Saturday, October 7, 2017

George Villiers Smothered Casserole

In England and in some parts of the Deep South, this was named smothered steak. “Smothering" means braising a tough cut of meat to tenderize it. Slow simmering also concentrates the flavor of the gravy.
The meat is typically coated with flour and other seasonings and served with a thick gravy. The meat should be tender enough to be eaten without a knife. 
 

Here this dish is presented as a casserole and offered over hot buttered noodles. A side of green vegetables is all that is needed for a great meal. We dedicate this dish to King James and His lover George Villiers.


Ingredients

3 Tbs flour
1 tsp salt + ½ tsp pepper + 1 tsp paprika
2 lbs boneless beef round steak, cut into 2 - 3-inch pieces
2 Tbs vegetable oil
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 cup chopped carrots
1 can (14.5 oz) stewed tomatoes, un- drained
1 packet onion soup mix

Directions:

Do your cutting: cut up the meat into mite-sized pieces. Chop the onions and carrots. Rinse the mushrooms.


Heat oven to 300°F. In medium bowl, mix flour, salt, paprika and pepper. 
 


Place in a flat surfaced dish (save unused flour for smothering). Sprinkle front and back side of each steak piece and rub deep into groves of steak. 


 
In 12-inch skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat. Add steak, reserving remaining flour mixture; brown steak 4-5 minutes on each side. Remove, drain on a separate plate. Spoon into un-greased 2 1/2-quart casserole.

To same skillet, add remaining 1 tablespoon oil, the mushrooms, onions and garlic.


Cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until browned; add a couple of tbs of beef stock or water to de-glaze the pan, then add to casserole.


Add carrots, stewed tomatoes and reserved flour mixture and onion soup mix; stir well.



Cover casserole. Bake for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, uncovering the last ½ hour to down the sauce to a rich thickness.



Serve this saucy meat and vegetable mixture with mashed potatoes or hot cooked rice. I served the dish with lightly buttered egg noodles.




What a meal for your Autumn dinning.

 

Serving my Master Indy with a happy heart and a purpose in my life.
socialslave

To satisfy and restore.
To nourish, support and maintain.
To gratify, spoil, comfort and please,
to nurture, assist, and sustain
..I cook!

Please buy slave's cookbook:

The Little Black Book of Indiscreet Recipes 

by 





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Just recently, a long lost portrait of King James’s gay lover George Villiers, the First Duke of Buckingham has been found after more than 400 years.

The same-sex personal relationships of  King James are much debated, with Villiers the last in a succession of handsome young favorites the king lavished with affection and patronage. The king's nickname for Buckingham was "Steenie", after St. Stephen who was said to have had "the face of an angel”.

Historian David M. Bergeron claims "Buckingham became James's last and greatest lover". His evidence comes from flowery letters between the two.
In a letter to Buckingham in 1623, the King ends with, "God bless you, my sweet child and wife, and grant that ye may ever be a comfort to your dear father and husband". 
Buckingham reciprocated the King's affections, writing back to James: "I naturally so love your person, and adore all your other parts, which are more than ever one man had", "I desire only to live in the world for your sake" and "I will live and die a lover of you".

During the Restoration of Apethorpe Palace about ten years ago revealed a previously unknown passage linking Villiers' bedchamber with that of James.

The charming, handsome Villiers was introduced to James I in August 1614 and soon replaced the Scottish favorite, Robert Carr, in the king’s esteem. His relationship with James became sexual, and he retained the king’s passionate support.

King James bestowed many a honor on his beloved.
He became master of the horse in 1616, earl of Buckingham in 1617, and lord high admiral in 1619.



The royal half of this couple in love was James I of England born in 1566, the son of Mary, Queen of Scots. Mary was an incompetent ruler, and may have been involved in the murder of her husband, himself a worthless character. Mary was deposed by the Scottish lords in 1567, and fled to England, where she sought the protective custody of Elizabeth I, who clapped her in prison and had her beheaded twenty years later.

James grew up under various regencies and a couple of notable tutors. He developed a genuine love of learning, some skill in writing poetry, and a lively prose style. He also showed an interest in plays, and was particularly fond of the
masque, short allegorical presentations performed by masked actors. This would become the leading form of entertainment when James became King of England in 1603.

As King, James had to marry. His queen was Anne of Denmark, who shared his interest of “masques”.

James published his first book in 1584, entitled The Essays of a Prentice in the Divine Art of Poesy, which he followed up in 1591 with His Majesties Poetical Exercises at Vacant Hours.
One of his best poems is the sonnet he wrote prefacing his book Basilikon Doron (1599).written to teach his son Prince Henry (1594-1612)

The majority of James's written works are concerned with theology. He should be considered as a major writer of political philosophy. James also wrote some rather moving "Meditations on the Lord's Prayer" and a justly famous essay, "A Counterblast to Tobacco" (1604), one of the first and best attacks on smoking ever written.

James realized that entertainment could all be employed in the service of the king. They spread his views of the kingship and impressed a large number of people of its power and majesty.

James I's impact on English literature is considerable, not least because of his encouragement of and participation in the translation of the Bible into English (1611), the King James Bible. That, above everything he wrote, is James's monument.

George Villiers virtually ruled England during the last years of King James I and the first years of the reign of Charles I.

Buckingham had became unpopular, his foreign policy increased the tensions that would bring the Civil War between the royalists and the parliamentarians.

Buckingham’s leadership was a series of disasters. Hence, a bill to impeach the duke was introduced in Parliament in 1626. In order to save him, Charles dissolved Parliament in June. His case was then tried before the royal Court of Star Chamber, where, the charges were dismissed.

Villiers died in 1628. He was stabbed to death by John Felton, a naval lieutenant who believed that he was acting in defense of principles. The populace of London is reported to have rejoiced at the news.



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