I was pretty stoked to read on page 19 of this edition about dog teeth.
The subject of dog teeth has been on the tip of my tongue, but as usual, it took an inspired piece in the Sun for me to burst forth with a creative outburst.
My teeth have taken a bit of a hiding over the years, mainly due to my obsession with rocks. The bigger the better, and preferably under water for that added sense of danger and intrigue. If I could get into the boss's scuba gear, I'd be tackling the Tuhua Reef.
Caught in a vortex
Most dogs seem content with chasing sticks, tennis balls and the occasional Frisbee.
Personally, I don't mess with that namby pamby soft stuff. Although I did, one Christmas, enjoy the subtle texture of Darren Axelrad's cool present, a Vortex, which I destroyed in approximately 12 seconds. (If you're reading this Darren, take comfort from the fact that the boss bought you a new one the next week, which by chance, I also found before he had an opportunity to deliver it, and I managed to shred that in a record 9.5 seconds. By now, nearly 10 years later we've all grown out of Vortex, I guess he just owes you a beer.)
But back to the subject: Teeth. They've been pretty handy in recent weeks, when I've been expected to break from tradition and conform to retriever status, leaping into turbulent waters to bring back waterfowl, in various states of disrepair. I guess I can manage a few exceptions, provided there's a good rock-tossing session at the end of it.
So anyway, check out my personal physician Gary Ball doing his thing on page 19. It's important that us canines have good tooth and gum health so we can continue to sample the fine wares of our mate Johnny, the Aussie Butcher.
Gnarly Gnashers
These days I'm less the gnasher and more the gnashed, since there's a certain crazed German cannibal in my life who insists on trying to eat me head first or tail first, depending on which end she catches first. I only wish she'd see the sense of chewing on a few choice rocks to blunt those razor sharp canines. At least then the impact might be a little less on this particular aging chocolate punchbag.
Enough about teeth, the only thing I would like to get mine into at this moment, is some of my mate Johnny the Aussie Butchers free range pork. The only appealing thing to me is the free-range part, and luckily the lad answered my question – whether I had to catch it – as quite honestly at this stage of my life I like my food arriving at my paws, not me having to go and chase it.
Phew, thank goodness, for a moment I thought there was going to be more exercise in store, thanks Johnny. So get down to his shop in Gate Pa and sample his delectable wares.
Steaks and mash
Ingredients
750g potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
½ cup cream
70g butter
4 (220g) scotch fillets
Salt and pepper
1Tbsp olive oil
¼ cup red wine
1 ½ Tbsp green peppercorns, rinsed
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/3 cup cream
¼ cup mint leaves
¼ bunch chives, chopped
Method
Preheat oven to 190C. Boil potatoes in salted water for 15 minutes or until tender. Drain. Add cream and 60g butter to pan and mash until smooth. Keep warm.
Season meat with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Cook meat 1-2 minutes each side. Transfer to a baking tray and roast for 12 minutes for medium rare. Rest for five minutes.
Meanwhile, heat remaining butter in same frying pan used for steaks. Add wine and boil until a glaze. Add peppercorns, garlic and cream, cook for one minute or until thickened. Stir herbs through mash and serve with steaks and sauce.