BREXIT

United We Stand

On the 22^nd June, 2016 I had written in my post PLEASE BREMAIN!!:

“We sincerely hope and pray that tomorrow, the 23^rd June, our British friends will choose to stay in Europe.  We Europeans must continue to support the Union ardently because it has been our haven since 1993.   Much earlier, in 1957, the EEC had brought the first six European countries into a single market.  Actually, in 1946, after the end of World War II, the former British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill was one of the first to call for “a structure …a European family, under which, we can all live in peace, safety and freedom…”  “We must build a kind of United States of Europe”, he said.

Dear friends, do not allow yourselves to be misled by false hopes that you will be much better off if the result of the referendum is BREXIT.   Only together can we endure and survive this devastating international credit crunch and the severe refugee-migrant problem that torments us so, and that we in Greece, unfortunately, know all too well.

So, please keep in mind that, despite any displeasure, annoyance or even anger you might be feeling, OUR HOME IS EUROPE and UNITY IS OUR STRENGHT.

The referendum results were:

51.9% to leave the European Union

48.1% to remain in the EU

This was the country’s choice and it must be respected.  But Scotland, N. Ireland, most of the London boroughs and the British youth voted to remain in the Union.

The vote of the British people to leave the European Union sent shockwaves across the European Continent and beyond.  It was the most significant event since the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989.

Robert Fay, the director of the global economy at the Centre for International Governance Innovation, on the 22^nd of January, 2019 in his article “The Long-Simmering Economic Issues Behind Brexit” wrote:

“When the UK entered into a conflict with the European Union without an exit strategy, it assumed that, somehow, an exit strategy would present itself.  Obviously, it did not.  It was impossible to meet the unfounded promises of the Brexiteers, who won the referendum, but only the Brexit process could reveal to which extent those promises were achievable ….More people are now in opposition to Brexit, which they had initially supported, and for a good reason.   Considerable economic analysis showed that Brexit would lower living standards.   The Brexit referendum shouldn’t be remembered as a vote of a generation, it was a vote to lower the living standards of subsequent generations.”

And he went on to say, that the referendum was not, actually about the EU control over the UK or about Britain’s inefficiency to determine its own future.  Rather, it was a  set of “long-simmering issues” that have afflicted the British economy, like stagnant incomes, due to deteriorating productivity growth, which according to Mr Andrew Haldane, the chief economist of the Bank of England “was almost unprecedented in the modern era”, deindustrialization, rising inequality, the growing divide between cities and rural arias, deficient funding for welfare programmes, the National Health Service and so on.   To blame the EU for these fundamental issues is absurd. Moreover, Brexit will greatly enhance these issues.

According to an editorial of the British scientific journal NATURE of the 29^th October 2019, titled “Beware the UK Government’s Brexit Promises”, the research funds for British scientists will terminate in case of a Brexit.  It goes on to explain that if the Brexit agreement is ultimately passed, Britain will be forced to leave the free trade area known as the Custom Union, free movement of citizens to and from the European Union and Britain will end, and British scientists will no longer be able to obtain funds from the EU for research programmes.

Incidentally, serious discussions will take place in Chatham House, the Royal Institute of International Affairs, on the 19^th November 2019 concerning Brexit Britain.  As several politicians and the concerned public are anxious about the looming “Brexit elections”, Britain’s fifth in only four years,  it will, apparently, be the “most consequential contest of the post-war era.”  It will not only determine which party will rule, but whether Britain will hold a second referendum, what type of Brexit will appear and if Brexit will ever happen at all.

So, dear British friends, please reconsider your 2016 hasty decision and remain in the European Union, for your benefit and our pleasure.

(I wish to thank ERT, SKY TVgr, BBC, Mr Robert Fay, CNN, the Royal Institute of International Affairs and NATURE journal for the valuable information for this post.)



Here are a few recipes of British dishes, which I hope you will prepare and enjoy.

                                                    BAKED TROUT

Trout freshly fished out of the revers of Scotland is delicious baked in its own juices.

6 x 250 g (½ b) trout, scaled, fins removed, washed and wiped dry

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 tbsp salted butter cut into six pieces

6 sprigs of dill, chervil, thyme and parsley

6 stalks of chives

2 tbsp olive oil

6 tbsp whiskey or vermouth

3 tbsp olive oil

6 oval pieces of baking parchment

6 oval pieces of foil

6 lemon wedges and

6 parsley sprigs for garnish

Preheat oven to 250 C (480 F).   Place the pieces of foil on a working surface, cover with baking parchment and brush with olive oil,  Place each fish in the centre, brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper.   Stuff the cavity of each fish with a sprig of each herb mentioned above and a piece of salted butter.  Fold the parchment/foil around each fish to form an open packet and pour a tablespoon of liquor and ½ tsp of lemon juice over.   

Then close each packet securely, place into a baking tin, and bake for 10-12 minutes.  Then check the thickest part of each fish for doneness.  The flesh should not be pink or opaque, so bake for 5 minutes more or until the fish is cooked through,  Check once more and serve the trouts garnished with lemon wedges and dill sprigs, accompanied by a zesty green salad.  

                                                   LONDON BROIL

One of the most famous British dishes is roast beef.   London broil is a small roast that is marinate overnight, and then baked by the high heat method.

1 kg (2 lb) top round London broil

Marinade:

2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

1 beef bouillon cube dissolved in

187.5 ml (¾ cup) hot water and cooled

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp brown sugar

½ tsp hot pepper flakes

(Mix everything well together)

Herb Butter:

4 tbsp butter, softened

1½ tbsp finely chopped chives

½ tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary

1 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley

Lemon juice to taste

(Mix everything until well combined)

1 tbsp olive oil

Salt

Place the meat in a flat dish and pour the marinade over, cover with cling film and refrigerate overnight, turning it over twice or three times.

Three-quarters of an hour before roasting, remove the meat from the fridge, dry it well and bring it to room temperature.   Meanwhile, prepare the herb butter. 

Place a heavy frying pan over high heat, rub the steak with 1 tbsp of olive oil and insert a thermometer into the thickest part of the meat.  Place it into the sizzling frying pan and cover with a heavy skillet on top to weigh it down.  Then, sear for 7-8 minutes, turn the meat over and sprinkle with salt.  Place the weight on top and cook until the thermometer reads 60 C (140 F) for rare and 70 C (155 F) for medium, then sprinkle with salt.

Transfer the meat to a cutting board brush with herb butter, cover with foil and allow it to rest for 10 minutes.  Then slice the meat against the grain and brush it evenly with the remaining herb butter and the juices.  Serve with creamed potatoes, onion marmalade and vegetables of your choice. 

                                     

                                              ONION MARMALADE

A Treat

This relish is delicious with roast meat or poultry.  It is highly recommended for a cheese platter.

4 large onions, peeled, halved and finely sliced

2.5 cm (1 inch) piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated

1 tbsp sunflower oil

200 g (1 cup) brown sugar

500 ml (2 cups) white wine

125 ml (½ cup) balsamic vinegar

1 bay leaf

Salt

Cook the onions and ginger in sunflower oil, over very low heat for about 15 minutes or until very soft.  Meanwhile, simmer the sugar with the wine, balsamic vinegar and bay leaf until a thick syrup is formed.   Combine the onions with the syrup and simmer for 5 minutes more and cool.  Taste, season with salt, discard the bay leaf and store in the fridge, in sterilized jars.

                                       BAILEYS CHOCOLATE MOUSSE TART

A Very Elegant Irish Tart with a Dollop of Whipped Cream

Here is a recipe for a lovely tart with Baileys Irish Cream,

Pastry:

250 g (½ cup) plain flour mixed with

2 tbsp sugar

A pinch of salt

125 g ( ¼ cup) cutter cut into small pieces

A little cold water

Mousse:

210 g (7 oz) dark chocolate, finely chopped

120 g (4 oz) cold butter cut into small pieces

4 eggs separated whites whipped into soft peaks with

 A pinch of salt and

2 tbsp sugar

90 g (3 oz) sugar

1 pinch of salt

62.5 ml (¼ cup) Baileys Irish Cream

250 ml (1 cup) cream

Chantilly Cream:

375 ml (1½ cup) cream whipped with

2 tbsp icing sugar

1 vanilla

A tiny pinch of salt

First, prepare the pastry.   Gently rub the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles crumbs.  Add enough water to the pastry and mix until it comes together.  Then flatten the dough, cover with cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes at least.

Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F) and thinly roll out the dough between two pieces of baking parchment.   Drape the pastry over a buttered 30 cm (12 inches) tart dish and press towards the base and the sides of the dish.  Trim the excess pastry neatly and place the refrigerator for about 15 minutes.  Then cover the pastry with crushed foil to prevent the sides from collapsing and bake blind for 12 minutes, then remove from the oven and allow it to cool.

Meanwhile, prepare the mousse.  Melt the butter and chocolate, over simmering water, stirring until smooth and glossy and set aside to cool a little.  Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar and salt until pale and doubled in bulk and gently fold in the cold chocolate/Bailey cream.   Finally, add 3 tbsp of whipped egg whites and stir to lighten the chocolate mixture.   Then very gently fold in the remaining egg whites until no traces of white are visible.   Fill the tart shell with mousse and level the surface.  Bake the tart for 15-17 minutes, remove from the oven and allow to cool for a little.  Serve with Chantilly cream

                                  GIN, LEMON AND GINGERBEER COCKTAIL

For the Young and the Not-So-Young of the EU

Pour into each iced Champagne flute:

1 liqueur glass Gin

1 liqueur glass simple syrup

1 tbsp lemon juice

A twist of lemon peel

Top with ginger beer

   

United Europe Before the Brexit Issue