Excerpts from an English Journal,
Part Three
March 7: Another sunny day! We went into Chelmsford and shopped for food this morning. Sainsbury’s Supermarket is amazing. I think they must have the largest variety of sweets, wines, fresh fruit, berries and produce I’ve ever seen in one store. I suppose being so close to Israel, Spain and the various countries in Africa that grow so many different items allows them to have such a vast array from which to choose. Chelmsford is a Fairtrade Town, meaning it is committed to the promotion of Fairtrade certified goods, and you see labels noting Fairtrade on many imported items, especially fruits and vegetables.
Not only does this leading grocery retailer have an amazing variety of food and other items typically found in supermarkets, it houses a pharmacy too. They also sell books, newspapers, magazines, CDs, clothes, toys, flowers, petro and so many other items I can’t remember them all. It’s like a one-stop for almost everything.
After we returned from marketing, ******* cooked Scottish salmon and new potatoes for lunch while I made a salad from fresh cos, cucumbers, carrots, celery, and tomatoes and topped it with shredded cheddar. Having such fresh ingredients made the salad turn out well but I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the salmon (I am not known as a big fan of that particular type fish.). It was baked in sunflower oil with just rock salt and freshly ground pepper and served with fresh lemon. Easy and delicious. And I accidentally learned that I really do like it if properly prepared.
We stayed in this afternoon to let him catch up with paperwork and mail while I rested. Chelmsford itself is an interesting place. More than 100,000 people call it home, many of whom take the half hour train ride into London to work in the financial sector. Interestingly, the number of commuters coming into Chelmsford to work balances the number working in London, just different type jobs.
It’s also the site of the world’s first wireless factory, opened by “father of radio” Guglielmo Marconi in 1899. The Marconi Wireless Telegraph & Signal Company was the location of the first official publicized sound broadcast in the United Kingdom, credentialing Chelmsford as the "birthplace of radio."
Most of the cars here are on the small side and there seems to be a lot different Ford vehicles on the road. (******* drives a Ford Mondeo Zetec but I would know it better as Ford Contour or Mercury Mystique.) I learned that Ford had its British headquarters in Boreham, a village in the borough of Chelmsford. After WWII, runways left there from an airfield that housed B-26 Bombers during the war were adapted into a roughly triangular motor racing circuit that hosted competitive meetings between 1949 and 1952. Ford Motor Company purchased it in 1955 to use as a development test track and Ford Motorsport continues to use the remaining track surface for testing.
March 8: We walked to All Saints Church for services this morning. It’s a beautiful old church about half a mile away. The services were nice, not at all unlike those I’ve been accustomed to in McRae and Atlanta. Afterwards, we walked back with across-the-street neighbor *** and stopped in with him and his wife ***** for a short visit before having a light lunch at home. We spent the afternoon relaxing. (I think I still have a touch of jetlag.)
Tonight we had dinner with ******, *****, ***, ****** and ****** at The Six Bells Pub in Boreham. It was fun to see the children eat like grownups and enjoy it so much. They had roast lamb with fresh vegetables, as did some of the adults. I had Vegetarian Nut Loaf with roasted potatoes, parsnips and seasonal fresh vegetables (cabbage, carrots and cauliflower). Except for the potatoes and parsnips, the vegetables were served on separate platters and each one took what s/he wanted. It was my first for parsnips and I thoroughly enjoyed them.
There was so much food on my plate that I, unlike the children, skipped the fresh veggies from the table. Of course, I had room for a dessert sundae. The nut loaf wasn’t bad but I feel reasonably safe in saying it will not to be the culinary highlight of my trip. Tomorrow, it’s off to London for sightseeing and a play! I’m really looking forward to all the day has to offer.
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Sharing: When ******* roasted parsnips, he simply chopped them into uniform sizes, dropped them in boiling water for about 3 minutes, wrapped them in a single layer (with butter) in foil and baked them for 35 minutes. He opened the foil and baked them an additional 10 minutes until they were crisp and browned. All he added was salt and pepper and they were wonderful.
I’ve done them this way since I’ve been back in Atlanta and also added carrots. (You can add potatoes too if you wish but all veggies should be about the same size for uniform doneness.) This way is simple and they turn out sweet and delicious but you can go a more complicated route if you wish. The following recipe is just another way to enjoy this much under-praised root veggie.
Roasted Potatoes, Parsnips & Carrots
3 large baking potatoes, peeled; 3/4 lb. parsnips, peeled; 3/4 lb. carrots, peeled; 4 T. vegetable oil for coating; A few springs of fresh rosemary or thyme; 1 T.; Kosher salt and Pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 375º F. Cut potatoes, parsnips and carrots into large, uniform chunks and toss them in a large bowl with oil, herbs, salt and pepper. Turn them out in a single layer on a shallow roasting pan and cook about 45-50 minutes or until tender. Toss vegetables about halfway through cooking for uniform cooking and browning.
If you’re also preparing roast beef, you can skip the oil, herbs, salt and pepper. About 50 minutes before the beef is finished, drop the vegetables into the roasting pan, coating them with beef drippings, and bake till roast is finished.
I don’t know if this recipe for Veggie Nut Loaf is the one used at the pub or not, but it is similar and also British in origin. (It sounds tastier to me personally.) The first version used eggs for binding instead of peanut butter and you may make those changes if you prefer.
Vegetarian Nut Loaf
1 c. peanuts, raw and unsalted
1 c. sunflower seeds, raw and unsalted
1/2 c. almonds, raw and unsalted
1/2 c. cashew nuts, raw and unsalted
1 med. carrot, finely grated
1 med. onion, finely grated
1 med. Cooking apple, finely grated
1 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1 6-oz. can tomato paste
3 T. peanut butter
1 T. soy sauce
1 T. balsamic vinegar
1 T. Worcestershire sauce (see note)
Preheat oven to 350º F. Arrange nuts and seeds on a baking sheet and dry roast in the oven for 12-15 minutes or until light golden in color. Remove nuts from the oven and let cool but leave the oven turned on. To save time, you may purchase nuts and seeds already roasted but be sure to get the unsalted ones.
Transfer cooled nuts and seeds to a food processor and pulse until well ground and a coarse meal forms. Transfer meal to a large mixing bowl, add remaining ingredients and mix until well combined and mixture is thick and sticky.
Lightly oil a loaf pan and scrape the mixture into the pan. Smooth the top before returning to hot oven to bake 30 minutes. Cover top with foil if it begins to brown too much before the end of baking time.
Remove loaf from oven and allow loaf to set for 15 minutes before unmolding. Run a sharp knife along the edges of the loaf to separate it from the pan, place a large plate upside down over the loaf and invert loaf onto plate. Slice and serve with marinara sauce or mushroom gravy. Makes 8 servings.
Note: Worcestershire sauce traditionally is made with anchovies but vegan versions are available at most natural food shops.
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