TURИ: Washington's Spies: Cheshire Pork Pie Recipe 🥁 🥁 🥁 🥁 🥁
/Year Released: 2014
Starring: Jamie Bell, Meegan Warner, Heather Lind, Daniel Henshall, Seth Numrich, Levin McNally, Samuel Roukin, Burn Gorman, Ian Kahn. Angus Macfadyen, JJ Field
(Not rated, 4 seasons, 10 episodes, each approximately 45 min. each)
Genre: Historical Drama
“Our country owes its life to heroes whose names it will never know.” –George Washington
Truth and Illusion. You won’t always know the difference as the American Revolution comes roaring to life on screen in blood red, patriot blue, and cowardly white. Lust and loyalty, betrayal and bravery, deception and death – they are all there in a kaleidoscope of images that bleed into each other.
A Long Island cabbage farmer bands together a group of childhood friends to form an unlikely group of spies who turn the tide in America's fight for independence.
The series begins after noteworthy events such as the Boston Tea Party, the ride of Paul Revere, or the death of Nathan Hale have already taken place.
It is the fall of 1776 and the British Redcoats have forced Washington and his rebel forces into the wilderness.
New York City serves as military base of operations for the British. The Loyalists of nearby Long Island keep vigilant watch out for sympathizers and spies.
However, it is not the events themselves, but those behind them that rivet our attention. Who would have thought Benedict Arnold (Owain Yeoman) would see himself as motivated by honor, while the British intelligence chief John Andre ( JJ Field) not only sees Arnold’s true colors, lust, and vanity, but knows how to play them against him.
In fact, some of the more honorable characters are the British ones, especially Major Hewlett (Burn Gorman) in charge of the backwater Long Island town of Setauket, New York. His real loves are his horse, Bucephalus, whom he houses in his office, his stall right next to the major’s elegant desk, and the stars. And it seems one of those stars has struck him, since Major Hewlett falls in love with Mrs. Anna Strong (Heather Lind), the town’s tavern keeper, and unknown to him, one of Washington’s best spies.
Of course, Major Hewlett is not the only one in thrall to Anna; our little cabbage farmer himself, Abe Woodhall (Jamie Bell), later known by his spy cover name, Samuel Culper, dotes on her, too. Like Anna herself, Abe is also is married, with a son he adores and, farmer that he is, affectionately calls him Sprout.
In fact, it is love also that motivates British intelligence chief John Andre, too, although prompting the woman he loves to “flirt” with Benedict Arnold in order to turn him to their cause seems a tortured way to show it. He assures the lovely Peggy Shippen (Ksenia Solo) that keeping away amorous males is something she can do in her sleep, but that “sleep” is all too soon one shared with the lusty Benedict, who degrades himself and those he touches as the series progresses. When he learns her true feelings for Andre, Benedict dispenses with the tender words of courtship and calls her “ a lying, lascivious wench.”
Although he protests that “My honor is the one thing that I have carried through this war intact and I intend to preserve it,” we soon come to see Benedict Arnold as the “ two-faced, pompous piece of shite,” that Caleb Brewster (Daniel Henshall), an integral part of the Culper gang, aptly decries him to be.
George Washington comes down from his pedestal – not literally as the riots of 2020– but he is more vulnerable and human, at times filled with self-doubt and not immune to lashing out at those closest to him, in particular Ben Tallmadge, ultimately Washington’s Chief of Intelligence and leader of the Culper spy ring.
Maj. Tallmadge [to Gen. Washington]: You have been blindsided by self-centered ambition. And it will be my friends who pay the price.
Gen. Washington: Get out!
Every relationship is forged by the Patriot rebellion and which side each of the Americans choose. Patriot leaning Abe is not so much a declared revolutionary; he is drawn, swept, and lured into it after his cabbage crop fails and he goes to sell the few remaining good ones on the black market, known as “the London trade.” The black marketer is his childhood friend, Caleb Brewster, who arranges for Ben to be set upon by privateers (what we would call pirates) to test his loyalty.
In particular, as Abe becomes more and more immersed in what was to have been a one-time venture, he is at odds with his loyalist father, the town’s magistrate Judge, Richard Woodhull (Kevin McNally) and his equally loyalist wife Mary (Meegan Warner.) The judge seems dogmatic and cold in his beliefs, but sometimes his actions are not what they seem.
In fact, as the war rages on and both sides see atrocities they might never have imagined, there is a softening:
Judge [reflecting on their spy life]: I prefer the law.
Abe: And I prefer farming, but here we are.
Judge: Here we are.
And then there is one thing they can all agree on, even the British Major Hewlett. It is their mutual and well-deserved hatred for the despicable Lt. John Simcoe (Samuel Roukin), the unseen hand manipulating mayhem against both sides to fulfill his own ambitions. Like Frankenstein’s monster, he escapes attempt after attempt to kill him, one of the bravest coming from a surprising source.
Once, even as he appears mortally wounded, Simcoe cannot help but twist the iron, albeit clothed in a velvet glove.
“Of all the men I have forged from weaklings to warriors, you may have been my greatest creation,” he tells Major Hewlett. And the audience cannot help but see some ironic truth in that summation.
Yet, just as he is almost at death’s door, Simcoe does something that comes close to redeeming himself.
Each character is mesmerizing. We cannot fail to mention Robert Rogers (Angus Macfadyen) the unscrupulous head of the Queen’s Rangers, a group of scoundrels who do the dirty work behind the scenes. His Scottish burr gives him a roguish royalty, and his relentless pursuit of those who have wronged him, coupled with a crafty assessment of character, make him fascinating even as he self destructs.
Mary Woodhull and Anna Strong prove as intelligent and crafty – perhaps better at the spy game than the males around them. They are joined by Abagail (Idara Victor), one time slave to Anna Strong, then freed to become a housemaid to British Chief of Intelligence John Andre. She risks all to become a valued part of the Culper spy ring, and though she spies against the British, she in loyal to the kind hearted Major Andre in her own fashion.
Fellow one time slave Jordan/Akinbode (Aldis Hodge) has a presence that captures the screen. His warrior qualities and seething anger first earn our respect, but his love and loyalty for Abagail, finally win her over as well.
Incidentally, we see the British cunning in their proclamation freeing American slaves. Yes, they are free. Free to enlist and fight for the British. Free to become servants for their officers.
Finally, we cannot fail to mention the gentle Quakers in New York who do their part as well. Samuel Townsend (John Billingsely) is a patriot at heart, but it takes a while and long persuasion to have his son Robert (Nick Westrate) risk life and limb for the American cause.
This riveting series has more real life historical figures than most films that claim to be ‘Inspired by true events.” Yes, there are some deviations the filmmakers have inserted to arouse our attention:
· Abraham Woodhull was unmarried and childless during the period in which he was a spy. He did not marry Mary Smith until 1781 and did not have a son named Thomas.
· Anna Strong was 10 years older than Abraham Woodhull. There is no evidence to suggest that they had anything other than a professional relationship.
· Edmund Hewlett is a fictitious character. The commander of the garrison at Setauket was Richard Hewlett, although he did not succeed John Andre as spymaster. Richard was married with 11 children, and there is no evidence of an affair with Anna Strong.
But those deviations are relatively minor. Except for the unnecessarily explicit sexuality, this series could bring history to life in the classroom. Perhaps an edited version will one day make it there.
Until then, do not miss TURИ: Washington's Spies. As exciting and well written as The Last Kingdom, and that is saying quite a bit.
–Kathy Borich
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Trailer
Film-Loving Foodie
If we really wanted to be authentic about a recipe favored in 18th century America, we could choose from dishes made with turtles, beavers, and eel.
But Jellied eel, eel pie, or roast beaver tail don’t do it for Different Drummer, who believes these authentic culinary delights would not be popular with her audience, either.
We could opt for some cabbage dishes, seeing as how one of the bravest of spies, Abraham Woodhull, was in reality a cabbage farmer. You can find several from earlier reviews, such as
Kielbasa and Cabbage (The Zookeeper’s Wife)
Russian Cabbage Soup (Anna Karenina)
Bubble and Squeak (Harry Brown).
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Our spies all had it hard – imprisonment and its attendant watery gruel, torture, days in the stock, musket rounds dug out without any painkillers, mucking about in dung piles, not to mention a hanging or two.
They deserve something a bit more appetizing, don’t you think? Our recipe fits in very well with the taverns and coffee houses where they passed on information, or the Alehouse run by one of the best of them, Mrs. Anna Strong. The pork reminds us of the wheeling and dealing done by Abe and his father to supply hogs to the British army as a pretext – at least for Abe – for getting into New York to spy on the British in charge there.
This savory Cheshire Pork Pie is filled with thin slices of pork tenderloin layered with tart apples, wine, and spices; encase in a rich double pastry crust; and bake. Take a step back in time and enjoy this delicious pork pie recipe from the 18th century. – Lisa
Here are links to 2 other great Pork Pie recipes.
Cheshire Pork Pie
Ingredients:
Pastry dough for a double pie (Puff pastry also works)
1 small pork loin, about 1 ½ pounds
Salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste
1 tbls lemon juice
1 cup wine
1 pastry dough
1-2 apples
3 tbls sugar
1 tbls butter (approx.)
Directions
1. Make a double pastry dough and chill it in the fridge while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
2. Peel, core and slice two Granny Smith apples into ⅓-inch rings. Soak them in lemon water to prevent browning.
3. Cut a 1 ½ pound pork tenderloin into ¼-inch slices.
4. Brown the apple slices in butter for a few minutes per side. Set the apple slices aside and add wine to the skillet. Simmer, stirring to release the bits of browned apple, until wine is reduced by half.
5. Assemble the Pie: Roll out one pastry crust and line a pie pan with it. Arrange half of the pork slices in the crust. Sprinkle with spices. Arranged the apples over the pork. Sprinkle with sugar. Arrange the rest of the pork slices over the apples. Season, pour the reduced wine over the top, and dot with butter. Roll out the top crust and cover the pie. Trim the edges and use the trimmings to cut out decorative leaves, if you like.
6. Bake: Brush the top crust with egg wash. Bake for 45 minutes. Slice and enjoy!
