Day 10: Impromptu dinners... starring trotters

This savoury oats thing is becoming a habit for breakfast, not that I mind, I really like them and it gives me a chance to use up any leftovers.  This version had double smoked bacon, prosciutto and slices of rib roast.  Sounds like a huge portion, but it wasn’t.  I just wanted a small taste.

Right after breakfast, I began to prepare the pig’s feet (playfully known as trotters) that were intended for a solo dinner.  I left them to marinate in a diluted mix of soy sauce, chimichurri and a hit of tabasco.

Consumed with some work around the house, I hadn’t given much thought to lunch, so I was happy to hear from my father who invited me over.  Mom had made pork meatballs, which goes to show that although she thinks I’m nuts, she supportive.  Let’s call her a month of pork enabler.

It always makes me smile when I get a call from my dad.  I know he hates talking on the phone, so it’s meaningful even before a word is said.  And then there’s a slight hesitation before he says something, which if the call is placed in the morning is usually “are you awake?”  That’s funny, because he knows that I operate on little sleep and never sleep in.  He’s also painfully aware that these sleep habits are his fault since he never allowed me to sleep in when I was young.  It’s the basis of one of my philosophies: there’s a lot of living to do, I’ll sleep when I’m dead.

The meatballs mom had prepared for lunch were perfect.  I wanted to limit myself to just one, but that was impossible, and soon enough I had devoured three.  Mom said she was worried about me, that somehow the “Month of Pork” was consuming me.  I calmed her down, and explained that it was giving me a chance to improve my cooking skills, try new things and gave me a subject for one of my favourite pastimes: writing.  Incidentally, I’ve been told that I’m becoming a pretty good food stylist as well.

Dinner was originally supposed to be a solo affair with the trotters as the lone course, I had never eaten them let alone cooked them, but there was a change of plans when the guys I was supposed to go out with showed their rookie colours and called in with hangovers; they were in no condition to go out.  And just like that, an impromptu dinner was arranged.  Alex and Julie weren’t keen on the trotters, so they brought some shrimp and sausages.  I made some pasta alla carbonara.  I had never made it before, so I placed a quick call to my mom to confirm that I knew what I was doing.  I had it all right, except for the helpful hint at the end, because you cook the “sauce” (beaten eggs and cheese) with the heat from the drained pasta, the pasta cools quickly.  If you don’t warm the bowls before you serve it, you’ll end up eating cold pasta.  I used cured slab bacon, double smoked bacon and prosciutto for the carbonara and Julie (a passionate foodie) declared it the best carbonara she’d ever had.  That’s saying a lot because it’s her favourite type of pasta.

Dry cured slab bacon and prosciutto

My first try at carbonara

Alex dug deep into the pot and came up with bacon gold!

I finished the trotters off on the grill for 30 minutes and when they hit the table, the skin and joints were cracking and popping.  I deglazed the pan drippings with white wine and poured the sticky delicious mess all over the feet.  My guests initial reluctance quickly turned to joy; there wasn’t much meat, but the skin was amazing.  Fuck Kentucky Fried Chicken, these feet were “finger lickin’ good”!



Scraping up the brown bits for the trotter sauce



Pigs feet

A spoon of love and tastiness

Alex licks the bone (apparently his tongue is more photogenic than mine)

F' Colonel Sanders!

Sausages and bacon wrapped shrimp rounded out the fantastic dinner and transformed a hastily arranged meal into a full-on session of “holding court”.  It just goes to show you that it doesn’t have to be complicated to be amazing.

bacon wrapped shrimp

Passion Fruit Gin and Tonic...best drink ever! (click for the origins)