Bangers and Flash

Hi everyone and welcome to the blog. This week’s blog is all about Bonfire Night, or to give its alternative name Guy Fawkes Night.
It's an annual celebration held on the evening of 5 November to mark the failure of the Gunpowder Plot of 5 November 1605, in which a number of Catholic conspirators, including Guy Fawkes, attempted to destroy the Houses of Parliament in London. The occasion is primarily celebrated in Great Britain where, by an Act of Parliament called The Thanksgiving Act, it was compulsory until 1859, to celebrate the deliverance of the King of England, Scotland, and Ireland. It is also celebrated in some former British colonies including New Zealand, Newfoundland, South Africa, parts of the Caribbean and the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda. Bonfire Night was celebrated in Australia until the mid-to-late 1970s, when sale and public use of fireworks was made illegal and the celebration was effectively abolished. Festivities are centred on the use of fireworks and the lighting of bonfires.
In the United Kingdom, celebrations take place in towns and villages across the country in the form of both private and civic events. The festivities involve fireworks displays and the building of bonfires on which "guys" are traditionally burnt. The "guys" are traditionally effigies of Guy Fawkes, the most famous of the Gunpowder Plot conspirators, although may also be effigies of local or national hate figures. Although the night is celebrated in York (Fawkes' hometown) some there do not burn his effigy, most notably those from his old school. In the weeks before bonfire night, children traditionally displayed the "guy" and requested a "penny for the guy" in order to raise funds with which to buy fireworks. However, this practice has diminished greatly, perhaps because it has been seen as begging, and also because children are not allowed to buy fireworks. In addition there are concerns that children might misuse the money.
So, to give your bonfire celebrations a bit more of a “sparkler” this week’s recipes are Bonfire Bangers and Beans and Homemade Toffee Apples. The Spice of the week is Nutmeg.
My first recipe is Bonfire Bangers and Beans, recipe by Emma Lewis, courtesy of http://www.bbcgoodfood.com./
This recipe serves 8, takes 10mins to prepare and can take 1hr to cook.
3 tbsp x Vegetable Oil
1 x Onions – finely chopped
2 x Celery Sticks – finely chopped
4 x Streaky Bacon Rashers – chopped (or Pancetta)
1 tbsp x Tomato Puree
2 x 400g cans Chopped Tomatoes
2 tbsp x Dark Brown Sugar
2 tsp x Dijon mustard
2 x Thyme Sprigs
2 tsp x Worcestershire sauce
2 x 400g cans Cannellini Beans , rinsed and drained
2 x Red Peppers - deseeded and chopped
2 x 450g packs Herby Sausages
A Handful Parsley Leaves, chopped, to serve (optional)
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large flameproof casserole, add the onion, celery and bacon, then cook for 5-10 mins until softened. Turn up the heat and add the tomato purée. Cook for 2 mins, then add the chopped tomatoes, sugar, mustard, thyme, Worcestershire sauce and 200ml water, then bring to the boil. Cook uncovered, over a low heat for 15 mins. Add the beans and peppers, then simmer for 15 mins more, topping up with a little boiling water if needed.
Pre-heat oven to 190C/170C fan/ gas 5, toss the sausages with remaining 1 tbsp oil and spread out on a baking tray. Cook for 30 mins until browned all over, turning occasionally. Nestle the sausages among the beans, then cover and place the pan in the oven. Cook for 30 mins more. Remove from the oven, sprinkle over the parsley, if using, and serve with the baked potatoes. Can be made up to 2 days in advance and reheated in a low oven or on the hob.
Spice of the Week – Nutmeg (myristica fragrans)
This spreading, evergreen tree, native to the Banda Islands of Indonesia, often called the Spice Islands, produces fruit that yields two distinct spices, Nutmeg and Mace. In the 6th Century both spices formed part of the caravan trade to Alexandria; they were probably taken to Europe by the crusaders. Their early use, in China, India, Arabia, and Europe alike was medicinal. When the Portuguese starting trading direct to the islands, nutmeg gained importance as a spice, and by the 18th Century a real craze for it developed in England.
In India Nutmeg is used more than mace because of the latter’s high cost; both are used sparingly, mainly in Moghul dishes. The Arabs have long used both spices in delicately flavoured mutton and lamb dishes. In North Africa they are found in such spice mixtures in Tunisian qalat daqqa and Moroccan ras el hanout. The Europeans have used Nutmeg and Mace most extensively, in both sweet and savoury dishes. It is used widely in honey cakes, rich fruit cakes, fruit desserts and fruit punch. It goes well in stews and in most egg and cheese dishes, as does mace. The Dutch add nutmeg lavishly to white cabbage, cauliflower, vegetable purees, meat stews, and fruit puddings; the Italians add rather more subtle quantities to mixed vegetable dishes, spinach, veal and fillings or sauces for pasta. In France it is used with pepper and cloves in slow-cooked stews and ragouts.
The compound macelignan was isolated from Myristica fragrans (Myristicaceae) and shown to exert antimicrobial activity against Streptococus mutans comparable to chlorhexidine and superior to other natural anticariogenic agents (sanguinarine, eucalyptol, thymol, menthol and methyl salicylate). Macelignan (20 μg / ml) displayed rapid antibacterial activity and completely eliminated viable Streptococus mutans within 1 min. It also showed preferential activity against other cariogenic bacteria. Macelignan also displayed antibiofilm activity against Streptococus mutans, Streptococus sanguis and Actinomyces viscosus.
In low doses, nutmeg produces no noticeable physiological or neurological response, but large doses cause symptoms and harm. Nutmeg contains myristicin, a weak monoamine oxidase inhibitor. Myristicin poisoning can induce convulsions, palpitations, nausea, eventual dehydration, and generalized body pain. It is also reputed to be a strong deliriant. Fatal myristicin poisonings in humans are very rare, but two have been reported, in an 8-year-old child and a 55-year-old adult, the latter case attributed to a combination with flunitrazepam. Myristicin poisoning is potentially deadly to some pets and livestock, and may be caused by culinary quantities of nutmeg harmless to humans. For this reason, for example, it is recommended not to feed eggnog to dogs.
Nutmeg was once considered an abortifacient, but may be safe for culinary use during pregnancy. However, it inhibits prostaglandin production and contains hallucinogens that may affect the foetus if consumed in large quantities.
My next recipe is Homemade Toffee Apples, recipe by Emma Lewis, courtesy of http://www.bbcgoodfood.com./
This recipe makes 8, takes 10mins to prepare and can take 10mins to cook.
8 x Granny Smith Apples
400g x Golden Caster Sugar
1 tsp x Vinegar
4 tbsp x Golden Syrup
Place the apples in a large bowl, then cover with boiling water (you may have to do this in 2 batches). This will remove the waxy coating and help the caramel to stick. Dry thoroughly and twist off any stalks. Push a wooden skewer or lolly stick into the stalk end of each apple.
Lay out a sheet of baking parchment and place the apples on this, close to your stovetop. Tip the sugar into a pan along with 100ml water and set over a medium heat. Cook for 5 mins until the sugar dissolves, then stir in the vinegar and syrup. Set a sugar thermometer in the pan and boil to 140C or 'hard crack' stage. If you don't have a thermometer you can test the toffee by pouring a little into a bowl of cold water. It should harden instantly and, when removed, be brittle and easy to break. If you can still squish the toffee, continue to boil it.
Working quickly and carefully, dip and twist each apple in the hot toffee until covered, let any excess drip away, then place on the baking parchment to harden. You may have to heat the toffee a little if the temperature drops and it starts to feel thick and viscous. Leave the toffee to cool before eating. These can be made up to 2 days in advance, stored in a dry place.
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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