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Alan's Cookbooks
| History of the Easter Simnal Cake - alan (AVAILABLE NOW) |
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The Simnal Cake was traditionally eaten on Easter Day and during the late 17th century female servants would bake this fruit rich Easter cake to take home on their rare visits to their mother's on Mothering Sunday which was the fourth Sunday during the Lent period.
The Christian fasting and repenting period of Lent ends on Easter Sunday and a Simnel cake helps to mark the end of the forty days of Lent and gives people a tasty treat and marks the celebration of Easter time. Some people still call the fourth Sunday during Lent Simnel Sunday.
The word Simnel comes from the Latin word Simila which means fine wheaten flour. The cake was traditionally made from this fine wheaten flour.
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| Historic origination of the word "ORANGE" - |
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| Orange |
Unlike so many , this word does not come from the Latin word for orange, citrus aurentium; instead, from the ancient Sanskrit naga ranga, which literally means "fatal indigestion for elephants." In certain traditions the orange, not the apple, is the fruit responsible for original sin. There was an ancient Malay fable which made its way into the Sanskrit tongue around the Seventh or Eighth Centuries B.C. linking the orange to the sin of gluttony and has an elephant as the culprit.
Apparently, one day an elephant was passing through the forest, when he found a tree unknown to him in a clearing, bowed downward by its weight of beautiful, tempting oranges; as a conclusion , the elephant ate so many that he burst. Many years later a man stumbled upon the scene and noticed the fossilized remains of the elephant with many orange trees growing from what had been its stomach. The man then exclaimed, "Amazing! What a naga ranga (fatal indigestion for elephants)!" |
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| The originations of the word : CHOCOLATE - alan coxon |
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Chocolate
Comes from the Spanish , which itself came from the word Nahuatl (the language of the Aztecs) word "tchocoatl."
The first Spaniard to encounter the substance in Mexico was a guy called Hernan Cortes, who shortly after his initial reception (and apparently the only friendly one, I might add at that time ) at the Court of Moctezuma in the island-city of Tenochtitlan (present-day Mexico City) in 1519.
After highly praising the chocolate-based drink and inquiring how it was made, he was told that one started with "cacahuaquchtl" powder (the origin of the word "cocoa"), which was then boiled in water and combined with chilli, musk and honey (and ground maize if you were going off to war and needed additional calories).
It ws highly prized and cocoa beans were used as currency, for 30 beans you could obtain a slave, and for 5 beans you could obtain a lady for special services !!( that`s one way of putting it !!). |
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| Three chefs in the cape - struik (SOLD OUT) |
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Alan`s first cookbook jointly written with Ross Burden and Aldo Zilli.
The profit from the book that raised in excess of £10.000 was donated to South Africa red cross hospital. |
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| Ready in Minutes ! voted within the top 4 - Struik Publishers |
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‘Ready In Minutes’ is a stunning full colour glossy cookbook that offers 100 tasty recipes, organised by cooking time. So whether you have 0 Minutes or 30 Minutes, let Alan Coxon guide you through easily achievable, delicious recipes that span the breadth of world cuisine.
"This book is a typical example of Alan's whole style and approach to food, fresh, tasty ingredients combinations, backed by his unmistakable hunger to share his passion and in depth knowledge for all to enjoy" Anthony Worrell Thompson celebrity chef and restaurateur "If Alan played rugby like he cooks, and if he was two foot taller, he would be a world rugby champion. This book definitely scores points in the Pienaar household." Francois Pienaar - former South Africa Captain and 1995 Rugby World Cup Champion "Having watched Alan at work and tasted his food, I can truly say that he is a great and talented chef, his dishes are truly fit for a king" His Majesty King Goodwill Zwelethini
A selection of recipes they you can find in the book include:
Oriental Poached Dumplings in Coconut Broth
Mulled Fruit Salad with Ricotta Dumplings
Mango and Crab Spring Rolls with Chilli Dipping Sauce
Bread and Butter Pudding with Pecans and Whisky
Jerk Mince Burgers
Linguine with Parsley and Walnut Pesto
Raspberry Cranachon
Marmalade Based Chicken Thighs with Enraged Oil
Fear Free Chocolate Soufflé
Burmese Style Pork Curry
Ready in Minutes is now available for only £23.99 including p&p (UK mainland only).
To order please call 01386 830299 or click on to our store where it is available online direct.
Please let Alan know if you would like it signed and personalised |
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| Singles, Seperated and Divorced Cookbooks - Tafelberg Publishers Ltd (SOLD OUT) |
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This book is aimed at all the singles, separated and divorced. With nearly half the world's population being in one of the aforementioned categories, there are so few cookbooks that deliver delicious dishes to please one.
There's complete easy to follow recipes, using easily obtainable and available ingredients which also takes cost into consideration.
Importantly, it's not just a cookbook, because splattered between the pages is a good dollop of humour for both single males and females to enjoy. |
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For a in-depth introduction to Ready in Minutes click here
For a newspaper review of Ready in Minutes click here
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