Aerial view of Hurst Spit and Sturt pond

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Fr. Theo Mathias, S.J., 1919-2005

Obituary for 

Fr. Theo Mathias, S.J., 1919-2005

Here is Fr. Theo's obituary from JIVAN: News and Views of Jesuits in India.  I have cut into 3 columns for readability.  The full page is scanned at the bottom.

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Nigel Slater's baked pumpkin and roasted plums

Soft-skinned and full flavoured, the season's early pumpkins and ripening plums open the door to autumn

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• • Nigel Slater
  • The Observer, Sunday 4 September 2011
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Smashing pumpkins: roasted squash with chilli. Photograph: Jonathan Lovekin for the Observer

I had my first sniff of autumn last week. That first hint that the season is changing usually involves some form of decay, in this case a couple of courgettes that had rotted to golden mush under their rain-sodden leaves in the veg patch. But the scent of early autumn is often one of extreme ripeness, too. Late-fruiting raspberries, plums of every sort and cherry-sized tomatoes are heady now, and their presence marks the change as clearly as turning a page of the calendar.

The smell of autumn hangs over the kitchen with a plate of plums so ripe as to be on the verge of collapse. This year I used early Victorias in a sorbet. It was good enough, though unexceptional until my second attempt when I roasted the fruits first, their flesh caramelising in the oven. The difference was amazing, the richness making it a clear winner. I put a carton of the pale pink and gold water-ice on the table with extra fruit, roasted with gin and juniper.

The plum season begins in July, starting with the diminutive golden Mirabelle, and continues until the dark red Marjorie's Seedling in early October. During the last few autumns I have tucked various varieties into classic sticky gingerbread; chutneyed them with raisins and malt vinegar; churned them into ice cream and served them as a compote with anise- seasoned pork ribs. Roasting them with gin has its roots in my jars of crimson damson gin, the nearest I am likely to get to home wine-making.

The pumpkins in the shops now are generally young ones with soft skins. While some of the larger ones are still sitting in the sun "curing", there are plenty about for roasting. Cut into wedges like melon or hacked into lumps and roasted, pumpkin needs something either spicy or very savoury to stop its slide into sugariness. This week I roasted one in small pieces with butter and then tossed it with a hot and sticky syrup of chillies and coriander – something I intend to try with sweet potatoes, too.

Sweet fruits, sweet vegetables and a distinct whiff of woodsmoke in the air. For the home cook, this is surely as good as it gets.

HOT SWEET BAKED PUMPKIN

This is an excellent side dish for baked ham, pork chops or cold beef, or as a main with steamed rice. It is essential to ensure the pumpkin is tender before adding the spices.

Serves 6 as a side dish

pumpkin or butternut squash 1.5kg, unpeeled weight
butter 50g

For the dressing:
caster sugar 4 tbsp 
water 200ml 
ginger a thumb-sized lump 
red chilli 1 large, medium hot 
limes 2 
fish sauce 1 tbsp, or to taste
coriander a small bunch, finely chopped

DIRECTIONS

Set the oven at 200C/gas mark 6. Peel the pumpkin, discard the seeds and fibres, and cut the flesh into small pieces, about 3cm in thickness. Put them in a roasting tin with the butter and bake for 50-60 minutes, turning occasionally, till soft enough to take the point of a knife.

Put the sugar and water in a shallow pan and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down and simmer till the liquid has reduced by half. Meanwhile, peel and roughly chop the ginger and put in the bowl of a food processor. Halve the chilli lengthways and chop roughly, removing the seeds if you wish for a less spicy seasoning. Add the chilli to the bowl, then grate in the zest of the limes. Squeeze in the juice from the limes, then process to a coarse paste.

Stir the spice mixture into the syrup and simmer for a minute before adding the fish sauce and coriander. Remove from the heat.

When the pumpkin is fully tender, spoon most of the chilli sauce over, toss gently to coat each piece, then return to the oven for a further 5-10 minutes. Toss with the remaining chilli sauce and serve.

A SORBET OF ROASTED PLUMS

A well-flavoured plum ice that is easy to make with or without an ice-cream maker.

Serves 6

For the syrup:
water 150ml
caster sugar 150g

For the plums:
dark, ripe plums 500g 
caster sugar 1 tbsp
lemon juice of 1

DIRECTIONS

Set the oven at 200C/gas mark 6. Bring the sugar and water to the boil in a small saucepan, switch off the heat and leave to cool, then chill thoroughly.

Wipe the plums, remove their stalks and put in a baking dish with the sugar. Bake for 30 minutes until they are soft and the skins have burst. Remove from the oven, leave to cool and remove the stones.

Mash the plums and their skins with a fork. I prefer a lumpy mash to add texture, but remove the skins if you prefer. Stir 200ml of the sugar syrup into the plums, then add the lemon juice. Pour into an ice-cream maker and churn until almost frozen or freeze by hand by pouring the mixture into a plastic freezer box, then leave to freeze for 4 hours stirring it every hour to introduce a little air. Serve with the hot plums below.

ROAST PLUMS, GIN AND JUNIPER

Even slightly under-ripe plums will respond to this treatment. Serve as a hot pudding with cream or spoon it over the sorbet above.

Serves 6

plums 1kg
butter 40g 
caster sugar 4 tbsp 
gin 2 tbsp
juniper berries 6 large, squashed

To serve: 
double cream

DIRECTIONS

Set the oven at 180C/gas mark 4. Melt the butter and sugar in a nonstick pan, then add the gin and juniper berries. Wipe the plums and put them in a baking dish, then pour over the butter and sugar mixture.

Bake for 50-60 minutes till the plums have burst their skins and are soft and slightly caramelised. Serve with a jug of double cream or the plum sorbet above.

Thoughts on Britain's 2011 London Riots

 Roy and I stayed up till 2.45 a.m. yesterday following the coverage of the London riots on the Guardian's live blog and other media and social media.
It was grimly fascinating watching the protests, rioting and looting spread from London to Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, Bristol, Nottingham and Kent. 

 There were however some peculiarly British features which separated the riots from those in Mogadishu to which  the German magazine Spiegel compared it

A burning capital city. Marauding bands stealing whatever they please. A police force that appears to be impotent. And a fire brigade that can't put out blazes because its rescue forces are attacked by a mob. The television images dominating screens this week could be right out of Mogadishu. As difficult to imagine as it might be, the pictures aren't from Somalia, but from London, right in the centre of Europe. And they will never be forgotten.

One of these which greatly amused us was that the looters queuedoutside the jewellery, sporting goods, electronics and mobile phone shops they had come to loot . First come, first served! 


I read much commentary on the effective disenfranchisement and disengagement of the young (90% black according to eyewitness accounts) looters from society. In a milieu in which people are defined by what they possess, and wear, and in which the money to buy and own these coveted things is not easily come by, walking into a store cushioned by the safety of numbers of a mob and just picking up an iPod, iPad, sneakers, smartphone, gold chains, diamonds and bling must be an irresistible temptation. Big wants, small or no earnings--that probably played a role in the riots.

Sociologists will be dissecting these riots for a long time. I guess it was a toxic mix of underemployment, an unsatisfying education, poor career prospects, boredom, disaffection,  racism, low stakes in one's community and society. Perhaps the handouts of a welfare state reduces the incentive to be entrepreneurial, and invent the rags to riches, Horatio Alger autobiography so beloved in America--and which continues to be written there. 


Since I couldn't sleep, I decided to pray. I have long stopped praying about things I do not feel passionately about--because I sense such prayers do not reach the heart of God. And so, instead of praying that the riots stop (which, of course, I should have done) I found myself praying for the individual looters. Young, frightened, confused, insecure and very, very angry people. Praying for a transforming spiritual encounter for them. That they would know the peace and comfort and fellowship of friendship with the Living God. 

 I would rate my own experiences of the living God somewhere near 1 on a scale of 100 compared to, let's say,  John Leonard Dober and David Nitschman the Moravian missionaries who sold themselves into slavery to reach the Haitian slaves. But how life-transforming and peace and joy-giving this friendship has been! 


I used to think the biggest field for evangelism in Britain was the Asian community--Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, and ethnic Chinese, with their various religions. The Afro-Caribbean community are nominally Christian, and indeed church--very lengthy, joyful services with much singing, smart suits and dresses and fancy hats--is integral to their community life (as I observe on Oxford Sundays). 


I heard the Ugandan bishop Zac Nyiringe say at St. Aldate's that he wished his Ugandan people would love church less and religion less, so that it could spill out of a Sunday morning celebration into weekday life to a far greater degree. 


And that is a challenge for all of us!

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