A look at English cuisine
Regina Murphy
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
The other week I had a nice conversation with Eileen Stephens and her son John.
They are from England and they come to Emporia each year to visit friends and attend Linda Cookson’s annual September 11th remembrance dinner.
Back in 1990, when Eileen’s husband Ivor was still living, the Stephenses passed through Emporia for a two-night stay to do some photography. In the course of that visit they met some Emporians who invited them home for dinner. They began a correspondence, and on the next trip were reunited.
Each successive visit gained them more and more friends, and they were invited to speak to various groups — especially Ivor Stephens, as he was a school teacher in England. John said his father spoke often to the schools in this area about life “across the pond.”
Linda Cookson brought the Stephenses down to the Gazette to talk with me about food. They’ve had some great experiences here. Their home town of Millom (Cambria, England) has one Italian restaurant and three “Fish and Chips.” I told them they were one up on us in the Italian eatery segment, and two up on the F&C since we do have a Long John Silver’s.
The Stephenses don’t cook at home very often, because they love to eat out. Their supermarket has a deli similar to ones here where they can get fish and chips, sandwiches, liver and onions, roasted chicken, mince meat pies and so forth.
John said they’re “not very keen” on spicy foods — like Indian, spicy Asian or Mexican styles, although they do enjoy attending the Sacred Heart taco supper when they are here. Simply prepared, fresh foods are their favorites.
Last year they went to the Olpe fall festival, and this year enjoyed a trip up to Lawrence as well as to the Breckenridge Cafe.
Eileen and John both love to go to salad bars. John said it’s hard to get all the fresh things you need for a good salad in England, so it’s really nice to go somewhere where you have a choice of greens, vegetables, cheeses — even meats and fruits. He also likes the different salad dressings.
Eileen said she had a great meal at a Japanese steakhouse (In Topeka, I believe). “It was quite the show, but so much food!” she said. I asked them if they could tell a difference between Kansas beef and British beef, and they said the flavor was similar, but Kansas steaks are much thicker and more tender. Oh, yes.
The Stephenses also enjoy American-style buffets. “There seems to be a lot of waste,” Eileen said, in reference to the size of portions on menu items. “It’s far too much food for someone like me.” John said that’s why the buffet seems to make the most sense--they can eat as much as they want and not feel like they’re wasting food.
Eileen was surprised that Kansans don’t eat more lamb. It doesn’t seem to make much sense to me, either. The Stephenses love the richness of lamb and say it’s a staple in England. One of their favorite meals is lamb chops with mint sauce.
This recipe came from Cooks.com. The sauce is tasty, but you can buy mint jelly and heat it to liquid stage if you prefer.
LAMB CHOPS
WITH MINT SAUCE
8 lamb chops
2 oz. Kikkoman teriyaki marinade
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
3 oz. white wine
Sauce:
1/4 c. water
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/4 c. finely chopped fresh mint
1/2 c. malt vinegar
Mix marinade, Worcestershire sauce and wine together in a zip-close bag. Wash chops, pat dry and place in marinade. Marinate for an hour and a half, turning several times.
Melt the sugar in the water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat and stir in the mint and vinegar. Let this steep for an hour or two, and add a little more sugar as desired.
Grill chops on high flame until done. Serve the mint sauce on the side with the vegetable of your choice!
Eileen seems to have quite a time getting her “chips” around here. Of course, we think “chips” are “french fries” but they’re not. They’re not Lays potato chips either, but fried disks of potato, just like you would prepare for scalloped potatoes. Eileen said, “That’s how that dish got it’s name, you know. The potatoes look like scallops.” I had never, ever even thought of that! I thought it was the cheese sauce. So, Eileen has to be careful what she’s asking for when she wants some chips — who knows what will turn up on the plate!
We also talked about brown ketchup. I come across that reference all the time, and was curious. In fact, according to Linda Cookson, our red ketchup is labeled “Tomato Ketchup,” first, because brown ketchup came first, and second, for a long time, people thought that tomatoes were poisonous. So, if you had “tomato ketchup,” you knew you were eating at your own risk. John says brown ketchup is spicier and perhaps more vinegary than tomato ketchup and they use it on everything, just like we do.
The Stephenses enjoy pork chops with applesauce, salmon broiled in foil with a cheesy white sauce, chicken with pineapple, and — of course — the lovely English cheeses available over there. Except gorgonzola, which is, after all, Italian.
Eileen and John shared one of their favorite dishes: Cottage Pie. You take a half-pound of seasoned meat, referred to as “mince,” dice a medium onion and boil this in stock to make a soup. Separately, you make some mashed potatoes for a crust, spoon the potatoes on top of the soup, “rough it up a bit with a fork,” Eileen said, dot it with butter and then brown it in the oven. You’re ready for a delicious dinner! Here’s a mince pie recipe for you.
MINCE PIE
1 lbs. beef round
1/3 lbs. suet (beef or mutton fat)
1 lbs. apples
1/2 cup raisins or currants
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground clove
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/3 cup brandy
1 cups cider or apple juice
2 rounds of prepared pie crust dough
1 tablespoon butter (optional)
Simmer beef 2 to 3 hours or until very tender, adding suet for last 1/2 hour of cooking. Cool slightly and chop very fine, into about 1/4-inch pieces. If you have leftover, cooked roast, reheat with the suet and proceed.
Core, and chop apples to make 1-1/2 cups. Mix beef, suet, apples, raisins or currants, sugars, spices, brandy and cider together.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line one pie plate with a crust; fill with the mince. Cover with the top crust, seal edges and slit 2 holes on top for steam to escape. If desired, spread a little butter on pastry for flaky upper crust.
Bake until apples are cooked and meat is heated through, about 1 hour. Serve warm or cold. If you’re going on a picnic, make several palm-sized pies instead of one big pie.
John says he and his mother love to travel, and will make it an annual event for as long as they are able. I’m sure they will always be welcome in Emporia.
Well, it’s October, and there are a lot of nifty classes available to the public through Flint Hills Technical College. Four this month have to do with food: Bonnie Starr will share her cake secrets, Lacey Whetstone will tour the cuisine of Korea (with samples!), and I’m on a roll: sushi rolls and egg rolls. Call Rachael LeClear at 343-4600 for details.
Next week we’ll check out some homemade salad dressings, and after that some rice recipes. I’ll be judging food all weekend at the American Royal Barbecue soon, and will give you a full report — if I survive. Let’s Get Cooking!