Stratford-upon-Avon

We left the urban area and headed for Stratford-upon-Avon, which was a special highlight of our tour. P, C, and me are big fans of the  TV series Star Trek and Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the starship Enterprise came to the Royal Shakespeare Company to play the jew Shylock in The Merchant of Venice. I know him as a great actor whose extensive stage experience always showed, whether he impersonated a starship captain, Captain Ahab from Moby Dick, Ebenezer Scrooge, MacBeth, or Professor Xavier in X-men. So we were very much looking forward to this Shakespeare production.

Many critics were a bit negative due to the modernization of the play; the setting was a gambling casino in Las Vegas and 'americanized' speech infiltrated the play. They didn't keep to the original language scrupulously, changing expressions like 'all that glistens' to 'all that glitters' and modern equivalents like 'dollars' and 'car rides', sometimes even resorting to the big American brawl of the South. But that was exactly what made the play so much more powerful; it constantly reminded us that racism and arrogance are not something that belonged into a Shakesperian time period, but are real now and here.

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I especially liked the twist Patrick Stewart gave the role of Shylock, the Jewish money lender. His Shakesperian speech already marked him as being different from the rest of the otherwise shallow party and show loving protagonists. And instead of subdueing to the role of a villain who has to end up as the comic relief in the original play, this Shylock mounted up to a tragic figure, a despised person since everybody only saw a Jew and not the man he really was and whom life had made bitter. In the end revenge was denied to him and his future smashed. A great performance no matter what others may have said.

This is Susannah Fielding as Portia and Emily Plumtree as Nerissa. Portia was wearing her blong wig to give her the appearance of being blond and dumb. Maybe she hoped to shun her marriage candidates away, but we already knew from real life that this will end up in the complete opposite.

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Since we arrived quite early we had time for a quick stroll through this lovely town with such a vivid life along the river Avon. Here a house boat:

One of the disadvantages of fame is the prices. A lot of expensive brands have stores here and sometimes reductions on dress were as high as the prices for a complete dress in other shops:

The market place with the so-called American Fountain, a gift from American publisher George Childs for  Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee Year.

Shakespeare's birthhouse:

The Garrick Inn, a beautiful stud work house:

Beautifully preserved wooden door in the Harvard House:

Stained glass window in the Guild Chapel:

Shakespeare's grave in Holy Trinity Church; his wife and his daughter are lying next to him:

Detail from the choir stalls in Holy Trinity Church:

We even managed to have a nice dinner before the play in the Thai boathouse, a nice Thai restaurant with lots of vegetarian and vegan options and a splendid view on the river Avon:

 

http://pixdaus.com/thai-restaurant-the-boat-house-river-avon-stratford-by-ell-b/items/view/268571/





England Trip - First Stop at Birmingham

The Midlands were something new to me and the city of Birmingham much bigger than I expected, somehow I still thought it is only 20 shillings' worth (its price in 1086 when it was first mentioned). Luckily we spent only two days here, so one could reap all the good things and be gone before any negative side effects busy cities bring with it. Since our appartement was near the so-called Bull Ring, our first stop was of course this site. Nowadays it is a huge shopping area, but in medieval times it was the market place that changed Birmingham from a smallish village around the castle of Peter de Birmingham to a market town. This beautiful statue in front of the shopping centre shows very clearly what was mainly traded at the ancient market place:

Today it is also marked for its modern architecture. The departmentstore Selfridges built the landmark building, designed by Future Systems, a London based design practice.

St. Martin in the Bull Ring was built on the site of the former Parish church from the 13th century. Today's church, however, was completely rebuilt in 1873. This beautiful window survived WWII; designed by Sir Edward Burn-Jones and made by William Morris:

For 400 years Birmingham belonged to the lords of de Birmingham. John de Birmingham was buried in St. Martin around 1380. Look at his beautiful sarcophagus, there were even traced of the original colour on his belt:

We refuelled at the Warehouse Café, Birminghams oldest vegetarian restaurant. I loved their approach to make everything special, be it the horseradish scented potato mash or the minty gravy. For sweet teeth I recommend their cheesecake of the week. I finished off their vegan apple-and-cinnamon cheesecake :)

Thus invigorated we braced ourselves for more churches. Next was St. Philip's Cathedral; the former parish church from the early 18th century became a cathedral when Birmingham became the Diocese of the West Midlands in 1905.

 

Sir Edward Burn-Jones was baptized in this church and therefore donated several windows.

We then went to the Birimingham Museum  Art Gallery to see more pre-Raphaelite art (well, some of us did). Detail from the wax crayon panel 'The Last Judgment" (1874-1880), template for a stained glass window (obviously sexy men had to go naked, whereas women were all clad, as chastity demanded it):

'The Keepsake' is the work of a female pre-raphaelite artist, Kate Elizabeth Bunce. It is based on a poem of Rossetti:

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'Then stepped a damsel to her side, And spoke and needs must weep: 'For his sake, lady, if he died, He prayed of thee to keep This staff and scrip'.

And one last object :)

that is before we come to the archaeology section ;)

The Staffordshire hoard was detected in 2009 near Birmingham and is the largest Anglo-Saxon hoard of gold. Most of it is at the British Museum in London for conservation work, but some pieces were on display in Birmingham:

In 1954 an Anglo-Saxon cemetery with 24 graves was found during gravel digging at Beckford. Four years later a second cemetery nearby was detected. This one contained 106 burials. According to the grave goods people were buried here from AD 475 to 550. These are the brooches and beeds from grave A11:

They also had a small collection of Egyptian artefacts; here some Tell-el-Yahudiyeh ware:

and not to forget the Latin American section, displaying this oracle bone from ca. AD 1300 to 1520:

In case you are exhausted with all the churches and museum's stuff, you may relax, because tomorrow we will look at a more laid-back day in Stratford-upon-Avon.

Spicy FriedTofu with Japanese Bean Sprouts and Asparagus

I still have a couple of Japanese recipes, I have wanted to post for some time now. Since there is not really anything spectacular happening in my life right now, I'll post the first two of them. I hope you remember that this is NOT a food blog, even though my life seems to revolve around cooking and eating. It will get better next week because tomorrow we are leaving for Birmingham. But until then enjoy some Japanese cuisine. The first one is a spicy fried tofu. Originally it was made with minced pork but I ruthlessly veganised it.

Unfortunately I have forgotten where I had the original recipe from. It was probably on cookpad but I can't find it there anymore. Anonymous cook, if you think this was your recipe, please comment. And here is my recipe:

Spicy Fried Tofu

Ingredients

1 package firm tofu (cotton tofu) about 450 g

300 g soy mince

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 piece of fresh ginger, finely chopped

1 bunch of green onions, chopped

1 bottle passata (450 ml)

2 tablespoons of chopped unsalted peanuts

2 tablespoons soy sauce

starch and water for thickening

sesame oil

rice flour for coating the tofu

What to do

1. Cut tofu in slices and pat dry. you may want to press the tofu slightly with a kitchen towel to remove as much moisture as possible. Coat the tofu slices in rice flour.

2. Heat the sesame oil in a frying pan and bake the tofu golden brown, put aside.

3.Wipe the pan clean with a paper towel and heat 1 tablespoon of sesame oil. Add the minced garlic, chopped ginger, and most of the green onions (keep some for decoration). Stir-fry with the soy mince. Add the passata, mix well and let cook on a low flame for a couple of minutes.

4. Add the soy sauce and chopped peanut and heat through.

5. Thicken to the desired consistency with some starch disolved in cold water.

6. Put tofu on top and let simmer to reheat the tofu.

7. Sprinkle with the remaining green onions and serve with rice.

8. You may want to add some spices to your sauce. It is completely up to you how hot you want to go. I added some chili pepper, cumin, and pepper.

Since this is a heavy load of proteins (C made a bike tour the day before and needed to restore his muscle power) I added a Japanese vegetable dish; beans sprouts and asparagus and this time I know where I got the recipe from :) It is from the lettuce club webpage.

What looks like some kind of weirdo spaghettis are actually bean sprouts. Yes they were a bit thinly but I didn't want to drive to the Asia shop in town. So that was the best I could do. But it was very yummie so they served their purpose.

Japanese Bean Sprouts and Asparagus

Ingredients:

1 bag of beansprouts

1 bunch (500g) green asparagus

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon mirin

coarsely ground black pepper, salt, sesame oil

What to do:

1. Carefully wash the beansprouts, put them in a colander and let the water drip off

2. Peel the lower third of the asparagus, cut dioganally in thick slices 

3. Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the garlic until fragrant; add the asparagus and fry with low heat until asparagus is done but still crispy. You may add a little bit of water and cover the pot for 2 or 3 minutes.

4. Add the beansprouts, mix quickly and add the mirin, salt, and spices.

5. Sprinkle with sesame oil.

And that is what everything combined looked like:

Sorry for the Chinese chop sticks *blush*

Spaghetti Attack on Asparagus and Wild Rocket Salad

Phew, just in time for this months NCR (No Croutons Required) event. NCR is hosted by Jacqueline of Tinned Tomatoes and Lisa from Lisa's Kitchen, who is this month's host. The theme of this month was to transform asparagus into a vegetarian salad or soup. I decided on a salad and combined it with pasta, an obviously very fashionable combination since a lot of bloggers went for it (at least the ones I'm following). I pondered for some time what I could create for this event. My asparagus soup recipes are very tasty but quite ordinary, but when I came across Austrian turbo housewife's blog Prostmahlzeit I knew exactly what I wanted. Her dish is a warm one and not quite vegetarian, but all I needed was her lovely picture of her Spargel-Rucola-Spathetti.

Here are the main ingredients:

Look for very fresh white asparagus, because it needs a bit of crunchiness after pan-roasting. Yes you have heard right; instead of boiling or steaming, the asparagus is pan roasted and thus keeps all the flavour in it ... and a welcome amount of crunchiness :)

I also used a specially prepared pasta, bronze plate extruded spaghetti. Expensive, but for a special treat well worth trying out. They have a rougher surface (good for attaching sauces) and a bit different taste than regular pasta.

And here is the result:

And here is the recipe:

1/2 a package of spaghetti (250 g)

300 g white asparagus

olive oil for frying

1 1/2 handful of wild rocket (arugula)

1 garlic, pressed

1 1/2 organic limes (organic because you will also use the zest)

olive oil

loads of freshly ground black pepper

herb salt, used sparingly

1 tablespoon of toasted pine nuts

Peel the asparagus, wash and set aside to let it dry a bit. Meanwhile cook the spaghetti al dente, drain and surprise them with a cold shower (otherwise they will stick together and they cannot wiggle so nicely between the asparagus and rocket).

Cut the asparagus in 4 or more parts and fry them in olive oil. Toss them around now and then to get an even browning.

Now make your dressing with the zest and juice of the limes (if yours are as dry as mine, add some lemon juice), the pressed garlic, herb salt, lots and lots of freshly ground black pepper, and olive oil.

Mix all the ingredients and pour over your dressing. Make a mild mess and sprinkle with toasted pine nuts.

Enjoy!

Peanut-free Pea-Nut-Roast

Nut roasts are something you eat at Christmas. That's what you might think; but Johanna from Green Gourmet Giraffe is a big lover of nutroasts at all times of the year. In 2008 she already held a blog event 'Neb at Nut Roast' with lovely recipes incoming in order to contradict some extraordinarily strange statements that nut roasts and vegetarians don't go together (some even calling it an 'insult to vegetarians'). Well, Johanna and me dare to differ, we both love nut roasts. In my eyes it is the most iconic British comfort food and not just during winter time!

Since her follow-up event 'A Neb at Nut Roast II' ends in May (more exactly today - yes, I'm late as usual) I didn't want to make a hearthy roast. Summer is arriving quickly and my roast ought to reflect this by being quite summer-ish. At first I tried a veganized version of Rose Elliots pine nut and carrot roast, but I wasn't quite convinced. Not enough summer in there. Then I saw the 'poppyseed encrusted green pea burgers' at Just Bento's and knew immediately that this is the colour and taste I wanted. So heavily pea-inspired I made this ridiculy easy pea-nut roast (allergic persons please do relax: no peanuts involved *hehe*). And out came this lovely green nut roast, perfectly fit for a summer night:

I baked it in a silicone form since the pine nut roast clinged terribly to my usual loaf form and I was quite satisfied with the results; it came loose neatly. Now, does this look like summer or not?

I served it with pasta and a carrot sauce:

And here is the easy-peasy recipe:

Easy Peasy Nut Roast

200 g Brazil nuts

50 g Cashew nuts

400 g shelled and cooked peas (you can use a frozen package if no fresh peas are available)

1 red onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

herb salt and pepper to taste

Cook the peas in a pan, covered barely with salted water. Cook for roughly 5 minutes until the peas become a bright green (don't overcook them or they will become greyish and you will loose the nice colour). Retain the cooking water.

Put the nuts in a food processor and process until smooth but not too smooth, they should still be crumbly like breadcrumbs. Add the cooked peas, the onion and the garlic and process. Carefully add cooking water until it becomes an easily shapeable but firm dough. Use salt and pepper to taste.

Press in form (if you don't use a silicone form, spray the form with oil and use breadcrumbs to avoid sticking on the sides of the form).

Bake in the oven (sorry I forgot how long, maybe 20 to 30 minutes - I will update next time I make this recipe; and there will be a next time because this is a keeper).

Sundried Tomato and Wild Garlic Pesto

As Allotment 2 Kitchen (you have to scroll through her blog, there are loads of wild garlic recipes!), I'm not yet finished with wild garlic. I think I have become addicted to wild garlic pesto. And, with white asparagus abundantly available, I got inspired by Kirsten's asparagus with pesto recipe (if you can read 'Scandinavian' go and have a look at her beautiful and vegetarian blog Kødfri fredag).

Of course I tweeked the recipe a bit (who doesn't?) and this super deli pesto came out:

I know, it's kind of a weird presentation on a tea tray-ish thingy, but hey, it was the only small and white dish I had at hand, so I hope you will forgive me. More important, here is the recipe:

~ 10 sundried tomatoes (if you are a think-ahead-type of person you can soak them in water for half an hour - I didn't of course, your blender or kitchen machine just has to work harder)

1/2 cup of walnuts

4 tablespoons of olive oil (less if you use sundried tomatoes in oil)

chili flakes or 1/2 fresh chili

2 garlic gloves

a small bunch of Italian flat parsley

a small bunch of wild garlic

herb salt and pepper to taste

put everything in your kitchen machine and chop until you have reached the desired consistency. You know I want my pesto rough and firm because I use it as spread, seasoning for soups, and and and.

You might have to add oil for your liking.

Pour over cooked white asparagus and enjoy!

Easter Sunday in the Luisenpark in Mannheim

Easter Sunday began with beautiful and sunny weather, so we went for a stroll in the park. Although Luisenpark was created in the late 19th century, it was remodeled to its current shape in 1975 for the German Federal Garden Show. Therefore the park is filled with quite a lot of attractions, tea houses, art and animals.

We made a boat trip to the other side of the park:

on our way we met some pale flamingoes:

The tour ended at the botanical glass houses that not only showcase plants but also reptiles, snakes, fishes and the like. I'm not very fond of animals in captivity, but we went to have a look anyways:

alligator

giant piranha

 

Axolotls, Mexican mole salamanders, completely aquatic and gilled

 At least the butterflies seemed to be happy and contended:

Much more fun was the stork's nest on top of an aviary. You can watch them hatching their eggs via a live webcam. We also enjoyed a rhubarb drink at a lake café

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2c/Luisenpark_Pflanzenschauhaus_05.jpg

With our drinks came a free 'concerto' from a frog chorus :)
We slowly walked back through 42 acres of park and arrived at the telecommunication's tower with its revolving restaurant on top. As you can see, the weather wasn't all that warm anymore and we just arrived back home before the rain and thunderstorm began.