Pigs in Blankets, Old Age, Umami

Having written about Pigs in Blankets yesterday, what did I receive but a recipe for Mini Pigs in Blankets, but there again, in pastry which to me are basically sausage rolls. They look pretty good but I really like the potato variety. I wish I could get Jimmy Dean sausage in Kitchener, it is one of the best I have tasted in North America, but it is only sold in the States, as far as I know. You can buy it in a tube as shown or in links or patties. I specially love it to make Scotch Eggs. Hmm, thought I had posted that recipe before, will do so tomorrow.

I was thinking about products and how companies do not bear in mind the age of some of their users. When I had finished my shower yesterday morning I needed to open a new Tilex spray (works pretty well) but without glasses I couldn’t see the ON and OFF on the nozzle so there I am, dripping wet and having to put my glasses on to find out how to spray the bath. The words are embedded into the white plastic and are, themselves white; not very distinctive. I am sure if you are in your 20s and 30s it wouldn’t be a problem but at my age, it was impossible to see.

I lost my sense of smell some considerable time ago, however, I can taste certain things such as sweet, sour, bitter, salt and umami, all with my tongue. If you click on the word you can get a detailed article on umami and what its properties are. In fact the nearest English translation of the word, which is of Japanese origin, is savouriness. The article will detail the kinds of foods which contain lots of umami. Tomatoes are very high on the list. Looking at various recipes and information I came across the following which will certainly be on our dinner table before we are too much older. Mine will contain red wine as we keep a box handy for cooking.

Provençal Style Pork Stew in Tomato Sauce

Umami Information Centre.

Very popular French home cooking. This combination of thyme and garlic is enough to whet anyone's appetite! The secret to this recipe is to grill both sides of the pork before stewing which traps the Umami in the meat.
Serves 2

Ingredients
400g shoulder of roast pork
1 tin (440g) tomatoes
2 onions
1/2 carrot
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup white wine
Some salt and pepper to season
Some parsley, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
Seasoning for Pork
Some salt and pepper
1/4 tsp dried thyme
Seasoning for Sauce
Some salt and pepper
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1 bay leaf

Method

1. Rub the salt, pepper and dried thyme into the pork.
2. Slice the tomatoes into large chunks keeping the juice for later use. Cut the onions in half and slice. Slice the carrots and finely chop the garlic.
3. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a pot and, turning frequently, fry both sides of the pork until golden brown.
4. Add the remaining olive oil to the pork, then add the garlic, onions and carrots respectively. Fry quickly before adding the wine, tomatoes with juice and all seasonings for the sauce. Cover with a lid then stew for 1 hour on a low heat. Should the stew be too thin, remove the lid and boil for a while until the excess has evaporated.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste and some lemon juice if so desired.
6. Slice the pork into 5mm width strips and, together with the sauce, place on a dish and garnish with parsley.
   Tip
   Try this dish together with buttered rice by mixing 1 tbsp of butter and a pinch of salt and pepper with the equivalent of 3 bowls of hot rice.

Have a great day