The Eternal Flame Still Burns Bright

Hi everyone and welcome to the blog. This week’s blog is dedicated to Thanksgiving and in remembrance of one of America’s most memorable Presidents John F Kennedy.This week’s recipes are all for Thanksgiving, they are Vermont corn, Chilli and Bacon Bread, Roast turkey with Streusled Sweet Potatoes and Old-fashioned Deluxe Pumpkin Pie with Dried Cranberry Sauce.

Thanksgiving is a holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Thanksgiving is celebrated each year on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. Thanksgiving in Canada falls on the same day as Columbus Day in the United States. Because of the longstanding traditions of the holiday, the celebration often extends to the weekend that falls closest to the day it is celebrated.

John F Kennedy John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963.

After military service as commander of the Motor Torpedo Boats PT-109 and PT-59 during World War II in the South Pacific, Kennedy represented Massachusetts's 11th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1947 to 1953 as a Democrat. Thereafter, he served in the U.S. Senate from 1953 until 1960. Kennedy defeated then Vice President and Republican candidate Richard Nixon in the 1960 U.S. Presidential election. He was the youngest elected to the office, at the age of 43, the second-youngest President (after Theodore Roosevelt), and the first president to have been born in the 20th century. Kennedy is the only Catholic president, and is the only president
to have won a Pulitzer Prize. Events during his presidency included the Bay of Pigs Invasion, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the building of the Berlin Wall, the Space Race, the African American Civil Rights Movement and early stages of the Vietnam War.

Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas. Lee Harvey Oswald was charged with the crime, but was shot and killed two days later by Jack Ruby before a trial could take place. The FBI, the Warren Commission, and the House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) concluded that Oswald was the lone assassin, with the HSCA allowing for the possibility of conspiracy based on disputed acoustic evidence. Today, Kennedy continues to rank highly in public opinion ratings of former U.S. Presidents.

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My first recipe is Vermont corn, chilli and bacon bread. Recipe by Anthony Worrell-Thompson, Courtesy ofwww.uktv.co.uk

Serves:4-6 Prep time: 15 min Cook time: 35min

350g x Rashers of Smoked Streaky Bacon, diced
1 tbsp x Corn Oil
2 x Spring Onions, finely chopped
115g x Fresh Kernels of Sweetcorn, or Frozen Corn Kernels, thawed
1/2 tsp x Dried Red Chilli Flakes
350g x Cornmeal, or Polenta
350g x Plain Flour
1 tbsp x Caster Sugar
1 tsp x Baking Powder
1/2 tsp x Bicarbonate of Soda
1/2 tsp x Salt
150ml x Milk
375ml x Buttermilk
2 x Eggs, lightly beaten
1 tbsp x Maple Syrup
1/2 tsp x Freshly Ground Black Pepper
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas 6 and lightly butter a 23cm square cake tin. Add in the spring onion and fry for 5 minutes, stirring often. Mix in the corn kernels and chilli, stirring to combine. Remove from direct heat and allow to cool slightly. In a bowl, mix together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, and salt. Add in the bacon mixture, the milk, buttermilk, eggs, maple syrup, black pepper and 1 tablespoon of the melted butter. Mix well. Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and brush the top with the remaining melted butter. Bake until golden, 20-25 minutes. Serve warm.

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My next recipe is Roast turkey with Streusled Sweet Potatoes. Recipe by Ed Baines,courtesy of www.uktv.co.uk

Serves:2 Prep time: 20 min Cook time: 1 hr 30 min

1 x 400g Leg of Turkey
A Handful of Sage Leaves, chopped
50g x Butter, softened
2 x Garlic Cloves
4 tbsp x Olive Oil
Sprigs of Thyme

For the Strusled Sweet Potato
450g x Sweet Potatoes, peeled, cut into chunks
225g x Caster Sugar
100ml x Milk
75g x Butter
2 x Eggs
1 tsp x Vanilla Extract

For the topping
115g x Desiccated Coconut
115g x Shelled Pecans, chopped
200g x Brown Sugar
40g x Plain Flour
75g x Melted Butter

Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4. To roast the leg of turkey, place the leg in a roasting tin and rub with the sage and butter. Add the thyme and garlic to the tin and drizzle with olive oil. Roast in the oven for 1½ hours, or until tender when pierced with a knife.

Cook the potatoes in a large pan of boiling, salted water for 15-20 minutes. Drain and mash.
Add the sugar, milk, butter, eggs and vanilla to the mashed sweet potatoes. Mix well and tip into a shallow baking tin.

For the topping; mix together the coconut, pecans, brown sugar, flour and melted butter. Sprinkle this mixture over the sweet potato mixture, and bake, alongside the turkey for about 30 minutes before serving.

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My final recipe is Old-fashioned Deluxe Pumpkin Pie with Dried Cranberry Sauce. Recipe by Ashbell McElveen, courtesy of www.uktv.co.uk

Serves:4-6 Prep time: 25 min Cook time: 40 min

340g x Cooked Pumpkin Flesh, pureed using a blender, processor, or ricer
340ml x Evaporated Milk
5 tbsp x Dark Brown Sugar
2 tbsp x White Sugar
1/2 tsp x Ground Cloves
1/2 tsp x Salt
1/2 tsp x Ground Nutmeg
175g x Maple Syrup
3 x Eggs, lightly beaten
1 tbsp x Melted Butter
1 x 20cm Ready-Made Pastry Tart Case

For the Dried Cranberry Sauce
125g x Dried Cranberries
115g x Caster Sugar
1 x Vanilla Pod
50ml x Brandy
170ml x Cranberry Juice

Preheat the oven to 190ºC/Gas 5. In a mixing bowl mix together the pumpkin, evaporated milk, brown sugar, white sugar, cloves, salt, nutmeg, maple syrup, eggs and melted butter making a smooth mixture. Pour the pumpkin mixture into the blind-baked flan case. Bake the pumpkin pie for 40 minutes until the crust is golden-brown and the filling has set. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, make the dried cranberry sauce. Soak the dried cranberries in the brandy and cranberry juice for 30 minutes. Transfer the cranberries and the macerating liquid to a saucepan. Add the caster sugar and vanilla pod. Bring to the boil over a high heat, reduce the heat and simmer for 5-8 minutes until reduced and thickened. Set aside then reheat as required. Serve the pumpkin slices with warm dried cranberry sauce on the side.

Mankind must put an end to war or war will put an end to mankind.– John F Kennedy

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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This Will Put A Smile On Your Pumpkin's Face

Hi everyone and welcome to the blog.

With Halloween just around the corner, this week’s blog is all about pumpkins. Ever wondered what do with the flesh from your pumpkins, once you’ve carved out your Jack o’ Lantern’s face? Well, hopefully after this week’s blog’s recipe ideas, you’ll have plenty to keep the evil spirits away. This week’s recipes are Pumpkin Soup and Aromatic Beef with Pumpkin. The Herb of the week is Chive.

My first recipe is Pumpkin Soup, courtesy of Olive Magazine November 2010.
This recipe makes 4, takes approx. 20mins to prepare and can take max. 25mins to cook.
2 tbsp x Olive Oil
2 x Onions – finely chopped
1kg x Pumpkin – peeled and chopped
700ml x Hot Vegetable Stock
150ml x Double Cream
A Handful of Croutons
2 Handfuls of Toasted Pumpkin Seeds
Heat the oil in a non-stick saucepan, add the onion, and fry until soft. Add the pumpkin to the pan and cook for 10mins, stirring occasionally until it starts to soften and turn golden. Pour in the vegetable stock, bring to the boil and then simmer for 10mins. Pour in the double cream, bring back to the boil then puree in with a hand blender (or blitz in a large jug blender). Serve into mugs with a scattering of croutons and toasted pumpkin seeds.


Herb of the Week – Chives (allium schoenoprasum)
Chives are the only member of the onion group found growing wild in Europe, Australia and North America, where they thrive in temperate and warm to hot climates. Although they are one of the most ancient of all herbs, chives were not cultivated in European gardens until the 16th Century. Chives were a favourite in China as long ago as 3,000BC. They were enjoyed for their delicious mild onion flavour and used as an antidote to poison and to stop bleeding.
It is a hard perennial that grows to a height of 30cms, bearing a purple globular flower all summer, with green cylindrical leaves.
The medical properties of chives are similar to those of garlic, but weaker; the faint effects in comparison with garlic are probably the main reason for its limited use as a medicinal herb. Containing numerous organosulfur compounds such as allyl sulfides and alkyl sulfoxides, chives are reported to have a beneficial effect on the circulatory system. As chives are usually served in small amounts and never as the main dish, negative effects are rarely encountered, although digestive problems may occur following over-consumption. Chives are also rich in vitamins A and C, contain trace amounts of sulfur, and are rich in calcium and iron.
Due to its delicate nature, cooking with the herb damages it fragrant properties, so adding chives at the end of the cooking process, ensures that the flavour of the herb is not lost. They are ideal as a garnish or for flavouring omelettes, scrambles eggs, salads or soups.

My next recipe is Aromatic Beef with Pumpkin, courtesy of Slimming World’s “Four Season Cookbook”, published by Ebury Press.
This recipe makes 4, takes 15-20mins to prepare and can take 20mins to cook.
Fry Light
2 x Onions – sliced thickly
500g x Pumpkins – cut into small cubes
500g x Lean Beef Fillet
60ml x Soy Sauce
1 tsp x Artificial Sweetener
1 x Bird’s Eye Chilli – deseeded and chopped
1 tbsp x Fresh Ginger – finely shredded
2 tbsp x Fish Sauce
1 tsp x Ground Star Anise
1 tsp x Chinese Five Spice Powder
1 tbsp x Oyster Sauce
4 x Spring Onions - shredded
A Small Handful of Sweet Basil Leaves (optional)
A Small Handful of Mint Leaves (optional)
Spray a non-stick wok with Fry Light and place over a medium-high heat. Add the onions and pumpkin and stir-fry for about 2-3mins. Cover and cook gently for 5-6mins, or until just tender. Place the beef between 2 sheets of cling film and beat with a mallet or rolling pin until thin. Cut into thin strips. Put a large frying pan over a medium heat and add the soy sauce, sweetener, chilli, ginger, fish sauce, star anise, five-spice and oyster sauce. Cook and stir for 3-4mins. Add the beef strips to the soy mixture and stir-fry over a high heat for 3-4mins, or until cooked through. Remove from the heat. Add the pumpkin mixture, spring onions and herbs, if using, to the beef, toss well and serve immediately.

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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