Hi everyone and welcome to the blog. This week’s blog is dedicated to Mothering Sunday and, most especially to my nan. This week’s recipes have chorizo as the main ingredient. They are Chicken and Chorizo Pie, Jambalaya,Chorizo in Red Wine Tapas, Velvet Hammer cocktail and the spice of the week is Jedoary.
Mothering Sunday The modern Mother's Day is celebrated on various days in many parts of the world, most commonly in March, April, or May as a day to honour mothers and motherhood. In the UK and Ireland, it follows the old traditions of Mothering Sunday, celebrated in March/April, this year it is celebrated on 3rd April 2011.
This day may have emerged from a custom of mother worship in ancient Greece, which kept a festival to Cybele, a great mother of Greek gods. This festival was held around the Vernal Equinox around Asia Minor and eventually in Rome itself from the Ides of March (15 March) to 18 March.
The ancient Romans also had another holiday, Matronalia, that was dedicated to Juno, though mothers were usually given gifts on this day.
In the United Kingdom and Ireland, there was a celebration called Mothering Sunday, which fell on the fourth Sunday of Lent (3 April in 2011). Most historians believe that it originated from the 16th century Christian practice of visiting one's mother church annually on Laetere Sunday, which meant that most mothers would be reunited with their children on this day when young apprentices and young women in servitude were released by their masters that weekend. As a result of secularization, it was then principally used to show appreciation to one's mother, although it is still recognized in the historical sense by some churches, with attention paid to Mary the mother of Jesus Christ as well as the traditional concept 'Mother Church'.
By 1935 Mothering Sunday was less celebrated in Europe. The idea was revived by the American soldiers who came to fight in World War II, who celebrated Anna Jarvis' Mother's Day on the second Sunday of May. People from Ireland and UK started celebrating Mother's Day on the fourth Sunday of Lent, the same day on which Mothering Sunday had been celebrated before it disappeared. Some traditions were revived, such as the tradition of eating cake on that day, although they now eat simnel cake instead of the cakes that were traditionally prepared at that time. Mothering Sunday can fall at the earliest on 1 March (in years when Easter Day falls on 22 March) and at the latest on 4 April (when Easter Day falls on 25 April).
This day may have emerged from a custom of mother worship in ancient Greece, which kept a festival to Cybele, a great mother of Greek gods. This festival was held around the Vernal Equinox around Asia Minor and eventually in Rome itself from the Ides of March (15 March) to 18 March.
The ancient Romans also had another holiday, Matronalia, that was dedicated to Juno, though mothers were usually given gifts on this day.
In the United Kingdom and Ireland, there was a celebration called Mothering Sunday, which fell on the fourth Sunday of Lent (3 April in 2011). Most historians believe that it originated from the 16th century Christian practice of visiting one's mother church annually on Laetere Sunday, which meant that most mothers would be reunited with their children on this day when young apprentices and young women in servitude were released by their masters that weekend. As a result of secularization, it was then principally used to show appreciation to one's mother, although it is still recognized in the historical sense by some churches, with attention paid to Mary the mother of Jesus Christ as well as the traditional concept 'Mother Church'.
By 1935 Mothering Sunday was less celebrated in Europe. The idea was revived by the American soldiers who came to fight in World War II, who celebrated Anna Jarvis' Mother's Day on the second Sunday of May. People from Ireland and UK started celebrating Mother's Day on the fourth Sunday of Lent, the same day on which Mothering Sunday had been celebrated before it disappeared. Some traditions were revived, such as the tradition of eating cake on that day, although they now eat simnel cake instead of the cakes that were traditionally prepared at that time. Mothering Sunday can fall at the earliest on 1 March (in years when Easter Day falls on 22 March) and at the latest on 4 April (when Easter Day falls on 25 April).
My nan past away last Saturday, she was a fantastic cook and a true inspiration to me. My nan was born in Gibraltar and bought to my life an eclectic mixture of Spanish and British cuisine. I remember visiting my grandparents as a boy and being met with smell of something gorgeous in the air, whether it was the leftover aromas of Sunday lunch, freshly baked cakes or rissoles. But it has taken her passing to make me appreciate where flare for cooking has come from. So this is my way of saying thank you nan for everything you gave me, your love and your inspiration. Adios, mi Abuela. Yo te quiero mucho.
My first recipe is Chicken and Chorizo Pie, recipe by Chefgarfy, inspired by a recipe that first appeared in Mail on Sunday Supplement “You”.
Serves 4, Prep takes 30mins, takes approx 2hrs to cook
700g x Ready Made Shortcrust Pastry
1 x Egg yolk, mixed with 1 tbsp x Milk for Egg Wash
Sea Salt
Black Pepper
1.1/2kg x Chicken Fillets, cut into chunks
4-5 x Banana Shallots, peeled and thickly sliced
250g x Chorizo, thickly sliced
300ml x Good Quality Red Wine
300ml x Organic Chicken Stock
75g x Sweet Red Pepper (either fresh or roasted)
2 tsp x Flour
1 x Egg yolk, mixed with 1 tbsp x Milk for Egg Wash
Sea Salt
Black Pepper
1.1/2kg x Chicken Fillets, cut into chunks
4-5 x Banana Shallots, peeled and thickly sliced
250g x Chorizo, thickly sliced
300ml x Good Quality Red Wine
300ml x Organic Chicken Stock
75g x Sweet Red Pepper (either fresh or roasted)
2 tsp x Flour
First brown your chicken in oil and put to one side, in the same pan add the shallots and chorizo, and fry for several minutes until coloured, stirring frequently. Return the chicken chunks to the pan, add the red wine and stock and a little salt, bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for an hour, stirring occasionally.
Preheat your oven to 160C Gas Mark 3. Line a 25cm pie dish with 2/3rd of a block of ready-made short crust pastry, don’t trim the pastry back to allow for shrinkage. Then heat your oven to 220C Gas Mark 7. Take the chicken/chorizo mixture along with the chopped red pepper from the pan, reserving the liquid for later, and transfer to the pie dish. Thinly roll out the remaining third of the pastry for the lid, lay this in place and trim the edges, leaving 1cm for shrinkage. Press the edges together using a fork or crimp them decoratively. Brush the pie top with egg wash. Bake the pie for 40-45mins until nice and golden. Gently heat the reserved gravy and add a teaspoon or two of flour to thicken.
Preheat your oven to 160C Gas Mark 3. Line a 25cm pie dish with 2/3rd of a block of ready-made short crust pastry, don’t trim the pastry back to allow for shrinkage. Then heat your oven to 220C Gas Mark 7. Take the chicken/chorizo mixture along with the chopped red pepper from the pan, reserving the liquid for later, and transfer to the pie dish. Thinly roll out the remaining third of the pastry for the lid, lay this in place and trim the edges, leaving 1cm for shrinkage. Press the edges together using a fork or crimp them decoratively. Brush the pie top with egg wash. Bake the pie for 40-45mins until nice and golden. Gently heat the reserved gravy and add a teaspoon or two of flour to thicken.
My next recipe is Jambalaya courtesy of Jamie Magazine February 2011.
Serves 4, Prep time takes 20mins, and takes approx 1hr to cook
6 x Skinless Chicken Fillets, sliced
200g x Chorizo, sliced
1 x Onion, chopped
4 x Garlic Cloves, crushed
2 x Celery Sticks, chopped
1 x Red Chilli, sliced (seeds removed if you wish)
1 x 440g can of Chopped Tomatoes
1Ltr x Organic Chicken Stock
350g x Long Grain Rice
Olive Oil
Sea Salt
Black Pepper
A Pinch of Cayenne Pepper (1/2tsp of Mild Chilli Pepper)
200g x Chorizo, sliced
1 x Onion, chopped
4 x Garlic Cloves, crushed
2 x Celery Sticks, chopped
1 x Red Chilli, sliced (seeds removed if you wish)
1 x 440g can of Chopped Tomatoes
1Ltr x Organic Chicken Stock
350g x Long Grain Rice
Olive Oil
Sea Salt
Black Pepper
A Pinch of Cayenne Pepper (1/2tsp of Mild Chilli Pepper)
First season your chicken fillet slices with salt, pepper and cayenne/chilli pepper. Brown the seasoned chicken along with the chorizo on a medium heat, this will take roughly 5mins. Then add the onion, garlic and celery and fry for 10 more minutes until the veg softens, add the red chilli and fry for a few more mins. Once this is done add the tomatoes and chicken stock and bring to the boil. Cover, reduce the heat and simmer for 25mins until the chicken is lovely and tender. Once the chicken is tender add the rice, stir, cover and simmer for a further 15-20mins stirring occasionally, checking on the fluid levels. If it looks like it’s drying out add extra stock if needed.
Spice of the week – Zedoary (Curcuma zedoaria)
Zedoary is the name for a perennial herb and member of the genus Curcuma Linn., family Zingiberaceae. The plant is native to India and Indonesia. It was introduced to Europe by Arabs around the sixth century, but its use as a spice in the West today is extremely rare, having been replaced by ginger. Zedoary is a rhizome that grows in tropical and subtropical wet forest regions. The fragrant plant bears yellow flowers with red and green bracts and the underground stem section is large and tuberous with numerous branches. The leaf shoots of the zedoary are long and can reach 1 metre (3 feet) in height.
The edible root of zedoary has a white interior and a fragrance reminiscent of mango; however, its flavour is more similar to ginger, except with a very bitter aftertaste. In Indonesia, it is ground to a powder and added to curry pastes, whereas in India, it tends to be used fresh or in pickling. Zedoary is also used in some traditional eastern medicines, where it is reputed to be an aid to digestion, a relief for colic and an agent for purifying the blood. It is also used as an anti-venom for the Indian cobra. Zedoary has been used to treat coronary heart disease, liver cancer, anemia, chronic pelvic inflammation and helps prevent leukopenia due to cancer therapies. Zedoarin, kurdiona and kurkumol are substances that can be found in Zedoary. These substances turned out to be anti-neoplastic which can break ribosome formation in cancer cells and wild tissue by enhancing the formation of fibroblast tissue around the cancer tissue, and forming a layer of lymphocytes in the cells of cancer tissue and wrap it, so the tissue cells of the cancer cannot grow, eventually the cancer cells will die, and no longer dangerous. The essential oil produced from the dried roots of Curcuma zedoaria is used in perfumery and soap fabrication, as well as an ingredient in bitter tonics.
Zedoary is the name for a perennial herb and member of the genus Curcuma Linn., family Zingiberaceae. The plant is native to India and Indonesia. It was introduced to Europe by Arabs around the sixth century, but its use as a spice in the West today is extremely rare, having been replaced by ginger. Zedoary is a rhizome that grows in tropical and subtropical wet forest regions. The fragrant plant bears yellow flowers with red and green bracts and the underground stem section is large and tuberous with numerous branches. The leaf shoots of the zedoary are long and can reach 1 metre (3 feet) in height.
The edible root of zedoary has a white interior and a fragrance reminiscent of mango; however, its flavour is more similar to ginger, except with a very bitter aftertaste. In Indonesia, it is ground to a powder and added to curry pastes, whereas in India, it tends to be used fresh or in pickling. Zedoary is also used in some traditional eastern medicines, where it is reputed to be an aid to digestion, a relief for colic and an agent for purifying the blood. It is also used as an anti-venom for the Indian cobra. Zedoary has been used to treat coronary heart disease, liver cancer, anemia, chronic pelvic inflammation and helps prevent leukopenia due to cancer therapies. Zedoarin, kurdiona and kurkumol are substances that can be found in Zedoary. These substances turned out to be anti-neoplastic which can break ribosome formation in cancer cells and wild tissue by enhancing the formation of fibroblast tissue around the cancer tissue, and forming a layer of lymphocytes in the cells of cancer tissue and wrap it, so the tissue cells of the cancer cannot grow, eventually the cancer cells will die, and no longer dangerous. The essential oil produced from the dried roots of Curcuma zedoaria is used in perfumery and soap fabrication, as well as an ingredient in bitter tonics.
My next recipe is Chorizo in Red Wine Tapas, Courtesy of www.spanishfoodworld.co.uk.
Serves 4, takes 10-15 to cook.
500g x Small Cooking Chorizo Sausages
350ml x Good Quality Red Wine, such as a Rioja
1 x Bay Leaf
350ml x Good Quality Red Wine, such as a Rioja
1 x Bay Leaf
Place the sausages in a frying pan with the wine and the bay leaf. Cover and cook over a low heat for 10-15 minutes or until the wine has slightly reduced. Remove the sausage from the pan and cut it into half inch slices. Return the slices to the wine and stir. Serve in earthernware dishes and be sure to have chunky bread to hand.
My final recipe is a cocktail especially for my nan, The Velvet Hammer, courtesy of www.barmano.com. My cousin told me of a mystical cocktail that my nan gave them while they were on holiday together one year. This is my tribute to that cocktail.. whatever the original name of it was.
30ml x Double Cream
30ml x Tia Maria
30ml x Cointreau
30ml x Tia Maria
30ml x Cointreau
Pour tequila into a cocktail glass filled with ice. Add grapefruit juice and stir lightly. Some people like to add a dash of salt, while others like to rim the glass with salt as they would for a Margarita.
Adios, mi Abuela. Yo te quiero mucho.
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
