Many of the cereals we see on breakfast tables these days are ridiculously-processed. Ridiculously-processed is my term…‘extruded’ is the scientific term. Yes, some of the contents of the cereal packet may have started life as a grain but let me … Read More
One of the best things about being in the UK is the blackberries. My son has picked so many! Here’s the latest use: blackberry (and a touch of apple) pie with sourdough spelt pastry (just about to put a pastry lid on). I’ll post a pic of the result in my story.
Does your food feel luxurious?
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Today’s @ancestralkitchenpodcast is a deep dive into treat food within a nutrient-dense diet.
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So much of gets eaten in our home is repetitive – and yet, it often feels like luxury. In this episode my husband, Rob, and I talk about why that is and share the simple foods that make us feel amazing.
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We then go on to talk about three specific ‘luxury’ foods we create in our kitchen regularly – bean-to-bar chocolate, ancestral ale and home-roasted coffee. We share the vast differences between these home-made treats and their store-bought equivalents and philosophise over their roles as special foods within our society and our own home.
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As @farmandhearth says in the podcast intro, we’d love to hear what your luxuries are, your views on treat food (and if that has altered as your diet has).
These are the show notes for a podcast episode recorded especially for patrons of my main show (Ancestral Kitchen Podcast). These patrons pay a monthly subscription to be part of the podcast community and in return receive monthly exclusive recordings … Read More
Every once in a while Rob comes out from behind the tangle of wires and sits down on the other side of the podcast microphone and records an epic episode with Alison. This is one of those episodes. It is awesome and their dry British humor is the best.… Read More
The ancestral chocolate cake…that could pass as ‘just’ a delicious chocolate cake to those not in the ancestral ‘know’.
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Trying to interface cooking ancestrally with those I love that don’t dance this way is one of the hardest parts of my kitchen…but this cake does it 🙂
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It’s ancient grain (spelt), it’s sourdough, it’s egg and dairy-free (as my little one struggles with those), it is refined-sugar free, it uses ‘proper’ cocoa (not dutched)…
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AND it’s delicious; to me and my boys but also to my son’s classmates and my non-ancestral eating family and friends.
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(Next challenge…to try and explain to them why it takes a day to make and costs three times as much as a ‘normal’ chocolate cake.)
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I’m going to make this cake again this week – it’s my mum’s birthday and my sister is coming over with her three children. I’m thinking of going for it *big* time and making two layers sandwiched together with fresh cream. I’m not in my own kitchen…so if I pull it off even I’ll be impressed 🙂
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The recipe will be in the forthcoming @ancestralkitchenpodcast sourdough spelt cookbook 🙂
I batch-make stock and freeze it, usually in pint/quart jars. But doing it like that means I don’t get broth as often as I want it; a large jar takes a while to defrost and I have to remember to get it out of the freezer in time.
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Problem solved thanks to a great idea from the book Better Broths and Healing Tonics – I’m now freezing some of my broth in silicone muffin tins. I fill these up, put them in the freezer until solid, pop them out and put them all into one bag.
Now, when I want a cup of broth or to cook some oats in stock, I open the freezer and get one out!! I also love grabbing one or two to add to a cast iron dish if it gets too dry.
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They are also on standby for when I forget to defrost a large jar of broth. I can take two or three and add them to a batch of cooking grains for supper.
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Thank you @its.just.health and @drkarafitzgerald for writing this amazing book. I love it’s practical broth essentials plus all the tonics, smoothies (yes, broth smoothies!) and recipes in it.
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We’ve a podcast coming up in a few weeks all about the book 🙂
Good quality saturated fat is one of the cornerstones of eating ancestrally. Our ancestors have been using it in their kitchens for centuries. Yet it’s not always easy to access in our modern world and, when you can find it, … Read More
If you lived in the west of Cornwall a couple of hundred years ago, this is what you’d have eaten for breakfast: Gerty-milk.
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Well, it’s the best I can currently do to try and recreate it – there’s no written recipe and there’s no-one left who remembers it. Thanks to oat friends, I’ve gleaned the recipe from an 1880 book of folk tales from the area.
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In Cornwall, it was made from the local naked oat variety called ‘pillas’ (or pllcorn/peelcorn). The raw oats were sprouted, roasted and ground. They’d have used an open fire to roast, and, apparently, a sea-shore pebble to grind.
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I used a local naked oat, my cast-iron pan and a pestle and mortar. Once processed, I added the ground oats to raw milk in a saucepan and let the mix thicken.
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It tasted delicious! The roasting brought out all the toasty flavours of the fresh grain. The milk was sweet and creamy meaning it didn’t need any extra sweetener. I’d be happy to have it for breakfast every day!!
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Check my story today for more details, screenshots of the book and videos of my process.
Struggling with creating or maintaining a sourdough starter? Take this short course for with my 10 top tips! What’s the best flour for my starter? How do I keep it warm? How often do I need to feed it? My … Read More