Lunch today...

[davidgillon]

 ... was pork loin with fennel and fish pie, which sounded a weird combination on the menu board, but absolutely worked. Yum!

Comments

[jesse_the_k]

All three together in the pie? That sounds almost like the "Peacable Kingdom" on a plate.

[davidgillon]

The pork loin was separate (and huge!), on a bed of vegetable in sauce. I'd normally have said the vegetable was leek, but it was fairly smothered in the sauce and I actually don't know what cooked fennel bulbs look like to start with(I'm not sure I've ever had fennel before). The menu board didn't mention it so that didn't help while making it a pleasant surprise. I'm relatively sure the sauce had fennel in it somewhere, as it did have a distinctive, aniseed-y sort of taste.

The fish pie was in a little pottery pot with a mashed potato lid, with white fish and king prawns, plus what I'm assuming were fennel greens.

The whole thing was absolutely gorgeous, and if anything the portion was a little too large, so I was very happy I decided to be a little adventurous.

[davidgillon]

the "Peacable Kingdom" on a plate.

Had a poke about on the net for "Peacable Kingdom", but all I can turn up is a documentary about vegan farmers, which, okay, is equally weird a combination, but I'm not sure is what you meant (given the large amounts of meat on a plate thing).

Sorry about that

[jesse_the_k]

Further research on my part explains why the "Peaceable Kingdom" is a particularly American reference, sorry.

The painting was created by William Hicks, a Colonial Quaker settler and sign painter. He hoped to represent the harmony between the Quakers and the Leni Lenape (indigenous to Penn's settlement). He painted it many times in his life, and each one got gloomier.

From the Wikimedia foundation:

"Edward Hicks - Peaceable Kingdom" by Edward Hicks - National Gallery of Art: online database: entry 1980.62.15. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.

Image description: In the distance on the shores of a tidal river stand nine indigenous people with feathers in their hair; seven white people in hats dressed in male clothing. They're facing each other and seem to be talking; the artist was representing the Leni-Lanape and the Quakers making peace.

In the foreground is a hill covered with 13 animals and 3 very young children floating in the air. It's inspired by the Bible's Isaiah, Chapter 11, verses 6 through 9: "The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox..." All those animals are present, in addition to some I can't identify. (Is the sleek black beast below the ox a panther? Are there two leopards and one tiger? Two ox and one cow?)

Re: Sorry about that

[davidgillon]

No problem, references you don't get mean you get to learn something :)

Is the sleek black beast below the ox a panther

Bear cub? I make it four adult cattle (centre, 2xtop right, bottom right), 1 calf (next to bear cub/at foot of lion), 1 sheep, 2 goats, 1 wolf, 1 bear and cub, 1 lion, 1 tiger (muddy colours behind lion with cherub)and two leopards or panthers (immediately behind the bear).