Better late than never.....arghhh, its been days since my last blog, dear reader please forgive me. It has been worrying me that there don't seem to be enough hours in the day to fit everything in, never mind writing a blog. I am going to have to set myself some kind of timetable and NO Gin & Tonic will be allowed if I don't stick to it. Something else will have to give - cleaning the downstairs loo for example!

READING:
Just like my blogging, reading has been relegated to the sidelines by the number of visitors, the number of court sittings, the bathroom renovation etc etc. Having said that, I have enjoyed "Freakonomics" by Steven D. Leavitt and Stephen J. Dubner. Easy reading, it presented fascinating ideas , statistics and a sideways look at how the world works from a maverick economist at Harvard - ably assisted by a top-rate writer. You might not agree with all the ideas that are presented in the book, but you will certainly have lots to think and talk about. It is a very different perspective on things that is presented in this book. For me the most fascinating section was the one on the primary reason for the rapid decrease in crime in New York...if you thought that that was a result of Mayor Guliani and his zero tolerance policies, think again. Well worth reading.

RANT:
Here in England the outcome of a court case in which a drug dealer was charged with a double murder has been receiving a good deal of press coverage. Three years ago Bertram Byfield, a Jamaican drug dealer living in London, and seven year old Toni-Ann, the little girl he considered his daughter, were shot dead by another violent drug dealer, Joel Smith. The child was shot in the back by Smith, presumably to prevent her being a witness to his having killed her father. A truly henious crime, to shoot a child in cold blood. Smith has been tried and found guilty and will serve a life sentence.
It transpires that Toni-Ann was in the care of Birmingham Social Services at the time of her death, and they have been getting a lot of criticism/blame for what happened to her. What none of the media have really addressed is WHY was this little girl in the care of a local authority in a country far from her mother and other close family? Her mother, who lives in Jamaica had sent her - as a four year old - to the UK on a 'holiday' . Having had a 10 year relationship with Bertram Byfield (who was serving a prison sentence himself when Toni-Ann arrived here) the mother must surely have had some inkling of his involvement with the criminal drug culture. Neither Bertram Byfield nor Toni-Ann were British citizens, and correctly speaking neither of them should have been here at all. Toni-Ann was passed from one set of people to another in Birmingham until she ended up being taken into Care. Byfield then started to make applications to have her with him. Birmingham Social Services were lied to by him, and by his ex-girlfriend who claimed to be Toni-Ann's aunt, and so they permitted the child to move to live with the so-called aunt in London, who immediately passed her over to live with Byfield himself.
Nobody has questioned all the adults - particularly her mother - who used and abused the benefits and advantages of British residence, as to why THEY should not be held to account for what happened to Toni-Ann; why they allowed a man most of them must have known was a violent drug dealer with a criminal record to have her with him. For the press to focus on an overworked social services department is not helpful, they should cut to the root of the problem and condemn the whole Jamaican drug culture which is so damaging our inner cities, THAT is what killed Toni-Ann.



RECIPE:

Cumin is possibly my favourite spice, it is used so widely in cooking, from India through the Middle East to North Africa, and I can't get enough of the taste.
I also love meals which consist of lots of small dishes. 'Meat and two veg' is all very well from time to time, but I prefer tapas, meze, dim sum. Tonight we are having just such a meal and one of the dishes I've made is:

CHICK-PEA, CHILLI & CORIANDER FELAFEL

2 425g cans chick-peas, drained
2 fat cloves garlic, crushed
1 bunch spring onions – white parts only, finely chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 large fresh green chilli, seeded and finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh coriander, finely chopped
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons plain flour
Salt & freshly ground black pepper

Seasoned flour for shaping
Vegetable oil (NOT olive) for shallow frying

Lemon wedges and fresh coriander for garnishing

Tip the drained chick-peas into a food processor or blender, and process until smooth. Add the cumin and ground coriander, garlic and spring onion whites and process again until well mixed.

Turn the mixture into a bowl and stir in the chopped chilli, fresh coriander, beaten egg and flour, mix together well. Season. Mixture should be fairly stiff, if it is too soft add some extra flour and mix again. Cover the bowl and put in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to firm up.

Using floured hands, shape the mixture into small balls the size of a squash ball, roll each one in the seasoned flour and flatten slightly to make into a patty.
Heat the oil in a frying pan and shallow fry the patties in batches for about one minute each side until they are crisp and golden. Drain on crumpled kitchen paper.

These are delicious served with a tzatziki style dip made from yoghurt, garlic, mint and grated cucumber.

Are you sitting comfortably ? ...then I'll begin.

Today is my 56th birthday and I have decided to celebrate by starting a blog.
Like thousands - millions ? - of other first time bloggers I am not really sure what I am getting into, but have decided to give it a go for at least one year, posting at least 3 times per week.
That will give any spectral readers I may acquire one post on Reading ( books, magazines, newspapers etc), one Rant, and one Recipe.
How hard can that be? I rant every day, I cook every day, I read everyday....it's going to be a doddle. Here goes.

READING: I've just finished "Getting Mother's Body" by Suzan-Lori Parks, a book I'd never heard of before this week.This was one of the three paperbacks I got at my bookclub's Summer Swap Supper last Tuesday. I didn't intend to read it straight away as I have a To Be Read pile higher than Everest, but I had a quick peek at the first page or two, and then before I knew it I'd read the whole damn thing.
It is a first novel (or as the Americans would say a 'debut novel') and is set in Texas in the 1960s. The story is of a girl called Billy Beede who is pregnant and unmarried. Her wild-living mother has been dead for six years and there has always been a family rumour that Willa Mae had a valuable pearl necklace and a diamond ring buried with her. Billy and various members of the extended family, plus hangers-on including an ex-preacher and his one-legged wife, a lesbian transvestite pig breeder and a college student, embark on a race to reach the grave, dig up the coffin and get the treasure. Each character takes turns to narrate a chapter so there are multiple points of view which makes the story very lively and at times hilarious. Some of the quotes on the back cover compare the style and setting of the book to writing by the great American writer William Faulkner. This makes me realise how many writers I still havn't tackled, Faulkner being one of them - sigh.

My next read is to be "She May Not Leave" by Fay Weldon. I always enjoy FW's writing and this new book - published in 2005 - looks like a light frothy number which is just what I am in the mood for. I've borrowed it from the Highgate Literary and Scientific Institution library, a wonderful source of reading material. HLSI is a members only organisation, and has a terrific programme of classes, workshops, guest speakers etc, but for me the big attraction is the library. It also has a comfy reading room with all the latest newspapers, journals, glossy magazines etc. There is a coffee machine, but the coffee is foul, and in winter there is a roaring fire. With a take-away latte from Cafe Nero, it is a great place to while away half an hour on a rainy day.


RANT: Why is this still able to happen in Britain ? - an intelligent, educated, 25 year old young woman Samaira Nazir is brutally stabbed to death in her home by male members of her family, in full view of, and with the compliance of her mother because she has refused to marry any of the men they want her to marry. And the family refuse to accept the young man she has chosen herself. In her community this is called an 'honour' killing - DIS-honour is nearer the mark. Why, in our school system, when kids have to do PSHE aren't they taught - particularly in areas with a high immigrant population - that in the UK you can marry whoever you choose, forced marriages are illegal, and 'honour' killings are murder pure and simple. Samaira was not living in some isolated village in a remote part of the muslim world where mediaeval codes of behaviour still prevail, she was here, in Britain, she should have been safe from such barbaric attitudes. But she was not safe, and she was not safe because we have been less than forthright with immigrants about the norms of British life and insisting they adhere to them if they live here. Is it because we are too nervous about being called racist or Islamist? We all pride ourselves on the tolerance of our society, but there are limits to tolerance, and we have to make that clear.


RECIPE: What is going on in Lebanon at the moment is absolutely ghastly. My heart goes out to those poor people caught up in this tit-for-tat war of attrition, missiles raining down on them. I could rant about that too but won't, as wiser folk than I have tried and failed to figure out the complexities of the situation in the Middle East. I have never been to Lebanon, but there is a Lebanese salad we all love and eat vast quantities of in summer, so I thought that this should be the first recipe I post.

TABBOULEH
125g burgul (bulgar/cracked wheat)
2 bunches spring onions, washed and chopped
250g tomatoes, skinned, chopped and drained
4 heaped Tablespoons chopped parsley
4 heaped Tablespoons chopped mint
4 Tablespoons olive oil
3 Tablespoons lemon juice
Salt + Freshly ground black pepper

Put the burgul into a bowl and pour in enough fresh cold water to cover. Leave for ½ hour to soak. Drain, then squeeze dry between your hands.
Put the prepared burgul into a bowl, and add the finely chopped spring onions, mint, tomatoes and parsley. Stir well to mix then stir in the oil, lemon juice and season to taste.
Leave for an hour before serving.
Keeps well in fridge for 2-3 days. Rich in vitamin C.

Once you start making this salad you will be hooked and find yourself making it every week. It is great in pitta pockets with left over ham or chicken, brilliant salad for a braai, or even as part of a mezze-style starter together with tzatziki and baba ganoush.



So thats it - I'm off to enjoy a glass or two of Cava and open pressies and cards. Toodle Pip!



Whoops! already made a ballsup, this post is dated 14th July, as I started drafting it then, but I posted it today 16th July and I didn't know how to change the date - so many details to learn.