Perfect vacation or a weekend getaway
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Meet4trip members travel around the globe for fresh impressions and ideas.
We decided to share some of them as inspirations for new journeys.
Here you
will find some fascinating destinations followed by local recipes brought
back home from our trips.
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Stonehenge (Salisbury plain, England) |
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Stonehenge
A mysterious Stonehenge stands alone in the vast empty tract of the Salisbury plain. This massive rock formation built by man looks like a ghost among the miles of green, rolling, English countryside. You literally cannot believe your eyes. You see it in magazines and movies, photos and travel guides,
up ahead in the distance as you are driving up but being up close changes everything. It is mystifying and
magnificent... you start hearing ancient drums in the air; you feel a presence of the people that once dwelt here...
The origins of Stonehenge date back nearly 5,000 years and its secrets have been and continue to intrigue scholars and visitors to this day. Who built the Stonehenge remains a mystery, everyone from the great Neolithics to the Danes, Romans, Saxons, and Celts could have been the makers. What was this
massive collection of stones intended for? Was Stonehenge an observatory of the moon, a temple to the sun, or a Bronze Age cemetery? Who were the people who dragged these 40 ton rocks to the lonely plain of Salisbury Hill and carved them into what we know today as Stonehenge? All the stones are said to be perfectly aligned with the sunrise and thus appear to signify a place of worship. Prepare to be amazed as you walk around its perimeter and ponder this mysterious feat of ancient engineering.
The most significant thing beyond the stone circle is the English countryside - beautiful rolling green hills, thatched roofs, burial mounds and, of course, flocks of sheep pasturing and grazing freely in and around the Stonehenge monument. Since the early Bronze Age sheep and lamb have grazed large areas of the established pasture all over the Salisbury plain adding a comforting effect to the area and a hearty dinner to the English table. There is even a locally produced lamb called 'Stonehenge Lamb’ which slowly matures on the chalk downs of Salisbury Plain. A flavorful dinner in a traditional English pub could be the most comforting and pleasant meal after a long walk among the ancient stones where common life and eternity meet. Our ultimately 'Inspired by Travel' recipe - 'Braised lamb shanks in red wine with onion, carrot and prunes'
can be smelled from miles away with a tangy wine and fruit aroma.
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Stonehenge lamb
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Ingredients:
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lamb shanks
one carrot
one small red or white onion
dry prunes or apricots
one can of chopped tomatoes
a bottle of any red wine |
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Cooking:
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1. Rub each lamb chuck with salt and chili pepper.
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2. Add vegetable oil into a pan and braise lamb shanks for 3 mins on each side until slightly brown.
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3. Remove lamb from the pan and place into a Dutch oven. |
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4. Add sliced carrot and onion into the pan and cook for 3-5 minutes, then add a can of tomatoes. Let simmer for 10 mins on low heat. |
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5. Pour in the bottle of wine, and let the mixture boil in order for the wine to evaporate slightly. |
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6. Transfer mixture of vegetables and wine into the Dutch oven, add more wine if needed, so that lamb is completely covered and soaked in wine. |
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7. Add prunes or apricots. Any sweet dry fruit such as current, raisins, or cherries will work as well; they will balance out the red wine and bring a natural sweetness to the sauce. |
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8. Cook for one hour on medium/low heat, turning lamb shanks from time to time to make sure they are always soaked in the wine sauce. |
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