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| UNITED WE STAND ........ |
We sincerely hope and pray that tomorrow, the 23rd June 2016, our British friends will choose to stay in Europe. We Europeans must continue to support the Union ardently because it has been our safe haven since 1993. Much earlier, in 1957, the E.E.C. had brought the first European member countries together into a single market. Actually, in 1946 after 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 had said.
Do not allow yourselves to be misled, dear friends, by false hopes that you might be much better off if the result of the referendum is a Brexit. Only together can we endure and survive the devastating international credit crunch and the severe refugee-migrant problem that torment 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 STRENGTH.
The referendum results were: 51.9% to leave the European Union
48.1% to remain in the E. U.
This was the country's choice and it must be respected.
But Scotland, N. Ireland, most of the London Boroughs, Gibraltar and Britain's youth voted to remain in the Union.
Here are a few recipes which you might enjoy cooking:
BAKED TROUT
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| Pleating Securely to Enclose the Trout |
Trout, freshly fished out of the rivers of
Scotland, is delicious cooked in its own juices.
6 x 250 g (½ lb) trout, scaled, fins removed, washed and wiped dry
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp salted butter, divided into six pieces
6 sprigs of dill, chervil, thyme and parsley
6 stalks of chives
2 tbsp olive oil
6 tbsp whisky or vermouth
3 tsp lemon juice
6 oval pieces of foil
6 oval pieces of baking parchment
Garnish:
6 lemon wedges
6 parsley sprigs
Preheat the oven to 250 C (480 F).
Place the pieces of foil on a working surface, cover with the baking parchment, brush with olive oil and put a fish in the centre. Brush each trout with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stuff the cavity of each fish with a sprig of each of the herbs mentioned above, a chive stalk and a piece of salted butter. Pull the foil around each fish to form a gondola and pour 1 tbsp of whisky or vermouth and ½ tsp of lemon juice over. Fold the baking parchment into a packet and bring the foil together, pleating it, to securely enclose the fish.
Place the packets on a baking tin and bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes. Check the thickest part of the fish for doneness, the flesh should not be pink or opaque so, bake 5 minutes or more until the fish is cooked. Check again and garnish with lemon wedges and parsley sprigs and serve with a tasty green salad.
LONDON BROIL WITH HERB BUTTER
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| Ready to Enjoy |
One of the best-known British dishes is roast beef. London broil is a smaller roast that is marinated overnight and then cooked 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 olive oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp brown sugar
½ tsp hot pepper flakes
(Mix all the ingredients well together)
Herb Butter:
4 tbsp butter softened
1½ tbsp finely chopped chives
½ tbsp or more finely chopped rosemary
1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
1 tbsp lemon juice
Salt and pepper
(Mix everything together until well combined)
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt
Place the meat in a flat dish, pour the marinade over, cover and refrigerate overnight, turning 3-4 times over.
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 olive oil and insert a thermometer into the thickest part of the meat. Place it in the sizzling frying pan and cover with a heavy skillet on top, to weigh it down. 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, 70 C (155 F) for medium, and sprinkle with salt.
Transfer the meat to a cutting board, brush with herb butter, cover with foil and allow it to rest for ten minutes. Thinly slice the meat against the grain and cover it evenly with the remaining herb butter and the juices. Serve with creamed potatoes, onion marmalade and vegetables of your choice.
ONION MARMALADE
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| 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
2 tbsp sunflower oil
200 g (1 cup) brown sugar
2 cups white wine
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 very syrupy. 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 sterilised jars.
SHERRY CHICKEN AND CHORIZO SALAD
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| Chicken and Chorizo Salad |
The Gibraltarians love this salad, I think you will too.
3 chicken breasts, skinned, boned and cut into bite-sized pieces
120 g (4 oz) chorizo sausage, thickly sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ tsp or less Cayenne pepper
125 ml (½ cup) or more hot, tasty chicken stock
3 celery stalks, trimmed and finely chopped
2 handfuls of baby spinach or baby rocket, thoroughly washed
4 tbsp Tio Pepe sherry
Lemon juice to taste
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Sauté the chicken and chorizo in olive oil, stirring over medium heat until the chicken changes colour. Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper and Cayenne pepper, but be sparing with salt. Lower the heat, pour in the chicken stock and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes, Stir in the chopped celery and cook over high heat until quite dry. Add the sherry, lemon juice and the baby spinach or rocket, sprinkle with a little salt and cook for a few minutes more. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if necessary, and serve immediately, drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil.
BAILEYS CHOCOLATE MOUSSE TART
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| A Delicious Irish Tart |
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| Really Elegant with a Dollop of 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) butter 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 to glossy peaks with a pinch of salt and 2 tbsp of sugar
90 g (3 oz) sugar
A pinch of salt
62.5 ml (¼ cup) Baileys Irish Cream
250 ml (1 cup) cream
Chantilly cream:
375 ml (1 ½ cup) cream whipped to peaks with
2 tbsp of icing sugar
Vanilla and
A tiny pinch of salt
First, prepare the pastry. Gently rub the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles crumbs. Add just enough water so that the pastry comes together. Flatten the dough, cover with cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes at least.
Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F).
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 it towards the base and sides of the dish. Trim the excess pastry, neatly, and place in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes. Cover the pastry with crushed foil to prevent the sides from collapsing, bake blind for 12 minutes and allow 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. Gently fold in the cold chocolate, Baileys and cream. Finally, add 3 tablespoonfuls of whipped egg whites 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 the mousse and level the surface. Bake the tart for 15-17 minutes remove from the oven and allow to cool, a little. Serve with Chantilly cream.
To honour the young Brits and young Europeans in general, find below a recipe for a cocktail prepared with typically British ingredients.
GIN LEMON AND GINGER BEER COCKTAIL
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| A Cocktail for the Young and not so Young European Citizens |
This is a very refreshing cocktail, that I am sure you will enjoy.
Pour into each iced Champagne flute:
1 liqueur glass gin
1 liqueur glass simple syrup (1 part sugar + 1 part water) boil stirring occasionally until sugar melts
1 tbsp lemon juice
A twist of lemon peel
Top with ginger beer
