Hi everyone and welcome to the blog. This week has a distinct “blast from the past” feeling to it. This week sees the birthdays of two iconic 80’s heroes (in one shape or form) the author of 1984 George Orwell and George Michael. The recipes featured this week are 80’s classics, with a 21st century twist. They are Chicken Provencal, Steak Diane, andChicken Kiev. The spice of the week is Capers.
Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950), better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English author and journalist. His work is marked by keen intelligence and wit, a profound awareness of social injustice, an intense opposition to totalitarianism, a passion for clarity in language, and a belief in democratic socialism.
Considered perhaps the twentieth century's best chronicler of English culture, Orwell wrote fiction, polemical journalism, literary criticism and poetry. He is best known for the dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (published in 1949) and the satirical novella Animal Farm (1945)—they have together sold more copies than any two books by any other twentieth-century author. His 1938 book Homage to Catalonia , an account of his experiences as a volunteer on the Republican side during the Spanish Civil War, together with numerous essays on politics, literature, language, and culture, are widely acclaimed.
Considered perhaps the twentieth century's best chronicler of English culture, Orwell wrote fiction, polemical journalism, literary criticism and poetry. He is best known for the dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (published in 1949) and the satirical novella Animal Farm (1945)—they have together sold more copies than any two books by any other twentieth-century author. His 1938 book Homage to Catalonia , an account of his experiences as a volunteer on the Republican side during the Spanish Civil War, together with numerous essays on politics, literature, language, and culture, are widely acclaimed.
Nineteen Eighty-Four is a 1948 dystopian novel written by George Orwell, about an oligarchical, collectivist society. Life in the Oceanian province of Airstrip One is a world of perpetual war, pervasive government surveillance, and incessant public mind control. The individual is always subordinated to the state, and it is in part this philosophy which allows the Party to manipulate and control humanity. In the Ministry of Truth, protagonist Winston Smith is a civil servant responsible for perpetuating the Party's propaganda by revising historical records to render the Party omniscient and always correct, yet his meager existence disillusions him to the point of seeking rebellion against Big Brother.
George Orwell "encapsulate[d] the thesis at the heart of his unforgiving novel" in 1944, then wrote most of it on the Scottish island of Jura, during the 1947–48 period, despite being critically tubercular. On 4 December 1948, he sent the final manuscript to the Secker and Warburg editorial house who published Nineteen Eighty-Four on 8 June 1949; by 1989, it had been translated to more than 65 languages, then the greatest number for any novel. The title of the novel, its terms, its Newspeak language, and the author's surname are contemporary bywords for privacy lost to the state, and the adjective Orwellian connotes totalitarian thought and action in controlling and subjugating people. Newspeak language applies different meanings to things by referencing the ends instead of their means; hence the Ministry of Peace (Minipax) deals with war, and the Ministry of Love (Miniluv) deals with torture. However the Ministries do attempt to achieve that goal; peace through war, and love of Big Brother through brainwashing and torture.
George Orwell "encapsulate[d] the thesis at the heart of his unforgiving novel" in 1944, then wrote most of it on the Scottish island of Jura, during the 1947–48 period, despite being critically tubercular. On 4 December 1948, he sent the final manuscript to the Secker and Warburg editorial house who published Nineteen Eighty-Four on 8 June 1949; by 1989, it had been translated to more than 65 languages, then the greatest number for any novel. The title of the novel, its terms, its Newspeak language, and the author's surname are contemporary bywords for privacy lost to the state, and the adjective Orwellian connotes totalitarian thought and action in controlling and subjugating people. Newspeak language applies different meanings to things by referencing the ends instead of their means; hence the Ministry of Peace (Minipax) deals with war, and the Ministry of Love (Miniluv) deals with torture. However the Ministries do attempt to achieve that goal; peace through war, and love of Big Brother through brainwashing and torture.
The Last Man in Europe was one of the original titles for the novel, but, in a 22 October 1948, letter to publisher Frederic Warburg, eight months before publication, Orwell wrote about hesitating between The Last Man in Europe and Nineteen Eighty-Four; yet Warburg suggested changing the Man title to one more commercial. Speculation about Orwell's choice of title includes perhaps an allusion to the 1884 founding centenary of the socialist Fabian Society, or to the novels The Iron Heel (1908), by Jack London, or to The Napoleon of Notting Hill (1904), by G. K. Chesterton, both of which occur in 1984, or to the poem "End of the Century, 1984", by Eileen O'Shaughnessy, his first wife.
Moreover, in the novel 1985 (1978), Anthony Burgess proposes that Orwell, disillusioned by the Cold War's onset, intended to title the book 1948. The introduction to the Penguin Books Modern Classics edition of Nineteen Eighty-Four, reports that Orwell originally set 1980 as the story's time, but the extended writing led to re-titling the novel, first, to 1982, then to 1984, because it is an inversion of the 1948 composition year. Nineteen Eighty-Four has been, at times in its history, either banned or legally challenged as intellectually dangerous to the public, just like Brave New World (1932), by Aldous Huxley; We (1924), by Yevgeny Zamyatin; Kallocain (1940), by Karin Boye; and Fahrenheit 451 (1951), by Ray Bradbury. In 2005, Time magazine included it in its list of 100 best English-language novels since 1923.
As literary political fiction, Nineteen Eighty-Four is considered a classic novel of the social science fiction subgenre. Since its publication in 1949, many of its terms and concepts, such as Big Brother, doublethink, thoughtcrime, Newspeak, and Memory hole, have become contemporary vernacular. In addition, the novel popularised the adjective Orwellian, which refers to lies, surveillance, and manipulation of the past in the service of a totalitarian agenda. In 1998, the Modern Library ranked Nineteen Eighty-Four 13th on its list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century.
George Michael was born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou in East Finchley, North London. His father was Kyriacos Panayiotou, a Greek Cypriot restaurateur who moved to England in the 1950s and changed his name to Jack Michael. Michael's mother, Lesley Angold (née Harrison, 1937–1997), was an English dancer who died from cancer in Fulham. Michael spent the majority of his childhood in North London, in the home his parents bought soon after his birth. During his early teens the family moved to Radlett and Michael attended Bushey Meads School where Michael met Andrew Ridgeley. The two had the same career ambition of being musicians.
He began his involvement in the music business as a DJ playing at clubs and local schools around Bushey, Stanmore and Watford; this was followed by the formation of a short-lived ska band called The Executive with Ridgeley, Ridgeley's brother Paul, Andrew Leaver, and David Mortimer (aka David Austin). He first found success after forming the duo Wham! with Andrew Ridgeley in 1981. The band's first album Fantastic scored no.1 in the UK and produced a series of top 10 singles including "Young Guns (Go For It!)", "Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do)" and "Club Tropicana". Their second album, Make It Big, was the breakthrough that made the duo international superstars, scoring #1 on the charts in the US. Singles from that album included "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go", "Freedom", "Everything She Wants", and "Careless Whisper", the latter of which also became Michael's first solo effort as a single.
The duo also sang on the original Band Aid recording of "Do They Know It's Christmas?" and donated the profits from "Last Christmas/Everything She Wants" to the charity. In addition, George contributed background vocals to David Cassidy's 1985 hit "The Last Kiss", as well as Elton John's 1985 successes "Nikita" and "Wrap Her Up". Wham!'s tour of China in April 1985, the first visit to China by a Western popular music act, generated enormous worldwide media coverage, much of it centred on Michael. The tour was documented by celebrated film director Lindsay Anderson and producer Martin Lewis in their film Foreign Skies: Wham! In China and contributed to Michael's ever-increasing fame.
With the success of his solo singles, "Careless Whisper" and "A Different Corner", rumours of an impending termination of Wham! intensified. The duo officially separated during the summer of 1986 after releasing a farewell single, "The Edge of Heaven" and a singles compilation, The Final, plus a sell-out concert at Wembley Stadium that included the world premiere of the China film. The Wham! partnership ended officially with the commercially successful single "The Edge of Heaven", which reached no.1 on the UK chart in November 1986.
My first recipe is Chicken Provencal, recipe by SamanthasSupper courtesy of Allrecipes.co.uk
Serves 4, takes 20mins to prepare and 1 hr to cook.
8 x Chicken Thighs, skin and bone removed
2 x Medium Onions, chopped
Seasoning
Plain Flour
1 & 1/2 x Large Wineglasses Full Dry Sherry
Approx 4 x Heaped Tbsp Tomato Puree
Knob Butter
Olive Oil
1 x Garlic Clove, crushed
1 Tbsp x Chopped Parsley to decorate (optional)
1 Tbsp x Pitted Black Olives to decorate (optional)
2 x Medium Onions, chopped
Seasoning
Plain Flour
1 & 1/2 x Large Wineglasses Full Dry Sherry
Approx 4 x Heaped Tbsp Tomato Puree
Knob Butter
Olive Oil
1 x Garlic Clove, crushed
1 Tbsp x Chopped Parsley to decorate (optional)
1 Tbsp x Pitted Black Olives to decorate (optional)
Pre-heat the oven to 190c gas Mark 5. In a large freezer bag add 4-5 tbsp flour and a good amount of seasoning. Shake the bag to mix. Add the chicken thighs, add more flour & seasoning if needed. Shake well to coat the chicken well. In a large fry pan heat some oil and butter to medium. Remove the chicken thighs from the bag and shake off any excess. Add to the fry pan and brown until golden but not cooked through. You may need to do this is two batches depending on the size of your pan.
Remove and place in a rectangular oven proof dish. In the same pan, heat some more oil if needed and add the onions and cook until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute, stirring well. Add the sherry and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down and add the tomato puree and seasoning. Cook for a couple of minutes then pour the sauce over the chicken. Add this stage you can cool and cover with foil and place in the fridge until ready to cook in the evening. (Remove from fridge 20-30 mins before cooking).
Keeping the foil in place in the oven and cook for approx 1 hour until chicken cooked through. 12 mins before end cooking time remove the foil. Keep an eye on it to ensure does not burn and turn the chicken in the sauce occasionally.
Remove from the oven and plate up 2 thighs per person, sauce poured over and decorated with parsley & olives.
Remove from the oven and plate up 2 thighs per person, sauce poured over and decorated with parsley & olives.
My next recipe is Steak Diane, recipe by Frank Bordoni courtesy of GoodFood Channel website.
Serves 2, takes 10mins to prepare and 5mins to cook.
For the steaks
4 x 85g beef medallions
1 tsp x Dijon Mustard
Freshly Ground Salt and Black Pepper
4 x 85g beef medallions
1 tsp x Dijon Mustard
Freshly Ground Salt and Black Pepper
For the sauce
1 tsp x Butter, clarified
1 tsp x Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp x Shallots, finely chopped
50g x Button Mushrooms, finely sliced
1 tbsp x Lemon Juice
125ml x Double Cream
1 tbsp x Chives, snipped
50ml x Brandy
1 tsp x Butter, clarified
1 tsp x Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp x Shallots, finely chopped
50g x Button Mushrooms, finely sliced
1 tbsp x Lemon Juice
125ml x Double Cream
1 tbsp x Chives, snipped
50ml x Brandy
Rub the medallions of beef with the mustard, season with salt and pepper and set aside. Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat and when hot, add the clarified butter and Worcestershire sauce. Add the shallots and mushrooms, and push to the centre of the pan. Arrange the medallions around the edge. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring and tossing the mushroom mixture as you go. If you prefer your steak well done, give it an extra minute or 2. Add the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.
Turn the steaks over and pour in the cream and chives. Tilt the pan slightly (away from you) and pour in the brandy at the far end. Now turn up the heat to high so that the brandy ignites. Swirl the sauce around in the pan and turn off the heat. Put the medallions on 4 plates, pour over the sauce and serve.
Spice of the week – Capers
Capparis spinosa, the caper bush, is a perennial winter-deciduous species that bears rounded, fleshy leaves and large white to pinkish-white flowers. A caper is also the pickled bud of this plant. Caper bush is present in almost all the circum-Mediterranean countries and is included in the floristic composition of most of them but whether it is indigenous to this region is uncertain. Although the flora of the Mediterranean region has considerable endemism, the caper bush could have originated in the tropics, and later been naturalized to the Mediterranean basin. The plant is best known for the edible bud and fruit (caper berry), which are usually consumed pickled. Other species of Capparis are also picked along with C. spinosa for their buds or fruits.
Capparis spinosa, the caper bush, is a perennial winter-deciduous species that bears rounded, fleshy leaves and large white to pinkish-white flowers. A caper is also the pickled bud of this plant. Caper bush is present in almost all the circum-Mediterranean countries and is included in the floristic composition of most of them but whether it is indigenous to this region is uncertain. Although the flora of the Mediterranean region has considerable endemism, the caper bush could have originated in the tropics, and later been naturalized to the Mediterranean basin. The plant is best known for the edible bud and fruit (caper berry), which are usually consumed pickled. Other species of Capparis are also picked along with C. spinosa for their buds or fruits.
The caper bush (Capparis spinosa L., Capparidaceae) has been introduced as a specialized culture in some European countries in the last four decades. The economic importance of caper plant (young flower buds, known as capers, are greatly favoured for seasoning and different parts of the plant are used in the manufacture of medicines and cosmetics) led to a significant increase in both the area under cultivation and production levels during the late 1980s. The main production areas are in harsh environments found in Morocco, the southeastern Iberian peninsula, Turkey, and the Italian islands of Pantelleria and Salina. This species has developed special mechanisms in order to survive in the Mediterranean conditions, and introduction in semiarid lands may help to prevent the disruption of the equilibrium of those fragile ecosystems.
The shrubby plant is many-branched, with alternate leaves, thick and shiny, round to ovate in shape. The flowers are complete, sweetly fragrant, showy, with four sepals, and four white to pinkish-white petals, many long violet-coloured stamens, and a single stigma usually rising well above the stamens. The salted and pickled caper bud (also called simply capers) is often used as a seasoning or garnish. Capers are a common ingredient in Mediterranean cuisine, especially Cypriot, Italian and Maltese. The mature fruit of the caper shrub are also prepared similarly, and marketed as caper berries. The buds, when ready to pick, are a dark olive green and about the size of a fresh kernel of corn. They are picked, then pickled in salt, or a salt and vinegar solution, or drained. Intense flavour is developed, as mustard oil (glucocapparin) is released from each caper bud. This enzymatic reaction also leads to the formation of rutin often seen as crystallized white spots on the surfaces of individual caper buds.
Capers are a distinctive ingredient in Italian cuisine, especially in Sicilian and southern Italian cooking. They are commonly used in salads, pasta salads, pizzas, meat dishes and pasta sauces. Examples of uses in Italian cuisine are chicken piccata and Spaghetti alla puttanesca. Capers are also known for being one of the ingredients of tartar sauce. They are also often served with cold smoked salmon or cured salmon dishes (especially lox and cream cheese). Capers are also sometimes substituted for olives to garnish a martini. Capers are categorized and sold by their size, defined as follows, with the smallest sizes being the most desirable: Non-pareil (up to 7 mm), surfines (7–8 mm), capucines (8–9 mm), capotes (9–11 mm), fines (11–13 mm), and grusas (14+ mm). If the caper bud is not picked, it flowers and produces a fruit called a caperberry. The fruit can be pickled and then served as a Greek mezze. Unripe nasturtium seeds can be substituted for capers; they have a very similar texture and flavour when pickled. Pickled caperberries are also very popular as a snack in Menorca. In addition, the Greeks make good use of the caper's leaves, which are especially desirable and hard to find outside of Greece. They are pickled or boiled and preserved in jars with brine like caper buds. Caper leaves are excellent in salads and in fish dishes. Dried caper leaves are also used as a substitute for rennet in the manufacturing of high quality cheese.
In Greek popular medicine, a herbal tea made of caper root and young shoots is considered beneficial against rheumatism. Dioscoride (MM 2.204t) also provides instructions on the use of sprouts, roots, leaves and seeds in the treatment of strangury and inflammation. Different flavonoids were identified in caper bush and capers: rutin (quercetin 3-rutinoside), quercetin 7-rutinoside, quercetin 3-glucoside-7-rhamnoside, kaempferol-3-rutinoside, kaempferol-3-glucoside, and kaempferol-3-rhamnorutinoside. Rutin is a powerful antioxidant bioflavonoid in the body, and is used as a dietary supplement for capillary fragility. Rutin has no known toxicity. Capers contain more quercetin per weight than any other plant. Caper root bark and leaves may have some anti-carcinogenic activity. In fact, the hydrolysis products of indol-3-ylmethyl glucosinolates have anti-carcinogenic effects. Although the consumption of capers is low in comparison with the intake of other major dietary sources of glucosinolates (white cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower) it may contribute to the daily dose of natural anti-carcinogens that reduces cancer risk. Glucosinolates are also known to possess goitrogenic (anti-thyroid) activity. Also, rutin and quercetin may contribute to cancer prevention Selenium, present in capers at high concentrations in comparison with other vegetable products, has also been associated with the prevention of some forms of cancer.
My final recipe is Chicken Kiev, courtesy of GoodFood Channel website.
Serves 2, takes 15mins to prepare and 25mins to cook.
2 x Chicken Breasts, boneless, skinless chicken breasts
50g x Garlic and Herb Soft Cheese
1 x Garlic Clove, crushed
1 tbsp x Fresh Parsley, chopped
1 tbsp x Plain Flour, seasoned
1 x Egg, beaten
25g x Fresh White Breadcrumbs
2 tsp x Olive Oil
50g x Garlic and Herb Soft Cheese
1 x Garlic Clove, crushed
1 tbsp x Fresh Parsley, chopped
1 tbsp x Plain Flour, seasoned
1 x Egg, beaten
25g x Fresh White Breadcrumbs
2 tsp x Olive Oil
Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Make a slit along one side of each of the chicken breasts to form a pocket, making sure you don’t cut all the way through. Mix together the cheese and garlic and divide between the chicken pockets. Close the pockets and secure with a cocktail stick. Dip each chicken piece in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs and place on a non-stick baking sheet. Drizzle over the oil then bake for 20-25 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the filling is beginning to ooze out. Serve with potatoes and vegetables or salad.
Events being remembered this week are the toothbrush was invented 26th June 1498. On the 28th June 1838 Queen Victoria was crowned. The Treaty of Versailles was signed, formally ending the First World War on 28th June 1919. 1st July 1908 SOS was adopted as the International Distress Signal. Famous birthdays being celebrated and remembered this week are on the 25th of June – Carly Simon; 28th June – Kathy Bates, Mel Brooks, King Henry 8th; 30th June – Mike Tyson.
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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