Pity the Poor Organs





Friday 26/8/2005

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Diary and Notes

Home.

I'm back in Manchester, 5 kg heavier and 20 years closer to my grave.

I've eaten and drunk so much over the last five days that I think my heart and liver are going to need a bit of time to recover.

Still, it's no good letting my organs off that easily - they have work to do and I expect them to do their darndest - until I pay for transplants of course.

I'm holding out for stem cell research to be able to grow me a new set of organs any time I need them, I think my liver has another three years and my heart about the same. I might offer a sweepstakes on which part of my physiology gives in first. It wont be my stomach however, that's made of sterner stuff as I assume you may already have guessed.

So for my first meal back after my culinary assault on Italy it has to be curry - well, it is Friday. I thought a simple pork and chick pea patia - a hot, sour and sweet curry would be just the ticket. It's made a little sour with some tamarind paste and should have had jaggery in it (Indian unrefined sugar) but I had to make do with some demerara.

For a light dinner after eating so much, this was really not bad at all. Simple but definitely worth a plate or two.

It seemed odd only having a one course meal so I had to nibble some cheese and biscuits afterwards. I also sipped a little grappa that I'd brought back with me - and had a glass of Marika's dad's home made limoncina that he'd given me as a pressy.

Is that my liver crying?

Grin and bear it dear boy - there are worse parts of my body to be than my liver, I promise you.


Cake Blog

This tiny little thing on the Alitalia flight home. It was about as big as my thumb. Alitalia does perhaps the worst airline food I've ever had, really really awful.


Menu

  • Pork and Chick Pea Patia
  • Basmati Rice


    Ingredients*

    Pork and Chick Pea Patia
    500g Pork Shoulder
    3 Onions
    4 Cloves Garlic
    3 cm Ginger
    4 Green Chillis
    2 cm Cinnamon Stick
    2 Cloves
    ½ tsp Mustard Seeds
    ½ tsp Hing
    1 tsp Chilli Powder
    2 tsp Paprika
    1 tsp turmeric
    ½ Tbsp Tamarind Paste
    1 can Chick Peas
    1 Tbsp Mustard Oil
    3 Tomatoes
    ½ Tube Tomato Puree
    1 Tbsp Garam Masala
    ½ tsp Brown Sugar
    Handful Coriander Leaves
    Salt and Pepper



    Preparation

  • Slice two of the onions and fry in mustard oil until just beginning to brown. Add the garlic, chillis and ginger and fry a little longer. When the garlic is just starting to brown remove all the onions/garlic etc and liquidize along with 500 ml water. To the oil in which the onions were cooked add the cinnamon, cloves mustard seeds, turmeric, hing, chilli and paprika and fry to make a paste. In the pan with the paste add the other onion (sliced) and the diced pork. Mix well. When the pork has begun to brown add the liquidized onions/garlic and stir well. Mix in the tamarind, tomato puree, sugar (jaggery would be better, but I didn't have any). Simmer for 45 minutes. When the pork is really tender add the garam masala, chopped tomatoes and coriander. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle a little garam masala and fresh coriander over before serving.

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    *All quantities are very approximate and for three people





    JCBorresen@GMail.com