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This is a wholegrain rye sourdough. I make one every week, along with my wholegrain spelt. My hubby eats the rye, it’s lower in gluten and suits him better. . Because it’s lower in gluten, the technique is quite different to my spelt loaves. In its simplest form, with a good starter, it pretty much looks after itself. . And horrah! The rye is local. Italy being a bread basket suits me ;-) . Anyone else love rye sourdough?

June 22, 2020 by

This is a wholegrain rye sourdough. I make one every week, along with my wholegrain spelt. My hubby eats the rye, it’s lower in gluten and suits him better.
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Because it’s lower in gluten, the technique is quite different to my spelt loaves. In its simplest form, with a good starter, it pretty much looks after itself.
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And horrah! The rye is local. Italy being a bread basket suits me 😉
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Anyone else love rye sourdough?

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Watermelon rind ferment. I added garlic, coriander seeds, yellow mustard seeds and black pepper. Never done this before – thinking of cracking it open early next week, so I’ll let you know how it tastes! . I juiced most of the flesh. It’s sitting in a glass jar with water kefir grains now. Hoping I’ll have a fizzy pink kefir nectar soon. . I love summer in Italy :-)

June 20, 2020 by

Watermelon rind ferment. I added garlic, coriander seeds, yellow mustard seeds and black pepper. Never done this before – thinking of cracking it open early next week, so I’ll let you know how it tastes!
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I juiced most of the flesh. It’s sitting in a glass jar with water kefir grains now. Hoping I’ll have a fizzy pink kefir nectar soon.
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I love summer in Italy 🙂

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How gorgeous is this picture? I have stove envy. A big ol’ part of me longs to me a Mamma in charge of this beauty, creating with it in my kitchen, knowing it inside out. . According to Darra Goldstein’s latest book on Russian cuisine (where this pic comes from), there’s a high ledge that I could cuddle up on in winter, it’d transform into a sauna, and of course, I could keep all my ferments warm as it cooled. . And I like her outfit too :-)

June 19, 2020 by

How gorgeous is this picture? I have stove envy. A big ol’ part of me longs to me a Mamma in charge of this beauty, creating with it in my kitchen, knowing it inside out.
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According to Darra Goldstein’s latest book on Russian cuisine (where this pic comes from), there’s a high ledge that I could cuddle up on in winter, it’d transform into a sauna, and of course, I could keep all my ferments warm as it cooled.
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And I like her outfit too 🙂

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This is soppressata toscana. It is made with ‘waste’; the parts of a pig which, these days, most people don’t eat. It came to us from Francesca, who runs the organic farm up the hill with her husband. . It tastes delicious. . I adore the fact that I live in a place where nose-to-tail traditions are very much alive. . And I want to learn how to make this :-)

June 17, 2020 by

This is soppressata toscana. It is made with ‘waste’; the parts of a pig which, these days, most people don’t eat. It came to us from Francesca, who runs the organic farm up the hill with her husband.
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It tastes delicious.
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I adore the fact that I live in a place where nose-to-tail traditions are very much alive.
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And I want to learn how to make this 🙂

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The crust. Is it the best bit? Or is it the place where the juicy topping meets the dough? Or maybe the crispy bottom?! . All of those places on the wholegrain spelt sourdough pizza I make are gooood. . What’s your favourite bit?

June 16, 2020 by

The crust. Is it the best bit? Or is it the place where the juicy topping meets the dough? Or maybe the crispy bottom?!
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All of those places on the wholegrain spelt sourdough pizza I make are gooood.
.
What’s your favourite bit?

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Pancakes are my absolute favourite breakfast. I like them simple. Flour and water. I cook them in a cast iron pan. And then I top them most often with miso and a sprinkling of ground linseed – yet to come on this morning’s golden beauty, which is two-thirds einkorn and one-third chestnut flour. . Pancakes without eggs in cast iron can be so simple (and quick), providing you get two elements right: . 1 – Heat up the cast iron pan for longer than you think. I put mine on medium heat and then walk away and do something else for 6/7 minutes. . 2 – Use a lot of fat. To stop your house being full of smoke, use a high heat oil. Tallow is best. Lard is good. Ghee better than butter. And good olive oil works too – the high polyphenol count counters any potential oxidization. Don’t be afraid of using ample fat. . Pour the batter in. Spread it with the back of a spoon. Leave it till the top surface is no longer wet (it will change colour). Flip it. Leave it another 5 minutes. . Then slide onto your plate and top in whatever way you see fit.

June 15, 2020 by

Pancakes are my absolute favourite breakfast. I like them simple. Flour and water. I cook them in a cast iron pan. And then I top them most often with miso and a sprinkling of ground linseed – yet to come on this morning’s golden beauty, which is two-thirds einkorn and one-third chestnut flour.
.
Pancakes without eggs in cast iron can be so simple (and quick), providing you get two elements right:
.
1 – Heat up the cast iron pan for longer than you think. I put mine on medium heat and then walk away and do something else for 6/7 minutes.
.
2 – Use a lot of fat. To stop your house being full of smoke, use a high heat oil. Tallow is best. Lard is good. Ghee better than butter. And good olive oil works too – the high polyphenol count counters any potential oxidization. Don’t be afraid of using ample fat.
.
Pour the batter in. Spread it with the back of a spoon. Leave it till the top surface is no longer wet (it will change colour). Flip it. Leave it another 5 minutes.
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Then slide onto your plate and top in whatever way you see fit.

… Read More

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Do you have a pestle and mortar? I used to have a huge one that I bought from a curiosity shop. Somewhere along the line it got lost and I often pine for it! . Now I have is this tiny one, inherited from my father-in-law. It’s simple, but does a good job. Here we have thyme, rosemary and oregano from the garden being pounded with olive oil and garlic. It’s going to be drizzled on a pizza :-) . Tell me about your pestle and mortar. Better still, send me a picture! Make me jealous. I wonder if there’s a hashtag #pestleandmortarlove …

June 9, 2020 by

Do you have a pestle and mortar? I used to have a huge one that I bought from a curiosity shop. Somewhere along the line it got lost and I often pine for it!
.
Now I have is this tiny one, inherited from my father-in-law. It’s simple, but does a good job. Here we have thyme, rosemary and oregano from the garden being pounded with olive oil and garlic. It’s going to be drizzled on a pizza 🙂
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Tell me about your pestle and mortar. Better still, send me a picture! Make me jealous. I wonder if there’s a hashtag #pestleandmortarlove …

… Read More

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Fermented barley and rye cakes baked in cabbage leaves. These are an #anccestralfood version of a recipe in the Russian cookbook ‘Beyond the North Wind’. I soaked the flours in #rawgoatmilk kefir overnight and then added in some melted ghee. Baked in a very hot oven, the cabbage crisps and the cakes are creamy and gorgeous.

June 8, 2020 by

Fermented barley and rye cakes baked in cabbage leaves. These are an #anccestralfood version of a recipe in the Russian cookbook ‘Beyond the North Wind’. I soaked the flours in #rawgoatmilk kefir overnight and then added in some melted ghee. Baked in a very hot oven, the cabbage crisps and the cakes are creamy and gorgeous.

… Read More

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I used to live in Penzance (where the pirates come from!). The supernatural is big there…something to do with the sea air and the rugged landscape. Whilst in my old kitchen, I often felt like a kitchen-witch, making magic with whatever I happened to find in the fridge that morning. . This month’s #ancestralcookup is a true kitchen-witch recipe….the inspiration for it comes from a recipe the Mommas on Italian island of Sardinia used. It’s a ‘lasagna’ made from bread. . I’ve written it up in a way that’s super-easy for you. You need only three things: . 1 – old bread 2 – a filling (enter leftovers stage left!) 3 – some stock . Wanna have a go? I’d love to have you cook it a long with me this month. Click on the link in my profile for all the details.

June 6, 2020 by

I used to live in Penzance (where the pirates come from!). The supernatural is big there…something to do with the sea air and the rugged landscape. Whilst in my old kitchen, I often felt like a kitchen-witch, making magic with whatever I happened to find in the fridge that morning.
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This month’s #ancestralcookup is a true kitchen-witch recipe….the inspiration for it comes from a recipe the Mommas on Italian island of Sardinia used. It’s a ‘lasagna’ made from bread.
.
I’ve written it up in a way that’s super-easy for you. You need only three things:
.
1 – old bread
2 – a filling (enter leftovers stage left!)
3 – some stock
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Wanna have a go? I’d love to have you cook it a long with me this month. Click on the link in my profile for all the details.

… Read More