Anna and The Two Kings

Hi everyone and welcome to the blog. This week’s blog is dedicated to two famous “kings” who birthdays are remembered this week, the “King of Siam” Yul Brynner and the King of “china” Josiah Wedgwood. This week’s recipes are Easy Peasy Lentil Curry, Italian Rice with Chicken and Mexican Beef Chilli.

Yul Brynner (July 11, 1920 – October 10, 1985)was a Russian-born stage and film actor. He was best known for his portrayal of Mongkut, king of Siam, in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The King and I, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Actor for the film version; he also played the role more than 4,500 times onstage. He is also remembered as Rameses II in the 1956 Cecil B. DeMille blockbuster The Ten Commandments, General Bounine in Anastasia and Chris Adams in The Magnificent Seven. Brynner was noted for his distinctive voice and for his shaven head, which he maintained as a personal trademark long after adopting it for his initial role in The King and I. He was also a photographer and the author of two books.

Josiah Wedgwood (12 July 1730 – 3 January 1795) was an English potter, founder of the Wedgwood company, credited with the industrialization of the manufacture of pottery. A prominent abolitionist, Wedgwood is remembered for his "Am I Not a Man And a Brother?" anti-slavery medallion. He was a member of the Darwin–Wedgwood family. He was the grandfather of Charles Darwin and Emma Darwin.

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

My first recipe is Easy Peasy Lentil Curry Courtesy of Good Food magazine February 2002.

Serves 4, Prep 5 mins, Cook 45 mins

2 tbsp x Sunflower Oil
2 x Medium Onions, cut into rough wedges
4 tbsp x Curry Paste
850ml x Organic Vegetable Stock
750g x Stew Pack of Frozen Vegetables
100g x Red Lentils
200g x Basmati Rice
Turmeric
Handful of Raisins & Roughly Chopped Parsley
Poppadoms & Mango Chutney, to serve

Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the onions and cook over a high heat for about 8 minutes or until they are golden brown. Stir in the curry paste and cook for a minute. Slowly pour in a little of the stock so it sizzles, scraping any bits from the bottom of the pan. Gradually pour in the rest of the stock.

Stir the frozen vegetables, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the lentils and simmer for a further 15-20 minutes or until the vegetables and lentils are cooked. While the curry is simmering, cook the rice according to the packet instructions, adding the turmeric to the cooking water. Drain well. Season the curry with salt, mix in a handful of raisins and chopped parsley, then serve with the rice, poppadoms and chutney.

My next recipe is Italian Rice with Chicken. Recipe by Leslie Walters, courtesy of Good Food magazine, October 2005.

Serves 2, Prep 10 mins, Cook 30 mins

2 tbsp x Olive Oil
2 x Skinless Chicken Breast fillets or 4 x Boneless Thighs, cut into strips
1 x Red Onion, cut into 8 wedges
2 x Orange Peppers, halved, deseeded and sliced thickly
1 x Garlic Clove, crushed
100g x Long Grain Rice
1 x 400g Can of Chopped Tomatoes
300ml x Organic Chicken Stock

Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Heat the oil in a large, shallow ovenproof pan, add the chicken and cook for 3-4 mins until golden all over. Remove from pan and set aside.
Add the onion and peppers, and cook for 3 mins or until lightly golden. Tip in the garlic and fry for a min. Stir in the rice, then the tomatoes, stock and reserved chicken. Turn up the heat and bring to the boil before transferring to the oven to cook, uncovered, for 20 mins. Season to taste and serve.

My final recipe is Mexican Beef Chilli. Good Food magazine, January 2012.

Serves 15, Easily doubled, Prep 15 mins, Cook 2 hrs 15 mins

Up to 6 tbsp x Sunflower Oil
4kg x Stewing Beef
4 x White Onions, sliced
2 tbsp x Chipotle Paste or 2 tbsp x Cajun Mixed Spice
8 x Garlic Cloves, crushed
50g x Fresh Root Ginger, grated
1 tbsp x Ground Cumin
2 tsp x Ground Cinnamon
1 tbsp x Plain Flour
2ltr x Organic Beef Stock
3 x 400g Cans of Chopped Tomatoes
1 tbsp x Dried Oregano
5 x 400g Cans of Pinto Beans, drained

Heat a small drizzle of the oil in an extra-large flameproof dish. Brown the meat in batches, adding a drop more oil, remove from the dish and set aside. Add 1 tbsp oil to the dish, then the onions, and cook for 7-10 mins or until caramelised.

Stir the chipotle paste (or Cajun Spice), garlic, ginger, cumin, cinnamon and flour in with the onions and cook for a couple of mins. Gradually add the stock, stirring all the time, so it's fully mixed in with the other ingredients. Add the tomatoes and oregano, season and simmer for 10 mins. Now tip in the beef, cover and simmer very gently for about 1 hr 45 mins until tender, removing the lid and adding the beans for the final 15 mins. If the sauce is thin, let it boil down for a further 5-10 mins with the lid off. Before serving, adjust the seasoning. Serve with the garlic bread and salsa.

When I am dead and buried, on my tombstone I would like to have it written, "I have arrived." Because when you feel that you have arrived, you are dead. – Yul Brynner

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Hope you enjoy!!..... ChefGarfy =D

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