Friday 4 May 2012

A Fishy Tale of Two Authors

Hi everyone and welcome to the blog. This week’s blog is dedicated to the memory of two of the United Kingdom’s most famous authors who’s birthdays and death are commemorated this week J M Barrie and Douglas Adams. The recipes this week are Crispy Cod Nuggets with Sweet Potato Wedges, Lemon & Basil Roasted Sea Bass and Fish Curry.
James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet, OM J M Barrie (9 May 1860 – 19 June 1937) was a Scottish author and dramatist, best remembered today as the creator of Peter Pan. The child of a family of small-town weavers, he was educated in Scotland. He moved to London, where he developed a career as a novelist and playwright. There he met the Llewelyn Davies boys who inspired him in writing about a baby boy who has magical adventures in Kensington Gardens (included in The Little White Bird), then to write Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up, a "fairy play" about this ageless boy and an ordinary girl named Wendy who have adventures in the fantasy setting of Neverland. This play quickly overshadowed his previous work and although he continued to write successfully, it became his best-known work, credited with popularising the name Wendy, which was very uncommon previously. Barrie unofficially adopted the Davies boys following the deaths of their parents. Before his death, he gave the rights to the Peter Pan works to Great Ormond Street Hospital, which continues to benefit from them.
Douglas Noel Adams (11 March 1952 – 11 May 2001) was an English writer and dramatist. He is best known as the author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which started life in 1978 as a BBC radio comedy before developing into a "trilogy" of five books that sold over 15 million copies in his lifetime, a television series, several stage plays, comics, a computer game, and in 2005 a feature film. Adams's contribution to UK radio is commemorated in The Radio Academy's Hall of Fame.
Adams also wrote Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (1987) and The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul (1988), and co-wrote The Meaning of Liff (1983), Last Chance to See (1990), and three stories for the television series Doctor Who. A posthumous collection of his work, including an unfinished novel, was published as The Salmon of Doubt in 2002. Adams became known as an advocate for environmental and conservation causes, and also as a lover of fast cars, cameras, and the Apple Macintosh. He was a staunch atheist, famously imagining a sentient puddle who wakes up one morning and thinks, "This is an interesting world I find myself in—an interesting hole I find myself in—fits me rather neatly, doesn't it? In fact it fits me staggeringly well, must have been made to have me in it!" Biologist Richard Dawkins dedicated his book, The God Delusion (2006), to Adams, writing on his death that, "Science has lost a friend, literature has lost a luminary, the mountain gorilla and the black rhino have lost a gallant defender."
The full version of this article can be found at www.garfysplaceinfo.blog.co.uk
My first recipe is Crispy Cod Nuggets with Sweet Potato Wedges Courtesy of www.goodtoknow.co.uk
Serves: 4, Prep time: 20 mins, plus chilling Cook: 30 mins
4 x Skinned Cod (or Pollack)Fillet, cut into chunks (from a sustainable source)
2tbsp x Plain Flour
1 x Large Egg, beaten
100g x Fresh Breadcrumbs
2tbsp x olive oil
2 x Sweet Potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges
1tbsp x Honey
Sunflower oil, for shallow-frying
Soured Cream and chive dip and lemon wedges, to serve
Coat each piece of cod/pollack in flour then dip in beaten egg and coat in breadcrumbs. Cover and chill in the fridge for 20 mins. Preheat the oven to 200ºC (400ºF, gas mark 6).Heat the olive oil in a roasting tin for 3-4 mins then add the sweet potato. Roast for 20 mins, turning once. Brush with honey and return to the oven for 10 mins until tender and golden. Heat the sunflower oil in a heavy-based frying pan and fry the fish nuggets for 2-3 mins on each side until golden. Drain on kitchen paper. Serve with the potato wedges, dip and lemon.
My next recipe is Lemon & Basil Roasted Sea Bass Courtesy of www.goodtoknow.co.uk
Serves: 2, Prep time: 15 mins, Cooking time: 15 mins
2 x Sea Bass Fillets
100g x Cherry Tomatoes
1 x Red Pepper, sliced
1 x Yellow Pepper, sliced
1 x Lemon, zest and juice
10g x Fresh Basil, coarsely chopped
Olive oil
Heat the oven to 200ºC/180ºC/Gas Mark 6. Lay the tomatoes and peppers in a roasting dish and drizzle with olive oil. Mix the lemon juice, zest, basil and a tablespoon of olive oil and smother over the sea bass fillets (save some basil to sprinkle over when serving). Lay the marinated sea bass on the roasted veg and return to the oven for 15 minutes. The bass will be white and flaky when cooked. Sprinkle with basil and serve immediately.
My final recipe is Fish Curry Courtesy of Oliver Magazine first published September 2006.
Serves 4, Ready in 30 mins
1 x Onion, finely sliced
Olive Oil for frying
2 tbsp x Curry Paste, Madras is good for this
2 x 400g tins of Chopped Tomatoes
450g x White Fish Fillets, cut into large chunks
a small handful of coriander leaves
Fry the onion in a large pan with a little oil until softened then add the curry paste and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes then simmer for 10 minutes until reduced and thickened. Add the fish and gently simmer for 3-4 minutes until the fish is cooked through. Scatter with coriander and serve with naan bread or steamed basmati rice.
So long, and thanks for the fish. – Douglas Adams
Tune into my shows on 6townsradio "The Thursday Morning Show with TheRealTonyc" every Thursday from 10-12 & my Sunday show “UndertheCovers 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 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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