Hi everyone and welcome to the blog. This week, remembers two lesser know events in history the first ever advertisement for Coca-Cola and a long forgotten holiday Oak Apple Day. So I’ve decided that this week’s recipes have an apple theme to them, apart from one in particular, they are Chicken in Coca-Cola, Cider-Cured Pork Chops with Apple & Rocket Salad, and Steamed Apple Chicken. The spice of the week is Juniper.
Coca-Cola, was invented by John Stith Pemberton (July 8, 1831 – August 16, 1888) a Confederate veteran and chemist, born to James Clifford Pemberton and Martha L. Gant, both Chemists. Though born in nearby Knoxville, Pemberton moved with his family to the larger city of Columbus, Georgia. He was a graduate of the University of Georgia drug school. In April 1865, Johnny Pemberton was wounded in the Battle of Columbus, Georgia, and like many wounded veterans, he became addicted to morphine. Searching for a cure for this addiction, he began experimenting with coca and coca wines, eventually creating his own version of Vin Mariani, containing kola nut and damiana, which he called Pemberton's French Wine Coca. With public concern about drug addiction, depression and alcoholism among veterans, and "neurasthenia" among "highly-strung" Southern women, his medicinal concoction was advertised as being particularly beneficial for "ladies, and all those whose sedentary employment causes nervous prostration, irregularities of the stomach, bowels and kidneys, who require a nerve tonic and a pure, delightful diffusible stimulant."
In 1886, when Atlanta and Fulton County enacted temperance legislation, Pemberton found himself forced to produce a non-alcoholic alternative to his French Wine Coca. Pemberton relied on Atlanta druggist Willis Venable to test, and help him perfect the recipe for the beverage, which he formulated by trial and error. With Venable's assistance, Pemberton worked out a set of directions for its preparation that eventually included blending the base syrup with carbonated water. Frank Mason Robinson, a secretary and bookkeeper for the Pemberton Chemical Company came up with the name "Coca-Cola" for the alliterative sound, which was popular among other wine medicines of the time. Although the name quite clearly refers to the two main ingredients, the controversy over its cocaine content would later prompt The Coca-Cola Company to state that the name was "meaningless but fanciful." On May 29th 1886 Pemberton placed his first advertisement for Coca-Cola featuring Robinson’s hand written “Spencerian script” on the bottles and ads. Pemberton also made many health claims for his product and marketed it as "delicious, refreshing, exhilarating, invigorating" and touted it as a "valuable brain tonic" that would cure headaches, relieve exhaustion and calm nerves.
Asa Candler bought the business in 1887. In 1894, Coke was sold in bottles for the first time. During World War II, bottling plants were set up in Europe, Africa, and the Pacific islands. In 2010 the Coca-Cola Company paid tribute to Pemberton as a key character within an advertising campaign called "Secret Formula". Centred on the secret ingredients of Coca-Cola, imagery related to Pemberton was used to make people more aware of Coke’s history and mythology. John Pemberton was also referenced in an instalment of Futurama titled "The Deep Deep South." In May 2010, a Twitter account was created for John Pemberton, which was subsequently "verified" by the website. It is currently active and has more than 45,000 followers as of April 2011.
In 1886, when Atlanta and Fulton County enacted temperance legislation, Pemberton found himself forced to produce a non-alcoholic alternative to his French Wine Coca. Pemberton relied on Atlanta druggist Willis Venable to test, and help him perfect the recipe for the beverage, which he formulated by trial and error. With Venable's assistance, Pemberton worked out a set of directions for its preparation that eventually included blending the base syrup with carbonated water. Frank Mason Robinson, a secretary and bookkeeper for the Pemberton Chemical Company came up with the name "Coca-Cola" for the alliterative sound, which was popular among other wine medicines of the time. Although the name quite clearly refers to the two main ingredients, the controversy over its cocaine content would later prompt The Coca-Cola Company to state that the name was "meaningless but fanciful." On May 29th 1886 Pemberton placed his first advertisement for Coca-Cola featuring Robinson’s hand written “Spencerian script” on the bottles and ads. Pemberton also made many health claims for his product and marketed it as "delicious, refreshing, exhilarating, invigorating" and touted it as a "valuable brain tonic" that would cure headaches, relieve exhaustion and calm nerves.
Asa Candler bought the business in 1887. In 1894, Coke was sold in bottles for the first time. During World War II, bottling plants were set up in Europe, Africa, and the Pacific islands. In 2010 the Coca-Cola Company paid tribute to Pemberton as a key character within an advertising campaign called "Secret Formula". Centred on the secret ingredients of Coca-Cola, imagery related to Pemberton was used to make people more aware of Coke’s history and mythology. John Pemberton was also referenced in an instalment of Futurama titled "The Deep Deep South." In May 2010, a Twitter account was created for John Pemberton, which was subsequently "verified" by the website. It is currently active and has more than 45,000 followers as of April 2011.
Oak Apple Day, or Royal Oak Day was a holiday celebrated in England on 29 May to commemorate the restoration of the English monarchy, in May 1660. In some parts of the country, the day was also known as Shick Shack Day, Oak and Nettle Day or Arbor Tree Day.
In 1660, Parliament declared 29 May a public holiday: "Parliament had ordered the 29 of May, the King's birthday, to be forever kept as a day of thanksgiving for our redemption from tyranny and the King's return to his Government, he entering London that day."
Traditional celebrations to commemorate the event often entailed the wearing of oak apples (a type of plant gall) or sprigs of oak leaves, in reference to the occasion after the Battle of Worcester in September 1651, when the future Charles II of England escaped the Roundhead army by hiding in an oak tree near Boscobel House. Anyone who failed to wear a sprig of oak risked being pelted with bird's eggs or thrashed with nettles.
These ceremonies, which have now largely died out, are perhaps continuations of pre-Christian nature worship. The Garland King who rides through the streets of Castleton, Derbyshire, at the head of a procession, completely disguised in a garland of flowers, which is later affixed to a pinnacle on the parish church tower, can have little connection with the Restoration, even though he dresses in Stuart costume. He is perhaps a kind of Jack in the Green and the custom may have transferred from May Day when such celebrations were permitted again after having been banned by the Puritans. Events still take place at Upton-upon-Severn, Northampton, Aston on Clun in Shropshire, Marsh Gibbon in Buckinghamshire, Great Wishford in Wiltshire when villagers gather wood in Grovely Wood, and Membury in Devon. The day is generally marked by re-enactment activities at Moseley Old Hall, one of the houses where Charles II hid in 1651.
At Adams' Grammar School, Wem, Shropshire in the 1960s it was the custom on Oak Apple Day that the chairs used by staff during school assembly were lined with nettles and brambles. The staff were then expected to sit on them without protest during assembly. At the end of assembly the pupils were granted a half-day holiday. After the holiday was abolished, school children used to hopefully chant the rhyme: “Oak Apple Day, the 29th of May. If you don't give us holiday, we'll all run away.”
Other special anniversaries being remembered during this week are Queen Elizabeth 2nd was crowned on 2nd June 1953, and on June 1st 1495 the first known batch of Scotch Whiskey produced by Friar John Cor was recorded, coincidentally Kentucky was admitted as the 15th State of America on the same day in 1792. Kentucky being famous for bourbon and the Kentucky Derby.
In 1660, Parliament declared 29 May a public holiday: "Parliament had ordered the 29 of May, the King's birthday, to be forever kept as a day of thanksgiving for our redemption from tyranny and the King's return to his Government, he entering London that day."
Traditional celebrations to commemorate the event often entailed the wearing of oak apples (a type of plant gall) or sprigs of oak leaves, in reference to the occasion after the Battle of Worcester in September 1651, when the future Charles II of England escaped the Roundhead army by hiding in an oak tree near Boscobel House. Anyone who failed to wear a sprig of oak risked being pelted with bird's eggs or thrashed with nettles.
These ceremonies, which have now largely died out, are perhaps continuations of pre-Christian nature worship. The Garland King who rides through the streets of Castleton, Derbyshire, at the head of a procession, completely disguised in a garland of flowers, which is later affixed to a pinnacle on the parish church tower, can have little connection with the Restoration, even though he dresses in Stuart costume. He is perhaps a kind of Jack in the Green and the custom may have transferred from May Day when such celebrations were permitted again after having been banned by the Puritans. Events still take place at Upton-upon-Severn, Northampton, Aston on Clun in Shropshire, Marsh Gibbon in Buckinghamshire, Great Wishford in Wiltshire when villagers gather wood in Grovely Wood, and Membury in Devon. The day is generally marked by re-enactment activities at Moseley Old Hall, one of the houses where Charles II hid in 1651.
At Adams' Grammar School, Wem, Shropshire in the 1960s it was the custom on Oak Apple Day that the chairs used by staff during school assembly were lined with nettles and brambles. The staff were then expected to sit on them without protest during assembly. At the end of assembly the pupils were granted a half-day holiday. After the holiday was abolished, school children used to hopefully chant the rhyme: “Oak Apple Day, the 29th of May. If you don't give us holiday, we'll all run away.”
Other special anniversaries being remembered during this week are Queen Elizabeth 2nd was crowned on 2nd June 1953, and on June 1st 1495 the first known batch of Scotch Whiskey produced by Friar John Cor was recorded, coincidentally Kentucky was admitted as the 15th State of America on the same day in 1792. Kentucky being famous for bourbon and the Kentucky Derby.
My first recipe is Chicken in Coca-Cola, courtesy of Slimming World.
Serves 4, takes 5mins to prepare and 30mins to cook.
4 x Large Chicken breasts - skinless and fat removed (either whole or cut into chunks)
1 x Large Onion – finely chopped
6 tbsp x Passata
1 tbsp x Worcestershire sauce
1 x 330ml Can of Diet Coke.
Fry Light
1 x Large Onion – finely chopped
6 tbsp x Passata
1 tbsp x Worcestershire sauce
1 x 330ml Can of Diet Coke.
Fry Light
Put the chicken into a frying pan with fry light to stop it sticking. You don’t want it to fully cook, so when it’s half done add the chopped onions, passata and coke. Give it a little stir and leave to it to simmer. What will happen is the coke will reduce to a sticky syrup, but this may take 20-25mins, so leave it on a med-low heat but keep an eye on it as the liquid disappears into a syrup all at once. Then serve with either pasta or rice.
My next recipe is Cider-Cured Pork Chops with Apple & Rocket Salad, courtesy of Good Food website. First published in Olive Magazine June 2005.
Serves 4, takes 10mins + marinating time to prepare and approx. 20mins to cook.
1 x Bottle of Cider (dry or sweet but make it good quality)
3 tbsp x Rock Salt
4 tbsp x Light Brown Muscovado Sugar
2 x Bay Leaves
2 x Cinnamon Sticks
4 x Pork Chops , fat trimmed (if you prefer)
2 x Garlic Cloves , crushed
1 x Shallot, finely chopped
2 x Eating Apples, sliced thinly
Cider Vinegar and Olive Oil, to dress
2 x Handfuls of Rocket and Watercress
3 tbsp x Rock Salt
4 tbsp x Light Brown Muscovado Sugar
2 x Bay Leaves
2 x Cinnamon Sticks
4 x Pork Chops , fat trimmed (if you prefer)
2 x Garlic Cloves , crushed
1 x Shallot, finely chopped
2 x Eating Apples, sliced thinly
Cider Vinegar and Olive Oil, to dress
2 x Handfuls of Rocket and Watercress
Bring the cider, salt, sugar, bay leaves and cinnamon sticks to a slow boil with 250ml water. Once the sugar and salt have dissolved, cool. Put the pork chops in a ceramic dish with the garlic and shallot. Pour over the cider mixture and chill for at least 12 hours, or up to 24.
Grill or griddle (char-grill) for 7-10 minutes each side depending on the thickness of the chops. Take the chops out of the marinade and pat dry. Season well with black pepper, cook on each side until browned and cooked through. Make sure you cook the fat through properly. Slice the apples thinly and toss them in a splash of cider vinegar, put in a bowl with the rocket and watercress and dress with olive oil and more vinegar if you need to. Season well.
Grill or griddle (char-grill) for 7-10 minutes each side depending on the thickness of the chops. Take the chops out of the marinade and pat dry. Season well with black pepper, cook on each side until browned and cooked through. Make sure you cook the fat through properly. Slice the apples thinly and toss them in a splash of cider vinegar, put in a bowl with the rocket and watercress and dress with olive oil and more vinegar if you need to. Season well.
Spice of the week – Juniper Berries
A Juniper Berry is the female seed cone produced by the various species of junipers. It is not a true berry but a cone with unusually fleshy and merged scales, which give it a berry-like appearance. The cones from a handful of species, especially Juniperus communis, are used as a spice, particularly in European cuisine, and also give gin its distinguishing flavour. According to one FAO document, juniper berries are the only spice derived from conifers, though tar and inner bark (used as a sweetener in Apache cuisines) from pine trees is sometimes considered a spice as well.
All juniper species grow berries, but some are considered too bitter to eat. In addition to J. communis, other edible species include Juniperus drupacea, Juniperus oxycedrus, Juniperus phoenicea, Juniperus deppeana, and Juniperus californica. Some species, for example Juniperus sabina, are toxic and consumption is inadvisable. Juniperus communis berries vary from four to twelve millimetres in diameter; other species are mostly similar in size, though some are larger, notably J. drupacea (20–28 mm). Unlike the separated and woody scales of a typical pine cone, those in a juniper berry remain fleshy and merge into a unified covering surrounding the seeds. The berries are green when young, and mature to a purple-black colour over about 18 months in most species. The mature, dark berries are usually but not exclusively used in cuisine, while gin is flavoured with fully grown but immature green berries. The flavour profile of young, green berries is dominated by pinene; as they mature this piney, resinous backdrop is joined by what McGee describes as "green-fresh" and citrus notes. The outer scales of the berries are relatively flavourless, so the berries are almost always at least lightly crushed before being used as a spice. They are used both fresh and dried, but their flavour and odour is at their strongest immediately after harvest and decline during drying and storage.
Juniper berries are used in northern European and particularly Scandinavian cuisine to "impart a sharp, clear flavour" to meat dishes, especially wild birds (including thrush, blackbird, and woodcock) and game meats (including boar and venison). They also season pork, cabbage, and sauerkraut dishes. Traditional recipes for choucroute garnie, an Alsatian dish of sauerkraut and meats, universally include juniper berries. Besides Norwegian and Swedish dishes, juniper berries are also sometimes used in German, Austrian, Czech and Hungarian cuisine, often with roasts. Northern Italian cuisine, especially that of the South Tyrol, also incorporates juniper berries.
Juniper, typically Juniperus communis, is used to flavour gin, a liquor developed in the 17th century in the Netherlands. Recently, some American distilleries have begun using 'New World' varieties of juniper such as Juniperus occidentalis. It was first intended as a medication since juniper berries are a diuretic and were also thought to be an appetite stimulant and a remedy for rheumatism and arthritis. Western American Native Tribes are also reported to have used the juniper berry as an appetite suppressant in times of hunger and/or famine. Currently, the juniper berry is being researched as a possible treatment for diet-controlled diabetes, as it releases insulin from the pancreas (hence alleviating hunger). It is also said to have been used by some tribes as a female contraceptive. The name gin itself is derived from either the French genièvre or the Dutch jenever, which both mean "juniper". Other juniper-flavoured beverages include the Finnish rye-and-juniper beer known as sahti, which is flavoured with both juniper berries and branches.
A few North American juniper species produce a seed cone with a sweeter, less resinous flavour than those typically used as a spice. For example, one field guide describes the flesh of the berries of Juniperus californica as "dry, mealy, and fibrous but sweet and without resin cells". Such species have been used not just as a seasoning but as a nutritive food by some Native Americans. In addition to medical and culinary purposes, Native Americans have also used the seeds inside juniper berries as beads for jewellery and decoration. An essential oil extracted from juniper berries is used in aromatherapy and perfumery. The essential oil can be distilled out of berries which have already been used to flavour gin.
A Juniper Berry is the female seed cone produced by the various species of junipers. It is not a true berry but a cone with unusually fleshy and merged scales, which give it a berry-like appearance. The cones from a handful of species, especially Juniperus communis, are used as a spice, particularly in European cuisine, and also give gin its distinguishing flavour. According to one FAO document, juniper berries are the only spice derived from conifers, though tar and inner bark (used as a sweetener in Apache cuisines) from pine trees is sometimes considered a spice as well.
All juniper species grow berries, but some are considered too bitter to eat. In addition to J. communis, other edible species include Juniperus drupacea, Juniperus oxycedrus, Juniperus phoenicea, Juniperus deppeana, and Juniperus californica. Some species, for example Juniperus sabina, are toxic and consumption is inadvisable. Juniperus communis berries vary from four to twelve millimetres in diameter; other species are mostly similar in size, though some are larger, notably J. drupacea (20–28 mm). Unlike the separated and woody scales of a typical pine cone, those in a juniper berry remain fleshy and merge into a unified covering surrounding the seeds. The berries are green when young, and mature to a purple-black colour over about 18 months in most species. The mature, dark berries are usually but not exclusively used in cuisine, while gin is flavoured with fully grown but immature green berries. The flavour profile of young, green berries is dominated by pinene; as they mature this piney, resinous backdrop is joined by what McGee describes as "green-fresh" and citrus notes. The outer scales of the berries are relatively flavourless, so the berries are almost always at least lightly crushed before being used as a spice. They are used both fresh and dried, but their flavour and odour is at their strongest immediately after harvest and decline during drying and storage.
Juniper berries are used in northern European and particularly Scandinavian cuisine to "impart a sharp, clear flavour" to meat dishes, especially wild birds (including thrush, blackbird, and woodcock) and game meats (including boar and venison). They also season pork, cabbage, and sauerkraut dishes. Traditional recipes for choucroute garnie, an Alsatian dish of sauerkraut and meats, universally include juniper berries. Besides Norwegian and Swedish dishes, juniper berries are also sometimes used in German, Austrian, Czech and Hungarian cuisine, often with roasts. Northern Italian cuisine, especially that of the South Tyrol, also incorporates juniper berries.
Juniper, typically Juniperus communis, is used to flavour gin, a liquor developed in the 17th century in the Netherlands. Recently, some American distilleries have begun using 'New World' varieties of juniper such as Juniperus occidentalis. It was first intended as a medication since juniper berries are a diuretic and were also thought to be an appetite stimulant and a remedy for rheumatism and arthritis. Western American Native Tribes are also reported to have used the juniper berry as an appetite suppressant in times of hunger and/or famine. Currently, the juniper berry is being researched as a possible treatment for diet-controlled diabetes, as it releases insulin from the pancreas (hence alleviating hunger). It is also said to have been used by some tribes as a female contraceptive. The name gin itself is derived from either the French genièvre or the Dutch jenever, which both mean "juniper". Other juniper-flavoured beverages include the Finnish rye-and-juniper beer known as sahti, which is flavoured with both juniper berries and branches.
A few North American juniper species produce a seed cone with a sweeter, less resinous flavour than those typically used as a spice. For example, one field guide describes the flesh of the berries of Juniperus californica as "dry, mealy, and fibrous but sweet and without resin cells". Such species have been used not just as a seasoning but as a nutritive food by some Native Americans. In addition to medical and culinary purposes, Native Americans have also used the seeds inside juniper berries as beads for jewellery and decoration. An essential oil extracted from juniper berries is used in aromatherapy and perfumery. The essential oil can be distilled out of berries which have already been used to flavour gin.
My final recipe is Steamed Apple Chicken, recipe by Matt Tebburt, courtesy of The Good Food Channel website.
Serves 4, takes 5mins to prepare and 25mins to cook.
2tsps x Olive Oil
4 x Skinless Chicken Breast
3tsps x Ginger
2 x Garlic Cloves, crushed
1 x Large Onion, diced
25g x Carrots, sliced
140g x Red Pepper, sliced
300g x Broccoli
250g x Baby Sweetcorn
250ml x Apple Juice, large glass
4 x Skinless Chicken Breast
3tsps x Ginger
2 x Garlic Cloves, crushed
1 x Large Onion, diced
25g x Carrots, sliced
140g x Red Pepper, sliced
300g x Broccoli
250g x Baby Sweetcorn
250ml x Apple Juice, large glass
Heat 1tbsp of olive oil in a large saucepan and gently cook the onion until soft. Take a large piece of tin foil and place the chicken breasts in the centre. Drizzle over the olive oil and add the ginger, garlic and vegetables, including the onion. Draw up the sides of the foil and pour in the apple juice. Scrunch up the foil to seal everything in and place in the oven for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes in the foil. Divide the contents of the foil parcel into four and serve immediately with salad.
Or alternatively add to the mix 2tbsp of Apple & Clove Sauce made by The Kitchens at Horsley, (available @www.loveyourlarder.com) with the apple juice before pouring into the foil parcel. The aromatic spiciness of the sauce will add an extra depth and kick to poaching juices.
Or alternatively add to the mix 2tbsp of Apple & Clove Sauce made by The Kitchens at Horsley, (available @www.loveyourlarder.com) with the apple juice before pouring into the foil parcel. The aromatic spiciness of the sauce will add an extra depth and kick to poaching juices.
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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