History is Now

As a youngster I had very little interest in history. It always seemed to be for boring fuddy duddies who appeared as old as the relics they drooled over. As a child I used to think that history was what had gone before and that in modern peace time society, there were no historical events. As I have gotten older, I have become more aware of history as being something that is a living, breathing thing. It happened then but it is also happening now. There's just no getting away from it and you might as well embrace it on your own terms. It has of course become easier to embrace history as I have become a passive (and sometimes active) witness to the major historical events have occurred since then. The first moon landing. That miraculous save by Gordon Banks. The three-day week. On the march with Ally's Army. The Thatcher Government. The death of John Lennon. Fred and Rosemary West. The televised murder trial of OJ Simpson. A new millennium. 9/11.

One of the most bizarre moments in living history must surely have been the toppling of Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq in 2003. We were "treated" to a series of incomprehensible events during that period. We had one of Saddam's right hand men, "Chemical Ali" telling news reporters that they have fought back and held the American invaders whilst in camera shot we see an American tank rolling down the street. Later, in a very simple news conference, the words, "we got him" rung around the world as Saddam was located in an underground hideaway which looked like the size of an upturned telephone box, a stark contrast to the lavish and spacious lifestyle he was afforded by his own dictatorship. The trial by the Iraqi special tribunal that followed contained almost farcical moments with Saddam and his lawyers contesting the court's authority and maintaining that he was still the President of Iraq. Lastly, his execution was captured on mobile phone and released for all to see on YouTube. Technology and history coming together in a ghoulish, but strangely seductive way.

Now, the Gaddafi regime is under enormous pressure and although it appears that his son is trying to promote reform from within by reinventing the constitution, I wonder if it is just too late in the day. Too many insiders have jumped ship. He has lost power but has he lost control? Perhaps the only control the people of Libya will accept is that Gaddafi is toppled in a manner that is "Saddamesque".

Already, American families who lost their loved ones in the Lockerbie bombing are calling for summary execution. Their death calls seem to be gaining some support from Libyan Government defectors who are now claiming the bombing was ordered directly by Gaddafi. They want to see him hang. They might yet have their day. And history will continue to both entice and repel, in equal doses.

Chicken Chasni made with Taz Base

Tonight's tea.

Ingredients:

300ml Taz base gravy

Taz or BE spice mixture, 1 tsp.

¼ tsp. of chilli powder

¼ tsp. salt

1½ tbsp. tomato ketchup

50ml Heinz tomato soup

1½ tbsp. mango chutney

1 tsp. vinegar

2 tsp. lemon juice

1/8 tsp. mint sauce

70ml single cream

pre-cooked chicken for one

Method:

add 200 ml of warm base to the pan or wok

add the spices and salt and stir in well

over a medium to high heat reduce down until there is very little water left and the oil has come through, stirring occasionally

scrape down the brown caramelised residue on the side of the pan back into the mix

reduce the mix right down until it is thick and almost dry

if you add the remaining base when the first reduction hasn't gone far enough then the flavour won't have developed enough and the curry can be bland

add the remaining 100ml of the base

add the tomato soup, mango chutney, vinegar, lemon juice and mint sauce and stir in

add the pre-cooked chicken and stir in

let cook until the sauce has reduced to a slightly thick sauce

add the cream to thin the sauce to the right consistency

Notes:

The Taz base is very oily and most recipes call for 400 to 450ml of the base. I have reduced this to 300 ml due to the addition of tomato soup and cream to finish the sauce at the end.

You can increase the amount of mint if it suits your taste.

Chicken Jalfrezi made with Taz Base

Ingredients:

1 portion of pre-cooked chicken

¼ green pepper, cut into chunks and pre-fried

¼ red pepper, cut into chunks and pre-fried

½ small onion, cut into chunks and pre-fried

4 green chillies, sliced length ways and pre-fried

400 ml Taz curry base gravy

1 tbsp tomato puree, mixed with 1 tbsp water

1 tsp garlic paste or crushed garlic

½ tsp ginger paste or crushed ginger

BE spice mixture, 1 tsp.

1 teaspoon of chilli powder

¼ teaspoon of salt

½ tsp dried fenugreek leaves

1 tsp sugar

2 or 3 tomato quarters

fresh coriander, to garnish

Method:

heat 200 ml of base in the pan

add the tomato paste, garlic/ginger paste, mix powder, chilli powder, salt, and fenugreek, stir in well

reduce this mixture right down until you have a thick dry paste

add your chicken and pre-fried vegetables

add the other half of the base gravy and stir in well

reduce to the level or consistency that you want

add the sugar and stir in

add tomato quarters and garnish with coriander

David Cameron Visits Egypt

Prime Minister David Cameron has called on Egypt's ruling military to 'do more, more quickly' to bring about political reforms during a visit to the country. David Cameron called Egypt a friend of the UK and said "we want Egypt to have a strong and successful future". Mr Cameron is the first world leader to visit Egypt since the resignation of former president Hosni Mubarak after weeks of protests. I'm sure the Egyptian people will be delighted and that it will be life changing for them.

Give him a fortnight and he'll be on the streets of Libya too, jumping on the bandwagon while the dead have yet to be laid to rest.

Violence on the Streets

The 2011 Libyan protests began on 13 January, 2011 and continues to the present. Media outlets have reported the unrest as being inspired by the uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia, connecting these protests with the wider 2010–2011 Middle East and North Africa protests.

On 18 February demonstrators took control over most of Benghazi, the second largest city of Libya, with some support from police and defecting military units. In reaction the government sent in elite troops, which were resisted by Benghazi's inhabitants and mutineer members of the military. In Benghazi, during the course of four separate protests that took place on 20 February, more than 200 people have died. The New York Times reported that "the crackdown in Libya has proven the bloodiest of the recent government actions."

The 40-year rule of Col Muammar Gaddafi is now under threat amid spiralling unrest throughout Libya. Several senior officials - including the justice minister - have reportedly resigned after security forces fired on protesters in Tripoli overnight. Witnesses say renewed protests have hit two suburbs of the capital.

In an earlier TV address, Col Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam conceded that the eastern cities of al-Bayda and Benghazi were under opposition control. But he warned of civil war and vowed that the regime would "fight to the last bullet".

After clashes in the capital overnight were suppressed by security forces, state TV reported a renewed operation had begun against opposition elements there. "Security forces have started to storm into the dens of terror and sabotage, spurred by the hatred of Libya," the Libyan TV channel reported. Protesters were out on the streets and flames and smoke could be seen rising from the area, the witness said.

Amid the turmoil on the streets, senior officials have also begun to desert the regime. Justice Minister Mustapha Abdul Jalil quit the government because of the "excessive use of violence", the privately owned Quryna newspaper reported. In New York, Libya's deputy ambassador to the UN denounced the Gaddafi government, accusing it of carrying out genocide against the people. Libya's envoy to the Arab League, Abdel Moneim al-Honi, announced he was "joining the revolution", and its ambassador to India, Ali al-Essawi, told the BBC he was also resigning. In another blow to Col Gaddafi's rule, two tribes - including Libya's largest tribe, the Warfla - have backed the protesters.

Meanwhile, two helicopters and two fighter jets from Libya landed in Malta. The helicopter was said to be carrying French oil workers, and the fighter pilots were reported to have left Benghazi when an airbase was taken over by protesters. Human Rights Watch says at least 233 people have died since last Thursday, though in his speech, Saif al-Islam insisted reports of the death toll had been exaggerated. The US, UK and French governments are among those condemning the harsh treatment of protesters. The US has ordered all families of embassy staff and all non-essential diplomats to leave the country.

Italy, the former colonial power in Libya, has close business links to Tripoli and voiced alarm at the prospect of the Gaddafi government collapsing. "Would you imagine to have an Islamic Arab Emirate at the borders of Europe? This would be a very serious threat," said Foreign Minister Franco Frattini. The head of the Arab League, Amr Moussa, described the protesters' demands as legitimate, calling it a "decisive moment in history" for Arab nations.

Reports from several cities suggest the country is sliding out of the government's control. International firms including BP, one of the world's biggest oil companies, are preparing to pull their staff out of Libya.

Credible Western intelligence reports say that Muammar Gaddafi has fled Libya and is on his way to exile in Venezuela, according to William Hague, the foreign secretary.

The Big Society

We've been hearing a lot again this week about Prime Minister David Cameron's "Big Society" but I guess we are less clear about what it actually means. Whatever it does mean the election was fought on this as the vision and cornerstone of the Conservative Party's campaign. Officially the aim is "to create a climate that empowers local people and communities, building a big society that will take power away from politicians and give it to people". This of course the same party whose Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher said, "there is no such thing as society".

Chicken Pathia made with Taz Base

Ingredients:

1 portion of precooked chicken

400 ml Taz curry base gravy

BE spice mixture, 1 tsp.

¼ teaspoon of chilli powder

½ tsp dried fenugreek leaves

¼ teaspoon of salt

tomato puree, 1 ½ level tbsp, mixed with 2 tbsp water

1 tbsp of sugar

1 tbsp of mango chutney

2 tbsp of lemon juice

fresh tomato, a few quarters (5 or 6?)

fresh coriander, to garnish

Method:

heat 200 ml of base in the pan

add the tomato paste, mix powder, salt, chilli powder and fenugreek, stir in well

reduce this mixture right down until you have a thick dry paste

add your chicken

add the other half of the base gravy and stir in well

reduce to the level you want

add the sugar and mango chutney and stir in

add the lemon juice and stir in

add tomato quarters and garnish with coriander

Chicken Madras made with Taz Base

Ingredients:

1 portion of precooked chicken

400 ml Taz curry base gravy

BE spice mixture, 1 tsp.

2 tsp. chilli powder

½ tsp. dried fenugreek leaves

¼ tsp. of salt

tomato puree, 2 level tbsp., mixed with 2 tbsp. water

2 tbsp. of lemon juice

fresh coriander, to garnish

Method:

- add 200 ml of warm base to the pan or wok

- add the garlic, tomato paste, mix powder, salt, chilli powder, fenugreek

- over a medium to high heat reduce down until there is very little water left and the oil has come through, stirring occasionally, make sure you scrape down the brown caramelising residue on the side of the pan back into the mix,

- the mix should be quite thick. If you add the remaining base when the first reduction hasn't gone far enough then the flavour won't have developed enough and the curry can be bland

- add your precooked meat

- add the remainder of the base and reduce to your desired consistency

- add the lemon juice

- garnish with fresh coriander

Cooking a Curry with the Taz Base

This is not a recipe, but it is more of a guide on how to cook any curry that you make using this base. The base is quite simple and on its own it tastes quite bland. However using this method - the reduction method will produce a very full flavoured curry that will help you achieve restaurant quality results.

- add 200 ml of warm or hot base to a hot wok or pan

- add spices, garlic, ginger, seasoning tomato puree etc. as required by the recipe

- the base has a high oil content so they will fry rather than boil

- leave on a medium or high heat and reduce the base until there is very little water left

- scrape any residue that is caramelising on the side of the pan back into the base

reduce the base until you have a thick, almost dry base

- don't be afraid to take the base right down

- add you pre-cooked meat and other sauce additions

- add another 200 ml base, this is what gives you the sauce

- reduce to the desired consistency

Megrahi at Death's Door - For The Last Eighteen Months

Labour was accused yesterday of having been ‘up to its neck’ in securing the early release of the Lockerbie bomber. Extraordinary official documents revealed the last government did ‘all it could’ to have Abdelbaset al-Megrahi returned to Libya.

Ministers were accused of ‘acting like lawyers for the Libyans’ as the unprecedented release of Whitehall papers revealed how the Labour government had a ‘game plan’ and secretly plotted to ‘facilitate’ an appeal by the Libyans over Megrahi. They were determined to seal a BP oil deal and strengthen political ties with Libya, a review headed by Cabinet Secretary Sir Gus O’Donnell found. Sir Gus’s report highlights confidential memos and letters that reveal horse trading between London and Edinburgh linking the fate of Megrahi – Britain’s worst mass murderer – to other issues.

Soon after he became prime minister, Gordon Brown wrote to Libyan dictator Colonel Muammar Gaddafi promising to ‘fulfil all the undertakings’ made by his predecessor Tony Blair, which included a prisoner transfer deal, the documents showed. Sir Gus’s analysis of the papers said: ‘Once Megrahi had been diagnosed with terminal cancer in September 2008, (government) policy was based upon an assessment that UK interests would be damaged if Megrahi were to die in a UK jail.’ Other letters showed Foreign Office minister Bill Rammell met with his Libyan counterpart and wrote to him advising on how to petition authorities in Scotland for Megrahi’s ‘compassionate release’.

On 21 December 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 was blown up over Lockerbie in Scotland, killing all 259 passengers and crew and 11 residents of Lockerbie. On 31 January 2001, Mr Megrahi was found guilty.

On 19 August 2009 Kenny MacAskill approved Mr Megrahi's application for compassionate release to Libya on the grounds that the clinical assessment that a three month prognosis for Mr Megrahi was a reasonable estimate. Mr Megrahi was returned to Libya on 20 August 2009. Despite intensive lobbying by HMG to ensure that a high profile return was avoided, Mr Megrahi was met at the airport by several hundred people. Eighteen months later, cancer-sufferer Megrahi is still alive and living as a free man in Tripoli.

Curry Base

I have been experimenting with a new base recipe, called the Taz base. This is a simple base - more so than other bases I have made. The results however, have been awesome.

Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

6 large onions, approximately 1kg peeled weight, chopped

5 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped

2 inch x 1 inch piece of ginger, chopped

1 average sized green pepper, chopped

450 ml of vegetable oil

2/3 tbsp. salt

1½ tbsp. ground turmeric

1 tbsp. ground coriander

1 tbsp. ground cumin

2 litres of water

200 grams of tinned tomatoes

Method:

put all ingredients except the tinned tomatoes in pan

bring to the boil, with lid on, and gently boil for 1 hour

add the tomatoes and simmer for about 15 minutes

allow to cool a little and blend until smooth

add more water at the end of blending to get that soup like consistency (if required)

bring back to the boil and simmer until some oil becomes visible on the surface of the base

the base is now ready