The delicate flesh of the fish is beautifully, generously enhanced with the delicious sauce in this Ray with Herb Caper Butter Sauce! It makes an elegant lunch or dinner for two, as well! Happy Friday!
Ingredients (serves 2):
a small bunch Garden Chervil
a small bunch Garden Chives
1 heaped teaspoon coarse sea salt
1 litre/1 quart water
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
630 grams fresh ray wing, cut into two
Garden Herb Caper Butter Sauce, warmed
Tear Garden Chervil and Chives into a large, wide, deep pot. Add coarse sea salt and cover with water. Stir in apple cider vinegar.
Lower ray wing pieces into the pot so they are submerged. Bring to the boil over medium-high heat. Once just boiling, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, 15 to 20 minutes, until the ray is cooked.
Gently lift cooked ray wing pieces from their broth (it's excellent to make soups or risotti!) and drain well before placing onto serving dish.
Drizzle ray very generously with warm Garden Herb Caper Butter Sauce.
Serve Ray with Herb Caper Butter Sauce hot, with spinach and boiled New Potatoes .
Runetober Day 14: Dried Flowers
(following the woodland magic prompts by smalltownspells)
More dried herbs than dried flowers, but close enough.
Today's illustration is the Nine Herbs Charm. I did a full illustration of it last year, which took so long, I had to stop inktober, but today I made a smaller one with only short text passages.
We have the nine herbs in a circle, with the Anglo-Saxon runes on the spears around them giving a short insight on how they are described in the original Nine Herbs Charm text:
Mugwort, Una, the oldest of herbs.
Waybread, mother of herbs.
Lambcress, the herb growing on a stone.
Nettle, the herb tha fought against the serpent.
Betony, the one that will fight.
Chamomile, prepared for food.
Chervil, the very mighty herb
Crab-apple, sent by a seal across the sea
Fennel shaped the lord when he hung.
Around it, written in the nine segments of a killed dragon/snake the runes read about the creation of the Charm:
A worm came creeping, he tore a man in two
then Woden took nine Glory-Twigs,
struck the adder then, that it flew apart into nine.
In the middle we have Woden, the depiction is inspired, albeit slightly changed, from a 8th century Anglosaxon Sceatta coin.
The Old English text:
Mucgwyrt Una, yldost wyrta
Wegbrade, wyrta modor
Stune, wyrt heo on stane geweox
Stiðe, wyrt seo wiþ wyrm gefeaht
Attorlaðe, seo læsse ða maran
Mægðe to mete gegyrede
Fille, felamightigu wyrta
Wergulu, onsænde seolh ofer sæ
Finule gesceop drihten hongode
Wyrm com snican, toslat he man;
ða genam Woden nigon wuldortanas,
sloh ða þa næddran, þæt heo on nigon tofleah.
Chervil, also known as Sweet Cicely or British myrrh, was among the ancient Egyptian funerary herbs. Remains of the herb were found within Tutankhamun’s tomb. Burn the dried herb as incense to comfort the bereaved and also to enable them to contact the deceased if desired.
(from The Element Encyclopedia of 5,000 Spells by Judika Illes)
As the Tongan Ikale Tahi (Sea Eagles) are playing their last World Cup 2023 game right now, I am celebrating this mighty team --which I was fortunate enough to watch play at the Vélodrome in Marseille with my girl last Sunday, and show grit and a powerful opposition to the Springboks!-- with a deliciously refreshing Ota Ika. This fish salad marinates in lime juice, before stirring in creamy coconut milk. It's just beautiful! Happy Sunday!
Ingredients (serves 2):
1/3 hot chili pepper
1/4 onion
1/3 cucumber, rinsed
300 grams/10.5 ounces fresh fish (I used the bottom part of a salmon side)
a small bunch Garden Chives
a small bunch Garden Chervil
1 lime
1/4 teaspoon fleur de sel or sea salt flakes
1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
2/3 cup coconut milk
1 small, firm tomato, rinsed
Thinly slice hot chili pepper and add to a medium bowl.
Finely chop onion quarter, and add to the bowl.
Halve cucumber, and cut into slices. Add to the bowl, and give a good stir.
Remove the skin off the salmon, and cut into chunky cubes; add to the bowl.
Finely chop Chives and Chervil. Add to the bowl, too. Grate in the zest of half the lime. Season with fleur de sel and black pepper.
then, thoroughly squeeze in the juice of the whole lime. Toss gently, but well, to mix.
Place in the refrigerator, and allow to marinate, 45 minutes.
Stir in coconut milk. Dice tomato, and stir into the bowl as well. Return to the refrigerator, a further 15 minutes.
Serve Ota Ika well-chilled.
Tonga vs. South Africa (49-18), Sunday 1st October, Marseille, France