When Did I Last See You?


(ht to mark riddle)

when did i last see you?
how long ago that ache
when i recognised the broken and the lame
that we, you and i, are all the same?

when did i last see you
and truly know myself?
how did we grow apart while in this life
we walked so closely side by side?

when will i see you once more?
without the dread, or shame?
without the peace but with the blame
oh endless ache of absent friend
i miss your hands, your eyes, your voice
now silent in the noise of my life
oh i have been walking alone
a storm and blood upon these streets
but you and i, we are the same..
the broken spirit and the clay
the only one who can mend me
oh tender blood stained hands
come hold my life in yours again

Bread & Wine.

Bread & Wine.

The Whiskey Mac-Gill
1 part irish whiskey (Jamesons)
1 part green ginger wine (Stones)
Fresh squeezed lime or lemon juice (preference): 1 whole fruit = 4 serves.

Pour over a ‘cup’ of ice cubes, blend.
Serve over two slices of lemon or lime, top up with lemonade (sparkling or homemade).
Make it southern-style by adding fresh chopped mint to the blender, or muddling after.

Chicken
Legs, deboned, stuffed with pork, pistachios, plenty of italian flat-leaf parsley, plenty of thyme. Wrapped in streaky bacon, seasoned well, then poached for 20 – 25mins. Chill for 30 mins. Then pan fry til bacon crispy, slice and serve.
(Original stuffed chicken recipe from Gordon Ramsey, slightly modified).

I serve with:

wild mushroom & garlic risotto and fresh asparagus, blanched and peppered
or
spring vegetables (mushrooms, zucchini, asparagus & onion)in white wine pepper cream.

For a spicier, Oriental twist, use cashews, coriander and chillis in the stuffing, along with a little ginger. Then serve on simple asian noodles of choice with green beans, capsicum slivers and bamboo in salty sweet chilli sauce.

Lamb
Take individual lamb loin or a small roast, split through the middle and stuff with feta, plenty of basil and capers. Add a little pepper and olive oil. Tie with cotton string so that the meat closes well over the cheese. Season the outside of the lamb with olive oil, salt, pepper, just a little ground chilli powder and crushed garlic. Sear on each side (about 4 mins), seasoning each side. Then roast in the oven for approx 25mins. Always let the meat rest for a few minutes before slicing.

Serve with roasted vegetables – I chose red peppers, vine-ripened tomatoes, asparagus, zucchini and green beans.

*I think it’s really important to eat seasonally – so what’s locally available is always a good (and usually cheaper) way to go.

Roasted Vegetables
The key to success here is roasting to taste.. I like to put them in a high heat bake oven and then switch it to grill to crisp up when the texture is just right. I put the capsicum & tomatoes in at the beginning, well salted, with olive oil and pepper too. Then adding the zucchini, followed by the asparagus and green beans (which are blanched first). Just roll the additional vegetables in the oil you used for the capsicum and tomatoes, seasoning as you go. Perfecto. If you add the vegetables about the same time as the lamb – you’ll be perfect.

*I served the asparagus whole, the green beans in two-inch lengths. The capsicum in eighths, the zucchini in 1cm wide diagonal slices.

**Any variation of the following would also work well – whole field mushrooms, whole garlic cloves, eggplant slices, broccolini.

Roasted Vegetable Pasta
If you were roasting the above vegetables with garlic cloves and mushrooms – another great way to serve an easy and light summer lunch is cooking off some angelhair pasta or tagiatelli, then adding your bite-sized roasted vegetables with plenty of fresh basil, salt, pepper and garlic. Delicious.

Beer Bread
An easy and aromatic way to consume your favourite brews.
2 cups self raising flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon sugar
a drizzle of good quality olive oil
about 250ml of a good beer

Mix together until a good dough is formed – add more of whatever it needs – flour or beer, until you have a workable dough. Then form it into whatever shape loaf you prefer. You can use a tin but I prefer free form, sometimes braided etc. Bake for an hour at medium heat oven. When it’s crusty and hollow-sounding, you have a great loaf.

The consistency is a little different than normal bread – and you could make this loaf wholemeal easily. I prefer the darker ales for the aromatic content – I recently made it with a renaissance Porter ale. Delicious. Great to toast and serve with soul or another light meal.

Spanish Mushrooms & Chorizo
Inspired by one of my favourite bars, Mezze in Durham Lane, this is so simple, yet one of my favourite things on the menu. It’s perfect served with hummus on beer bread.

1 chorizo per serve (sliced diagonally, thinly)
150g mushrooms per person (button is fine, quartered)
fresh basil
fresh garlic, crushed or finely chopped

Saute off the garlic and chorizo until the chorizo is crispy. Then add the mushrooms and saute til they are crispy. Add a dash of wine (honestly, just a splash) then a dash of either sour cream or cream. The various flavours will mix together well – add the torn fresh basil and a touch of pepper to taste.

Serve as a tapa or main over toasted bread or fresh greens.

Chalaf, Meaning To Change Or Come To Life Again

Chalaf, Meaning To Change Or Come To Life Again

Conversations With A Friend

says He: yes, I do love you.
says I: why, why do you love me?
says He (pausing): I love you because you can talk. About anything, and it makes sense. (laughing). And because you’re generous.
says I: (laughing) with my heart or with my wallet?
says He: (laughing more) with your… everything about you.

Chuckling under our breath, the mid-afternoon sun into our coffee cups. I paused, walked with you to cross the road and smelt like your cigarette smoke for the rest of the day.

And I felt known.

Conversations By Mail
True romance is not just the notion of love but the gasp and the shudder of all manner of emotions in exquisite moments, captured and tasted as if in concentrate. Thus, poems of the deep heart, written by hand, sent by mail and arriving into my hand on a crisp new summer night exert everything that is good and beautiful about romance between friends.. the agony and ache of parting, the anticipation of reunion, the sorrow of distance, the joy of communicating.

There is but one poem, and it travels between us – always handwritten.

Say What You Need To Say.

‘Say’ Music Video from Matthew Singleton on Vimeo.

Build a Strong Bridge
The first Turkish proverb I remember hearing was in a gathering of people who were concerned about human rights and religious freedom in Turkey. Too many stories of churches being padlocked shut and leaders being detained caused us to question what we heard from the upper echelons of the government or from the headlines in the acceptable newspapers.

One amazing young Turkish woman was there who spoke with dignity and grace. She spoke slowly and what she said was all the more poignant for the speed of delivery.

“When truth is heavy, you must first build a strong bridge.”

She spoke of many other things, but that phrase has stayed with me.
Think about it. Sometimes there are truths we do not want to convey, or to take delivery of. Speaking truth can be awkward. There can be risks involved. So could be the testimony of many a prophet or medicine man.

My warning then is, not that we avoid speaking truth, but that we build strong bridges.

A Poem By Grace.

Grace is one of the children attending the school in Kibera Slum that 100days100dollars is working with. This is her recital of a poem (unknown origin).

life oh life life
—-
how many ever lived and today no more but dust
it doesn’t matter if you are rich or poor
surely life is more than south african gold

all sons of my woman, of my woman
and daughters of my womb
this generation of young ducks has fallen apart
days and nights
boys and girls
walk right left left right
forward backward

alcoholic —-
tell me where is your destination
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