main ingredient, they areSpiced Apple Samosas, Apple-Cobbler, and Chicken and Apples in Honey Mustard Sauce.

I’ve decided to have a little change in direction with a feature of this blog. Instead of a featured herb or spice, I’m going to feature a much maligned and/or forgotten about ingredient. And this week’s much maligned ingredient is Broad Beans.

Steve Jobs Steven Paul Jobs (February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011) was an American computer entrepreneur and inventor. He was co-founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Apple Inc. He also previously served as chief executive of Pixar Animation Studios; he became a member of the board of directors of The Walt Disney Company in 2006, following the acquisition of Pixar by Disney. He was credited in Toy Story (1995) as an executive producer.
In the late 1970s, Steve Jobs, with Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, Mike Markkula, and others, designed, developed, and marketed one of the first commercially successful lines of personal computers, the Apple II series. In the early 1980s, Jobs was among the first to see the commercial potential of Xerox PARC’s mouse-driven graphical user interface, which led to the creation of the Macintosh. After losing a power struggle with the board of directors in 1985, he resigned from Apple and founded NeXT, a computer platform development company specializing in the higher-education and business markets. Apple’s subsequent 1996 buyout of NeXT brought Jobs back to the company he co-founded, and he served as its CEO from 1997 until 2011. In 1986, he acquired the computer graphics division of Lucasfilm Ltd which was spun off as Pixar Animation Studios. He remained CEO and majority shareholder at 50.1 percent until its acquisition by The Walt Disney company in 2006. Consequently he became Disney’s largest individual shareholder at 7 percent and a member of Disney’s Board of Directors.

His aim to develop products that are both functional and elegant earned him a devoted following.

On August 24, 2011, Jobs announced his resignation from his role as Apple’s CEO. In his letter of resignation, Jobs strongly recommended that the Apple executive succession plan be followed and Tim Cook be named as his successor. Per his request, Jobs was appointed chairman of Apple’s board of directors. On October 5, 2011, Apple announced that Jobs had died at the age of 56.

The full version of this article can be found at www.chefgarfyinfo.blog.co.uk

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My first recipe is Spiced Apple Samosas, courtesy of Good Food Channel website.

Makes 2, takes 30mins plus resting to prepare and takes 15mins to cook.

For the apple filling
A Knob of Butter
A Pinch of Ground Cinnamon
A Small Handful of Sultanas
4 x Bramley Apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped

For the pastry x Self-Raising Flour, plus extra for dusting
100g x Butter
4tbsp x Water
Vegetable Oil, for deep-frying
Caster Sugar
A Pinch of Ground Cinnamon
A Pinch of Ground Allspice
Vanilla Ice Cream, to serve

For the apple filling: melt the butter in a pan, then add the cinnamon, sultanas and apples and slowly stew them. As they become soft, take off the heat and gently mash with a potato masher. Leave to cool.

For the pastry: tip the flour into a mixing bowl and with your fingers slowly rub the butter into it until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Moisten with the water and mix with a wooden spoon. Squeeze the mixture into a dough, adding more water if necessary but making sure it doesn’t become sloppy. Leave to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Flour your surface and gently roll the pastry with a rolling pin until very thin. Cut two circles in the pastry using a breakfast bowl. Cut each circle in half, then dip your finger in water and run it across the straight side of the semi-circle, fold over and seal the moistened edge. Carefully open the pastry in your hand to create a cone.

Spoon the cooled apple filling into each pastry cone, leaving enough space to fully seal the pastry. Using a wet finger, seal the edge of the cone and check all edges. Heat the oil in a deep saucepan or deep-fat fryer. Mix together the sugar, cinnamon and allspice.

Carefully add the samosas to the hot oil and cook until puffed up and slightly coloured. Drain on kitchen towel, then toss in the spiced sugar. Place two samosas in a serving bowl and serve with a large scoop of good vanilla ice cream.

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My next recipe is Apple-Cobbler, courtesy of Landolakes.com.

Serves 12, takes 20mins to prepare and takes 40mins to cook.

2kgs x Tart Cooking Apples, peeled, cored, sliced 1/4-inch
220g x Sugar
3/4 tsp x Ground Cinnamon
450g x All-Purpose Flour
450g x Sugar
2 x Large Eggs
2tsp x Baking Powder
3/4tsp x salt
150g x Butter, melted

Heat oven to 350°F. Place sliced apples in ungreased 13×9-inch baking pan.
Stir together 220g of sugar and 1/2tsp of cinnamon in small bowl; sprinkle this over the apples.

Combine remaining cinnamon, flour, sugar, eggs, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Beat at medium speed until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over apples. Pour melted butter over topping. Bake for 45 to 55 5minutes or until lightly browned and apples are tender. Serve warm with ice cream, if desired.

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Much Maligned ingredient of the week – Broad Beans
Vicia faba, the Broad Bean, Fava Bean, Field Bean, Bell Bean or Tic Bean, is a species of bean (Fabaceae) native to north Africa and southwest Asia, and extensively cultivated elsewhere. Broad beans have a long tradition of cultivation in Old World agriculture, being among the most ancient plants in cultivation and also among the easiest to grow. It is believed that along with lentils, peas, and chickpeas, they became part of the eastern Mediterranean diet in around 6000 BC or earlier. They are still often grown as a cover crop to prevent erosion, because they can over-winter and because as a legume, they fix nitrogen in the soil. These commonly cultivated plants can be attacked by fungal diseases, such as rust (Uromyces viciae-fabae) and chocolate spot (Botrytis fabae). It is also attacked by the black bean aphid (Aphis fabae).

The broad bean has high hardiness cvs. This means it can withstand rough climates, and in this case, cold ones. Unlike most legumes, the broad bean can be grown in soils with high salinity. However, it does prefer to grow in rich loams.

In much of the Anglophone world, the name broad bean is used for the large-seeded cultivars grown for human food, while horse bean and field bean refer to cultivars with smaller, harder seeds (more like the wild species) used for animal feed, though their stronger flavour is preferred in some human food recipes, such as falafel. The term fava bean (from the Italian fava, meaning “broad bean”) is usually used in English speaking countries such as the US, however the term broad bean is the most common name in the UK.

Broad beans are eaten while still young and tender, enabling harvesting to begin as early as the middle of spring for plants started under glass or over-wintered in a protected location, but even the main crop sown in early spring will be ready from mid to late summer. Horse beans, left to mature fully, are usually harvested in the late autumn. The young leaves of the plant can also be eaten either raw or cooked like spinach.

The beans can be fried, causing the skin to split open, and then salted and/or spiced to produce a savory crunchy snack. These are popular in China, Colombia, Peru (habas saladas), Mexico (habas con chile) and Thailand (where their name means “open-mouth nut”). Broad bean purée with wild chicory is a typical Puglian dish in Italy.

In the Sichuan cuisine of China, broad beans are combined with soybeans and chili peppers to produce a spicy fermented bean paste called doubanjiang. In most Arab countries, the fava bean is used for a breakfast dish called ful medames.

Fava beans are common in Latin American cuisines as well. In central Mexico, mashed fava beans are a common filling for many corn flour-based antojito snacks such as tlacoyos. In Colombia they are most often used whole in vegetable soups. Dried and salted fava beans are a popular snack in many Latin countries.

In Portugal, a fava bean (usually referred to as fava in Portuguese) is included in the bolo-rei (king cake), a Christmas cake. Traditionally, the person who gets fava has to buy the cake the following year.

In the Netherlands, they are traditionally eaten with fresh savory and some melted butter. When rubbed the velvet insides of the pods are a folk remedy against warts. Broad beans are widely cultivated in the Kech and Panjgur districts of Balochistan Province in Pakistan, and in the eastern province of Iran. In the Balochi language, they are called bakalaink, and baghalee in Persian.

Broad beans are rich in tyramine, and thus should be avoided by those taking monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors. Raw broad beans contain the alkaloids vicine, isouramil and convicine, which can induce hemolytic anemia in patients with the hereditary condition glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency (G6PD). This potentially fatal condition is called “favism” after the fava bean. Broad beans are rich in L-dopa, a substance used medically in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. L-dopa is also a natriuretic agent, which might help in controlling hypertension.

Areas of origin of the bean correspond to malarial areas. There are epidemiological and in vitro studies which suggest that the hemolysis resulting from favism acts as protection from malaria, because certain species of malarial protozoa such as Plasmodium falcipacrum are very sensitive to oxidative damage due to deficiency of the glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase enzyme, which would otherwise protect from oxidative damage via production of glutathione reductase. The seed testas contain condensed tannins of the proanthocyanidins type that could have an inhibitory activity on enzymes.

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My final recipe is Chicken and Apples in Honey Mustard Sauce, courtesy of simplyrecipes.com.

Serves 4, takes 5mins to prepare and takes 25mins to cook.

125ml x Cider
1 1/2 tsp x Cornflour
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1tbsp x Honey
2tbsp x Dijon mustard
100ml x Flour, for dredging
500g x Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
2tbsp x Olive Oil
2 x Small Unpeeled Apples, cored and cut into eighths (use Golden delicious, Granny Smith, Jonathan, Jonagold, Pippin, or McIntosh apples, good cooking apples)
125ml x Chicken Stock
Fresh parsley for garnish

Whisk the cider, cornflour, mustard, honey, salt and pepper (to taste) in a bowl. Set aside. Salt the chicken well and dust in flour. Shake off the excess. In a large non-stick pan, heat the oil and add the chicken breasts. Cook over medium heat until golden brown on one side, approx. 3-4 minutes. Turn the chicken, add the apples, and cook until browned on the other side.
Add chicken stock and cider mixture and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low, cover the pot and simmer until chicken is tender, approx. 15 minutes. With slotted spoon, remove chicken and apples to serving plates. Spoon sauce over the chicken and apples and sprinkle with parsley. Serve with rice or noodles.

If you have enjoyed my blog, or have tried out the recipes I have included and wish to comment, please feel free to comment using the comment button or by visiting my guestbook, all comments and suggestions will be gratefully received.

Hope you enjoy!!….. ChefGarfy =D

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2976 Angels Called To Heaven

Hi everyone and welcome to the blog. The world will be remembering just one event this week, the 10th anniversary of the September 11th attacks – The day the world changed. So this week’s blog is dedicated to The Victims and Heroes of 9/11. The recipes this week are Sausage Cobbler, Taverned Bacon and Apple and Plum Charlotte with Custard. The spice of the week is Sesame.

The September 11 attacks (also called 9/11), were a series of four coordinated suicide attacks against targets in New York and Washington, D.C. on September 11, 2001. On that morning, 19 al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four passenger jets. The hijackers intentionally crashed two planes into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Centre in New York City; both towers collapsed within two hours. Hijackers crashed a third plane into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. When passengers attempted to take control of the fourth plane, United Airlines Flight 93, it crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, preventing it from reaching its intended target in Washington, D.C. Nearly 3,000 lives were lost in the attacks.
Suspicion quickly fell on al-Qaeda, the Islamist militant group. In 2004, Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, who had initially denied involvement, claimed responsibility for the attacks. Al-Qaeda and bin Laden cited U.S. support of Israel, the presence of U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia, and sanctions against Iraq as motives for the attacks. The United States responded to the attacks by launching the War on Terror, invading Afghanistan to depose the Taliban, who had harboured al-Qaeda members. Many countries strengthened their anti-terrorism legislation and expanded law enforcement powers. In May 2011 bin Laden was found and killed.

Many lives were lost on that day, and many more would have subsequently been lost if it had not been for the selfless actions of the American emergency services, many of whom perished on that day. The following poem pays tribute to them and those who died on that fateful day in September.

We Shall Never Forget (9-11 Tribute) by Alan W. Jankowski (from www.9-11heroes.us)

Let the world always remember,
That fateful day in September,
And the ones who answered duties call,
Should be remembered by us all.

Who left the comfort of their home,
To face perils as yet unknown,
An embodiment of goodness on a day,
When men’s hearts had gone astray.

Sons and daughters like me and you,
Who never questioned what they had to do,
Who by example, were a source of hope,
And strength to others who could not cope.

Heroes that would not turn their back,
With determination that would not crack,
Who bound together in their ranks,
And asking not a word of thanks.

Men who bravely gave their lives,
Whose orphaned kids and widowed wives,
Can proudly look back on their dad,
Who gave this country all they had.

Actions taken without regret,
Heroisms we shall never forget,
The ones who paid the ultimate price,
Let’s never forget their sacrifice.

And never forget the ones no longer here,
Who fought for the freedoms we all hold dear,
And may their memory never wane,
Lest their sacrifices be in vain.

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My first recipe is Sausage Cobbler, courtesy of Good To Know website – first appeared in a 1974 issue of Woman’s Weekly magazine.

Makes 4-6, takes 30mins to prepare, 55mins to cook.

6 x Good-Sized Sausages
125g x Belly or Shoulder of Pork, rind and any bones removed, chopped into 6 or 8 pieces
2 x Medium Onions, peeled and sliced
2 x Large Carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
1 tbsp x Plain Flour, level
150ml x Cider
300ml x Hot Organic Chicken Stock
Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

For the topping:
250g (8oz) self-raising flour
Pinch of salt
1tsp x Dried Sage, level
45g x Butter
150ml x Milk
1.25 litre x Pie Dish
6.5cm x Plain Cutter

Fry the sausages and pork in a frying pan over a very low heat for 15 mins until they are golden brown. Use a draining spoon to put them into the dish. Set the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6. Add the onion and carrot to the fat in the pan and fry over a low heat for about 10 mins until softened. Stir in flour and mix well. Take pan off heat and gradually blend in the cider and stock. Put pan back on the heat, stirring all time, to make a sauce. Check the seasoning and pour the sauce over the pork and sausages.

To make the topping: Mix the flour, salt and sage in a bowl. Rub in the butter, then mix in enough milk to make a fairly soft dough and turn it out on to a lightly floured work surface.
Roll the dough out to just under 1.5cm (½in) thick and cut out 8 scones with the cutter. Place them on top of sausage mixture and bake for 30 mins until the scones are golden and well-risen.

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My next recipe is Taverned Bacon, courtesy of Good To Know website – first appeared in a 1966 issue of Woman’s Weekly magazine.

Makes 4, takes 30mins to prepare, 2hrs 20mins to cook.

1.5kg x Bacon Collar Joint
1tbsp x Mustard Powder
2tbsp x Demerara Sugar
600ml x Pale Ale or Cider
3 x Sprigs of Thyme
500g x New Potatoes
3 x Medium Carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
3 x Medium Leeks, trimmed, thickly sliced

Cut the thick skin off the joint, along with some of the fat. Mix the mustard and sugar and rub it over the joint. Put it in a casserole and leave for 20 mins while the oven heats up to Gas Mark 3 or 160°C.
Pour the ale/cider into the casserole and add the thyme, potatoes and carrots. Cook in the oven for 1¼ hours. Add the leeks and continue cooking for 45 mins, until the bacon and vegetables are tender.

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Spice of the week – Sesame
Sesame is a flowering plant in the genus Sesamum. Numerous wild relatives occur in Africa and a smaller number in India. It is widely naturalized in tropical regions around the world and is cultivated for its edible seeds, which grow in pods. The flowers of the sesame seed plant are yellow, though they can vary in colour with some being blue or purple.

Sesame is grown primarily for its oil-rich seeds, which come in a variety of colours, from cream-white to charcoal-black. In general, the paler varieties of sesame seem to be more valued in the West and Middle East, while both the pale and black varieties are prized in the Far East. The small sesame seed is used whole in cooking for its rich nutty flavour (although such heating damages their healthful polyunsaturated fats), and also yields sesame oil.

Sesame seeds are sometimes added to breads, including bagels and the tops of hamburger buns. Sesame seeds may be baked into crackers, often in the form of sticks. Sesame seeds are also sprinkled onto some sushi style foods. Whole seeds are found in many salads and baked snacks as well in Japan. Tan and black sesame seed varieties are roasted and used for making the flavoring gomashio. In Greece the seeds are used in cakes, and in Togo they are a main soup ingredient. The seeds are also eaten on bread in Sicily and France (called “ficelle sésame”, sesame thread). In DR Congo and North of Angola, ground sesame or wangila is a delicious dish, especially when cooked with smoked fish or lobsters. About one-third of Mexico’s sesame crop is exported to the United States and purchased by McDonald’s for their sesame seed buns. In Manipur (North Eastern State of India) Black sesame is used in the preparation of a favorite side dish called ‘Thoiding’ and in ‘Singju’ (A kind of salad). Thoiding is prepared with ginger and chili and vegetables are used in the spicy Singu dish. In Assam, black sesame seeds are used to make Til Pitha and Tilor laru (sesame seed balls) during bihu. In Punjab province of India and Tamil Nadu state of India, a sweet ball called “Pinni” in Urdu and ‘Ell urundai’ in Tamil, “Ellunda” in Malayalam, “Yellunde” (sesame ball, usually in jaggery) in Kannada and tilgul in Marathi is made of its seeds mixed with sugar. Also in Tamil Nadu, sesame oil used extensively in their cuisine, Milagai Podi, a ground powder made of sesame and dry chili is used to enhance flavour and consumed along with other traditional foods such as idli. Sesame (benne) seed cookies and wafers, both sweet and savory, are still consumed today in places like Charleston, South Carolina. The seeds are believed to have been brought into 17th century colonial America by West African slaves. In Caribbean cuisine, sugar and white sesame seeds are combined into a bar resembling peanut brittle and sold in stores and street corners.

Ground and processed, the seeds can also be used in sweet confections. Sesame seeds can be made into a paste called tahini (used in various ways, including hummus bi tahini) and the Middle Eastern confection halvah. In South Asia, Middle East, East Asian cuisines, popular treats are made from sesame mixed with honey or syrup and roasted into a sesame candy. In Japanese cuisine goma-dofu is made from sesame paste and starch.

East Asian cuisines, like Chinese cuisine use sesame seeds and oil in some dishes, such as dim sum, sesame seed balls, and the Vietnamese bánh rán. Sesame flavour (through oil and roasted or raw seeds) is also very popular in Korean cuisine, used to marinate meat and vegetables. Chefs in tempura restaurants blend sesame and cottonseed oil for deep-frying. Sesame oil was a preferred cooking oil in India until the advent of peanut oil.

Mexican cuisine refers to sesame seeds as Ajonjolí (derived from Arabic). It is mainly used as a sauce additive, such as mole or adobo. It is often also used to sprinkle over artisan breads and baked in traditional form to coat the smooth dough, especially on whole wheat flat breads or artisan nutrition bars, such as alegrías. Mexico exports a large amount of its sesame seed crop to North and South America. Although sesame leaves are edible as a potherb, recipes for Korean cuisine calling for “sesame leaves” are often a mistranslation, and really mean perilla.

The seeds are exceptionally rich in iron, magnesium, manganese, copper, and calcium (90 mg per tbsp for unhulled seeds, 10 mg for hulled), and contain vitamin B1 (thiamine) and vitamin E (tocopherol). They contain lignans, including unique content of sesamin, which are phytoestrogens with antioxidant and anti-cancer properties. Among edible oils from six plants, sesame oil had the highest antioxidant content. Sesame seeds also contain phytosterols associated with reduced levels of blood cholesterol. The nutrients of sesame seeds are better absorbed if they are ground or pulverized before consumption, as in tahini.

Sesame seeds contain a high amount of the anti-nutrient phytic acid. Women of ancient Babylon would eat halva, a mixture of honey and sesame seeds to prolong youth and beauty, while Roman soldiers ate the mixture for strength and energy. Sesame seeds produce an allergic reaction in a small percentage of the general population.

Sesame oil is used for massage and health treatments of the body (abhyanga and shirodhara) and teeth (oil pulling) in the ancient Indian ayurvedic system. Ayurveda views sesame oil as the most viscous of the plant oils and believes it may pacify the health problems associated with Vata aggravation.

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My final recipe is Apple and Plum Charlotte with custard. Recipe by James Martin, courtesy of Good Food Channel website.

Serves 6, takes 45mins to prepare, takes 30mins to make.

For the charlotte
500g x Bramley Apples
6 x Plums
175g x Butter
120g x Caster Sugar
4tbsp x Apricot Jam
10 x White Bread Slices

For the custard
8 x Egg Yolks
75g x Caster Sugar
1 x Vanilla Pod
300ml x Milk
300ml x Double Cream

Peel, core and slice the apples; halve the plums removing the stones. Melt 25g of the butter in a large saucepan with the sugar, and add the apples. Cover with a lid and cook over a gentle heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the lid and add the plums. Cook for a further 5 -10 minutes, until the fruit becomes a smooth purée. Stir in the apricot jam and leave to cool.

Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4. Cut the crusts off the bread and cut each slice in half lengthways, and cut each half into 4 even-sized fingers. Melt the remaining butter in a saucepan. Dip each piece of bread into the melted butter and line the mould, reserving some pieces for the lid. Once the mould is lined, spoon in the apple and plum purée and top with more butter-dipped bread for the lid. Transfer to the oven and bake for 30 minutes, until the dessert is golden brown.

In the meantime, make the custard. Beat the egg yolks and sugar in a heatproof bowl until smooth. Split the vanilla pod in half lengthways and scrape out the seeds with the point of a knife. Pour the milk and cream in a saucepan, add the vanilla seeds and pod, and place over a gentle heat. Bring the mixture to the boil.
Sit the bowl with the beaten eggs and sugar over a pan of gently simmering water and whisk in the hot cream. The mixture will thicken as it cooks. Keep stirring until it coats the back of the spoon. Remove the bowl from the heat and serve the custard straight away with the charlotte.

Sleep Well, The World Will Never Forget You

ChefGarfy =D

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