Ain't Mushroom To Be British

This week’s info blog is dedicated to two contrasting examples for the expression “Being British” Queen Victoria andCaptain Edward John Smith.This week’s recipes are continuing on last week’s topic of healthy eating, and all to do with Mushrooms, they are Mushroom Stroganoff, Pork Steaks with mushrooms & Rosemary and Beef and Wild Mushroom Stew.

Queen Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India.

Victoria was the daughter of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, the fourth son of King George III. Both the Duke of Kent and the King died in 1820, and Victoria was raised under close supervision by her German-born mother Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. She inherited the throne at the age of 18 after her father's three elder brothers died without surviving legitimate issue. The United Kingdom was already an established constitutional monarchy, in which the Sovereign held relatively few direct political powers. Privately, she attempted to influence government policy and ministerial appointments. Publicly, she became a national icon, and was identified with strict standards of personal morality.

She married her first cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, in 1840. Their nine children and 26 of their 34 grandchildren who survived childhood married into royal and noble families across the continent, tying them together and earning her the nickname "the grandmother of Europe". After Albert's death in 1861, Victoria plunged into deep mourning and avoided public appearances. As a result of her seclusion, republicanism temporarily gained strength, but in the latter half of her reign, her popularity recovered. Her Golden and Diamond Jubilees were times of public celebration.

Her reign of 63 years and 7 months, which is longer than that of any other British monarch and the longest of any female monarch in history, is known as the Victorian era. It was a period of industrial, cultural, political, scientific, and military change within the United Kingdom, and was marked by a great expansion of the British Empire. She was the last British monarch of the House of Hanover; her son and successor Edward VII belonged to the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

Captain Edward John Smith, RD, RNR (27 January 1850 – 15 April 1912) was an English naval reserve officer and ship's captain. He was the officer in command of the RMS Titanic and died when the ship sank in 1912. There is a statue to his legacy in Beacon Park, Lichfield and a real ale named after him brewed by the Titanic Brewery of Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent. www.titanicbrewery.co.uk

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My first recipe is Mushroom Stroganoff courtesy of BBC Goodfood Magazine February 2012.

Serves 2, Prep 10mins, Cook 20mins

2tsp x Olive Oil
1 x Onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp x Paprika
2 x Garlic Cloves, crushes
300g x Mixed Mushrooms, chopped
150ml x Low Sodium Beef or Vegetable Stock
1 tbsp x Worcestershire Sauce, or Vegetarian Alternative
3 tbsp x Half-Fat Soured Cream
Small bunch of Parsley, roughly chopped
250g x Cooked Wild Rice

Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan and soften the onion for about 5mins. Add the garlic and paprika, then cook for a minute more. Add the mushrooms and cook on a high heat, stirring often, for about 5mins. Pour in the stock and Worcestershire Sauce. Bring to the boil, bubble for 5mins until the sauce thickens, then turn off the heat and stir through the soured cream and most of the parsley. Make sure the pan is not on the heat or the sauce may split. Cook the rice accordingly and stir through the remaining parsley, then serve with the stroganoff.

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My next recipe is Pork Steaks with Mushrooms & Rosemary, recipe by Gino D’Campo, taken from “The I Diet”.

Serves 4

2 tbsp x Olive Oil
4 x Lean Pork Steaks (approx 120g each)
250g x Button Mushrooms, quartered
2 tbsp x Rosemary Leaves, chopped
½ tsp x Dried Chilli Flakes
Juice of a Large Orange
1 tbsp x Red Wine Vinegar

Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the pork for 2mins on each side until browned. Remove from the pan and set aside. Add the mushrooms and rosemary to the frying pan and fry for 3mins, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle over the chilli and pour in the orange juice and the vinegar. Bring to the boil. At this point return the pork steaks to the pan and cook over a medium heat for 5mins to allow the meat to finish cooking and the sauce to thicken. Turn the pork halfway through. Season with salt and serve immediately.

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My final recipe is Beef and Wild Mushroom Stew. Recipe by Gino D’Campo, from “The I diet”.

Serves 4

400g x Lean Rump Steak, cut into 2cm cubes
1 tbsp x Plain Flour
2 tbsp x Extra Virgin Olive Oil
200g x Baby Onions
50g x Pancetta, diced
150g x Mixed Wild mushrooms, cleaned and roughly sliced
1 x Large Carrot, cut into 1cm cubes
2 x Garlic Cloves, finely chopped
150ml x Red Wine
1 tbsp x Tomato Paste
400ml x Beef Stock
3 x Rosemary Sprigs
1 x Bay Leaf
Salt & Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Preheat your oven to 200C/180C Fan Gas Mark 6. Place the cubed beef in a large bowl and dust with the flour. Heat the oil in a large non-stick flameproof casserole and gently fry the beef for 2-3mins until browned all over. Work in batches if necessary. Remove from the pan and set aside. Add the onions and pancetta to the pan and cook for 5mins, stirring occasionally. Add the mushrooms, carrot and garlic and continue to cook for a further 5mins. Pour in the wine and bring to the boil. Return the beef to the pan, stir in the tomato paste and gently mix well. Pour in the stock a little at a time, stirring as you do so, to create a sauce. Bring to the boil. Tuck in the rosemary and the bay leaf, cover the casserole and transfer to the middle of the oven for 25mins. Remove the lid for the last 5mins to allow the sauce to thicken. Before serving, season with salt and pepper and allow the casserole to rest, out of the oven for 10mins.

Tune into my show "Under The Covers with TheRealTonyc" every Sunday from 8-10am on 6townsradio atwww.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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The Tale of the Wilde Toad and The Evel Scotch Egg

Hi everyone and welcome to the blog. This week’s blog is entitled The Tale of the Wilde Toad and the Evel Scotch Egg and is dedicated two men who epitomized a neversay die determination, who’s birthdays are commemorated this week <strong>Oscar Wilde</strong> and <strong>Evel Knievel</strong>. The featured recipes this week are <strong>Toad in The Hole</strong>, and <strong>Scotch Eggs</strong>.

<strong>Oscar Wilde</strong> (16 October 1854 – 30 November 1900) was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s. Today he is remembered for his epigrams, plays and the circumstances of his imprisonment, followed by his early death.

Wilde's parents were successful Dublin intellectuals. Their son became fluent in French and German early in life. At university Wilde read Greats; he proved himself to be an outstanding classicist, first at Dublin, then at Oxford. He became known for his involvement in the rising philosophy of aestheticism, led by two of his tutors, Walter Pater and John Ruskin. He also profoundly explored Roman Catholicism, to which he would later convert on his deathbed. After university, Wilde moved to London into fashionable cultural and social circles. As a spokesman for aestheticism, he tried his hand at various literary activities: he published a book of poems, lectured in the United States of America and Canada on the new "English Renaissance in Art", and then returned to London where he worked prolifically as a journalist. Known for his biting wit, flamboyant dress, and glittering conversation, Wilde had become one of the most well-known personalities of his day.

At the turn of the 1890s, he refined his ideas about the supremacy of art in a series of dialogues and essays, and incorporated themes of decadence, duplicity, and beauty into his only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890). The opportunity to construct aesthetic details precisely, and combine them with larger social themes, drew Wilde to write drama. He wrote Salome (1891) in French in Paris but it was refused a licence. Unperturbed, Wilde produced four society comedies in the early 1890s, which made him one of the most successful playwrights of late Victorian London.

At the height of his fame and success, whilst his masterpiece, The Importance of Being Earnest (1895), was still on stage in London, Wilde sued the Marquess of Queensberry the father of his lover, Lord Alfred Douglas, for libel. The trial unearthed evidence that caused Wilde to drop his charges and led to his own arrest, tried for gross indecency with other men. After two more trials he was convicted and imprisoned for two years' hard labour. In prison he wrote De Profundis (written in 1897 & published in 1905), a long letter which discusses his spiritual journey through his trials, forming a dark counterpoint to his earlier philosophy of pleasure. Upon his release he left immediately for France, never to return to Ireland or Britain. There he wrote his last work, The Ballad of Reading Gaol (1898), a long poem commemorating the harsh rhythms of prison life. He died destitute in Paris at the age of forty-six.

<strong>Evel Knievel</strong> (October 17, 1938 – November 30, 2007), born Robert Craig Knievel, was an American daredevil and entertainer. In his career he attempted over 75 ramp-to-ramp motorcycle jumps between 1965 and 1980, and in 1974, a failed jump across Snake River Canyon in the Skycycle X-2, a steam-powered rocket. The 433 broken bones he suffered during his career earned an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records as the survivor of "most bones broken in a lifetime." Knievel died of pulmonary disease in Clearwater, Florida, aged 69. According to The Times writing his obituary, Knievel was one of the greatest American icons of the 1970s. Knievel was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999.

Knievel was born in Butte, Montana in 1938 and raised by his grand-parents. After watching a Joie Chitwood auto daredevil show as a child, he took to jumping using a pedal bike, later moving onto motorcycles. As a troubled youth, he earned his stagename after occupying a jail cell next to a man named Knofel, leading the jailer to refer to the pair as Awful Knofel and Evil Knievel (Knievel later changed the spelling of the first name to Evel). In addition to stunt riding at local shows, his early life including a spell in the United States Army at the behest of a magistrate, as well as jobs as a hunting guide, an insurance salesman, while also becoming an ice-hockey team owner and running a business protection racket. In these early years, Evel notably stopped an Elk cull in Yellowstone national park, and staged an exhibition match against the Czechoslovakian hockey team ahead of the 1960 Winter Olympics in California. After moving into sports full time, he had moderate success on the motocross circuit.

Knievel moved into the entertainment business in 1966 by setting up his own daredevil show, initially using a variety of performers and touring several US states, and later converting it to a solo show focused entirely on his jumps as the centre-piece. He came to national attention when he persuaded the owners of Caesars Palace in Las Vegas to let him jump their fountain on New Year's Eve 1967, which was filmed for ABC. After a failed landing, he spent 29 days in a coma. On his recovery, he continued to make high profile and lucrative jumps, and began lobbying the government for permission to jump the Grand Canyon. When this failed, he settled on the Snake River jump in Twin Falls, Idaho. Proving to be his most spectacular feat, it became a debacle. Knievel attempted to jump it on September 8, 1974 in the Skycycle, which was essentially an unguided missile. Immediately after launch, the arresting parachute deployed, and the vehicle floated down on the near side crashing feet from the river's edge, with Knievel suffering minor injuries. Knievel then traveled to Britain, and on May 26, 1975, attempted to jump 13 buses in front of 90,000 people at Wembley Stadium, again crashing but with severe injuries. His longest completed career jump came at Kings Island theme park in Ohio on October 25, 1975, jumping 14 buses, marking his peak television audience. After this jump, Knievel's jumps became smaller, and he eventually withdrew from doing major shows after cancelling an attempt to jump a tank full of live sharks in Chicago after injuring himself and a cameraman during a practice jump. He instead concentrated on touring with and training his son Robbie Knievel, also a daredevil, eventually making his last jump in March 1981.

In his career heyday, Knievel's nationally televised motorcycle jumps were four of the twenty most-watched ABC's Wide World of Sports events to date. He became a celebrity, recognizable for his use of a Stars-and-Stripes red white and blue "#1" set of motorcycle leathers and cape. On the back of this fame, Knievel gained endorsements from Harley-Davidson and a toy line by the Ideal Toy Company. A 1971 film Evel Knievel starred George Hamilton as Knievel, and he starred as himself in the 1977 film Viva Knievel!. In 1977, Knievel served six months in jail for assaulting his Snake River promoter Shelly Saltman for writing an unflattering book. After this conviction, Knievel's career suffered, causing him to declare bankruptcy. In 1981, Saltman was awarded $13 million in damages, although he was never paid. Knievel later said of his career that he had "earned $60 million, and spent $63 million".

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

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My first recipe is <strong>Toad in the hole,</strong> courtesy of www.goodfood.co.uk., first published in April 2008.

<strong>Makes 4</strong>, <strong>takes 20mins to prep</strong> and <strong>takes 40mins to cook</strong>.

<strong>100g x Plain Flour</strong>

<strong>½ tsp x English Mustard Powder</strong>

<strong>1 x Egg</strong>

<strong>300ml x Milk</strong>

<strong>3 x Thyme Sprigs, leaves only</strong>

<strong>8 x Plain Pork Sausages</strong>

<strong>2 tbsp x Sunflower Oil</strong>

<strong>2 x Onions, peeled and sliced</strong>

<strong>1tsp x Soft Brown Sugar</strong>

<strong>500ml x Beef Stock</strong>

Make the batter: Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Tip flour into the large mixing bowl and stir in the mustard powder with a good pinch of salt. Make a well in the centre, crack in the egg, then pour in a dribble of milk. Stir with a wooden spoon, gradually incorporating some of the flour, until you have a smooth batter in the well. Now add a bit more milk and continue stirring until all the milk and flour has been mixed together.

The batter is ready: You should now have a smooth, lump-free batter that is the consistency of double cream. Tip it back into the jug you measured your milk in, for easier pouring later on, then stir in the thyme. Use scissors to snip the links between your sausages, then drop them into a 20 x 30cm roasting tin. Add 1 tbsp of the oil, tossing the sausages in it to thoroughly coat the base of the tin, then roast in the oven for 15 mins.

Cook the batter: Take the hot tray from the oven, then quickly pour in the batter - it should sizzle and bubble a little when it first hits the hot fat. Put it back into the oven, then bake for 40 mins until the batter is cooked through, well risen and crisp. If you poke the tip of a knife into the batter in the middle of the tray it should be set, not sticky or runny.

Make the gravy: Soften the onions with the remaining oil in a large nonstick frying pan for about 20 mins, stirring often, until they are golden brown. Sprinkle in the sugar for the final 5 mins. Add the spoonful of flour, then cook, constantly stirring, for 2 mins, so it coats the onions and there is no dry flour left. Gradually pour in the stock, stirring well to make a smooth sauce. Bubble for 4-5 mins to thicken, then season. Cut the toad in the hole into large wedges and serve with the gravy spooned over.

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My final recipe is <strong>Scotch Eggs</strong>. Recipe by Paul Merrett, courtesy of www.Goodtoknow.co.uk.

<strong>Serves 3</strong>, <strong>takes 15mins to prep</strong> and <strong>takes 15mins to cook</strong>.

<strong>4 x Large Eggs</strong>

<strong>6 x Good Quality Sausages</strong>

<strong>60ml x Milk</strong>

<strong>45ml x Plain Flour</strong>

<strong>100g x Fresh White Breadcrumbs</strong>

<strong>Vegetable Oil to cook</strong>

Place the eggs in a small pan, cover with boiling water and bring to the boil. Cook for 6 mins. Meanwhile, mix the mayonnaise and mustard together and spoon into a small dish. Drain the eggs, rinse in cold water, tapping the shells all over. When cool enough to handle, peel away the shells. Heat the oil in a fryer or deep large pan to 160ºC/325ºF.

Meanwhile, use a knife to cut the sausage skins and peel them away. Mix the sausage meat together and divide into 3. Beat the remaining egg with the milk and place in a shallow dish. Place the flour and breadcrumbs on plates.

Flatten the sausage meat, roll the boiled egg in flour then wrap the sausage meat around the egg to make a neat egg shape. Roll the egg in the flour; dip in the beaten egg, then roll in the breadcrumbs. Repeat dipping the egg in flour, egg and breadcrumbs.

Use a slotted spoon to carefully lower the eggs into the hot fat and cook for 8 mins or until the eggs are golden on the outside. (It’s important that the oil is not too hot, so that the sausage meat has a chance to cook through). Remove the eggs from the hot fat and drain on kitchen paper. Leave to cool. Serve warm or cold with salad.

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.

<strong><em>I did everything by the seat of my pants. That's why I got hurt so much. – Evel Knievel</strong></em>

<strong>Hope you enjoy!!..... ChefGarfy =D</strong>

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A Road To The Future

Hi everyone and welcome to the blog. This week’s blog is entitled A Road To The Future and is dedicated to two forward thinking pioneers who were way ahead of their own lifetimes John Loudon McAdam and H G Wells, who share the same birthday this week. The featured recipes this week are Red Velvet Cupcakes, Cajun Spiced Salmon andSpicey Fillet Steaks.

I’ve decided to have a little change in direction with a feature of this blog. Instead of featured herb or spice, I’m going to feature a much maligned and/or forgotten about ingredient. And this week’s much maligned ingredient is Kidney Beans.

John Loudon McAdam John Loudon McAdam (September 21, 1756 – November 26, 1836) was a Scottish engineer and road-builder. He invented a new process, "macadamisation", for building roads with a smooth hard surface that would be more durable and less muddy than soil-based tracks.
Modern road construction still reflects McAdam's influence. Of subsequent improvements, the most significant was the introduction of tar (originally coal tar) to bind the road surface's stones together – "tarmac" (for Tar Macadam) – followed later by the use of hot-laid tarred aggregate or tar-sprayed chippings to create better road metalling. More recently, oil-based asphalt laid on reinforced concrete has become a major road surface, but its use of granite or limestone chippings still recalls McAdam's innovation.

H G Wells (Herbert George Wells (21 September 1866 – 13 August 1946)) was an English author, now best known for his work in the science fiction genre. He was also a prolific writer in many other genres, including contemporary novels, history, politics and social commentary, even writing text books. Together with Jules Verne and Hugo Gernsback, Wells has been referred to as "The Father of Science Fiction".
Wells was an outspoken socialist and sympathetic to pacifist views, although he supported the First World War once it was under way, and his later works became increasingly political and didactic. His middle-period novels (1900–1920) were less science-fictional; they covered lower-middle class life (The History of Mr Polly) and the "New Woman" and the Suffragettes (Ann Veronica).

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

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My first recipe is Red Velvet Cupcakes. Recipe from the Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook, courtesy of Good To Know website.

Makes 12, and takes 25mins to cook.

For the red velvet cupcakes:
60g unsalted butter, at room temperature
150g caster sugar
1 egg
10g cocoa powder
20ml red food colouring (preferably Dr. Oetker's as red food colourings vary in strength) 
½tsp vanilla extract
120ml buttermilk
150g plain flour
½tsp salt
½tsp bicarbonate of soda
1½tsp white wine vinegar

For the cream cheese frosting: 
300g icing sugar, sifted
50g unsalted butter, at room temperature
125g cream cheese, cold

You'll also need: 
12-hole cupcake tray, lined with large cupcake cases

Preheat the oven to 170°C/325°F/gas mark 3.
Put the butter and the sugar in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy and well mixed. Turn the mixer up to high speed, slowly add the egg and beat until everything is well incorporated.

In a separate bowl, mix together the cocoa powder, red food colouring and vanilla extract to make a thick, dark paste. Add to the butter mixture and mix thoroughly until evenly combined and coloured (scrape any unmixed ingredients from the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula). Turn the mixer down to slow speed and slowly pour in half the buttermilk. Beat until well mixed, then add half the flour, and beat until everything is well incorporated. Repeat this process until all the buttermilk and flour have been added. Scrape down the side of the bowl again. Turn the mixer up to high speed and beat until you have a smooth, even mixture. Turn the mixer down to low speed and add the salt, bicarbonate of soda and vinegar. Beat until well mixed, then turn up the speed again and beat for a couple more minutes.

Spoon the mixture into the paper cases until two-thirds full and bake in the preheated oven for 20–25 mins, or until the sponge bounces back when touched. A skewer inserted in the centre should come out clean. Leave the cupcakes to cool slightly in the tray before turning out onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Meanwhile for the cream cheese frosting: Beat the icing sugar and butter together in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) on medium-slow speed until the mixture comes together and is well mixed. Add the cream cheese in one go and beat until it is completely incorporated. Turn the mixer up to medium-high speed. Continue beating until the frosting is light and fluffy, at least 5 mins. Do not overbeat, as it can quickly become runny.
When the cupcakes are cold, spoon over the cream cheese frosting on top.

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My next recipe is Cajun Spiced Salmon. Recipe by Barney Desmazery, courtesy of Good Food Magazine Oct 2011.

Serves 2, takes 25mins to prepare, 5mins to cook.

2 x Salmon Fillets, approx 140g each
Juice of 1 x Lime
Pinch of Chilli Powder
½ tsp x Ground Cumin
½ tsp x Smoked Paprika
½ tsp x Ground Coriander
Pinch of Soft Brown Sugar
Drizzle of Sunflower Oil
Steamed Rice, to serve

For The Salsa Ripe Avocado, peeled and diced
Handful of Cherry Tomatoes, quartered
2 x Spring Onions, sliced
Juice 1 x Lime
Splash of Olive Oil
Bunch of Coriander, half roughly chopped, half picked into sprigs

Put the salmon in a bowl, pour over the lime juice and leave the salmon to “cure” for mins. Meanwhile, mix all the spices together with the sugar. Lift the salmon out of the lime juice and roll in the spices so it’s completely coated.

Heat the grill to high. Grease a baking tray, then sit the salmon, flesh-side up, on the tray. Grill for 5mins, until the salmon is cooked through and the edges are starting to blacken. While the salmon is cooking, gently mix all the salsa ingredients together with the roughly chopped coriander. When the fish is cooked, serve with the salsa, some rice and the coriander sprigs.

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Much Maligned ingredient of the week – Kidney Beans
The kidney bean otherwise called the chili bean, with its dark red skin is named for its visual resemblance to a kidney. The kidney bean is also known as the red bean, although this usage can cause confusion with other red beans. Red kidney beans (rājmā in Hindi and Punjabi) are an integral part of the cuisine in northern region of India. Red kidney beans are used in New Orleans and much of southern Louisiana for the classic Monday Creole dish of red beans and rice. The smaller, darker red beans are also used, particularly in Louisiana families with a recent Caribbean heritage. They are a common ingredient in chili con carne. Small kidney beans used in La Rioja, Spain, are called caparrones.

Raw kidney beans, and some other beans, contain the toxin phytohaemagglutinin, which is destroyed by boiling for at least ten minutes. Dry beans must be boiled prior to slow cooking to avoid poisoning. Even a few beans can be toxic, and beans can be as much as five times more toxic if cooked at 175°F (80°C) than if eaten raw, so adequate preboiling is vital. Cases of poisoning by slow-cooked beans have been published in the UK; poisoning has occurred in the USA, but has not been formally reported.

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My final recipe is Spicey Fillet Steaks. Recipe by Valli Little, courtesy of Delicious Magazine Oct 2011.

Serves 6, takes prep 10mins to prepare, cook 10mins to cook + resting.

2tbsp x Olive Oil
4 x 180g Fillet Steaks
2 x Garlic Cloves, chopped
1 tsp x Fennel Seeds
25g x Sun-dried Tomato Paste
½ tsp x Chilli Flakes
2 tbsp x Balsamic Vinegar
125ml x Dry Red Wine
125ml x Beef Consommé or Beef Stock
Rocket Leaves to serve

Heat the oil 1 tbsp at a time in a large frying pan over a high heat. In batches, cook the steaks for 2mins on each side until seared but still rare. Season and then rest, loosely covered, for 5mins. Reduce the heat to medium, then cook the garlic, fennel, tomato paste and chilli for 1min, stirring.
Add the vinegar, wine and consommé to the pan, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to medium. Cook for 2-3mins until reduced. Slice the steaks and serve with rocket leaves and the sauce.

Your Future’s Whatever You Make It, So Make It A Good One

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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Heroes Rush in When Fools Crumble

Hi everyone and welcome to the blog. This week’s blog is dedicated to two memorable days for totally different reasons; April Fool’s Day, and National Armed Forces Day in Burma. So this week’s recipes are fit for heroes and fools alike. They are Cardamom Plum Fool, Beef Wellington, Mushroom Wellington, Beef & Red Wine Stew, Wake Up Callcocktail and the herb of the week is Lemon Verbena.

April Fool’s Day is celebrated in the Western world on the 1st of April of every year. Sometimes referred to as All Fools' Day, 1st April is not a legal holiday, but is widely recognized and celebrated as a day which tolerates practical jokes and general foolishness. The day is marked by the commission of good humoured or funny jokes, hoaxes and other practical jokes of varying sophistication on friends, family members, teachers, neighbours, work associates, etc.

Traditionally, in some countries such as New Zealand, the UK, Australia, and South Africa, the jokes only last until noon, and someone who plays a trick after noon is called an "April Fool". It is for this reason that newspapers in the U.K. that run a front page April fool only do so on the first (morning) edition. Elsewhere, such as in France, Ireland, Italy, South Korea, Japan, Russia, The Netherlands, Germany, Brazil, Canada, and the U.S., the jokes last all day. The earliest recorded association between 1st April and foolishness can be found in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales (1392). Many writers suggest that the restoration of the 1st of January as New Year's Day in the 16th century was responsible for the creation of the holiday, but this theory does not explain earlier references.

In Chaucer's Canterbury Tales (1392), the "Nun's Priest's Tale" is set Syn March bigan thritty dayes and two. Chaucer probably meant 32 days after March, i.e. 2nd of May, the anniversary of the engagement of King Richard II of England to Anne of Bohemia, which took place in 1381. However, readers apparently misunderstood this line to mean "32nd of March," i.e. 1st April. In Chaucer's tale, the vain cock Chauntecleer is tricked by a fox.
In 1509, a French poet referred to a poisson d’avril (April fool, literally "April fish"), a possible reference to the holiday. In 1539, Flemish poet Eduard de Dene wrote of a nobleman who sent his servants on foolish errands on the 1st of April. In 1686, John Aubrey referred to the holiday as "Fooles holy day", the first British reference. On 1st April, 1698, several people were tricked into going to the Tower of London to "see the Lions washed". The name "April Fools" echoes that of the Feast of Fools, a Medieval holiday held on the 28th December.

In the Middle Ages, New Year's Day was celebrated on the 25th of March in most European towns. In some areas of France, New Year's was a week-long holiday ending on the 1st of April. So it is possible that April Fools originated because those who celebrated on the 1st of January made fun of those who celebrated on other dates. The use of the 1st of January as New Year's Day was common in France by the mid-sixteenth century, and this date was adopted officially in 1564 by the Edict of Roussillon.

In the eighteenth century the festival was often posited as going back to the time of Noah. According to an English newspaper article published in 1789, the day had its origin when Noah sent his dove off too early, before the waters had receded; he did this on the first day of the Hebrew month that corresponds with April.

The Burmese Armed Forces Day, in Myanmar Tatmadaw Nay, is celebrated on March 27 in commemoration of the start of Burmese army's resistance to Japanese occupation in 1945. However, countries all over the world have different days when they celebrate their own Armed Forces Day, here in the UK we celebrate our day on 25th June.
The day is an annual opportunity for those nations to show their support for the men and women who make up their Armed Forces community ranging from currently serving troops to service families, and from veterans to cadets. Across the world people get involved in community held events along with businesses to show their support.

My first recipe is Cardamom Plum Fool courtesy of Good Food Channel Website

Serves 6, Prep time is 15 mins, Cook time is 25 mins.

1kg x Plums, stoned and chopped 
125g x Caster Sugar
3 x Cardamom Pods, husks discarded and seeds crushed 
Juice of 2 Lemons
150g x Ready-Made Custard
500g x Greek Yoghurt
Mint leaves, to garnish 
Amaretti Biscuits

Simmer the plums with the sugar, cardamom and lemon juice for about 15 minutes. Leave to cool. Drain the plums (reserving the syrup) then puree the plums until smooth. Re-heat the syrup and reduce by half. Stir the reduced syrup into the plum puree. Mix the puree with the custard and yoghurt, folding together well. Spoon into dessert bowls, cover and chill until required. Garnish with mint leaves. Serve with amaretti biscuits.

My next recipe is Beef Wellington Recipe by Gordon Ramsey, courtesy of BBC Good Food Website

Serves 4, 10mins to prepare, takes 1hr and 30mins plus chilling time to cook.

500g x Button Mushrooms , stalks removed and finely chopped
Olive Oil
1 x Sprig Thyme, leaves stripped off
600g x Beef Fillet, choose a centre cut piece
1 tbsp x English Mustard
500g x Pre-made All-Butter Puff Pastry
3 x Parma Ham Slices
1 x Egg Yolk, beaten

HERB CRÊPES
50g x Plain Flour
½ x egg
125ml x Milk
1 tbsp x Mixed Herbs, such as chervil, chives and tarragon, chopped
½ tbsp x Melted Butter

To make the crêpes, whizz the flour, egg and milk with a pinch of salt in a blender or processor until smooth. Pour into a jug and stir in the herbs and some seasoning. Leave to rest.

Fry the mushrooms in a little oil until they give up all their moisture and it has evaporated, leaving you with a thick paste. Add the thyme leaves and some seasoning and keep cooking for a few minutes. Cool.

Stir the melted butter into the crêpe batter, heat a 15cm crêpe pan and oil it lightly. Pour in enough batter to make a thin layer on the base of the pan, cook until the top surface sets and then turn over and cook briefly. Remove and repeat with the rest of the batter. This will make a couple more than you need so choose the thinnest ones for the recipe.

Sear the beef all over in a little oil in a very hot pan. Brush with the mustard, season and allow to cool. Lay a large sheet of clingfilm on a kitchen surface and put two crêpes down on it, overlapping a little. Lay over the Parma ham. Spread the mushroom mixture over the ham and put the beef in the centre. Roll the clingfilm up, taking the crêpe with it, to wrap the beef completely into a nice neat log. Chill for 1 hour.

Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 4. Roll out the pastry, remove the clingfilm and wrap the beef in the pastry like a parcel, with the ends tucked under. Trim to keep it nice and neat. Brush with egg, score with shallow lines across the top and chill for 20 minutes. Cook for 20 minutes. The best way to test if the meat is done to your liking is to neatly and carefully stick a skewer into the beef, count to three and then test it against your inner wrist. If it is cold the beef will be raw, if it is warm then the beef will be rare and if it's hot, it'll be cooked through. Leave to rest for 20 minutes before carving.

An Alternative to this carnivore’s delight, try this recipe for any vegetarian diners:-

Mushroom Wellington, recipe by Barney Desmazery, courtesy of BBC Good Food website.

Serves 4, prep time 30mins, takes 50mins to cook.

4 x Large Field Mushrooms
4 tbsp x Olive Oil
1 x Garlic Clove , chopped
Approx. 400g x Spinach Leaves
A dusting of flour
1 tbsp x Thyme Leaves (no stalkes)
500g x Read-made All-Butter Puff Pastry
140g x Stilton, sliced
1 x Egg, beaten

Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Remove the stalks from the mushrooms. Heat half the oil in a large frying pan and sizzle the mushrooms for 3-4 mins on each side until golden and cooked through - add a drop more oil if needed. Lift the mushrooms out onto kitchen paper to drain. Place the same pan back on the heat with the rest of the oil. Fry the garlic for a moment, add the spinach to the pan, then cook for 2-3 mins over a high heat until completely wilted. Season with salt and pepper, then tip the spinach into a large sieve to drain thoroughly.
On a lightly floured surface scattered with the thyme leaves, roll the pastry out to the thickness of a £1 coin. Using a saucer and a larger-size plate, cut out 4 circles about 5cm wider than the mushrooms (for the bottoms) and 4 circles about 10cm wider (for the tops), re-rolling the trimmings if you need to. Place the 4 smaller circles on a baking tray and top each with a quarter of the spinach, making sure the pile of spinach isn't wider than the mushrooms. Top the spinach with a slice of cheese, then a mushroom, smooth-side up, and top the mushroom with another slice of cheese. Brush the border to each circle with egg, then gently stretch the larger circle over the mushroom, trying not to trap any air, then press the edges together with a fork. Trim the edges with a knife if you want, then brush each generously with egg. Bake for 40 mins until golden, then leave to cool for a few mins before serving.

Herb of the week – Lemon Verbena (Aloysia citrodora) 
Lemon Verbena is a deciduous perennial shrub, which is killed to the ground with hard frost, though it springs anew from the roots where the ground has not frozen; in mild, frost-free gardens, such as in the west of Ireland, it may attain heights of 25 feet (7.6 meters). It grows to a height of 3 to 7 metres and exudes a powerful lemony scent. It prefers full sun, a lot of water, and a light loam soil. It is sensitive to cold, losing leaves at temperatures below 0°C although the wood is hardy to -10°C. Lemon Verbena, if covered with some straw, cut down and kept free from very moist conditions, will also withstand up to a -15°C frost and will make new leaves in spring. The light green leaves are lancet-shaped, and its tiny flowers bloom lavender or white in late summer.

Lemon verbena leaves are used to add a lemony flavour to fish and poultry dishes, vegetable marinades, salad dressings, jams, puddings, and beverages. It also is used to make herbal teas and can be used to make a sorbet. In addition, it has anti-Candida albicans activity. In European Union, Verbena essential oils (Lippia citriodora Kunth.) and derivatives other than absolute are prohibited when used as a fragrance ingredient (Commission Directive 2009/164/EU of 22 December 2009).

Very little scientific research examines the lemon verbena herb as a medicinal plant, though it has a long history of use in folk medicine for treating a variety of ailments. One of its most popular uses is masking the flavour of bitter or less-palatable herbs in medicinal teas. Lemon verbena tea, however, has its own claim to fame. Herbalists and natural healers often prescribe the lemony beverage for treating digestive upsets, nerves, depression, headache and fever. In addition, it is one of the most effective natural remedies for colic and indigestion. The tea may also benefit sufferers of colds, bronchitis, congestion, cramps, sore or tired muscles, and nausea.

The intense citrus taste and aroma of lemon verbena contribute to its popularity as a culinary herb. The plant’s fresh and dried leaves are commonly used to flavour rice dishes, teas and beverages, fruit salads, custards, steamed puddings, cold soups, gelatine, jams and jellies, cakes, liqueurs and homemade ice cream. Lemon verbena is sometimes used in place of mint or lemon balm, though it takes only half the recommended amount because of the herb’s strength. Lemon verbena tea makes a refreshing drink after eating a heavy dinner.

My next recipe is Beef & Red Wine Stew, this is my variation on a recipe which first appeared in Slimming World Magazine.

Serves 4, takes 20mins to prepare & approx. 2.1/2hrs to cook.

900g x Irish Beef Fillet – chopped into chunks
2 x Garlic Cloves – peeled and crushed
6 x Small Sweet Shallots – peeled and halved
2 x Celery Stalks – chopped into 1” pieces
6 x Carrots – peeled and chopped roughly
400ml x Beef Stock 
Sea Salt
Black Pepper
175ml x Red Wine
Fry Light 
5 tbsp x Beef Gravy Granules
2 x Bay Leaf
2 tbsp x Flour
2 tsp x Paprika

First of all, season your flour with a salt, black pepper and 1 tsp of paprika, then coat your beef chunks with it ensuring that all the beef is covered. Preheat your oven to gas mark 3. Spray a large frying pan with fry light and place over a medium heat. Add the beef and stir fry until browned on all sides. Next add the vegetables, wine, stock, paprika and gravy granules. Season well and add the bay leaves. Bring to the boil, transfer to a lidded casserole dish and cover. Cook in the oven for 1.1/2-2hrs or until the beef is tender. Serve with potatoes.

My final recipe is a cocktail especially for the start of British Summer Time (BST) Which starts on 27th March this year.Wake Up Call. Recipe by Andy Pearson, courtesy of BBC’s Something For The Weekend website.

35ml x Gin
1 tbsp x Orange Liqueur
25ml x Grapefruit Juice
1 x Pink Grapefruit, peel cut into a spiral

Pour the gin, orange liqueur and grapefuit juice into a cocktail shaker. Fill with ice and shake hard to combine. Strain into a tall glass full of ice and garnish with a spiral of pink grapefruit peel

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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