July 26
Helen Beatrix Potter's Birthday
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Ewan McGregor and Renee Zellweger in Miss Potter (2006) |
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Helen Beatrix Potter was an English author. illustrator, and botanist, and best known for her children's books which featured animal characters such as Peter Rabbit, Benjamin Bunny, Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton-tail. Beatrix wrote and illustrated a total of 28 books, including the 23 Tales, the 'little books' that have been translated into more than 35 languages. Although she died in 1943, Beatrix Potter is still one of the world's best-selling and best-loved children's authors. When she was a child, Beatrix led a solitary life. But she had two rabbits that she adored -- the first was Benjamin, whom she described as "an impudent, cheeky little thing", while the second was Peter, whom she took everywhere with her on a little leash . Potter would watch these animals for hours on end, sketching them. These early sketches and the mischievous activities of her rabbits were the basis for her first children's books. |
Beatrix was educated by governesses and grew up isolated from other children. She spent holidays in Scotland and the Lake District, developed a love of landscape, flora and fauna, all of which she closely observed and painted. As a young woman her parents discouraged her intellectual development, but her study and paintings of fungi led her to be widely respected in the field of mycology. In her thirties, Beatrix published the highly successful children's book The Tale of Peter Rabbit, and became secretly engaged to her publisher, Norman Warne, causing a breach with her parents who disapproved of his social status. Warne died before the wedding could take place.
After Warne's death, Beatrix purchased Hill Top Farm in the village of Sawrey, in the Lake District. She then married a local solicitor, William Heelis, and moved to Hill Top Farm permanently. Some of Potter's best loved works show the Hill Top Farm farm house and the village. While the couple had no children, the farm was constantly alive with dogs, cats and even a pet hedgehog named "Mrs Tiggywinkle."
So to celebrate Beatrix's birthday, we suggest Bunny Stew
which should be paired with a memorable portrayal of her life by
Renée Zellweger
in Miss Potter (2006).
Ingredients
1 3-lb bunny, skinned & cut up
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 TB butter
1 cup chopped celery
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
2 tsp basil
1 tsp freshly ground white pepper
2 bay leaves
3&1/3 cups water
5 cups dry red wine
2 cups diced carrots
3 diced parsnips
4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
1 lb Kielbasa sausage, sliced
1 package of frozen peas
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup water
- Dredge bunny pieces with 1/2 cup flour. Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat; brown rabbit pieces on all sides. Add celery, onion, salt, pepper, bay leaves, basil, 3 cups water, and wine, Bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and simmer rabbit stew for 2 hours. Add carrots, parsnips, potatoes, and sausage and cook for about 15 minutes longer. Add frozen peas and cook for another 10 minutes until the root vegetables are tender.
- Combine 1/4 cup flour and 1/3 cup water; stir until well blended and smooth. Stir flour mixture into the broth; cook and stir until thickened.
| Serves 4 |