Inspired by Nigel Slater’s “The Kitchen Diaries” I thought on my way home from work that I would start to record my foodie experiences throughout the next 12 months so that I have something to review this time next year. There will be a few differences…
Nigel can write well.
He can cook.
He knows about food.
He has the discipline to record what he eats throughout the year.
…
Tonight however I was inspired. After reading a recipe for pork pie at the weekend in “Miss Read’s country cooking or to cut a cabbage leaf” (or “babbage” leaf as Wife would say), I rushed home after work to the local (super)market and stocked up on a few pig products (“does anybody else smell bacon? There’s definately a pork product here of some kind”):
Pork
Bacon
Lard
Shampoo (unrelated to recipe)
Back home with Thai takeaway safely ordered, preparation started. Pork and bacon gets chopped together and then mulched in with pepper and sage to make 1lb of porky paste. 1/2 mug of water brought to the boil with 4oz of LARD –> Stired into 12oz of plain flour for the pastry.
I’ve learned a couple of things already…
1) Boiling up lard and water makes you feel sick.
2) Actually it’s only really one thing that i’ve learned.
Pastry forced into a vague pie shape around a sizable whisky tumbler. Pie shell disintergrates when tumbler removed. Pie now formed in oversized, giant, ramakin left here a few weeks ago by she who shall be known as Minkey. Porky goodness now plopped into the casing and lid attached.
“…and bake for 2 hours”
Bugger. It’s going to be midnight before this porky fella is done, and that’s before i’ve even started to worry about the gelatine bit.
