Back in the days before enlightenment–BE or rather BM—before Meredith—despairing black moods regularly followed perceived failure, chez-moi.
“Buck up”–my mother used to say—“failure is character building”!
“Don’t make it worse, Ma!”
The first night of the RSC’s production of King Lear in the 1976 Stratford season was one such occasion.
Donald Sinden (Lear) and Judi Dench (Regan) among the cast.
I was playing Edmund, the bastard son of Gloucester.
The famous speech/soliliquy which ends–“Now God–stand up for bastards!” had gone over well during the three weeks (too long) of previews, with some morale-boosting laughs.
Come press night, the first 7 or 8 rows of critics sit stony-faced–they’d seen King Lear countless times.
Not a squeak, not a giggle and no visible smiles–just an aggressive (as I heard it) silence.
I am unnerved and later fluff a line.
The result is–Black Dog!
Poor proud parents have to endure a post-play drink with an inconsolable zombie son.
They do get to meet Judi Dench–ebullient as ever; though I was never sure she enjoyed playing Regan!
Scroll down the years to last night.
I tried out a new dish involving butternut squash and green split peas.
Failure!
The peas wouldn’t soften and the squash was tough.
The spicy sauce wasn’t bad, but the time it had all taken to cook was demoralizing.
Was I downhearted? Of course not! It’s PM now, I’m forty years older–that would be silly!
I awoke this morning, though, in need for something completely different: lamb chops? Sausages?
I drove to Lautrec’s Friday market.
Sausages–fait mason [made by the butcher]–won the day and here is the result:
A one pot dish inspired by a recipe in the second Riverford Farm cookbook.
Celery and fennel make for good companions with the modest amount of sausage.
Kale or Swiss chard can substitute for the spinach–or you can just omit the greens.
for 3/4
1 tbsp olive oil
450gm/1 lb good quality pork sausages
50 gm/2oz bacon–diced
2 medium onions–sliced
2 garlic cloves–pulped in a little salt
8oz celery–cut into inch-size chunks
1 large fennel bulb–outer leaves removed, halved vertically and then each half carefully divided into eight pieces. (This helps them become tender quicker!)
2 bay leaves
a good sprig of fresh thyme
1 tbs tomato concentrate
100ml red wine–a small wine glass
600ml stock–I use organic vegetable stock cubes
4 tsp dijon mustard
8oz spinach–washed and thick stems removed
400gms cooked white beans from a tin [can] or jar
salt and pepper
- Sauté the sausages and bacon in the olive oil for 10 minutes in a pan large enough to hold all the ingredients.
- Remove the sausages to a plate.
- Sauté the onions and garlic gently in the pan until the onions soften and turn opaque; take care not to let them burn on the bottom of the pan.
- Add the fennel, the celery, tomato concentrate and herbs
- Turn everything over thoroughly.
- Add the red wine and mix again, scraping up the good bits as you go!
- Add the stock, the saved sausages and stir in the mustard.
- Bring the pan to a simmer and leave it to bubble gently for about 20 minutes.
- Check the seasoning. I found it didn’t require added salt–the bacon and stock cube were sufficiently salty–but added some freshly-milled black pepper.
- Spread the greens over the top of the dish and leave them for ten minutes to start dissolving into it. (Cover the pan if you feel the need).
- Gently stir in the greens and add the beans.
- Cook for a further few minutes to heat through.
We had the dish for lunch served over half a baked sweet potato each.
Success!
Robin Ellis 
Just listening to your Red Cabbage soup chugging away on the stove!! I will make this recipe next, your recipes are never, never, never a failure, thanks for this one.
Robin, as you know by now, every great cook has his share of flops in the kitchen, but at least you have only one critic — yourself. When you work with agricultural products, you know the results can be unpredictable. Perhaps your peas and squash didn’t get enough water as they grew, or perhaps they had been in storage too long. But your next dish more than made up for the disappointment, yes? Another wonderful winter meal! Will this be in your latest book (not out here in the US yet)? Stay warm and well.
No this is the first time I’ve made this, Nancy.
This looks yummy!
And thanks for that little snippet of ‘behind-the-scenes’ during King Lear 🙂 I love these stories.
Your heart uplifted “PM.” And a lovely lunch to share together… a good ending to a valiant effort. Lovely!
I am curious why you choose vegetable cubes for your stock and don’t use a box of chicken stock? Just habit? I always use chicken stock unless it calls for beef stock. I think I’ll look for organic vegetable cubes in my store. Its not the magee cubes is it?
I prefer the lighter taste is all–habitual now, you are right.
I know that feeling when you work on something and arg! it’s not good, and then you dust yourself off and get on with something else. Thank goodness because your something else looks delish.
“What doesn’t kill you makes you strong” as we say. You were obviously your own harshest critic with very high expectations, as you become more comfortable in your skin you except that life’s not perfect and neither are we. Shakespeare created characters that illustrated this beautifully.
That takes me back! I well remember that production. In fact it was the (third and) last time I saw “King Lear” and looks as if it will remain the definitive production as far as I’m concerned (with, of course, the definitive performance of Edmund). I would very much like to see the new production at the National but have only just returned from the UK! However, my son and I did treat ourselves to one theatre outing while back in Blighty – Eileen Atkins as Ellen Terry at the new Sam Wanamaker Playhouse. Wow!
This recipe just fits the ingredients I have available just now, except for the sausages (and unfortunately the quality of these has declined since everything became commercialised in Poland). I’m going to use a little pork fillet instead.
Thanks for the memory, Liz. Michael Pennington–my friend since the National Youth Theatre days–played Edgar you will remember. He is in New York rehearsing to play Lear in a few weeks time. Meredith and I will be there to see it in mid-March. I’m looking forward to it. I want to catch Eileen Atkins as Ellen Terry it sounds like a triumph.
Pork will work well and very Polish!
I’m having some login problems. My apologies if my comment turns up again. Delete it of course.
I shall be looking out for reviews of Michael Pennington’s Lear.
Just let us at those critics, Robin!! 😉
By the way, did you folks ever catch “As Time Goes By” in France? Judy’s cheery character against Geoffrey Palmer’s dry, sour persona makes it our favorite British comedy!! (And lots of silly “married life” moments to relate to!)
It was a great favorite I know. I didn’t get to see it though.
In my twenties I cooked a dinner for 12 people. The main course was a beef stew. I took the right steps, so I thought, to buy the perfect ingredients. I went to a local market (not a grocery store) and brought the meat from a butcher etc.. The dinner was a horrible experience for all!!. Imagine 12 hunger people taking their first bite of meat and not being able to chew. The meat was full of gristle. A long dinner with many apologies from the red faced young cook!!
Fast forward 30 years. A failed dinner again. However, I cheerfully told my guests that I was treating them to dinner at a restaurant. There was much relief from all !!
I enjoy your blog and books Robin because the recipes are easy to make and tasty. I have cooked some dinners for friends using your recipes. Smiles on their faces. Less money coming out of my wallet.
Hope to see you and Meredith in D.C.
Ann de Saram
Thanks for that cautionary tale, Ann. I notice you generously don’t blame the butcher. Do you think he saw this young inexperienced cook coming!? At least you tried and what a good story it makes now!
I was FURIOUS at the butcher. If looks could kill…..I was too shy and soft spoken back then. Now I am older and wiser and what a scene I would have made at his stall!!
For what its worth, when I have encountered the situation you describe (“peas wouldn’t soften and the squash was tough…spicy sauce wasn’t bad”) I toss the contents in a blender and start over with new vegetables – turn it into a thickener! I learned a while back that soup can be thickened nicely with whizzed leftovers. I swear by my “Magic Bullet” (that’s the name of the blender, not the method).
Such a good idea and I will follow your advice–watch this space–thanks, Debra!
Michael Pennington is a very great actor. I’ve never forgotten his dual performance in Hamlet as both the ghost and Claudius. Stephen Dillane starred as Hamlet but everyone paled besides Pennington. Thank you for your moving memory of appearing in Lear. Acting can be a treacherous profession sometimes. You are and have always been a wonderful actor and screen presence.
Thank you Maire–very kind and appreciated! Michael is a great Shakespearean and is rehearsing Lear at this moment–in NYC. His one man show, Sweet William, is a joy.