You can sorta say we had a difficult beginning to the relationship – mostly because we didn’t meet until I was 20 and she was 18. It’s your classic fairy-tale – Boy meets Girl, Boy meets other Girl, Boy has Secret Child. Etc.
Basically, it’s like the Parent Trap, but the Lindsay Lohan version. Ok, so it’s like the Celebrity Rehab Lindsay Lohan version of The Parent Trap.
So given the circumstances – we had to cover a lot of ground in a short space of time –and in a lot of ways, we are very different people. For example – I’m impulsive and my sister likes a plan. I like my cocktails and she isn’t a big drinker. She loves contentment and being settled – I itch at the feeling of routine. She makes her boundaries known – I bend to whatever makes things easiest for everyone. She takes a while to warm up – and I wear my heart on my sleeve – and occasionally make out with strangers.
But we do share a lot of things – aside from our father and a beautiful baby-sister – we were both raised by the strongest most awesomest of women, thanklessly slave away in the arts, love to run, cannot live without our music, our dancing, our fashion and our food. Oh my lord do we love food…
The very first time we met was over a fraught lunch at Yautchua – totally awkward, a complete surprise (thanks Dad) and so very terrifying. But there were venison-puffs – and there’s a limit to how fraught one can still be over venison puffs. 6 years on from that first meal, I feel like we’ve moved to a brand new place - so much so that every time I feel like our relationship is in a good place, it gets a little better. And whilst I still feel like I’m finding new stuff out about her every time we see each other – I also feel like we’ve finally figured out how to be around each other, and like we have each other’s backs. That every fight, every snipe, every confused, hurt feeling in the early years – feels worth it, and a million years behind us. I feel strong together, and that’s priceless to me.
So, as a fellow lover of the foods – I had to take her for a day of roaming around Borough Market. I knew she’d love it and hold it in her hungry heart just like I do. And if there’s one thing I like to do, is try to make that girl smile.
Now, we do love most of the same stuff –but there are a few things we disagree on – for instance – she loves liquorice – which makes me retch, and whilst she was not completely repulsed by her first try, I am unsure as to whether she will obsess over a white-truffle in the way that I do. Luckily –we agree on the important things – like brownies that have no flour in them, so that they are just chocolate and dense sugary crunch at the edges. And Olives – big fat juicy briney olives. Man, I could go for an olive right now…
But we ate, and we talked, and we laughed and screamed when we saw peanut-butter-white-chocolate-brownies (Google it, bitch!) and whilst the heart of my relationship with my sister could easily be food, the The Brindisa Chorizo Sandwich – as I am sure many of you will agree is the heart of Borough Market and have been served there for 10 years this winter.
For those of you that have never been to Borough Market, who have not seen the 50 deep queue to the stand (or seen someone like me, in the queue, still eating my first one…whilst queuing for my second – don’t frigging judge me) I will do my best to describe its simplicity and complexity without Smell-O-Vision.
To describe that hot juicy smoky, spicy paprika sausage tempered by the sweet smoothness of the pickled piquillo pepper just kicked up by the herbiness of rocket on that bbq toasted ciabatta, doused in extra, stinkingly potent virgin olive oil. To explain to you that it’s a two-hand job as you try to wrap your mouth around it and how, as the intense heat from the Chorizo sausage hits your tongue, the combined juices of the olive oil, pepper and sausage will gently roll down your chin and onto the brand new t-shirt you just bought. And you just won’t care.
Those who know this sandwich well, know what I’m talking about – and for those of you that don’t – fire up a grill, and get to cooking. Like a worked on friendship with a sibling come home to roost – It’ll be worth it.
The Brindisa Chorizo Burger
- Thick Spicy Chorizo Sausages – split down the middle.
- Ciabatta buns
- Piquillo peppers (you can get these in a jar from any deli)
- Rocket (Arugula)
- The strongest Olive Oil you can find.
- Fire up a grill.
- Grill those sausages until the edges are just a little burnt.
- Slap an open bun on the grill and toast gently.
- Drizzle a little olive oil on the inside of the bun
- Put the sausage in.
- Top it with a pepper
- Shove a handful of rocket in there.
- Wrap both hands around it and ruin your favourite shirt.
