Simple lunch: Lard-fried local egg on homemade millet/sorghum sourdough accompanied by salad. All topped with a dressing made with a lot of raw garlic (mad on it at the moment, have you seen the article in my profile link?!) and then I took great pleasure in sprinkling our homemade black salt on the yolk. . As I type I realise all the work that went into this ‘simple’ plate: The walk to pick up the eggs, the rendering of the lard, the honing of the #lectinfree sourdough, the making of the Russian salt…and more. Maybe that’s why sitting down to eat it puts such a smile on my face?

Simple lunch: Lard-fried local egg on homemade millet/sorghum sourdough accompanied by salad. All topped with a dressing made with a lot of raw garlic (mad on it at the moment, have you seen the article in my profile link?!) and then I took great pleasure in sprinkling our homemade black salt on the yolk.
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As I type I realise all the work that went into this ‘simple’ plate: The walk to pick up the eggs, the rendering of the lard, the honing of the #lectinfree sourdough, the making of the Russian salt…and more. Maybe that’s why sitting down to eat it puts such a smile on my face?

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I love making Boza, the Turkish ancestral fermented drink. Here it is on day 2 of the fermentation, taken out of it’s warm spot for a stir and a photo. . I make it thick, so the gas produced by the fermentation creates these little spaces in the mix. It’s a sign of the fizziness and delightful sourness to come. . 3 more days to wait, then I can let my 6-year old loose on it!

I love making Boza, the Turkish ancestral fermented drink. Here it is on day 2 of the fermentation, taken out of it’s warm spot for a stir and a photo.
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I make it thick, so the gas produced by the fermentation creates these little spaces in the mix. It’s a sign of the fizziness and delightful sourness to come.
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3 more days to wait, then I can let my 6-year old loose on it!

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Chocolate-Coated Garlic! . From the moment I saw this, I knew I had to give it a go. I did 3 raw cloves and 3 fermented cloves. All covered with Lindt 99% chocolate. . Garlic is an astounding medicine…but all its power is lost in cooking. European cultures have included it raw in dishes for eons. . Click on my profile for an article detailing how to make this and giving you 3 other ways to eat raw garlic that are joyful, not medical. . And for the record, I could only manage half a raw chocolate-coated clove, but I loved the fermented clove ones and so did my hubby and son!

Chocolate-Coated Garlic!
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From the moment I saw this, I knew I had to give it a go. I did 3 raw cloves and 3 fermented cloves. All covered with Lindt 99% chocolate.
.
Garlic is an astounding medicine…but all its power is lost in cooking. European cultures have included it raw in dishes for eons.
.
Click on my profile for an article detailing how to make this and giving you 3 other ways to eat raw garlic that are joyful, not medical.
.
And for the record, I could only manage half a raw chocolate-coated clove, but I loved the fermented clove ones and so did my hubby and son!

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I love making curd cheese. It’s delicious, yes, that’s important, but, just as importantly, it’s a lazy cheese! . All I do is leave the #rawmilk we get from @aziendaagricolapodereruggeri out. When I notice that it has separated, I pour the liquid through a muslin-lined funnel into a jar. . What drips through is whey (check out my #wheysoda story to see what I do with it), what’s left is the cheese. I tie up the muslin and leave for another day, then I mix in herbs, garlic and black pepper. . Then I eat it!

I love making curd cheese. It’s delicious, yes, that’s important, but, just as importantly, it’s a lazy cheese!
.
All I do is leave the #rawmilk we get from @aziendaagricolapodereruggeri out. When I notice that it has separated, I pour the liquid through a muslin-lined funnel into a jar.
.
What drips through is whey (check out my #wheysoda story to see what I do with it), what’s left is the cheese. I tie up the muslin and leave for another day, then I mix in herbs, garlic and black pepper.
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Then I eat it!

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Millet and sorghum are both grown in Italy, so were my default for creating a #lectinfree sourdough. This is the best combo so far: 50/50. The bread is made soft and sweet by the sorghum, but given structure and tang by the millet. . 250g millet flour 250g sorghum flour 10g psyllium husk 120g millet sourdough starter 9g salt 500g water . I mix the flours and salt together. When the starter is peaking, I gel the psyllium in the water for 25 mins, then add in the starter. I mix all this into the dry ingredients and then leave overnight in the fridge. In the morning, I take it out, leave till room temp, the pan it up and proof for an hour and a half. 200C for 20 mins, then 175C for 35 mins and it’s done. . This is only my third attempt at a #lectinfreebread, but 2 years of making soudough has helped. Still, my next attempt will be 75/25 in favour of sorghum…we’ll see how that turns out.

Millet and sorghum are both grown in Italy, so were my default for creating a #lectinfree sourdough. This is the best combo so far: 50/50. The bread is made soft and sweet by the sorghum, but given structure and tang by the millet.
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250g millet flour
250g sorghum flour
10g psyllium husk
120g millet sourdough starter
9g salt
500g water
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I mix the flours and salt together. When the starter is peaking, I gel the psyllium in the water for 25 mins, then add in the starter. I mix all this into the dry ingredients and then leave overnight in the fridge. In the morning, I take it out, leave till room temp, the pan it up and proof for an hour and a half. 200C for 20 mins, then 175C for 35 mins and it’s done.
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This is only my third attempt at a #lectinfreebread, but 2 years of making soudough has helped. Still, my next attempt will be 75/25 in favour of sorghum…we’ll see how that turns out.

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We made home-cured bacon! It is good. The first taste was, as captured here, with bread, a bacon sarnie. Next, I’m turning my attention to making a Tuscan flat bread with bacon bits hiding inside. . Gratitude to @lavalledelsasso for the pork belly, @farmandhearth for reminding me it’s something you can do at home and @rivercottagehq for the instructions. . If you need me, I’ll be somwhere licking my lips…

We made home-cured bacon! It is good. The first taste was, as captured here, with bread, a bacon sarnie. Next, I’m turning my attention to making a Tuscan flat bread with bacon bits hiding inside.
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Gratitude to @lavalledelsasso for the pork belly, @farmandhearth for reminding me it’s something you can do at home and @rivercottagehq for the instructions.
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If you need me, I’ll be somwhere licking my lips…

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It’s not Sicilian lemonade. It’s got more fizz (check out my story to see just how much!) and it’s got less sugar. But it *is* really lemony. . This is homemade whey soda, in a vintage bottle I picked up for pennies just before we moved to Italy. It’s pretty apt home for these lemon bubbles. . I created this soda by fermenting goat’s whey (left over from cheese made using milk from @aziendaagricolapodereruggeri) with sugar and flavourings – in this case a lot of freshly squeezed lemon. . I found out recently that whey is a good source of #glutathione, which has tonnes of healing properties. My hubby has been taking some to help him recover from a nasty burn. Now I get to give him it straight from the goat, via some magical fermentation, in a tasty, tangy form. And I thought I was making it for a bit of fun. Result.

It’s not Sicilian lemonade. It’s got more fizz (check out my story to see just how much!) and it’s got less sugar. But it *is* really lemony.
.
This is homemade whey soda, in a vintage bottle I picked up for pennies just before we moved to Italy. It’s pretty apt home for these lemon bubbles.
.
I created this soda by fermenting goat’s whey (left over from cheese made using milk from @aziendaagricolapodereruggeri) with sugar and flavourings – in this case a lot of freshly squeezed lemon.
.
I found out recently that whey is a good source of #glutathione, which has tonnes of healing properties. My hubby has been taking some to help him recover from a nasty burn. Now I get to give him it straight from the goat, via some magical fermentation, in a tasty, tangy form. And I thought I was making it for a bit of fun. Result.

Read More