And so, after seven years, the Premiership flag or cup or whatever it is they hoist in the air at the end of the Grand Final comes home to Victoria, if not quite to Melbourne; which means my team, Essendon, remains the last Melbourne club to triumph on that One Day in September.
But today, the people of Geelong are the happiest in Australia, especially if they own a bottle shop. I have some sentimental attachment to Geelong. My sister lived there in the mid-seventies; I visited her frequently in the winter of 1976, driving my first car, a Falcon XP base model with the 144 c.i. engine, no heater or demister and a radio that kept playing Fernando. I hated ABBA. Later, Geelong was my regular halfway stop on journeys to and from my family's house at Birregurra.
Today's weather seems as cold as those faraway drives down Geelong Road. Last week's taste of Spring has been snatched away from us like a toy from a toddler and replaced with a cold blast blanketing the city in rain driven by a fierce south-westerly. Brr. Time for another curry. This one is deliciously fragrant and not all that hot.
Chicken saag.
Slice eight chicken thigh fillets into forkable pieces.
Wilt 250g of washed mustard greens, or spinach, or a combination, in a little oil in a covered pan for about five minutes, then place it into a processor and puree it along with an inch of grated ginger, a chopped green chili, two crushed garlic cloves and a quarter cup of water.
Sizzle half a teaspoon of peppercorns and two bay leaves in oil for a minute or two, add a finely chopped onion and cook for five minutes. Add half a jar of tomato puree OR a can of diced tomatoes OR four chopped ripe tomatoes (if you can lay your hands on some) to the cooking onions and simmer five minutes.
Now add two teaspoons of curry powder, a teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of chili powder. After another two minutes (these time intervals are very forgiving, by the way), add the puree of greens and three quarters of a cup of water. Stir through three tablespoons of natural yogurt, a little at a time.
Add the chicken pieces at this point, cook for thirty minutes and serve with roti bread and rice, with more yogurt to serve, coriander to scatter and some mango pickle on the side.
And now, all together, to the tune of Toreador, from Bizet's Carmen:
We are Geelong
the greatest team of all
We are Geelong
We're always on the ball
We play the game, as it should be played
At home or far away
Our banners fly high, from dawn to dark
Down at Kardinia Park.
But today, the people of Geelong are the happiest in Australia, especially if they own a bottle shop. I have some sentimental attachment to Geelong. My sister lived there in the mid-seventies; I visited her frequently in the winter of 1976, driving my first car, a Falcon XP base model with the 144 c.i. engine, no heater or demister and a radio that kept playing Fernando. I hated ABBA. Later, Geelong was my regular halfway stop on journeys to and from my family's house at Birregurra.
Today's weather seems as cold as those faraway drives down Geelong Road. Last week's taste of Spring has been snatched away from us like a toy from a toddler and replaced with a cold blast blanketing the city in rain driven by a fierce south-westerly. Brr. Time for another curry. This one is deliciously fragrant and not all that hot.
Chicken saag.
Slice eight chicken thigh fillets into forkable pieces.
Wilt 250g of washed mustard greens, or spinach, or a combination, in a little oil in a covered pan for about five minutes, then place it into a processor and puree it along with an inch of grated ginger, a chopped green chili, two crushed garlic cloves and a quarter cup of water.
Sizzle half a teaspoon of peppercorns and two bay leaves in oil for a minute or two, add a finely chopped onion and cook for five minutes. Add half a jar of tomato puree OR a can of diced tomatoes OR four chopped ripe tomatoes (if you can lay your hands on some) to the cooking onions and simmer five minutes.
Now add two teaspoons of curry powder, a teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of chili powder. After another two minutes (these time intervals are very forgiving, by the way), add the puree of greens and three quarters of a cup of water. Stir through three tablespoons of natural yogurt, a little at a time.
Add the chicken pieces at this point, cook for thirty minutes and serve with roti bread and rice, with more yogurt to serve, coriander to scatter and some mango pickle on the side.
And now, all together, to the tune of Toreador, from Bizet's Carmen:
We are Geelong
the greatest team of all
We are Geelong
We're always on the ball
We play the game, as it should be played
At home or far away
Our banners fly high, from dawn to dark
Down at Kardinia Park.
i can't wait to get my new kitchen so i can make this. it sounds wonderful.
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