We descended into the valley and I saw a house I had visited almost exactly nine years earlier. On that date I had a meeting that changed my career forever. The house looked the same as I remembered it. I almost wanted to go and knock on the door and say "thank you" to its current occupant. Yet something, an almost intangible and pathological force, pulled me away from doing that.
As we drifted through the village to find our car and drive home, we took time to visit the cricket pitch that had staged three significant games in my amateur cricket career. The first was my first competitive game for the club I currently play for. The second was a memorable cup final and the third saw my return to competitive cricket after a hiatus of five years. That said I felt a number of emotions that left me fulfilled but mindful of old ghosts.
The Panda guided me skilfully home with its windows wound down and James Taylor's underrated 1974 effort "Walking Man" booming from the vehicle's bad ass sound system. Our arrival at home saw me do my annual work of laying ant poison outside the house to stop the expected attempt by the creatures to create an infestation.
It was soon time for tea and I realised I needed something with protein and lots of iron. The recipe was inspired by my purchase of a local beer from a nearby farm shop. The beer is made by a local micro brewery called the Ashover Brewery and this particular brand is called "The Fabrick". It takes its name from a local rock that forms a viewpoint from which you can see six counties and, on a clear day, a distant cathedral. It is amazing in this day and age you can get a beer named after such an obscure, to those not from the locality, local landmark. I say this as in my early drinking days the choice of beer was mainly restricted to the bland dross of Carling, Fosters, Heineken, Worthington and others. Luckily we,as consumers, are now spoiled for choice with great beer.
The decision was made to put half of "The Fabrick" in a beef stew. On the player was James Taylor's polished 1976 record "In the Pocket". Tracks such as "Shower the People" prove a timely reminder to value and appreciate the friends and family in your life, while "A Junkie's Lament" pushes the envelope (at least in James Taylor terms) by charting an individual's recovery from heroin addiction. This overlooked album is one to seek out on a sunny day, stick on the player, crack open a beer and close your eyes to allow yourself to be transported somewhere special by the music.
The Ingredients for this recipe were as follows
For the stew
400g Diced Beef.
1 heaped tablespoon of Plain Flour.
25g of Fresh Parsley.
15g of Black Pepper.
10g of Onion Salt.
1 Bay Leaf.
5 Raw Pickling Onions, peeled, topped, tailed and finely sliced.
Half a Pint of Ashover Brewery "The Fabrick" Beer.
For the side dish.
5 Steamed New Potatoes, 100g Fresh Broad Beans and 50g of Rocket to serve with the Stew.
The way to make this meal is as follows:
1. Steam the New Potatoes and Broad Beans on a medium heat for about half an hour to forty minutes or until soft and tender.
2. Fry the Beef, flour, herbs and spices in a Le Cresceut in Olive Oil for ten minutes stirring regularly to stop the Beef Pieces sticking and to bind the ingredients together.
3. Add the Pickling Onions and fry all the ingredients for another ten minutes.
4. Add the Beer and simmer for around twenty five minutes on a medium heat while stirring regularly to avoid the Beef Pieces sticking.
5. Serve with the New Potatoes, Broad Beans and Rocket.
The Beef was made spicy yet rich by the introduction of the Beer while the flour helped parts of the stew form a thick, flavoursome stock. The Beer was a light one with a sharp, citric taste made refreshing by the warm temperatures. The New Potatoes, Fresh Broad Beans and Rocket lent a welcome taste of summer to the dish and made my restless, questing mind turn to thoughts of new challenges in the coming months. These were challenges that I realised that I had numerous ways of overcoming.
