Journal installment #12

A beautiful flower bed lends color to one of the public areas in Frinton.










Pricey beach huts line the shore at Frinton-on-the-Sea in northeastern Essex.

Excerpts from an English Journal,
Part 12

Saturday, March 21: It was such a glorious first day of spring that we decided to drive up to Frinton-on-the-Sea (the North Sea). Frinton was made up of a church, several farms and a handful of cottages until its original developer was bought out in the 1890s and the new one changed courses. It was frequented by members of high society in the early part of the twentieth century but became a playground for more average people in the middle to latter part. Today, Frinton beach is a quiet, noncommercial seaside resort with beautiful golden sandy beaches and seemingly never-ending rows of beach huts.

The huts must number in the hundreds there. Rows of them line the upper reaches of the shore as far as you can see in both directions. They’re just small one-room structures owners use during the spring and summer to store their beach paraphernalia or just to get out of the sun a bit. Considering they have no heating, plumbing or normal comforts, the price is astounding. They range from £20,000 upwards of £50,000 or £60,000, depending on their location. And that does not include the land!

No dogs are allowed on the beach from May to September and no ice cream or other food kiosks are permitted around the beach area, therefore no litter. All this helps to make it a clean, safe family-friendly environment for a quiet day at the shore.

It was quite pleasant to walk along a clean beach even though the water is still too cold even for wading. A couple of hardy souls ventured into the edge but didn’t stay long. There’s lots of groundsel blooming and despite its wicked thorns, the deep yellow color makes the area even more attractive. The tide was out and we picked up several seashells for me to bring Katie and Kiersten. (Just hope I can just get them through customs.)

After a lengthy walk along the beach, we strolled into the village and had something to eat at The Chocolate Shop. Richard had hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows and a slice of fruitcake while I settled for a cup of tea and a caramel cupcake. I also bought some Marzipan mice and other treats to take back to the girls.

We stopped in at The Old Parish Church of St Mary, the smallest complete church in England. Parts of the nave are of Norman origin and the first rector was appointed in 1199 A.D. It still has active services and is open to the public daily for meditation and prayer. Not only is it an interesting old church and cemetery with a cremation garden, it’s also the oldest surviving building in Frinton. We lingered a while but needed to get back to Chelmsford as we’re expected at Kevan’s for dinner tonight. He’s cooking and I’m looking forward to that.

Late evening: Kevan lives in an old Victorian style home just a short drive away. Technically, it would be classified as a duplex in the U.S. but it’s larger than many of the average homes here. He’s made a lot of improvements but kept much of its authenticity and retained the beauty of the original structure.

He turned out to be a very good cook, a bit fancier than I expected from a single guy. He served a wonderful Chicken Tagine over couscous with raisins for the main dish, some good wine and a high quality vanilla ice cream for dessert. Neither Kevan nor Justine knew the other was serving chicken with couscous but that was fine. They were two totally different meals and both excellent, just different types and two of the best ones I’ve had so far. I’ve had some wonderful food since I’ve been here but I’d be hard pressed to give any one dish an edge since each was prepared in its own distinct style, making them nearly impossible to compare.

A tajine or tagine is a type of dish found in Moroccan cuisines and is named after the special pot in which it is cooked. Tajine pots consists of two parts: a flat, circular base with low sides, and a large cone or dome-shaped cover that rests inside the base during cooking. The cover is designed to promote the return of all condensation to the bottom. The base can be taken to the table for serving after the dome cover is removed.

The traditional tajine pot is formed entirely of heavy clay, which is sometimes painted or glazed, but European manufacturers have created tajines with heavy cast iron bottoms that can be used on at high heat on a stovetop to allow meat and vegetables to be browned before cooking. While a Dutch oven and Sač (a cast iron pot with a tight cover) braises most efficiently in the oven, the tajine is braises best on the stovetop.

This recipe is similar to the one we had and is well worth the trouble to prepare, especially if it tastes like the one Kev made for us. I’d have asked for the recipe but he didn’t seem to be using one. He was casually tossing in tomatoes, onions, a few carrot strips, almonds, coriander, cumin, black pepper and who knows what else, all while chatting with his father and me. But everything came together extremely well. It was absolutely fantastic and by far the savoriest dish I’ve ever tasted without being hot. It had just enough spice without being overwhelming. I have no idea how he accomplished that but I wish I did.

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Chicken Tagine

2 chicken bouillon cubes or 1-3/4 cups chicken broth

1/4 pound moist, plump dried apricots

6 T. olive oil

1-3/4 pounds bite-sized chicken pieces

4 medium onions, peeled, trimmed and coarsely chopped

4 cloves of garlic, peeled, trimmed and finely chopped

One 14-1/2-oz. can diced tomatoes, drained or 4 medium tomatoes peeled and crushed

1 T. coriander seeds, cracked

2 pinches saffron

1/2 t. finely grated fresh ginger

1/2 t. ground cumin

1/4 t. cinnamon
1/2-1 t. chile powder

Appr. 1/4 c. chopped cilantro leaves

1/2 c. almonds, lightly crushed, toasting optional

Salt and freshly ground pepper
Couscous or rice, for serving

Center a rack in the oven and turn oven to 325º F to preheat.
Drop bouillon cubes into a medium-size bowl, pour over 1-3/4 cups of boiling water over them and stir to dissolve. (If using chicken broth, let come to a boil.) Add apricots to hot liquid and let them soak and plump up while you prepare the rest of the tagine.

Put the base of a tagine, a heavy, high-sided skillet or a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and pour in 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Pat chicken pieces dry between sheets of paper towels and drop them into the hot oil. Work in batches if necessary but do not crowd the pan. (Use more oil if necessary). Brown chicken on all sides and lift out of the pot with a slotted spoon and lay on a plate or platter. Season chicken with salt and pepper to taste. Pour excess oil out the pan, but leave whatever bits may have stuck to the base.

Return the pan to the stove, reduce heat to low and add 2 more tablespoons of olive oil. When oil is warm, stir in onions and garlic and cook and stir about 5 minutes or until they just start to soften. Add tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, and continue to cooking for another 10 minutes, stirring often and adding a little more oil if needed. Add bouillon/broth coriander, ginger, cumin, cinnamon, 2 tablespoons of the chopped cilantro leaves and saffron to the pot. (Crush the saffron between your fingers as you sprinkle it into the pot.) Stir to mix and dissolve the spices, season with salt and pepper and spoon chicken over the base of vegetables. Remove plumped apricots from liquid and spread over the top. Seal with aluminum foil and cover with the lid. Slide tagine into the oven and bake for 60 minutes. Carefully lift the lid and foil and scatter almonds over the meat. Replace cover and allow tagine to bake for 15 minutes more.

Remove from oven and serve while still hot. If you've cooked it in a tagine, sprinkle remaining cilantro over the meat, bring tagine to the table and serve directly from the pan. If you used a skillet or Dutch oven, transfer dish to large warm serving platter and dust with cilantro. You can serve the tagine but either couscous cooked without spices in chicken broth or water or plain rice allows you to enjoy the tasty savory sauce along with the chicken.

Like most braised dishes, this one keeps well. It can be made a day or two ahead. Cool, cover tightly and store in the refrigerator. If you make the dish ahead omit almonds until time to reheat it for serving. Also wait until then to add the final dusting of cilantro. Yields 4 servings.
NOTE: You can use boneless lamb pieces, cut into one-inch cubes in this dish too.

Country Vanilla Ice Cream

3 pasteurized eggs
1-3/4 c. sugar
3 c. whole milk
3 c. heavy whipping cream
1—2 T. vanilla extract
1/4 t. salt

Beat eggs in large bowl until foamy. Gradually beat in sugar, beating until thickened. Add milk, cream, vanilla, and salt. Mix thoroughly, chill, and churn freeze. Scald churn before pouring ice cream mixture into it. This ice cream freezes soft and tastes a lot like Breyers vanilla ice cream.