He is one of Britain’s foremost abstractionists, but Frank Bowling is also renowned for his love of pig’s trotters, a dish that reminds him of his childhood in Guyana. During a career that has lasted more than six decades, he has been so immersed in his exuberant, large-scale canvases, it has left little time for preparing food. ‘The use of an electric slow cooker was a practical solution to this problem,’ explains Bowling’s wife, textile artist Rachel Scott. ‘This recipe became a staple of his diet. It supplied him with an instant warm and hearty dish after a long day at the studio. To date, it remains one of his favourite dishes.
Ingredients
5-6 pig trotters
1 small aubergine
1/2 bulb of fennel
12 Okra
1-2 medium karelas (bitter melon)
1/2 scotch bonnet
1/2 glass of vodka
1 bottle of beer
Water (if required)
RELATED STORY
Method
Roughly chop the aubergine and fennel
Cut the karela in half, remove seeds and chop
Remove the seeds from the scotch bonnet and finely chop
(alternatively leave the scotch bonnet whole for a stronger heat)
Place all ingredients in a heavy casserole dish
Add the vodka and beer
If required, add some water enough to cover Trotters
Allow to slow cook for 24 hours
Cook’s Tips
Before serving the stew, remove large and small bones
Serve with boiled rice, and cooked spinach
Squeeze a lemon over each serving.
INFORMATION
-
Fendi celebrates 100 years with all-out runway show at its new Milan HQIn the wake of Kim Jones’ departure, Silvia Venturini Fendi took the reins for a special co-ed A/W 2025 collection marking the house’s centenary, unveiling it as the first act of celebrations within Fendi’s expansive new headquarters in Milan
-
‘Leigh Bowery!’ at Tate Modern: 1980s alt-glamour, club culture and rebellionThe new Leigh Bowery exhibition in London is a dazzling, sequin-drenched look back at the 1980s, through the life of one of its brightest stars
-
Inside the unexpected collaboration between Marni’s Francesco Risso and artists Slawn and SoldierNew exhibition ‘The Pink Sun’ will take place at Francesco Risso’s palazzo in Milan in collaboration with Saatchi Yates, opening after the Marni show today, 26 February
-
Tasneem Sarkez's heady mix of kitsch, Arabic and Americana hits LondonArtist Tasneem Sarkez draws on an eclectic range of references for her debut solo show, 'White-Knuckle' at Rose Easton
-
Alice Neel’s portraits celebrating the queer world are exhibited in London‘At Home: Alice Neel in the Queer World’, curated by Hilton Als, opens at Victoria Miro, London
-
‘You have to face death to feel alive’: Dark fairytales come to life in London exhibitionDaniel Malarkey, the curator of ‘Last Night I Dreamt of Manderley’ at London’s Alison Jacques gallery, celebrates the fantastical
-
Inside the distorted world of artist George RouyFrequently drawing comparisons with Francis Bacon, painter George Rouy is gaining peer points for his use of classic techniques to distort the human form
-
Love, melancholy and domesticity: Anna Calleja is a painter to watchAnna Calleja explores everyday themes in her exhibition, ‘One Fine Day in the Middle of the Night’, at Sim Smith, London
-
Henni Alftan’s paintings frame everyday moments in cinematic renditionsConcurrent exhibitions in New York and Shanghai celebrate the mesmerising mystery in Henni Alftan’s paintings
-
Inside Jack Whitten’s contribution to American contemporary artAs Jack Whitten exhibition ‘Speedchaser’ opens at Hauser & Wirth, London, and before a major retrospective at MoMA opens next year, we explore the American artist's impact
-
‘This blood that is flowing is my blood, and that should be a positive thing’: Tracey Emin at White CubeTracey Emin’s exhibition ‘I followed you to the end’ has opened at White Cube Bermondsey in London, and traces the artist’s journey through loss
