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In 2009 I went to see Coldplay live. Id only just started wedding Photography, and the world (and my future) were filled with anticipation and fear about what came next.

Standing in line, eagerly and uncomfortably persevering through the long wait to guarantee a prime spot, I had the lyrics from one particular song play over and over in my head.

‘They are turning my head out
To see what I’m all about
Keeping my head down
To see what it feels like now
But I have no doubt
One day, the sun will come out’

The song was about Lovers in Japan… But it felt like it was written for me, and where I was at that time in my life.

…If you haven’t seen a video of Coldplay performing Lovers in Japan live… I highly recommend you google it. It was to this day, the most magical musical experience of my life- and I somehow saw a Ben Howard show in a castle in Berlin..

It was so profound to me in that moment that still, 8 years later I look back on those lyrics and smile. I made it through those first few years of trying to prove myself as a photographer, and have been so, so blessed to be here now in the sun.

 

Just last week I was in Tokyo. It was there I met up with Willow and Josh- two literal lovers in Japan. Throwback to 2011 when every post needed the perfect song, I encourage you to hit play below (it is of course, coldplay- lovers in Japan) and lose yourself in the neon lights like I did in 2009.

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A few days ago, Jarrad and I jumped in a car and drove to the cliff tops to  whip up something special. What resulted was super tasty, something I’d been thinking about but hadn’t given it a crack… until now! Gypsy pork cooked over coals with a sauce made of turkish figs, whiskey and all sorts of other goodies. I cooked up some pumpkin too and served that with some pomegranate molasses and lime. Jarrad the legend took some awesome photos of it all going down, check them out below- and then scroll to the bottom for my recipe!

Recipe

ingredients-

pork loin, beaten/rolled.

marinade- garlic, paprika, lime, mustard seed, ginger, fennel seed.

Sauce- Turkish figs, ardbeg whiskey, chicken stock, brown sugar, quince paste, apple cider vinegar, juniper berries, fresh  thyme.

pumpkin- jap, whole, pomegranate molasses, olive oil, lime and salt.

I made a salad too, it had- asparagus, watercress mint, okra, some more of those turkish figs, goat cheese, avocado and some grilled eggplant (though there isn’t many photos of the salad… its a salad)

method-

Heat up your bbq. you could use gas for sure, but charcoal is supreme for flavour.

start with the pumpkin, have it right over the heat, those charred edges turn bitter, and when doused in that sweet molasses its heaven.

work on the sauce now, time is the your friend here. load it up with everything at once, and just cook it low and slow until those figs break right down. the smell should be on point after about 15 minutes.

The pork will cook fairly quickly, even away from the direct heat. If you are using gas, turn it down to one burner, and if charcoal, try to load it up at the start so you dont have a tonne of heat left at this point (maybe 20 minutes total).

Close the lid on the pork and let that smoke do its thing, and quickly whip together that salad.

Throw it all on a plate when the pork is done, but not overdone!

Chow down and enjoy 🙂