Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Menu

Hi everyone and welcome to the blog. This week it is dedicated to a literary genius who’s plays, sonnets and poems have stood the test of time William Shakespeare, who’s birth and death are celebrated and commemorated this week. The recipes this week are Red Lentil and Butternut Squash Curry, Spicy Chorizo Potatoes with Fried Eggs and Quick Soy-Glazed Chicken with Carrot & Cucumber Pickle.

William Shakespeare (est. 23 April 1564 - 23 April 1616) was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon". His surviving works, including some collaborations, consist of about 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and several other poems. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright.

Shakespeare was born and brought up in Stratford-upon-Avon. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, with whom he had three children: Susanna, and twins Hamnet and Judith. Between 1585 and 1592, he began a successful career in London as an actor, writer, and part owner of a playing company called the Lord Chamberlain's Men, later known as the King's Men. He appears to have retired to Stratford around 1613 at age 49, where he died three years later. Few records of Shakespeare's private life survive, and there has been considerable speculation about such matters as his physical appearance, sexuality, religious beliefs, and whether the works attributed to him were written by others.

Shakespeare produced most of his known work between 1589 and 1613. His early plays were mainly comedies and histories, genres he raised to the peak of sophistication and artistry by the end of the 16th century. He then wrote mainly tragedies until about 1608, including Hamlet, King Lear, Othello, and Macbeth, considered some of the finest works in the English language. In his last phase, he wrote tragicomedies, also known as romances, and collaborated with other playwrights.

Many of his plays were published in editions of varying quality and accuracy during his lifetime. In 1623, two of his former theatrical colleagues published the First Folio, a collected edition of his dramatic works that included all but two of the plays now recognised as Shakespeare's.

Shakespeare was a respected poet and playwright in his own day, but his reputation did not rise to its present heights until the 19th century. The Romantics, in particular, acclaimed Shakespeare's genius, and the Victorians worshipped Shakespeare with a reverence that George Bernard Shaw called "bardolatry". In the 20th century, his work was repeatedly adopted and rediscovered by new movements in scholarship and performance. His plays remain highly popular today and are constantly studied, performed, and reinterpreted in diverse cultural and political contexts throughout the world.

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

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My first recipe is Red Lentil and Butternut Squash Curry Recipe courtesy of www.slimmingworld.com

Serves 4, Prep time 10 mins, Cook time 45-50 mins

Fry Light
1 x Large Onion, peeled and chopped
1 x Medium Butternut Squash peeled, deseeded and chopped
2 tbsp x Medium Curry Paste or Powder
1 x 300ml Passata 
300ml x Hot Vegetable Stock
100g x Dried Red Lentils
Baby Spinach

Heat the oven to 170°C/Gas 3. Spray a heavy, ovenproof pan with Fry Light and cook the onion with the lid on for 5 minutes until softened. Add the butternut squash, tossing with the onion then cook for a few minutes again with the lid on. Stir in the curry paste/powder and passata.

Add the vegetable stock to the pan along with the lentils. Stir well and bring to the boil, then remove from the heat and place in the oven for 30-45 minutes, depending on the size of your butternut squash chunks.

The curry is cooked when the sauce has thickened and the lentils are tender but still whole and a knife slides into the butternut squash easily. Remove from the oven and stir in a handful spinach. Replace the lid and leave to stand for a few minutes until the spinach wilts. Serve with the rice and a swirl of yogurt.

Tip: If you prefer a less spicy curry, you can either reduce the curry paste slightly or serve it with extra very low fat natural yogurt.

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My next recipe is Spicy Chorizo Potatoes with Fried Eggs Recipe courtesy of www.bbcgoodfood.co.uk

Serves 2, Prep 10 mins, Cook 30 mins

2 x Large Potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
olive oil
1 x Small Red Onion, halved and sliced
1 x Green Chilli, sliced
100g x Chorizo, cut into chunks
½ tsp x Smoked Paprika
2 x Eggs

Cook the potatoes in boiling water until tender. Drain really well then fry in 1-2 tbsp olive oil until golden. Scoop out the pan, then add the onion and chilli and keep frying until softened. Add the chorizo and paprika and cook for a minute then add the potatoes back and cook, tossing everything together. In a separate pan, fry the eggs. Serve on top of the potatoes.

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My final recipe is Quick Soy-Glazed Chicken with Carrot & Cucumber Pickle Courtesy of Olive Magazine November 2010.

Serves 2, Prep 30 mins, Cook 15 mins

½ tbsp x Chinese Five-spice powder
3cm x Piece of Ginger, peeled and sliced
2 tbsp x Brown Sugar
3 tbsp x Soy Sauce
2 tbsp x Rice Wine Vinegar
4 x Large Skinless Chicken Thigh Fillets, or 6 Small
½ x Small Cucumber
1 x Carrot, peeled
1 tsp x Golden Caster Sugar
½ x Red Chilli, finely chopped
oil, for frying
100g x Basmati Rice, cooked to serve

Put the five-spice, ginger, brown sugar, soy and 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar in a bowl or freezer bag. Add the chicken and leave to marinate for 30 minutes. While it's marinating, cut the cucumber and carrot into ribbons using a potato peeler then put in a bowl. Heat another tbsp rice wine vinegar with a tsp sugar until dissolved, then toss with the veg and chilli.

Heat a tbsp oil in a wok or large frying pan. Take out the chicken pieces, shaking off the marinade as you do and add to the wok. Fry for 3-4 minutes each side until golden and crisping up, flattening them with a spatula so they cook evenly. Add the marinade to the wok, turn down the heat and continue cooking for 5 minutes, turning a few times until the chicken is glazed with the sauce and cooked through. Slice the chicken and serve with the veg and rice.

All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players:
they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts..."
—As You Like It, Act II, Scene 7, 139–42

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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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