Author: Ali

Is crunch important to you?
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The crust of a sourdough, pork crackling, toast…all things I love largely because of the crunch. I miss the satisfaction of that noise and sensation if I don’t have it!
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Crunchy pork skin hits that spot 110% *and* it’s made at home, local and a ‘waste’ food. So good that I wanted to glorify the treats in some arty pictures!
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Check my story today for videos of the process (and the crunch!) and click on my profile to find the youtube video recipe

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How can something so simple brighten my day so much? Purple of borage flowers against the orange of carrots and the green of chives and rocket.
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In the background sourdough spelt topped with bone marrow, some red cabbage sauerkraut and two types of local unpasteurised cheese – one with sheep’s milk, the other cow’s.
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Everything here is Italian, most of it from less than 5 miles away. The borage and chives are from the garden.
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It’s hard to put into words how eating locally and using traditional wisdom in my kitchen makes me feel. It’s something like peaceful, but with hints of deep belonging and gratitude.
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Happy weekend all.

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I finally got serious beef marrow bones locally and I’m using the marrow fat in everything…on toast, to fry, in bakes and to add a beautiful touch to warm grain salads.
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Turns out in the past, in England, bone marrow was used to make a forerunner of rice pudding – with sugar and spices. See my story today for the details.
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What’s your favourite way to eat marrow?
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Thank you @fontedeiserri for the amazing bones (and fat and meat!)

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Do you have this book? Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the shear number of recipes in it?
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I remember when I got my copy of Nourishing Traditions. I wanted to make *everything* in it!! A decade later, I haven’t managed that feat, but I do have favourite, go-to recipes that I make over and over again. And so does my podcast co-host @farmandhearth.
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Listen in to today’s @ancestralkitchenpodcast episode to hear us share the six recipes we love the most in this amazing ancestral food bible.
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We’ll tell you why we love them and share our tips on making them. Once you’ve listened you’ll be enthused and inspired to bring them to life in your own world!

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Fermented food waste grew this chard!
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I have a tiny, container-only patio garden with no space for making compost. Last year, I started making bokashi – that is fermenting my food waste. Come winter, I dug the fermented scraps (including bones, cooked food, cheese as well as veg scraps) into my containers and left them to ‘sleep’ until Spring.
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Having no idea whether it had worked, I planted beets, carrots, borage, calendula, parsnips, buckwheat and more into the containers a few months back. They’ve dug their roots into the ferment and are doing really well!
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This is my second chard harvest (I thought I was growing beets, but seems the greens are doing amazingly too). Going to steam and eat with some sausages and bread for lunch.
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If you’ve thought about making bokashi, I’d give it the thumbs up.

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Bread that converts non-believers!
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I took this rye bread (which is a beautifully sweet Russian-style loaf) to a friend’s house last week. She bought some ‘normal’ bread as she has historically disliked rye.
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She (and her children) tried it and we completely converted. I left the rest of it there and she’s asked for more.
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Besides liking the compliment, I’m glad she wants more as I have a freezer full of rye sourdough bread!! I’ve been working on my upcoming rye course for @thefermentationschool for months and I think I can see the light at the end…maybe two more days of filming to go!
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If you’re near Florence and like rye sourdough (or even if you think you *don’t* like rye!) I’ll happily give you a loaf. It’s great with avocado and sumac, as I’m eating for lunch today.

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Yesterday’s oxtail made the most amazing supper with a slice of sourdough bread generously coated with lard.
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After I’d finished eating, I sat down to read Dorothy Hartley’s classic, Food in England, which @charlieb_eattheearth recommended. As if by magic, I landed on the ‘Oxtail Pot’ and ‘Oxtail Soup’ recipes. Now I want to have another go! And I’m looking forward to chatting about the possibilities with @farmandhearth in our next ’round-the-table’ patreon-exclusive podcast.
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There’s a video of the falling-off-the-bone meat in my feed yesterday and lots more pics in my nose-to-tail highlight.
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As always, thank you @valledelsasso for the oxtail and the backfat and the incredible work you do.
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If you make oxtail, let me know what you do with it!

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Did you grow up with tins of oxtail soup in the cupboard?!
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Here’s my first foray into ‘proper’ oxtail.
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If you want to taste (and I’m telling you, it’s delicious!) do the following:
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Purchase an oxtail from a farmer doing good things (thank you @valledelsasso).
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Fry it till sealed, adding some red wine to the pan at the end.
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Transfer to a slow-cooker or big pot on low. Add water, root veg and a bit of tomato paste. Leave it to do its thing.
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Remove when falling off bone. Eat as is, with the stock (which is crazily-good) or shred and mix into dishes, or blend and make soup.
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I’m doing this again in future. It’s much, much better than the tinned soup of my childhood 🙂
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Lots more pics and videos in my story today which will be saved to my nose-to-tail highlight if you’re here later.

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New video: How to make crunchy pig skin.
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These treats are light, ridiculously crunchy and so good. And they are made from pig skin…something that, before @mereleighfood showed me what was possible, I would have discarded.
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Watching the frankly magical process of a pan of hot lard transforming dense leathery pig skin into puffy ‘ancestral popcorn’ is a wonder. Having made these, I’m asking my farmer for the skin every time now 🙂
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I’ve made a video showing step-by-step what I do. You can find it (and written instructions) by clicking on the first button in the ‘recipes’ section of my profile link.

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