MOTHER'S DAY

Mother's Day celebrates motherhood and the influence of mothers in society.    It was originally celebrated in many parts of the world either in the month of March or May.   During antiquity, Greeks honoured mothers with the cult to Cybele and Rhea the Mother of the Gods, the Roman celebrated the festival of Hilaria and much later was the Christian festival of Mothering  Sunday.


In 1914,  the US President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation designating Mother's Day, held on the second Sunday of May, as a national holiday to honour mothers. This was adopted by other countries where celebrations honouring motherhood had already existed such as Mothering Sunday in the UK and Mother's Day in Greece.  In catholic countries, it is called the Virgin Mary's  Day.  In Russia, it is called International  Women Day.  In India and elsewhere, Hindus call Mother's Day  Mother's Pilgrim Fortnight.


 Personally, I had a wonderful mother who together with my father gave me endlessly, unconditional love, and concern and I shall always love them very tenderly and be grateful to them for all they offered to me from infancy to adulthood and beyond.


I so wish to tell both my Mother and Father how much I love them and think of them every day. Thank you, for your endless love, generosity, thoughtfulness and moral support which I shall always remember till the day I  die.



Here are several recipes for a meal for Mother's day.

                                  CARROT GINGER AND ORANGE SOUP

A delicious soup. 

1 tbsp butter

1 onion, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 garlic clove, peeled

6 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped

250 ml (1 cup) fresh orange juice

2 tsp grated ginger

500 ml (2 cups) tasty chicken broth

500 ml (2 cups) water

Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste

65 ml (¼ cup) cream

In a large saucepan, sweat the onion in butter for 3-4 minutes until soft. Add the carrots, orange juice, ginger, chicken broth and water, bring to the boil and simmer gently for 25 minutes or until the carrots are tender.

Purée the soup with a blender and sieve it back into the saucepan.   Bring it to a very gentle simmer, taste and adjust seasoning if necessary, stir in the cream. And serve in hot soup bowls.

                                           SHRIMP  RUSSIAN SALAD

An old-fashioned but delicious salad wich is a must for any buffet dinner.

1 ¼ kg (2 ½ lb) shrimp shelled, deveined, washed and boiled * (Please see first recipe below)

1 kg (2 lb) potatoes, boiled in salted water, peeled and diced

500 g (1 lb) carrots, peeled, boiled and diced

500 g (1 lb) peas, cooked in salted water and strained

2 sweet gherkins, finely sliced

2 tbsp olive oil

1 cup fresh parsley leaves, roughly chopped, separated

2 cups mayonnaise *(Please see recipe below)

                             Recipe for Boiled Shrimp

Shrimp shells

 1 tbsp salt

1 peeled garlic clove

1 bay leaf

2 litres (8 cups) water

Bring the shrimp shells and the other ingredients to the boil, simmer gently until the garlic softens and strain.   Add the shrimp and boil for 2-3 minutes or until they turn pink.  Remove and cool immediately to prevent the shrimp from hardening.

                               Recipe for Mayonnaise

2 egg yolks, at room temperature

1 heaped tsp Dijon mustard

½ cup sunflower oil mixed with

¼ cup mild olive oil

1 tsp tarragon vinegar

Lemon juice to taste

A little salt, if necessary

Place the egg yolks in a bowl with the mustard, vinegar and a little salt and stir until well combined.   Then very, very slowly add the oil, drop by drop whipping constantly until ¼ of the oil has been added and the egg yolk mixture thickens and emulsifies.  Continue adding the oil in a thin stream and beating until all the oil has been used.

Place all the diced vegetables and the boiled shrimp in a large bowl with the sliced gherkins and ½ the chopped parsley, drizzle with a little olive oil and very gently fold in the mayonnaise, until well combined.

Arrange the shrimp Russian salad in a pretty bowl and garnish with extra parsley

                             FILLET SERVED WITH BANANAS AND PINEAPPLE

   

 Needless to say, that however hard I try, this dish, whose recipe is given below, will never be quite as delicious as the one my Mother prepared, so many years ago!

10 slices beef fillet 2.5 cm (1 inch) thick, marinated for 2 hours in:

4 tbsp garlic-scented olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper

2 sprigs of marjoram or any other herb of your choice

125 ml (½ cup) or more sweet red wine

A tiny knob of butter

Herbed butter:

5 tbsp soft butter

1 spring onion, very finely chopped

1 tbsp parsley, very finely chopped

½ tsp lemon juice

Salt and pepper

           

First, prepare the herbed butter.  Combine all the ingredients together and, with the help of a piece of greaseproof paper, form a small cylinder the size of the circumference of a 2 euro coin.  Cover and freeze. Two hours before needed, place in the fridge.

 Heat a heavy frying pan and reserve the marjoram sprigs for later.   Sear the steaks, in batches for 2-3 minutes on each side.   Then lower the heat and cook for 2 minutes or more on each side in order to reach the meat’s preferred doneness. Sprinkle with salt and arrange on a heated dish, cover and keep hot.

 Just before serving, prepare the gravy.   Deglaze the pan with wine, a little salt, if necessary, and the reserved marjoram sprigs.   Add the butter and swirl.   Place a slice of herbed butter over each steak, drizzle with gravy and serve with candied bananas and pineapple pieces.

                                                     CANDIED BANANAS

This and the following recipe make lovely trimmings for beef and ham dishes.

Syrup:

375 ml (1½ cup) water

55 g (¼ cup) brown sugar

A pinch of cinnamon

A pinch of salt

5 ripe but firm bananas, thickly sliced

 Prepare the syrup by boiling all the ingredients together for 2-3 minutes until the sugar melts.   Add the bananas and simmer until soft, but not falling apart. Remove from the syrup and serve with meat or cheese.

CANDIED PINEAPPLE

 You can use as much sugar as you like.  This recipe is intended for tinned pineapple without added sugar.

One 560 g (1 lb 2 oz) tin sliced pineapple in its juice

 Syrup:

The pineapple juice from the tin

110 g (½ cup) brown sugar or less

A pinch of salt

A knob of butter

A pin of Cayenne pepper (optional)

The pineapple slices strained

 Simmer the ingredients for the syrup (+ the Cayenne, if using) in a large frying pan until thick and bubbly    Add the pineapple slices and cook until soft.  Remove and serve as indicated above.

                                                         ETON MESS

An English dessert of which I have no words.

3 egg whites

1 tiny pinch of salt

120 g (4 oz) sugar

500 g (1 lb) hulled strawberries roughly chopped

500 ml (2 cups) double cream

1 tbsp icing sugar

Extra strawberries for garnish

Heat oven to 120 C (248 F) and line a large tray with baking parchment.  Whip egg whites with a tiny pinch of salt to the soft peak stage, then add the sugar gradually whipping each time until well incorporated and forming stiff peaks.

Spoon dollops of the mixture on the lined tray and bake at the bottom of the shelf for 1 hour – 1 ¼ hour until the meringues are completely hard and come off the parchment easily and allow to cool.   Meanwhile, blend the strawberries to make a strawberry coulis.

In a large bowl whisk the cream with the icing sugar until thick.  Roughly crush the meringues and tip the with the chopped strawberries and stir. Then swirl through the strawberry coulis.  Spoon equally into individual bowls, crust the remaining meringues evenly on top.  Garnish with strawberries.        

    

Some Pink Roses for Mother's Day